Tortoises and dogs?!?!?

[Nikolai13]

Ok , my buddy has a russian and a mini pug that live in harmony , so my russian and bulldog get along but she likes to smell him and push him around with her nose , i stop her of course , so lately I've had to have him walk on my lap , is ther any tips to letting him walk freely without getting mauled by a bulldog???they get along well , besides smelling so start there...
-thanks

 

[pugsandkids]

I do not recommend this at all. All animals are just that, animals. You can't predict their behavior all the time. At any moment dog may decide to carry tort somewhere else, or taste, or even a misplaced paw to the head.

 

[KittyKay]

Probably a bit of a controversial topic but I believe dogs and tortoises should never mix, purely because I had an awful experience when my one year old hermann was mauled (very badly) by a miniature jack Russell. Worst experience of my life. I've heard a lot of stories of family dogs who wouldn't harm a fly yet one day turned on the tortoise and used them as a chew toy, the dogs don't know any better. Sniffing is always the first sign. The dog is interested and wants to investigate.
On the other hand there are many dog and tort buddies out there. I just couldn't trust the two together again, better safe than sorry. I wouldn't want anyone to experience what I had to losing my baby Bert!

 

[mctlong]

Welcome to the forum, Nikolai13.

Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to avoid him getting mauled by a bulldog except to keep the bulldog and the tort separated at all times.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Be very careful about letting dogs near tortoises. Even small dogs can cause a lot of damage. Cats are not usually as big a threat (although there have been some instances), but dogs have evolved to crunch things, and if they can fit even part of a tortoise in their mouth, then they could do some serious damage.

Some dogs are well-behaved and trustworthy, and that's good. But even then, their interactions with the tortoise must always be supervised. Dogs that are excitable or do not heed your command must not be allowed near the tortoise at all.

Individuals vary, but different breeds can react differently. Bulldogs do tend to be excitable and determined, and if you do not have good control over your bulldog and it gets it into its head that it wants that tortoise, it's not going to end well. If you have any doubts about your bulldog's ability to be gentle with the tortoise, then do not let the two of them come into contact.

Here's a great thread on this topic:

"Another Dog Story (Why tortoises & dogs DO NOT MIX. No exceptions!)"

 

[Nikolai13]

Ok, first "pugsandkids" i ALWAYS supervise so its fine (sorry if i seem too defensive) and "KittyKay" i. Sorry about your hermman

 

[Jd3]

Ok, first "pugsandkids" i ALWAYS supervise so its fine (sorry if i seem too defensive) and "KittyKay" i. Sorry about your hermman

The point is that it isn't fine. In a second your dog could bite the tort and it'd be over.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Ok, first i ALWAYS supervise so its fine

Since you are supervising them together, yet ask the question..

is ther any tips to letting him walk freely without getting mauled by a bulldog???

My advice to answer you is this.

Have the bulldog tethered to you (on a leash) so that you can control the dog. Since you want to let your russian walk around on the floor (I recommend against this) let him walk out of reaching distance of you and the tethered pooch.

Other ideas include:

Put the dog outside during his free roam time.

Kennel the dog

Put the bulldog into another room.

Good luck.
BTW read the link you were given. A dog trainer wrote it. He mentions that his dogs are around torts but supervised is the key. It's a good read.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Ok "jd3" i said i supervised them its not like I'm leaving them alone don't make me mad , i started putting the bulldog outside when i have Nikolai out , so stop hatin on me and thanks to the people that were ACTUALLY helpful... Witch was most of you so thanks...

No need to be defensive. You asked for advice, and you got it. If you trust your dog under supervision, that's fine, but if he's pushing her around with his nose, that does not sound like the situation is under control. Sounds like they should be kept separate. In any event, I'm glad you realize the dog cannot be left with the tortoise unattended. Be careful out there.

 

[mainey34]

I have a Doberman and a pomeranian, and a 3 year old sulcata and a 7 year old redfoot. Now they are all out together at the same time all day. I am home the entire time also. But when I leave they are seperated. I don't trust my doberman. Now my Pomeranian. He couldn't chew on anything anyway..poor guy.

 

[Tom]

Nikolai, Your tortoise is nt enjoying this interaction even if it "seems" harmless. Your tortoise sees the dog as a large predator........ and thats exactly what he is.

It only tales one second of inattention for your tortoise to be used as a chew toy. I've seen this countless times, and we see it regularly here on the forum. That is the reason for the above link.

Bottom line: Your tortoise needs his own secure enclosures, both indoors and out, and your dog needs to be taught to leave him alone. Period. Hire a trainer if you need help with this. I am willing to help you over the phone for free, but please don't waste our time if you are not going to listen. Don't mean to sound harsh, but I have been through this many many times. Some people listen and avoid disaster and some people gotta learn the hard way, at the tortoises expense. Which type are you gonna be?

 

[lisa127]

I always find it amazing that people think their dogs won't hurt a tortoise. No matter how gentle, dogs chew.....on bones!! If you were a dog, what would that hard shell seem like to you? And what's even better, it moves! A moving bone.....I'd imagine that would be difficult to resist if I were a dog.

 

[Nikolai13]

Ok people aren't listening I'm not letting her smell her , and push him around , and i don't trust her with him thats why I'm asking this so stop giving me crap!!!

 

[pugsandkids]

You asked for advise, I believe that you have nothing but love for you animals. I've simply been around enough to see that no matter how careful we are, things can go wrong.
You need to show some respect to the people that YOU asked for help.

 

[wellington]

All the info we have on here has been offered. She sounds like she understands the importance of not letting tort and dog be together, unless under strict supervision. Lets not beat it too death

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

but people could just say keep them away from each other instead of NO THATS THE MOST PUTRID DISGUSTING WORM-HOLE OF AN IDEA IVE EVER HERD!!!

Looking back at the thread...umm, yeah, no one actually said that.

As others have stated, to the OP, you asked for advice and you got it. I'm assuming (and perhaps wrongly) that by the 13 in your username and your attitude here that you are 13-yrs of age. If my assumption is wrong, my apologies. Anywho...you're getting way too defensive about things here. This is the internet; we cannot read your mind, hear your voice, have not seen a photo of you (not that it is required), so we have no confirmation on your age. You could in fact, be a 450-lb, 90-yr old woman from Australia for all we know. My point is not to get too flipped out because someone mistook your gender.

Now to the topic...again, everyone posted their advice and opinions on what you asked about. No reason to get bent out of shape because someone didn't phrase their answer in a nice sugar-coated way that was pleasant to your delicate ears. Welcome to life. It's tough. Not everyone is going to condone your actions and pat you on the back when you're may be doing something that is questionable regarding your animals.

My opinion is similar to this matter is similar to safe sex: lots of ways to take precaution, but honestly, the safest route to not getting pregnant is abstinence. So likewise, do whatever you feel is acceptable, but realistically, the safest way to prevent any potential attack on your tortoise from your dog is to keep said dog away from tortoise at all times. Period. I've been dealing with animals for over 20 yrs, and I am currently an animal control officer in my county. I will tell you: even the most well-trained dog, an animal that has been domesticated by man for thousands of years, can and will bite, because it is still an animal. And it only takes a second. Most dogs were bred to hunt smaller animals. It is in a dog's nature to go after smaller animals.

Bottom line: it's simply a matter of how much of a risk you want to take.

---

I just saw a friend post a picture on Facebook of him holding his snake next to his bulldog. I gave him the same speech, and added that when I first got my snake 20 yrs ago, I was doing the same thing and my snake almost got his head chomped off because the dog suddenly lunged up wanting to grab the "rope toy" he thought I was holding. Again, all it takes is a second.

 

[Instinct]

Ok people aren't listening I'm not letting her smell her , and push him around , and i don't trust her with him thats why I'm asking this so stop giving me crap!!!

First off....Welcome to the forum!

In your original post you did mention your bulldog "pushing" your tort with her nose. So, that is where the confusion must've began. You mention that you don't trust your dog with your tort but at some point you must've.

All of the responses have been very helpful, in my opinion. Sure, they are definitely not sugar-coated, but when an animals safety comes into play they never will be.

 

[Jd3]

Dude relax.

You asked how to prevent your dog from mauling your tort. Several times we answered... Don't let them be together. A dogs curious nature turns from curious to eating quick. I'm a dog owner too. I know we want to think of our animals as sweet things but they are all animals. My tort will bite me. My dogs will. My 4 year old could too....

You've asked for advice and have been given the best possible advice on the subject. This is how the question/answer process works. No one insulted you or said you were stupid. But every single answer seems to be making you angry.

I get that it is a little embarrassing and frustrating to have the answer be so simple and blunt. I'm a man too. I know how much it sucks to get that wallop in the face on something so obvious to everyone else.

Just relax. You asked a question. We answered. And none of US told you to shut up. Or called you names. Or got impatient with you.

It's the Internet bro.

 

[FLGirl41]

For what it's worth, I've personally seen many turtles and tortoises that have been injured due to dog bites. Some are wild (gopher tortoises, box turtles), but many are pets, and some even from owners who trusted their dogs to behave around the turtle/tort. Given what I've seen, I would never trust a dog to not bite at a turtle's shell. It's not out of mean-spiritedness or poor behavior on the dog's part-- it's just a natural instinct to chew hard objects like that.

 

[Yvonne G]

Mike, the OP, has read all your answers, and it sounds like he is not willing to hear you all beat the same horse to death. I'm sure he understands what you've told him. I'm closing the thread in order to keep peace on the Forum. Your points have all been made.