Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT
In one of my previous posts, Why Dogs Bite, I talked about fear aggression and why asking an owner before trying to approach or pet their dog is so important. But let’s face it, humans love dogs and sometimes people get so caught up in how cute a dog is or how unusual a particular breed of dog is that they just approach or reach out without thinking. In my article, What Is a Reactive Rover?, I discussed different types of leash reactivity and why dogs behave the way they do on leash. Owners of non-reactive dogs simply don’t understand the plight of the owner of a reactive dog. They honestly don’t see anything wrong with letting their dog walk towards your dog for a greeting or allowing their off leash dog run up to your dog for a quick butt sniff.
If you’re the owner of a fearful or dog reactive dog, read on because this post is for you. If you own one of those lovely, non reactive dogs, or maybe you don’t consider yourself one of those clueless dog lovers, you might be tempted to stop reading. Please don’t. When you see a dog owner using any of these techniques or tools while out walking their dogs, you’ll have a better understanding of what is going on.
Dealing With Approaching People
Some people own dogs who are afraid of people. If you’re an owner of one of these dogs, you’re working very hard to counter condition your dog’s social fear and keep your dog from reacting fearfully while on walks. This is difficult to do if well meaning strangers keep approaching and asking you to pet the dog. This is impossible to do if your dog is so adorable that people simply approach and reach out to pet your dog. That’s why one of my favorite products is the Dog In Training vest. It’s a nice neutral color with an equally neutral message printed on it: “Dog in Training — Give Me Space”. We really like the CAUTIONWALKER Safety Leash (review of this product here) which provides a stronger message to on comers which is sometimes necessary. Rest assured that if you see a dog wearing one of these vests or on one of these leashes, the dog does not want to meet you.
Believe it or not, even if your dog is wearing one of these vests, even if a person has asked you whether they can pet your dog and you say, “no, she’s afraid of people”, someone will try to pet your dog! I’ve heard them all from these well meaning but clueless dog lovers. “I’m good with dogs, they won’t bite me”. “Ah, he’s so cute I’m sure he won’t mind”. Really, I’m not kidding. I was working with 
a client and her fear reactive, unneutered, 140+ pound, male Newfoundland who was wearing a Dog In Training vest. We were working at a park. A man who had to be six feet tall made a beeline for that Newfie and only stopped two feet away from him because I body blocked him by stepping between him and the dog. I explained that the dog was working and even apologized yet the man was still angry when he walked away. I’m going to share an idea from my wonderful colleague Nicole Wilde. Nicole recommends that if someone asks to pet your dog and you don’t want them to, just say, “no, he has a contagious skin disease”. This is hilarious, but it works!
Dealing With Off Leash Dogs
Most owners have non-reactive dogs who love meeting people and other dogs. These owners never consider that their off leash dog who is running towards you might be heading for a traumatic experience. Even worse are irresponsible owners who allow their dogs to escape from their yards or out the front door without ever having trained a reliable recall (come when called command). Sometimes an off leash dog is aroused or may be itching for a fight. Here are some tips for dealing with off leash dogs while on your walks.
The easiest way to tell an off leash dog to back off is is to use your body language and your voice. We’ve selectively bred dogs for 15,000 years to live with us, interact with us, and work with us. A recent study even proved that our domestic dogs understand a human pointing a finger as well as a small child (and better than a primate!). Lean over and hold out your hand like a crossing guard indicating that you should STOP! You can stomp your foot, stomp forward one or two steps, and issue a low, smooth, vocal warning, “baaaccckkk offfffff”.
There’s a product on the market called SprayShield which comes in a small can with a clip which you can clip to your belt or fanny-pack. It sprays a highly concentrated stream of citronella oil which is aversive to many dogs. This spray is handy for breaking up dog fights as well. If you’ve used this product in the past, it used to be called Direct Stop. What if the owner of the off leash dog becomes angry? First off, explain that you didn’t use pepper spray which is what most people will think you have used. Explain that it’s citronella and doesn’t hurt their dog except to make them smell lemony. You can also offer to call 911 for the offending owner since in most cities in America, having a dog off leash is illegal.
The last suggestion I offer to owners is to carry the smallest umbrella they can find on their walks. With this technique, make sure that you’ve used the umbrella with your own dog combined with treats. We don’t want you dog to be afraid of an umbrella flying open suddenly. Once your dog ignores the umbrella when it’s opened outside, you can use it as a deterrent to an off leash dog. Yell something short like “scram”, pop open the umbrella, and slowly move towards the approaching dog.
Most of the time, these things work. The only time they don’t work is when the off leash dog is truly dog aggressive (rare) or when the off leash dog has been trained to fight other dogs. So, what if none of these things work? If your dog is small, you can pick him up. If your dog is too big to pick up, drop your leash. I know, dropping the leash seems counter intuitive but if your dog is going to fight for his life, you don’t want him to be handicapped by you restraining him on leash. Just drop your leash and call 911.
Whew, well that was a stressful way to end this post but I hope this information was helpful. If you have a fearful dog, please take the time to tell us about your journey. We want to hear from you!
All great suggestions I wish I had in front of me with my last dog. For me, one of the hardest lessons was that my first responsibility was to my dog and not to people on the street.
The other tip I’d add is to adjust your walking schedule. Once I started walking Shadow at 5 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. (when everyone was walking their dogs), we were able to make progress quickly and build up to the more stressful, busy time.
@ Pamela, thank you for including the suggestion to change your walking schedule. That is so important for many dogs especially if you live in a more urban city.
I took a look at your blog and really, really liked it. I hope you don’t mind me including the link here (also posted to Facebook): https://somethingwagging.wordpress.com
i really like this post because i myself own a dog that is reactive to other dogs and is scared of people.There has been plenty of people that want to pet my dog but i have to say no sometimes because my dog is people shy and they just look at me as if saying ‘what dog is scared of people’. there is also plenty of loose dogs here that run up to my dog and i finally found an article of how to deal with it.great post =D
Yeah its crazy how owners/people get so upset when you block or shoow their dog or them for their own safety, when they are in the wrong! Also a spray bottle works, yes even on approching strangers! Really its better than them getting bit. I have told someone no and they keep coming. Sigh. Also telling people “he,s a rescue” one time when we where camping, we got a whole new reaction, people would stand back, repectful, awe poor dog aren’t you a saint for rescuing! Whatever works!
The suggetion “If your dog is small, you can pick him up” can put the dog & owner in greater danger because it’s like a game/challenge of keep-away to agressor, especially if you turn/run away. Please detail how to do this properly.
Hi Ana, how do you think that picking the dog up should be done properly. The situation we’re dealing with here involves an off leash dog over whom we have no control. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this because you make a good point.
I wish I knew… What I DO know is that I’m aware of 2 cases where owner picked up little dog & ran away while being chased. I think if the “agressor” was truly agressive, they would not have outrun the large dogs. Many people react in panic which can escalate a situation into a bad one even if it did not start out bad.
Maybe it’s from growing up with a Great Dane, but I have never felt fear when charged by a large dog – we somehow become friends or it goes away and I cannot recall what I’ve done at those times.
My guess to do properly would include standing your ground… One hand could be keeping the “halt” formation or holding the open umbrella as a shield while the other hand scoops the small dog up and close to the body. Then Stand ground until other dog loses interest ??? Please tell me the best way.
and possibly hold your small dog behind your back 🙂
The absolute worst possible thing you can do with a dog who is approaching you or charging you is run. Sadly, as hard as we try to get that information out there, people still run, especially children. Doggonesafe is an educational organization to help reduce dog bites and their motto is “Be A Tree” https://www.doggonesafe.com/Be_a_Tree_program. You’re right that using the crossing guard halt hand signal and staying calm are the best options.
Thank you Christine 🙂
One of cases I mentioned is part of an emotionally charged neighborhood uproar. Neither the small dog nor owner were physically harmed, but the woman truly fears “we were attacked and nearly killed … Animal Control / Police don’t care”. She and her dog are afraid to go out now. On the other hand, one young lady’s little dog was bitten in TWO unrelated incidents. Now she carries scissors. Animal Control says my neighborhood has more complaints (that do not violate state / local laws) than the entire township. I don’t think it’s appropriate to outline all of the “wrong” dog/people behaviors here. Would private email be possible? How would we find public resources to educate, protect and harmonize both owners and all sized dogs in our area?
I’m sorry to hear that things in your neighborhood have become so tense. Things always get complicated when people are involved (dogs are so much more sensible). You can always contact us directly via email at https://companionanimalsolutions.com
This is the best advice I’ve read for our rescued fear aggressive dog. What do you recommend is the best approach for socializing? I am afraid to let her get too close to other dogs because of a few bad reactions in the past. When walking, we swing wide to allow another walker to pass out side our range. Don’t want to allow a bite or attack.
My dog is reactive – but he’s overly-FRIENDLY, not shy. He’s gradually improving, or I’d abandon my efforts to train him as my Mental Health Service Dog (a.k.a. psychiatric service dog). We encounter the same issues as people with shy- or aggressive-reactive dogs,though, especially as he’s an adorable miniature schnoodle who thinks anyone who makes eye contact is his friend. I get SO tired of politely telling idiots who make smoochy noises and/or reach to pet him, “Please don’t, he’s a service dog (I’m not intentionally being dishonest; “service dog-in-training” and “I’m training him as my service dog” was just taking too long to say!!). If they’re polite, I’ll insist my dog look at me and sit on command before giving him the command, “Say ‘Hi!'”; I’m starting to think I’ll have to stop that, though, as he approaches people to solicit attention before I can do this and I think it may just be confusing him.
After reading that a study showed that dogs wearing an “In Training/Please Ignore” vest sold by Clean Run were left alone, I was mystified; I know that service dog handlers and owner-trainers encounter problems with unwanted attention even when their dogs’ vests are just as straightforward AND identify them as service dogs or service dogs-in-training. I’m glad I learned that this alleged study doesn’t correspond to reported experiences. I’m sorry there’s no easy solution for people who want or need their dogs to be left alone. The “CAUTION” lead may help some, but won’t work for me because I don’t want people to think my dog is dangerous.
We agree, people are much harder to train than dogs. 😉 Thanks for reading Behind the Behavior!
Great post, Christine. Wish I would have read it a month ago…Clooney was charged/attacked by a dog hiking a few weeks ago. Clooney was leashed, the other dog wasn’t and the other dog had no recall. It was my first exposure to dog/dog agression and sadly I was unprepared and dealt with it by body blocking the other dog away from Clooney (not the smartest move I’ve ever done). Luckily both Clooney and I are OK. Clooney seems to have forgotten about it already and I am much wiser for it.
Oh Carol, I’m so sorry that you and Clooney had that experience. We’ve all been there and it’s heart stopping. The reason that you haven’t forgotten and Clooney has moved on is because of all the social padding you installed in Clooney from day one. Your training and socialization with him from the time he was eight weeks old was impeccable. Now you’re seeing the benefits of all that hard work. Thank you for telling us about your experience and I’m so relieved that you’re both unharmed… except for the hard earned lesson. Take best care and enjoy the oncoming summer wiser on your walks.
Hello, my dog is scared of other dogs so will attack for that reason. He is only small and big dogs off lead will continue to run up to him to sniff and do not go away. The thing is i cant stand between my dog and the other and do the whole stop with body language thing because my dog rerverses its aggression on me and will bite my legs hard.
I cant have any part of my body near my dog as he will bite me, so how can i do anything?
Just so you know my dog would never bite me any other time and hes obediant any other time insept when there is a dog he does not know in his sights
Thanks
Hayley
I’m sorry to hear that your dog is exhibiting redirected aggression. Dr. Jim Ha has an article on Behind the Behavior about this topic. First, let’s explore some ideas to protect you. Hockey gear, yes, you read that correctly. Can’t tell you how often shin guards have been very useful. But the most important thing for you to do is avoid other dogs on your walks as much as possible. I know you’re probably already doing this as much as possible, hence the shin guard recommendation. I would also highly recommend you find a qualified professional to help you counter condition your dog’s fear of other dogs. You can email us at info@compaionanimalsolutions.com and we’ll help you find someone in your area.
I have a little dog that is fearful / aggressive towards dogs and people. With a lot of patient work he has learned to control himself toward other dogs but now PEOPLE are problem.
He is darn cute and as such no one asks if it is OK to pet him, they simply bend over and reach for him which results in a lunge. Often times while I am working with him, i.e. sit and look at me when other dogs are near I am startled to find a person right on top of us before I even have a chance to say ” he is fearful”. I can not tell you how many times I turn around to find a dog right on top of us with a owner gleefully asking “is he friendly?” Well no he is not but never mind because here you are.
I witnessed what had to be the worst accident waiting to happen. Two parents were walking with their toddler who was running in front of them trying and managing to catch up to a man walking his dog. The father of the child was (no joke) slowly jogging behind the little boy laughing. The baby boy gets within a few feet of the dog and owner (who by the way were both startled to find a baby behind them) at which time the owner of the dog hastily walked away. Luckily the dog was calm and non reactive.
What would have happened if the dog attacked this child because frankly the baby was going for the dogs fun bushy tail.
And wouldn’t you know it a few weeks later I encountered the same father and baby, this time the baby came running right toward us and I hastily picked up my dog all the while saying loudly ” hang on please he is not friendly”. The father did not even run over to stop the child, I wanted to kick him where the sun don’t shine. How can you place your baby in such a terribly dangerous situation. Arghg I really wanted to call that guy every name in the book.
Moreover, I find it surprising the number of people who let their dogs run off leash in public parks with children playing.
My dog is small enough that I can pick him up if and when a off leash dog (or baby) approaches but this is not an option for those with big dogs or the elderly.
A big goofy dog bounding toward us off leash is generally not a problem, you can see it in their face and body language that the encounter SHOULD be OK. I try not to pick my dog up often because I want him to gain confidence knowing that I am there to back him up. However I have been in two situations where the dogs are on leash but tear away from their owners – this is when I take immediate action. I try to give other dog owners the benefit of the doubt (probably shouldnt) that they know their dogs well enough to take the risk of letting them off leash.
I now carry a retractable nightstick because if a large dog that is off leash or tears away from their owner rushes upon us I know that trying to bend over and rescue my pup will result in both of us being injured. Moreover, even picking him up will not keep either of us safe because lets face it most big dogs are at least 4-5 feet tall when standing up on their hind legs. Hence, a retractable night stick that makes a fearsome sound when it expands sends a major message to both the dog and their irresponsible putz owners.
When and where did common sense go these days?
Great website by the way, fantastic information.
Thank you for being such a responsible and caring dog owner DB. I love the way you’re handling your dog and helping the little guy gain confidence. I’m glad you like our site. Thanks for reading and telling us about your experiences.
I have two Akitas, brother and sister, about 18 months now. Good dogs. Except boy doesn’t like other dogs. Girl loves other dogs. So many people where I live treat dogs and cats as “just animals” . My wife and I treat them as family members. They are our responsibilities as well. I try to keep my dogs leashed, protected, and away from strangers. They are big and strong and can bite if provoked.
Well there are a lot of unleashed dogs around the neighborhood. I can normally keep them away but today I had a pitbull come in and start a fight with my dogs. The boy was first to enter the fray but his sister soon followed. I feel so ashamed that I couldn’t do anything to protect them. I kept kicking the other dog away but he cam back at them. My dogs would have torn the pittbull to bits but would have been severely hurt in the process. I didn’t want anyone of them to get hurt. I was thrown to the ground with my dogs trying to keep the pitbull away. Lucky for me, a man who was probably a soldier got a hold of the pitbull and pulled him away. He said he wasn’t his dog. Who knows. The dog did as he asked. I was just glad he took him away and let and my dogs walk away. My dogs were really good about it too. They didn’t want to fight.
I just feel so unnerved and helpless, and I feel I let my dogs down.
I’m so sorry that you experienced such a terrifying situation. I hope that the suggestions in my post are helpful on your walks in the future. You didn’t let your dogs down Joel. You did everything in your power to keep everyone safe; dogs and people. Thank you for being a responsible owner and do let us know if any of the suggestions in the article help. If you have any other ideas, feel free to let us know that as well. Thanks for reading Behind the Behavior and we wish you safe and pleasant walks from here on out.
Thank you Christine for the kind words. I am astonished my dogs are not nervous to go on their walks today, especially since my big strong boy Achilles is such a big scaredy cat. I will definitely be using your suggestions. I am definitely getting the spray shield today and I used an umbrella as well on my walk. Hard to walk two dogs while holding onto these items. The other tough thing is knowing when and where I am going to encounter someone or something. Turning the corners on a street always leave me a bit blinded.
I’m so glad to hear that your dogs were not anxious on their walk this morning. That means that you have an excellent relationship with your dogs and they trust you. It feels like you need five hands sometimes on a walk, doesn’t it? One thing you might is a handyman/construction apron you can purchase at any home improvement store. They have pockets for tools which in your case is a small collapsible umbrella and spray shield! I would also recommend walking the dogs separately. I know it’s a real pain and adds to your walk time but in my experience, it’s SO much easier to walk one dog than two, especially if trouble breaks out. Good luck and keep us posted!
Just today, I went for a run with my dog, Cleo. She is a medium sized dog and for whatever the reason, acts like a rescue. She’s super scared of people and dogs she doesn’t know. I ran by a house that I’ve passed many times. Long story short, we were approached by the first pitbull. Despite my best efforts, kicking it and yelling, it kept going after Cleo. Thankfully, she slipped her collar and ran. Then the other two pits followed after her. Three pits were in pursuit and Cleo just ran and ran. They tired and gave up and I found her waiting for me down the road. After that, every noise frightened her and I’m afraid that incident did some serious damage to her. I was so thankful that she didn’t try to defend me because she would be dead. But her fearfulness sent her running and I know she was affected by it.
Can I fix this fear?
We can always work through fear issues, especially with a dog as smart as Cleo. I recommend a visit to your veterinarian to get his/her take on Cleo’s behavior. You say she acts “like a rescue” which makes me think you’ve had her since she was a puppy. Some dogs need mega socialization during their socialization window but it appears we may have missed that: https://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/adopting-a-fearful-puppy.
Now that you’re working with a fearful dog, there are many things you can do to help. I recommend finding a qualified animal behavior specialist to work with you: https://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/why-choose-us-2/qualified-animal-behavior-specialists. I can also recommend the work of Patricia McConnell, PhD: https://astore.amazon.com/compaanimasol-20/detail/1891767003.
Good luck and let us know how Cleo gets along. Thanks for reading Behind the Behavior!
I just want to say thank you so much for these tips! I own a reactive dog who was a rescue (never thought to use the word “reactive” but it’s perfect) and am amazed at the people who won’t back off, even when he growls and I have told them NO! I am immediately going to order the CautionWalker leash! I also want to say I have used the SprayShield citronella spray with fantastic results! A pit bull in my neighborhood came charging out while I was out biking with my dog and he was not deterred with my orders to go away. But the spray worked! As an added bonus, I have found that having the spray gives me more confidence when we pass other dogs and I’m sure the other dogs sense that as well and we are not targets!
I’m so glad to hear that you found the tips helpful. Keep up the great work with your dog and thanks for reading Behind the Behavior.
Great post – my dog is unpredictable with people & dogs.. Used to be fine with people until he was barking at a random cat in mine & my neighbors shared driveway, and the neighbor walked over (i assumed to say hi as he occasionally did) but instead he leaned over, finger pointed, and yelled “NO!”, my dog took it as a real threat and got savage barking/growling. Thankfully i had him on leash, or he would have hurt the man definitely.. I’m so mad though cause now he’s very unpredictable with new people, especially men, and people he see’s in the street.. Sigh.
I’m glad I came across this article. Today right before I read your article, I was walking my 5 month old puppy and 2 dogs came running from someone’s yard and the gate was wide open. No one was outside. I freaked out. I’m training my dog to be a service dog for my son. Last thing I wanted was my American Bulldog to think that other dogs are always aggressive. My pup is a good size and I know due to his breed he won’t back down from a fight. Thankfully, we’ve been training since he was 9 weeks old and he sat there calmly ignoring the 2 dogs while I yelled at them to “go away” and I actually did the finger point in the direction towards where they came from. It took about a minute before they actually backed off. I’m glad I did that part correctly. I even had my phone ready in my hand in case I had to dial 9-1-1. I’ve also been training my dog his commands with hand signals. So I was able to proceed away from the dogs without using words while the other 2 were walking away as not to alert them to turn around. My pup was a good sport through my anxiety and by him being calm it mellowed me out to calm down too. Who knew my son’s service dog helped me too. 😉 When I got far enough away I noticed the male that charged at us was sniffing the female’s back side. He was probably aggressive due to the fact that his mate was in heat.
I just wish I’d found this website before my rescue dog was attacked a few weeks ago by a stray lab mix. I was completely unprepared and the dog itself was maybe frightened, but as soon as it spotted my dog from about 30 feet it came running in attack, my dog only had time to whine once or twice and the dog was on her. We just had the stitches removed Friday. I honestly don’t know what I could have done to prevent the attack, it happened so fast and the dog was intent on getting to my dog, had her by the chest and neck and I’m pretty sure it’s jaw was clenched shut, it wouldn’t let go. I broke my flexileash thing on the attacking dogs’ snout and that’s the only thing that saved us.
OK, sorry for the vent. I now only walk with pepper spray in my pocket and I remain a lover of all dogs. But I will not hesitate to use the spray if nessary, and maybe irrespondible people should be the ones who are taken to task 🙂
oops, sorry for the typos. I hate typos!
I am so, so sorry you and your dog experienced such a horrible attack. Your dog is lucky to have you protecting him on walks. Take best care and thanks for reading Behind the Behavior.
I have a 4 year old soft coated wheaten terrier male who was puchased from a pet store after 5 months, bad idea. He has a fear agression problem and I’ve spent over one thousand dollars to get to the point where he will stay in one place on my command while guests arrive. it will take him a full 15-20 minutes to calm down and I caution guests to ignore him for their visit. I take him for walks and he sticks to me like glue at dog beach. What else can I do? Will he ever overcome this problem? Would providing him with another dog/comanion make a diffrence, I work alot.
Thanks
I am glad, or sad, that this is a big problem all over. I have a 124 lb fearful german shepard, and though he has gotten better with my training, the walks can be sometimes stressful. With all the little jack russells and chihuahuas that people don’t think they need to keep in their yard or on leash, makes walking difficult when they charge after us. I realize these little dogs don’t realize my shepard and swallow them whole if he wanted to, not to mention the owners who don’t do anything but stand there and yell at the dog to come back, which they do not listen. I don’t have too many problems with people who want to pet him but I did just purchase the caution leash just in case so the neighbors know which shepard I am walking since the other one is friendly. That doesn’t mean I want them all coming up to pet him either.
I did find some of the tips helpful and plan to use them next time we are out walking. I usually just keep trying to get my dogs to keep walking away from the barking little dogs, but will attempt these tips, And if their owners get mad, them they will have to just get over it or we can call animal control and they can explain why their dog was running loose in the street. Thanks for the info
I appreciate this article for reminding me that “other people have this problem, too.” Sometimes I feel like I am a horrible dog owner because my dog is still reactive towards other dogs (although she loves people.) We were charged yesterday by two off-leash dogs, one of whom responded to me telling it to ‘leave it’ and the other who still insisted on sniffing my dog. I’ll try the umbrella as we’ve trained my dog to be comfortable with it for rainy walks. Thanks!
Non of these suggestions are going to stop a pitbull or bulldog from mauling you or your dog. You live in a fantasy land if you think an umbrella is gonna help you. Roflol.
Seriously an umbrella?
My Jack Russell was viciously attacked by a pit bull last Saturday and received way too many stitches on his back to count them. Worse, the $1500 bill we paid can’t be charged to anyone since no owner ever went to the pound to pick up the pit bull. Luckily many good people have donated to help pay his medical bills, as I am a student and very low income. I am now petrified of this happening again as it happened once before, but with no wounds to my dog, just to my fiance who received deep puncture wounds on his arm. I just purchased a low amp-high voltage stun baton for my fiance to keep the dogs at bay, as well as a high-amp-high-voltage stun gun as my own backup in the event a dog gets past my fiance. I also own Halt dog repellent and a good Smith & Wesson knife. But I am still afraid of a dog latching onto my dog. I might get breaking sticks to use to pry the jaws open of a dog on my dog or if my dog ever grabs and holds another dog. I think these are all adequate defense techniques, but I had to stop myself from buying a kevlar vest for my dog! It is terrible the level of paranoia I now feel and never want to be unprepared again. Is this enough to stop a dog attack, or if the dog clamps his jaws on my dog? I would kill any dog hurting my dog, despite being a lover of all dog breeds. I love pit bulls and they usually are so sweet, but humans have made them aggressive and poorly trained, thus making them a threat to myself and my dog. I also used to muzzle my dog and now do not so he can defend his life if need be. I can’t help but to feel reponsible for his injuries since I muzzled him to keep other loose little dogs safe. I know any unleashed dog bitten by my dog would be at fault since all dogs must be on a leash, but I don’t want any dog lover to go through the pain I felt as I rushed my dog to the emergency room… even if it isn’t my dog’s fault. I just need to know that I am taking the proper safety precautions and that there is nothing else I can do that would save my dog’s life in the future without being overly paranoid.
Hi… I just stumbled across this page and I actually have some very valid coments to make. In 2010, I rehomed a 6 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback entire male from interstate. He had been surrendered to his breeder because his owner/s (his only owner/s) were unable to keep him. I knew nothing about him otherwise. After travel time of approx. 4 hours & 1 hour to the airport at his end, he finally arrived in my city. I have previously owned 2 Ridgebacks for their entire lives, one after the other, so I feel very confident about the breed and believe I have a deep understanding of the temperament. I had him sterilised within 2 days of getting him, as I did not intend to breed & I felt he would be more ‘homely’, over time, if this were done.
What a shock I was to get when this new companion of mine turned out to have fear-agression toward other male dogs his size, especially entire ones. He was reactive whenever I took him out & when I let him off lead in an area where everyone does, I had to come to terms with the fact that he couldn’t be trusted to not jump on the back of another dog as though in an attack for his life. He never bit any dog – bite inhibition was well in place, thank goodness – but there was a lot of noise & general argy-bargy and it was extremely alarming both for myself and owners of other dogs.
One day, someone suggested I muzzle him off-lead. I bought a black leather muzzle from the USA and our routine became one of walking to the leash-free area on lead and only taking off the lead once we had arrived and the muzzle was on. I also took him to training & I also paid 100’s of dollars for in home-training both for myself & my dog. I shed many tears & couldn’t bear the thought of things not working out.
It took 8 months of muzzling off-lead. My boy learned that he didn’t need to be afraid. He learned that I love him and I am his alpha person & my instructions to him could be trusted and were to be obeyed. I can only think he wasn’t properly socialised by his previous owners as I have never had this problem with my previous Ridgebacks, having raised them from 12 – 16 weeks of age.
My beautiful boy is now 9 years old. He has always been gentle and loving with people and he has never been anything other than friendly with small dogs – I have even taught him to be tolerant of my cantankerous 16 year male Oriental cat. He loves me unconditionally, obeys all my commands and is, within himself, a very happy, beautifully well-adjusted dog.
I recommend trying a muzzle to deal with fear agression. It was the answer that made all the difference to us.
Your advice is realistic and dog-mind oriented, rather than people-mind oriented. I found the site while searching for inspiration with a problem I’m having with my dog, of course. I’m going to keep searching this site for an appropriate article to post my question, but wanted to add a little to this discussion, as it concerns me closely.
My dog probably fits the “reactive” term you’re using here. She’s a medium-sized dog, probably some mix of Jack Russell and hound-breed. She reacts to dogs who approach with out-of-order behavior, with precisely the intensity the behavior calls for, no less and no more. She’s not genuinely “aggressive”, and I’ve worked hard to keep her from becoming so, and I continue to learn and work at it. My work with her has also paid off in terms of her ability to ignore out-of-order dogs to a great extent. However, she’s still a risk, and I don’t take that lightly.
The thing is, few dog owners in my city seem to understand what their dogs are actually communicating, or what’s really happening in dog/dog or even dog/people interactions that they see. For instance, like many of you here, I often meet other dog owners who shout in jolly tones from across the park that their (unleashed) dog, who is barreling towards me and my (leashed) dog, is “friendly”. “It’s ok, he’s friendly”, they assure me, when it’s obvious that the dog is actually charging over to assert itself in the human-social equivalent of a gang encounter. This, while the owner waves off my warnings to please not allow their dog to approach, that I can’t guarantee that my dog will be “friendly”.
On the occasions when aggression ensues, and I’m in the middle of a fur-and-fangs mixer, the jolliness turns to shock, then horrified bellowing at their dog to “stop that” and “come here”, which, of course, the dog ignores, having a perfect understanding of just who the leader of their relationship really is. I’ve learned that I’m better off assuming control of the encounter before the dog reaches me and my dog. If nothing else, it helps my dog to stay calm, seeing that I’m handling the situation.
The suggestions here for dissuading an approaching dog are good ones. I’ve used some of them to good effect myself. Any technique is only as effective as the calm confidence of the person using it. Dogs really do know how you expect the situation to go, and how you feel about it, and them. I’ve never had a dog get offended by my assertive body language, warning them to keep away, or a firm reminder to mind their manners, if they approach with obnoxious tension. I have, however, had owners get mad, and even yell at me for the same, despite the fact that their dogs were clearly relaxed and unhurt. I can just imagine what would happen if I startled their dog with an umbrella, or sprayed it with citronella, but,… oh, well!
One thing I’ve learned the hard way, is that unless we’re near a street, it’s best if I let go of my dog’s leash if it becomes clear that an unwanted encounter is going to turn aggressive. Holding her leashed in a tense situation with an unleashed other dog actually tends to help precipitate the aggression, because she’s more anxious, knowing she’s in danger and unable to flee or manuever. Also, the leash means she’s IN DANGER AND UNABLE TO FLEE OR MANUEVER. Plus, with a panicked dog leashed to my arm, I’m also unable to effectively manuever, and am therefore less able to defuse or deter what’s about to happen. Of course, if we’re near a street, then the cars are more of a threat! But, in that case, the other dog is most likely on a leash, too, and the whole thing is over in seconds.
While walking in a local park with my 4 lb Pomeranian, we came upon a young couple walking a matched pair of male and female Rotties. We moved aside and stopped to let them pass, but the male Rottie lunged for my tiny dog, broke free of his owner’s grasp and came barreling for us at full speed, completely focused on the Pom. I scooped the Pom up, placed him behind my hip and turned sideways to make a smaller target and stepped behind a 55 gal drum that was used as a trash can. The Rottie reared up, knocked the drum out of the way and suddenly we were locked together, his claws raking me from collarbone to hip, and his throat in my free hand with my arm locked. I squeezed as hard as I could with no effect at all. The woman had been knocked down an embankment when her dog had broken free so it took her a couple minutes to come back. Her husband handed her the female Rottie and came and pulled the male off of me. They muttered “sorry” and continued on their way. I checked my dog and his harness had come completely off during the struggled but he was unharmed. These are the kind of people who have no business taking their dogs in public.
Kath,
How terrifying! You’re quite right that these owners had no business reacting as they did, if nothing else. A profuse apology from one of the humans should have been the least you’d get. The other human should have been busy removing the dogs from the emotionally charged situation, to prevent further danger to you and your dog.
I’ve been right in the middle of such a situation myself, and it’s not easy to keep your cool, but you seem to have done admirably.
Actually, last summer, while walking my dog and my friend’s male Rottie, we were attacked by a German Shepherd (for the third time in a month). The Rottie was the calmest, simply standing his ground with a sort of, “dude, what’s your problem” expression, as the Shepherd snapped and snarled in his face, grabbed his neck in her jaws, and evaded my dog’s furious attempts to reciprocate, while I frantically tried to block them both.
Hi my name is Kelsey. I Live in Scotland, i have two Staffordshire bull terriers. I got my first one (male) when he was a puppy he is now five, and i recently adopted another (female) aged 2 also bad with dogs (we were not told this). the oldest was never great with dogs after a traumatic incident. (i was walking him with my mum and another Staffordshire bull terrier was coming towards us, i asked the man politely to put the dog on a leash and he refused saying his dog was friendly, then the dog attacked my dog which turned into a huge fight, luckily neither dogs were injured badly) Ever since then ive been working on getting him socialised but i cant help feel scared when i see another dog. he started become better and better until i got my other dog from a rescue. As soon as she starts acting aggressively he starts, I keep them on a leash at all times and they are great with people just not so great with dogs. I am terrifed to walk them always looking over my shoulder and round corners! My biggest fear is meeting a dog off lead which is so common in my area. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have tried a muzzel but been told by a local vet that i shouldnt put one on my dog as it cannot protect itself from other aggressive dogs. please Help!!
I know what you mean! I have a large, male, neutered GSD that is both badly reactive towards dogs and people. He even has to wear a muzzle on walks.
The other day me and my friend were walking him when a man stopped saying how pretty he is, the first thing that came out of mine and my friends mouth was “He doesn’t like strangers sorry” but the man wouldn’t have it and just ignored us and kept saying how lovely my dog was as the man edged closer, we told him again that he doesn’t like strangers and once again were ignored as the man proceeded to thrust his hand in to the MUZZLED face of a 80 pound full grown male german shepherd, my dog then obviously lunged at him snarling and barking and the man went on to blame ME and to say that the dog shouldn’t have a muzzle on!
As an extra note as the man moved his hand to pet my dog I had shouted at him to please don’t!
So 3 times being told the dog isn’t good with strangers and even being told to please don’t touch him the man still did it and then blamed me. Some people are just insane
I have a 17 month old cross. His mom is an american bulldog and dad is a bluenose pit. I don’t care about breeds myself. I now am always concerned about people’s assumptions. I’ve had him since a pup and he’s lived like a prince. People always ask if hes a rescue or if i socialized him. He was seen as an ambassador of his breed at the park. He grew up with children, and i made a point of them pulling his tail and petting from all angles and grabbing his food. He met young people, old people, extravagant people, calm people, scared people, glasses, hats, toques, crutches, walkers, scooters, you name it, we were exposed to it.
We started agility school, we trained, WE DID EVERYTHING.
What once was 1 in 100 people has now become 1 in 5. A small boy that he grew up with has now become an enemy.
My 17 month old is now reactive to dogs, kids, and people. My heart breaks continuously. Hes always been sensitive…he’s been bullied…he’s been attacked…a lot (all while being submissive or just not even caring).
Brix has been to numerous parties and gatherings and never had an issue with anyone.
I’m now nervous to take him for walks, not just around dogs, but around people and kids. I know he’s feeding off of me. Its easier said than done to be strong and calm and assertive.
I work day in and day out to make him not a problem because hes the one society sees. In turn, thats the way my small city will see me. Im broken, i’m sad, I’m defeated.
I try, and i try, and i try.
We go 1 step forward, and 100 steps back.
He was rushed at school by an uncontrolled dog…he lunged, i pulled, we are seen as in the wrong.
We try, and we try, and we try.
We lose friends along the way, a BBQ with friends and their dogs isn’t for us.
We dream, and we dream, and we dream.
Tomorrows another day, we’re going to the waterpark to not meet or play with anyone. But we’re going to sit and watch. After we might go to the grocery store to do the same.
People often say “I’m great with dogs” “he’s so cute” “can i pet your dog” and some just come cuz they think they can, they’re not…and they can’t.
We’re trying to be acceptable members of a community. My heart breaks day in and day out when he is judged because of his breed. I applaud people at the same time for accepting a training dog and for keeping their space. I will never surrender….I have considered boot camp…I will continue to try. He is my friend, he is my companion, he is my dog, he is my everything. Please whatever you do…educate yourself, please don’t discriminate against breeds or against behaviours. We’re all trying to make it in this world.
I have three dogs a collie cross 20kg, a yorkie russell 9kg and a fearful of other dogs german shepherd 40kg who I walk on his own one to one. The shepherd just doesn’t want to be jumped on or say hello to other dogs just quietly carry on with his walks, he walks with a yellow I need space bandanna. I made a mistake of walking him with the other two whilst he was a puppy and after seeing the little one attacked a couple of times it definitely unnerved him, it’s a slow process but he’s coming on slowly gradually gaining confidence. I am so glad he wasn’t with me a couple of months ago when out walking the other two and a mastiff came straight through a fence panel and held my small dog in its mouth, I kept calm and used my tone of voice telling it to leave, which it did, thankfully (my small dog just stood still like prey bless him). Still using my tone of voice I told it it was a bad dog and it moved away from me at which point the owner came through the gate apologised and took the dog in the house. Luckily my dog wasn’t hurt, just held but I think if I had tried to use force and hit the other dog it would have sunk it’s teeth into my dogs neck.
Hi Christine, I have two dogs, a Staffordshire Terrier mix and a Border Collie mix. Both are rescues and they are great. We’ve had the border collie for almost a year now and a few months ago he started nipping at people on the street when we are walking him. Out of the blue, just as we are passing the person, he’ll just lunge for his leg and bite. I don’t think he’s hurt anyone, as they all quickly check to see teeth marks or broken pants and there’s none of that, but he does give them a good scare that I am affraid can turn into a lawsuit or something worse. He’s only bitten (nipped) men wearing jeans so when I walk him now I am aware of keeping him close to me and away from them. He doesn’t growl or give any indication of what he’s about to do, he just does it as the person is passing us, really fast. I know border collies need lots of exercise and I have a feeling he’s not getting enough – 1 – 2 hours at the dog park a day – so I tried looking for agility classes but I can’t find any in or around NYC. Any suggestions of what I can do to stop him from nipping at random strangers?
Exercise may be helpful, but working with a qualified trainer to help your dog feel more comfortable about passing people on the street will be more effective. This may be a misplaced herding behavior or general fear reactivity to men. We recommend finding a trainer who uses the scientific process of counter-conditioning to help your dog feel more comfortable, and then trains a new behavior that is incompatible with lunging and nipping. Look for a reactive dog class, or private lessons using positive reinforcement to deal with this issue.
I have a reactive Jack Russell who I’ve been working very hard with to build confidence and, using positive reward methods, we are starting to have some success, particularly in the ‘lead rage’ department. I’m in the UK so there are many places where dogs are walked off the lead, and usually I know I can give him plenty of space if I think we’re going to have a problem. But recently I keep bumping into a chap with a lurcher – my dog was twice attacked by greyhounds as a youngster and reacts strongly to this type of dog.
This young dog is only trying to play (the owner has told me so), and though he’s not aggressive, the lurcher type of play terrifies my dog, i.e. chasing, neck grabbing. Unfortunately, the owner lets his dog run miles away from him, so I’m always left trying to fend it off myself, and he does nothing – no attempt at recall, no apology – just ‘that’s how lurchers play’.
Sadly, I come across it all too often, and while every day that I make even the smallest progress with my dog absolutely makes me feel on top of the world, it’s like one step forward, three steps back when this kind of thing happens. My dog is well-trained with excellent recall, and will come to me for protection when this dog comes thundering towards us, but how can I get it through to the owner that his dog is frightening mine? Has anyone had any success dealing with the owners?
I’m slightly concerned about frightening his dog, since it’s only young and it’s not aggressive (yet), just severely lacking in manners and training – I would hate to teach it that other people and dogs are things to be scared of.
Any advice gratefully received, and thank you for your excellent advice in general.
I had a fear-reactive Kerry Blue terrier in the past. She eventually was trained to a very high standard of obedience and liked to meet small dogs but couldn’t cope when off-leash dogs ran up in “her space” and would kick off. I was fed up with other owners telling me I shouldn’t be walking her (!)-she was always on a leash, so developed a different strategy of shouting “my dog has an infectious skin disease-please keep your dog away” whenever I saw an off-lead dog running up to us. This worked wonderfully and then I would explain that the vet had told me to keep my dog on a leash so other owners would know not to let their dogs approach. I thought I was helping other people with on-lead dogs (for whatever reason) by saying this .
My 2 Kerry Blue terriers i have now are both great with other dogs but where we live there are lots of numpty heads with off-lead Staffies and my 11 and a half year old male Kerry was attacked by one. Fortunately it had one of those chavvy bronze and leather harnesses on and I lifted it off my dog straightaway before it could bite him then the owner came running up, punched me in the face and grabbed the dog off me! I wouldn’t let go and was screaming for someone to get the police. My lovely natured Kerry was so upset by this he thought the dog was attacking me too I’m sure and jumped up and bit it on the bum about 8 times-it had lots of teeth marks in it when the plice came bit she lied and said the dog was not off-lead and she had not hit me and I had no witnesses sadly. I found out late that the dof had previously attacked a neighbour’s Collie requiring it to have stitches at the vets. I now will only walk my dogs with a Nordic walking pole should I need to defend them. If this dog ever comes near mine again it will be Staffy kebab as I will not let my elderly dogs get harmed. They are friendly and well-trained-why can’t other people train their dogs and socialise them or klkeep them on a lad if they are aggressive?