re my reaction to a rottweiler dog ? Or would you be the same ?

[chankins]

Not sure if I over reacted today or not, but was at the beach with my three dc, my sister and her three dc, and my mum and her jack russel dog. All was fine until we saw approaching a large rottweiler off the lead, with a young couple and their toddler in a buggy close behind. TBH we said amongst ourselves why do people with little kids have dogs like that ? but then proceeded to pass without comment.
However then another large dog bounded up and started hassling the rottweiler, who didn't like it and started racing around, growling and snapping at the other dog. This ended up bascially on top of my mum and her little dog, and three of the children. (The other three were in buggies.) Neither owner had any control of their dog and they ignored the owners calling them away. I kept calling my dd1 (5) away from the scene as I was worried a fight would break out and she and her cousins would be caught in the middle. In the end I walked over, grabbed her arm and pulled her over to me and the buggies, and her cousins followed. I said to her ' come away from all those dogs'. The girl then got very shirty and offended and made comments about the rottweiler obviously not biting anyone. This was at the same time she shouted at her toddler to shut up as he was crying. We ignored and walked away. But honestly, why do people with small kids own such powerful dogs, and then can't even control them ?

Have only read the OP but from what you write I would say the owners of the dog that hassled the rottweiler were the ones at fault. I never let my dogs approach another dog unless the other owners said it was OK.

You were on a beach and unless it was classed as a 'dog free' beach or that 'dogs should be on a lead' you have to expect that there will be a fair few dogs running around off the lead. There are fewer and fewer open spaces available to dog owners to exercise their dogs and this sort of beach is usually pretty popular with dog owners as a result.
Are you sure the dogs were fighting??? Dogs who are playing together will play snap, growl and bark - still not safe to be around as you can easily get bowled over but no way near as dangerous.

I have had the most placid, large great danes and a newfoundland (always on the lead in public) but had the experience of strangers approach me on the street telling me my dogs should be banned, should be put to sleep etc etc wtf? Unfortunately the owner of the rottweiler prob has had enough of the stupid comments and snapped at you without good reason as a result.

BTW most common breed involved in biting incidents with people is the Labrador Retriever last time I saw the official records.I can tell you now, my mother's Shih tzu is a nasty little sod compared to many large dogs I know.

playing or not I still would not have been comfortable with 2 dogs like that so close to my child. (but then i'm very protective over DS around other dogs as I know not everyone trains their dogs well iycwim) best be safe I feel.

btw - I think YANBU, just trying to explain the rotties owners response although I think YABU about the comment of why would someone have such a large dog and a child at the same time - any dog is potentially lethal regardless of breed.

Lynette - The rottweiler I have seen is near a children's play area too! Makes me really nervous. You can't trust any dog 100%, especially not with children as they have higher, less authoritive voices than adults and they are at eye level to a dog, which can make a dog feel threatened. My dog is a small cocker spaniel and she is the softest, friendliest little thing you could meet but I would never leave her alone with my baby. She wouldn't do anything, but if DD grabbed her ear or something who knows?

I think looking back they may have been playing ys - I think I was so concerned about the breed of dog, and the size, and the fact it was ignoring its owner, that I just wanted the dc away from them as soon as possible. Like I said I didn't make any comment at her directly, just told my dd to come away from all the dogs, but I guess it was obvious why I was saying this.
Coby - I don't think my comment about big dogs and small kids is unreasonable at all. Little dogs can be equally as dangerour, - we had jack russels as kids and they were snappy little buggers, and I certainly will not trust my mums new jack around my dc - but what frightens me less is the size and power. If for some reason a jack russel or other small breed attacks, it is much easier to get it off, smack it down, or hurt it to get it to stop. It would take a hell of alot more effort to get a rottweiler or similar breed off of a small child, should it suddenly attack them.

rottweilers should be banned fgs.

i think coby, its is most likely that the dogs were play fighting - its very common behaviour. But still not something i would want a small child caught in the middle of, regardless of breed. So, both owners were in the wrong. I dont think the OP had too much of a problem with the dogs being off lead if they were under control, but they clearly were not as the owners could not recall them.

Dog "fights" that tend to occur on meeting are not usually real fights. I recall once, when introducing my rottie to another rottie who he was going to be spending time with at the dog sitters, them "fighting" it out in the middle of a circle of very civilised adults sitting around drinking orange squash after having taken the dogs out for a woodland walk. If anyone could have seen, they would have thought we were holding a dog fight, but it was all snarls and open mouths - once the bitch established that she was the boss, they played together nicely. My dog had a great time at his auntie leslies house

Of course yanbu. The dog didn't come to its owner when called. Unless it's a puppy being trained or it was out of earshot, I would define that as not being under proper control.

I am scared of dogs full stop and I'm not sure I'd actually recognise a rottweiler if I saw one . The dogs should certainly be under control in a public place - aren't rottweilers listed on the dangerous dogs act? I think most dogs should wear muzzles when they're out and about personally.

not true, jack russells among some other small terriers have a 'lock' on their jaws that many other breeds don't - bloody hard to knock them off. You usually cannot pull two dogs apart regardless of size as the smaller ones have this lock - best way to part any two dogs them is a damn hard kick in the tum or a stick or similar under the collar and twist until they lose conciousness. trying to pull them apart is just going to cause trouble.

I know about the lock - two of ours would fight and lock onto each other and not let go, but we sprayed water on them, or twisted the collar like you say, still easier than getting a great big dog off of someone ! Put it this way, I would not worry as much about a terrier charging towards me and the dc, snapping and growling, as much as I would a rottweiler or similiar breed charging our way. Think its only a natural reaction ! You could kick the terrier away before it got to you or pick up your dc. What chance to pick up dc if massive dog attacks ?

YANBU-bloody dogs and their owners.. I have not read entire thread but they are scary IMO and i know some very good responsible dog owners and they say themselves that dogs cannot be trusted. they are animals with instincts. I am scared of dogs i son't know why but they make me nervous.
the story by phatmouse was v scary and recent news events back up your feelings.

recently i was with my friend walking her dog and out of no where a dog appeared and was playing with her dog for the entire walk through country fields and when we got to the end of the walk the dog was still with us. we had to put through the gate so it was away from a busy round-about. where was that dogs owner?

imo dogs and childen do not generally mix and it is a shame if owners are not responsible and the dog reacts to it's instinct and ends up being put down..

when i was a kid a rottweiler used to come and sit on our front door step, it was really sweet. we had a lab.retriever cross and it used to chase it off. i think with most dogs it depends on the owner/training

apparently it's the quiet ones that sneak up on you u have to watch, not the barky ones

The owners sound irresponsible, and the woman was rude.
Of course you were right to move your children away if you thought there was a risk of them being injured, whether by being bitten, or by having two large dogs landing on top of them.

Was always told that the best way to break up a dog fight was to pick up the two hind legs of the biggest dog, and walk backwards, like doing a 'wheelbarrow'. Then to spray both dogs with water.

We have a Golden Retriever, he's nearly 3 now. We got him as an 8 week old pup (after extensive vetting by his breeder) when dd was just 3.
For the first 4 months we had a behaviour expert coming in every fortnight watching us with the dog, especially ensuring that the dog was subservient to dd. I am the pack leader in this house and the dog knows where he is. The dog is very well socialised and speaks Doggish very well and will instantly retreat when another dog indicates he doesn't want to play.
I withdrew him from training club in protest at the number of idiotic people coming along with difficult to control (sometimes dangerous) dogs and the teacher never having the front to tell them to rehome the dog.
The only problem I have is when idiotic owners take bitches on heat out in open areas. I came across one today with a young staffie bitch on her first heat. Utter stupidity!

You are definitely NOT being unreasonable! To have no control over such large dogs, who should have been on a lead anyway, is disgusting!

I understand the sentiment of the owner being protective of her dog but Jeez, i wish some people would wake up and realise that unless perfectly trained, a dog should be on a lead in a public place at all times and even then i wouldn't let a dog with any guarding or fighting instinct off a lead in public.

And fwiw i know that all dogs from the same breed should not be tarred with the same brush but i still do not trust any dog which has any guarding or fighting instinct in it as a breed, regardless of how 'soft' it has been brought up to be ...the instincts are still there ...

My dd's and I were walking home from the shops when a staffie sprinted up to my 4 yr old riding her bike a few yards in front of us ...i shit myself - luckily the dog sniffed her and then carried on, the dogs owner bellowing its name behind us. My dd didn't even give it a second thought but it frightened me to see such a powerful dog off a lead whilst its owner shouted it unsuccessfully from behind

I was under the impression rottweillers didn't growl? have read that they just attack and don't give warning signs.

And that is what the media would like everyone to believe.
I have owned a Rotty. he was the most adorable dog you could ever meet. of course that was because i was an experianced dog owner and he was well socialised.

You said the rotty was walking along fine until he was harrassed by another dog. im sure had he just been walking and his owner called then he would have responded, but just like your DC, when the dog is scared he tends to worry more about getting hurt than to whether he is being called or not.

hatrick - yes of course a rottwieler will growl or bark, they absolutly do give a warning sign to say "actually im not happy please leave me alone"
they also do not have"lock Jaw" which is so frequantly said.

a dog is a dangerous animal mno matter what the breed if it is not cared for properly.

oh and for the record ALL dogs have a fighting instinct.

i think what you mean is a dog that was originally bred for fighting or guarding.

Rottweilers were originally herding dogs actually, similar to border collies although rotty's were used with large cattle.

of course in more recent history they have been used by the German Army and police and of course mroe commonly as guard dogs.

but to be honest i find it upsetting that you could judge a dog simply by the use MAN had for it some hundred or more years ago.

Yes, i meant what it has been bred to do across the years ...

Sorry that you find my opinion upsetting, thats not my intention. I was merely pointing out that I do not trust any dog that has been bred (at any point in history) to do a guarding/fighting 'job'.
Thats not to say that all guarding/fighting dogs are 'bad' just that in my opinion they are lest trustworthy than a dog that has never been bred for any such purpose. I think breeding is hard to ignore ....for any dog ...

For the record, I'm a big gun dog fan

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, i totally accept that, and although i've never met a nasty lab, ive read enough threads to know that they exist ...

I have a fabulous, soppy Golden Retriever btw

i have a LOT of experiance with dogs of all breeds. (used to volunteer at a rescue & rehabilitation centre)

the most agressive dogs i have ever known are Jack russels with yorkshire terriers coming a close second.

i would say that at least 70% of all dog bites are from a small breed. of course they are not quite as severe as from a larger dog but teh smaller breeds are far more agressive than their larger friends (imho)

I dont get upset at people having the opinion they do about Rotties. i understand it seeing as every picture you ever see of one is always of one in fight mode with teeth showing.
media cause mass hysteria.

i cannot tell you how many times people warned me about owning a dog on the dangerous dog register.....Rotties aren't even on it! but of course the media dont let teh facts get in the way of a good bit of scare mongering do they.

it is both reasonable and responsible to be warey of dogs (of all sizes) especially around children.

it just frustrates me that people cannot see through the reputation.
dogs who are well trained and well cared for can be just as great a family pet as any other.

its more to do with how they are treated and the experiance of teh owner

mmmm i would agree with a lot of what you say there ...the obvious different though is the size. I mean, a rottie (gsd, staffie etc) is going to do a lot more damage then a small breed (jack russell, yorkie etc).

would totally agree with them being more aggressive though ...bleeding ankle biters ...

Ooops just noticed that you have said that already - sorry

anyway, needless to say, i would be far more frightened of a lolloping large breed running towards me ignoring its owner than a scurrying small breed ...