Unpleasant dogs

[Revolvingwhore]

Walking my puppy this weekend I have bumped into two different people with what can only be described as unpleasant dogs.

The first one was very reasonable, a clearly responsible owner who quickly put her dog on a lead and changed direction. We bumped into her again later and her dog muzzled wanted to attack us, it was very aggressive. She did everything she could to stop this though. She was very apologetic and I felt sorry for her having to be hyper vigilant all the time.

The second owner had an alsation who bared its teeth at us and tried to lunge. We hung back and, mystifyingly, she slowed down. We changed route and she seeme to follow us. I couldn't understand this. She looked at us as though we were being unreasonable.

Both dogs seemed very unpleasant and it just made me wonder how people with dogs who are aggressive feel about being out and about with them, about having people over to their houses. Do people feel stuck with them, or do they still get pleasure with a dog they have to muzzle.

It sounds like both were reactive dogs. Both dogs are still entitled to go out for walks and enjoy all that entails.

They might be ok at home but they can't be a pleasure to walk. Their owners used to be known as 'midnight walkers' because you'd see loads of them out late hoping to avoid other dogs.

All dogs should have a QR code on their collar and there should be an app you can scan to rate the dog out of 10.

Bottom 5% every month go up the rainbow staircase, top 10% get free treats from <well known dog treat manufacturer>

I’m joking…before you start typing…

I have a reactive dog who is an absolute joy with people just sadly not other dogs.

Im very vigilant on walks and she has a harness that warns she’s not good with other dogs.
It is stressful but she’s our dog for her whole life would never give up on her

My dog is reactive and i get annoyed when he does it. I cross the road as I can’t be doing with his histrionics about other dogs. Thing is when he actually goes up to another dog close he’s perfectly fine! Loves them! Never is aggressive! Wants to play! Just irritating from afar. He’s such a little shit as he makes himself look like a moron

Also lots of dogs just don't like puppies!

Yeah I definitely get that. But the first dog was muzzled and harnessed like Hannibal Lector and it really made me wonder if a dog like this feels more like a life sentence.

Not at all. They are probably an absolute sweetie in the safe space of their own home. You are just seeing a small snapshot of them.

My dog is so soppy with humans he will actually beg you for a cuddle, either by simply climbing into your face or pawing at you. He just gets overwhelmed by other dogs

her dog muzzled wanted to attack us

A dog that is visibly aggressive is - almost always - a dog that DOESN'T want to attack. That's why they are expending so much energy warning you.

If you wanted to attack someone you wouldn't yell: "I want to attack you!" from afar, giving them a chance to get away. It's counter productive.

A dog that is barking and snarling is, almost certainly, communicating that they need more space to feel safer. They are using communication to reduce the chances of 'having to' attack anyone.

It's important for all dog owners to know that, because the chances are reasonable that you will see a degree of similar behaviour from your puppy sooner or later. Even if just fleeting and at a lower level, as they mature. It's best you know what it is, so you can help them through it.

Both me and my partner were considering getting a dog, however changed our mind, mostly based on the intimidating dogs (some which appear to be dangerous breeds) that people seem to own and walk around the area we live. I would be concerned to be walking a dog, and I’m not sure I could cope if another dog was to attack mine. I think I would find it really distressing. An old colleague of mine (clearly not a responsible dog owner) once told me she was walking her staffie dog off lead when it attacked a small grey hound dog (that was on lead so couldn’t escape) and basically killed this dog in a really horrendous way. She had the aggressive dog euthanised. But stories like this really haunt me and put me off owning a dog.

Yeah, this one would have bit if the muzzle wasn't there. He tried very hard to.

Yeah, this one would have bit if the muzzle wasn't there. He tried very hard to.

If true, that does not mean he wanted to attack. It means he believed an attack was the only way to stay safe.

That's why I believe all dog owners need a better understanding of reactivity and aggressive behaviour. Especially those raising puppies. It's almost always rooted in fear and a safeguard against it is to understand early stage fear and support/train the dog so that those fears do not escalate to this level.

I'm not saying this to make you feel bad. I'm saying it because it is genuinely useful knowledge when raising puppies.

One of mine used to go mental at other male dogs. Barking, snarling, lunging. Every walk was like dog patrol, keeping watch for other dogs. Luckily he chilled out after some strict obedience training and being separated from his cherries.

I had another dog that I had put down due to his aggression towards other dogs. I had to do it. He was the sweetest, most loving dog, perfectly behaved in all situations, loved kids. But other dogs were like a red flag to a bull. He lost all control, went absolutely berserk. He was a big dog, a Doberman/German shepherd Cross and he was strong.

I trained him to drill like perfection. He would freeze on command, recall immediately, sit and offer a paw to passing children who wanted to pet him. But as soon as he saw a dog it was like Jeckle and Hyde. It got to the point that I was having to drop my other dogs lead to control him. Luckily she is an angel and easy to direct verbally, doesn't even really need a lead.

The one day he went for a little pug who was being walked by a family, the girl holding its lead was about 6 and she looked terrified. He didn't get anywhere near them of course but I just kept replaying it in my head the look on her face and the way my other dog just moved to the side of the path and sat down to wait while I dealt with him and I thought 'this is never going to improve. He's trained to within an inch of his life and one day I'm not going to have a tight enough hold or we'll be taken by surprise and he's going to hurt someone. Or he'll pick on the wrong dog and Ddog1 will get caught in the middle. '

So I had him pts. I couldn't responsibly rehome him like that and had tried everything, I gave him the best I had but it just didn't work. Some dogs just can't be saved, however much you love them. If you can't control them then you have to do the responsible thing, even if it hurts you.

I have a dog reactive dog. He's a rescue and picky over which dogs he does and doesn't like. He likes my other two dogs I introduced him to carefully.

I walk him either late at night or early in the morning.

I used to walk him at normal times and keep him on the lead, but people just let their dogs run to him and jump all over him. Which wasn't helpful.

He isn't a life sentence. He's my pride and joy. I love him for the dog he is. I wish I could have him my whole life tbh. He's simply the most loving and loyal dog I've ever owned.

Yes but it's not my problem or the problem of other dog walkers is it? We had ours on a lead, we only made the mistake of walking in the same area, and it was scary. I don't need to understand reactive dogs, I need to feel safe walking mine in the woods.

OP I have a reactive dog. It IS really hard. I want nothing more than for my dog to be at ease around others. I work hard to spot fear signs and to help step in. But yes it's tricky: I can't have people In the house anymore and it does feel limiting. Walks can be really really stressful but he needs exercise. But yunno, rather like children, you get the dog you get. I love him to pieces and I feel sad that his fear stops others from seeing how great he is.

When I was a kid we had dogs that were strays or rescue dogs, they were not trained, badly behaved and sometimes aggressive. The rest of my family were not that bothered but it made me extremely uneasy basically the whole time around them. There were lots of good things about them (some more than others), it obviously wasn’t their fault nobody trained them and some of them had some really shitty things happen to them in their lives.
Walking them was horrible a lot of the time because they would try get in fights with other dogs, drag on the lead and were difficult to control. They would also growl and snap at people sometimes. It was horrible because people would get understandably upset and angry but I was really young and hadn’t got the first idea how to train them (it probably wouldn’t have helped some of them that much anyway).
They were not nice to live with in general and it was no good for them either.
As I got into my teens and older, I refused to take responsibility for them but it was hard not to get attached to them and if they needed something I couldn’t not do it. I like dogs but I’m quite afraid of them after those experiences and I never had one of my own after I left home. I probably never will and I’m always going off on rants about people not having dogs if they’re not going to look after them properly. It’s not fair on anyone.
Even now my mother has a dog who is so badly behaved, I point blank refuse to have my dd around him whatsoever. She has tried to convince me he’ll be fine with her but after spending my childhood around unpredictable, poorly behaved, aggressive dogs…absolutely not.

That is actually a brilliant idea!

Hi. I have a reactive 11 month old that I have had from a puppy...she has always been extremely nervous of everything but was fine with other dogs. She even gets scared when a leaf or a bit of rubbish goes past. However I had her in kennels for a week in August and since comming back she has been dog reactive, I have had to muzzle her when out, however I do not let her off lead and have a 30m training lead so she can still explore. She doesn't growl or snap teeth she just pulls towards them but it is out of fear... every Tuesday she goes to day care with a trainer and a large group of other dogs that she happily plays with and they haven't seen any problems. When I walk her, the muzzle is on because I know other dogs sometimes come up to her even when their owners have called them away, it's just for piece of mind for my self and a precaution. When I see dogs I do not move out the way as part of her rehabilitation is to understand that other dogs are not a threat and am in charge. At home she is amazing and is so cuddly and well behaved, yes I sometimes see it as hard work taking her out, I don't worry too much about what others think as I have seen so many dogs that are aggressive and lunge without a muzzle, at least I am trying my best to keep other dogs safe.

Side note, I also have her sister who is the complete opposite and is the most friendly and social dog I have come across, exactly the same training and experiences.

Really? You would get so close to an unknown dog to scan it's tag?

I wouldn't!

I have a difficult dog and the only way to train her to cope is to take her and train her in real life situations. I don’t care if people don’t like my unpleasant dog, I love her (especially at the moment as she’s sleeping on my feet, cosy toes!). I’d much prefer her to be a perfect angel at all times but she’s not, certainly if she ended up in a rescue she wouldn’t be likely to find a home so I just have to persevere !

Yes but it's not my problem or the problem of other dog walkers is it? We had ours on a lead, we only made the mistake of walking in the same area, and it was scary. I don't need to understand reactive dogs, I need to feel safe walking mine in the woods.

You have a a puppy that will go through fear phases as they mature. They all do, to varying degrees. In those phases, they may surprise you by barking/lunging at other dogs as a test of how to deal with something that suddenly scares them in a way it wouldn't have a week or so previously. That is fairly normal in the maturing of dogs so should be anticipated in case you come across it.

If you understand that behaviour is coming from fear understand your puppy needs support to get through a specific phase. Otherwise you risk ending up with a reactive dog yourself. (Lots of other factors at play with reactivity, all combining to result in the behaviour you see in the other dogs).

The other dog isn't your probem, but it is a great example of where fear can lead if not handled correctly - and perhaps therefore an incentive to understand it a bit as one of the many tools that are useful when raising a puppy. To an extent, to understand reactivity is to understand a fundamental of canine behaviour.

It is good to understand reactive dogs because lax dog owners with a ‘perfect’ behaved dog usually make things worse as they are often relaxed and non plussed and don’t understand what might make a dog anxious. Yours is a puppy so you are feeling protective but as your dog gets older you will feel more confident. Other dogs get anxious and this is displayed by looking aggressive. dog aggression can be silent and in slight body language not just barking and lunging. My dog lunging at a dog across the road doesn’t actually want to attack it he is anxious and feels vulnerable as it’s a strange dog and warning the other dog and communicating (badly). My dog knows he’s on a lead and can’t ‘escape’ from a ‘threat’ and he isn’t sure if another dog is a threat to him.

I am always much more afraid of a dog who stands completely still and silently watches you, ears up, tail rigid.

All I would say is be careful how much you judge. I once had the most lovely puppy from a well respected breeder. He was trained up to high level obedience and well socialised, he was also a registered therapy dog. He lived with other dogs and young children and was as gentle as can be.

One day he was badly attacked by another dog. He was petrified, despite being 10 times the other dogs size he didn’t fight back. It completely ruined that dog, afterwards he would have killed any strange dog that came towards him no matter the intention and at times reacted the way you describe.

You never know if it could happen to yours, a puppy now will mature and will test you at times and possibly do the same. If I see a dog reacting I just get on and walk past, not my place to judge someone else clearly trying.