To be so stressed after my dog reacted…

[BEAchDays2]

Help, this might sound pathetic, I have a three year old lab.

She has always been good as gold, social, loves people, a fuss, a cuddle.

This is a factual account of what happened.

We were sat outside a bar, at the side next to a path, four women walked down the path.

One locked eyes with me and smiled and I smiled back and she approached my dog.

As she was about 2 feet away she gave a small jump, and raised her hands up, in a sort of ‘look at you’ way and my dog lost it.

She was barking, lunging, and the lady wouldn’t let it go, as in just kept trying to engage with her. She then left. My dog calmed immediately.

She has gone on to meet and greet several people, full on cuddles, belly rubs, being handled, back to her normal self. Nothing like that again but it’s playing on my mind.

Can it be as simple as just the approach, I’m struggling to shake it off. Please help, has this ever happened to anyone else?

Other things which might be of interest:

She was possibly overtired.
We had broken down and were having to overnight somewhere unfamiliar. It had been a long day.
It had been a hot day (although had cooled down by this point)

Thank you ❤️

She freaked her out! I'd have told her to back the fuck off as well. Drunken twat.

Agree with pp, dogs know. They read body language, have a powerful sense of smell. They sense things we don't. I used to work with a man who animals didn't like. He'd try to pat customers dogs sometimes and they'd be funny with him. He was later convicted of a very violent crime.

Lady was weird your dog took a dislike to her...End of.....
My dog is a goofy idiot the only person he took an instant dislike to was a poor dog walker....Poor lady ... Just barked at her straight off, she hadn't even got near. Never done anything like that since or before (his normal trick is to assume everyone enters the house exclusively to rub his belly).

My dog absolutely hates my brother, and once went bonkers at a random poor guy walking past.

One is short, white, super fat, the other is Asian, glasses, really tall. So it's not even a 'style' of person.

We can't like everyone eh? Dogs just can't hide it the same, I guess!

Don’t over think it, the woman was being a muppet and it’s out of character for the dog
however, it is an important reminder that dogs can act out of character for no apparent reason and when moderately provoked and this is why they should’nt be left unsupervised with children

You were out in the heat?
I'd be snappy too.

Not that there were any children in this situation and the OP is probably more than well aware, and labs are good family dogs. But but but, still

she was barking, lunging

That's likely an offence OP. The Dangerous Dogs Act is written to say a dog doing anything that makes someon fear for their safety or others, means the dog's owner commits an offence of a dog being dangerously out of control. Your dog doesn't have to actually do anything. Odd law. But if your dog was really barking and lunging at someone. You could be in trouble if it happens again. Maybe keep a muzzle on from now on.

Labradors are excellent judges of character. If she didn’t like the woman there’s probably a good reason why. They are excellent body language readers so her erratic behaviour just put her into protect mode.

Having said that the only time my previous lab was reactive was when I was pregnant. She was also grumbly if we passed someone while walking in the fields next to us that didn’t have a dog. Although, at the time we were unaware that the local drug dealer arranged to meet customers at the village hall carpark next to us, so it was probably their unfamiliar smell. It’s possible that the woman wasn’t just under the influence of alcohol.

Dogs rely on body language to work out out intentions, alcohol and drugs change normal body language and can cause stress in dogs when that person tries to interact.

I’d overthink it as well, but it sounds like the woman didn’t help the situation.

Don’t be so bloody ridiculous

^ this plus hot unsettling day.

The woman sounds like a dickhead. She shouldn't have approached your dog and certainly shouldn't have persisted trying to greet him.

I only stroke dogs who come up to me to 1) say hello, 2) seem nice and 3) the owner is happy for me to give them a gentle smoosh. I always ask even if the dog seems keen. (I hope this is OK, I've never had a dog sadly).

My very friendly chilled out dog who loves almost everyone under the sun very occasionally reacts strongly to someone - tbh when they’ve got closer and i can see them I’ve tended to think she was entirely correct. She is not a fan of leery looking men in secluded wood.

Dogs are generally a pretty good judges of character imo and it drives me mad when strangers approach dogs. Leave them alone!

The dog was scared of the odd approach by the sounds of it and probably trying to protect you. My old dog once got upset when a neighbour I was talking to gesticulated a bit and she thought I was being threatened and started barking madly. Now she was a tiny chihuahua but she still had that protective instinct.

From your dog's point of view a random stranger acting and probably smelling very oddly was coming too close and wouldnt stop coming. She was barking as well rather than growling. I'd be a little cautious in future with people approaching but I don't think it's the dog's fault. No reasonable person keeps coming at an obviously agitated dog. Saying that I give drunks a very wide berth as they are unpredictable at best and at worst aggressive.

If you take your dog out on nights out at the bar, it will be exposed to drunk people and it will draw attention to you both. Seems an unwise think to do, really. Unfortunate position to put the dog in.

Have people missed the bit where OP says she’d broken down and was having to overnight in an unfamiliar place? So necessity rather than an unwise decision? Possibly the only place to get food? It’s hardly taking the dog out on a night out…..

Yeah my eyes did start to glaze over by the end of the post so that’s my bad. It’s just become such a commonplace thing to do though nowadays: for some reason, people actually taking their dogs out on nights out and so that was on my mind when reading.

Thanks all, very reassured by this thread 😊❤️

My dog is 13, the gentlest, goodest of girls, never an angry look or growl at anyone. Except one neighbour we had who she absolutely HATED. Granted he was an unpleasant guy generally but he had really weird mannerisms and a way of moving and my dog would just bark at him constantly whenever he appeared. Never happened before or since then!

And a child can come from nowhere and behave even weirder.

Dog either is controlled and won't be set off by some smiling person raising their arms, or dangerous.

Happened to me. Young (under four) child came running across to stroke my dog, arms out wide. Mum didn’t do anything to stop her. Fortunately my lab is a wuss and cowered behind my legs. Parent did nothing to control her child. My dog was on a lead, I think the child should have been also.

I’d say for all the reasons in your last paragraph, or, and something about the woman you know dogs can pick up on things humans can’t…
I honestly wouldn’t worry about it for now unless it happens again for no reason.