How do you know if another dog is a threat?

[auntyfash]

My border terrier puppy is now 5 months old and socialises well with other dogs and people. A couple of times though he has been nipped quite hard by one particular German Shepherd and another time two very large dogs ran over growling, the owner was trying to recall his dogs but with no success and he shouted that his dogs weren't friendly. In this instance I picked up my pup and just turned and walked away.
Now I don't think this bloke should have had his dogs offlead without muzzles, but I wasn't going to stand around and argue with him.

Anyway, my point is, how can you tell if another dog is unfriendly? What are the warning signs, if any?
I don't want to be a nervous dog walker, and I don't want my dog to be a nervous dog, but neither do I want him to attacked.

He's had a couple of other dogs put him in his place, and that I don't mind, 'cos he's a feisty and playful little bugger...he just loves other dogs! But I can see how he could easily annoy another dog as he's rather over eager at times.

He's pretty good with his recall, and is easily distracted by his ball or treats, plus he's small enough to pick up if needs be.

Any advice at all would be great please.

That's a hard question. My boy is very dog aggressive, he's kept on a lead and muzzled in parks but other dogs do run over and most times there are no signals from him apart from a stiffened body and and his eyes go different. Some dogs stiffen their tail and their hairs go up. There are behaviourists on here somewhere!

On a very practical level, if you go the same dog walking area regularly and it is infested with idiots who have unfriendly dogs off lead and unmuzzled then I'd strongly suggest walking somewhere different. It's unfair, but life is too short to make your dog walks more stressful than they need to be. We avoid a couple of our local parks at certain times because they are infested with old ladies with spoilt yappy Yorkies/small fluffballs, who don't/won't do recall. For some reason they think that approaching three on lead, muzzled greyhounds and yapping ferociously is a good idea . After that and needing a few when getting home we decided it wasn't worth it.

Unfortunately you cannot control other dogs or their owners - in the same way you cannot avoid bad drivers. All you can do is make sure your own dog is well socialised and trained, and be mindful/watchful when you are out and about. Essentially, in the same way as on the road, you drive defensively and give yourself enough space and ensure concentration on surroundings. This means keeping an eye on your dog, and what's around you and if possible/necessary taking discreet avoiding action. It's sometimes tempting with other dog owners not to want to appear unfriendly, especially as generally dog owners are a nice bunch but if you see a dog that is a regular "out of control" then I'd take a scenic route

Thanks you two :)

Scuttlebutler, that is pretty much what I'm doing now. It's a shame really cos we did have a regular walk with other dogs he got on with, but some days this German Shepherd dog is also there, and it's not only gone for my dog, but I know from talking to people that it has gone for a fair number of other dogs. I've also been warned against having it out with the dog's owner as he is also a nasty piece of work.

I'm lucky enough to live near a beach, which is fantastic, but I will admit to being a bit wary at times as there are so many routes you can take to get onto the beach, and I am constantly on the lookout for this particular dog, and also, I am a lot more wary of other dogs on the whole, which I don't want to be. I guess this is part and parcel of having a smaller dog though. I used to have English Bull Terriers, and my last dog was a GSx so I don't think I was quite so overprotective opf them because of their size etc.

Maybe I need to chill a bit? Wine before a walk? lol ;)

As has been said, it's damn hard. It helps to really train YOUR dog well, so that you know that regardless of provocation or distraction he will recall to your side in a heartbeat. That way you can avoid the problem to the best of your ability if a dodgy looking dog (or human, come to that) suddenly appears. Liver cake makes most owners the most wonderful, interesting beings in the world, even if it does make your coat pocket smell.

Stiffening,fixing,staring,growling.But your dog will learn good doggie manners the more dogs he mixes with,and you will learn when to leave him and when to wade, in after a while.

Liver cake? Do they sell that at petshops? I've never ever bought liver cake. I don't mind smelly pockets AT ALL! I'm a right minger anyways :o

Helly, I'm hoping that all his early interaction with as many dogs as possible will teach him good doggy manners :o I just need to learn to read dogs a bit more I reckon

Liver Cake

With apologies to your little Border Terrier for the photos on that website and a reassurance from a certain GSD snoring beside me on the sofa that they aren't all moody buggers!

That has gone straight to my favourites!!! Thankyou :o I bloody love liver myself :o

I had a GSx and she was amazing! My sil has 2 and they are wonderful! I don't have a dislike of GS at all, just this particular one. It's a nasty bastard fucker.

One of Milo's best friends is a German Shepherd too!

Guess what we're having for tea tomorrow?

Dogs don't need a lot of interaction with other dogs. Some like to play etc but that interaction can be given by the owner. I do tend to avoid walking in areas that are popular walking places for dogs for just the incidents that you mention above.

why do some people just walk around the same park or bit of woodland everyday!?

If I see a dog approaching my dogs will automatically come to heel (if in training I will call them and play with them when they see a dog coming). If I do not know the dog or owner my dogs will stay to heel until we are past. If I know the dog they are released to play. I also will often politely ask the owners to call their own dogs back to them if they are bounding over to my lot.

I think you are right to be wary and a beach is a great place to walk as you can see dogs in the distance and see how they are behaving and I often take action so I avoid meeting full on dogs.

Body language to look out for:-

upright ears
stiff posture
tail up
head down but staring at dogs
slower movements (just before the charge)
just mad charging behaviour (can't miss that one)
Complete deafness to owner -

Calming signals however are:-
dog yawning
licking its lips
head tilted away from dog
walking in a curve
sniffing the ground

Thanks so much for that minimu 1 :)

I don't feel quite so silly now being wary of other dogs, and also feel reassured that he's not missing out by not playing with every dog he meets. He has a few good doggy friends that he plays with regularly anyway, and he gets so much attention and playtime at home from me and the kids.

Thanks again every one.