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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Wwyd - dog fight situation

58 replies

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 12:10

Walking a dog, on a harness and lead plus collar and lead (can't be off lead ever, added just so it shows the situation)

Loose dog comes running up and won't leave, my dog is trying to launch itself at loose dog and both are getting aggressive. Dog owner nowhere in sight. What do/would you do?
Oh and already shouted for dog owner and tried to walk away from other dog

OP posts:

Gileswithachainsaw · 06/08/2014 18:02

God how frightening :(

Your dog is "double leashed" for want of a better phrase?

Not sure there's much you could have done.

The other dog owner was ridiculously stupid to let out a dog agressive dog with no supervision [anger]

Gileswithachainsaw · 06/08/2014 18:02

rather

Original poster

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 18:05

She's well trained enough that when people are coming past she will sit, she knows when she gets to a road to sit and wait until she is told to cross, knows heel, stay all the basic stuff but she is still a dog that thinks all others want to play, and can't be trusted with birds/rabbits etc
I can't always guarantee the dogs I walk are 100%, at the end of the day some have come straight from the pound. I try to walk at odd hours of the day, they're never off lead, I cross the road to avoid people and other dogs if necessary, I don't let them approach children or let anyone stroke them unless I know they are child friendly

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GalaxyInMyPants · 06/08/2014 18:08

Flora, I've been in this situation and you can't walk away......I can control my dog as he's tiny (smaller than a jack Russell) amd well trained. But if you walk away it isn't just a case of the other dog following you, the other dog may well be biting and attacking your dog. You can't walk home with another dog taking chunks out your dog!

I've tried picking my dog up before and was nearly bitten.

I can let my dog off the lead as he won't run off and in such a situation I have let him off. He can out run most other dogs and runs round me in circles while screaming as he was terrified.

But if I was in a situation with no other owner on the scene or with a dog I couldn't let off the lead I think I would shout very fiercely at the other dog, they will often back down if you're loud enough. If not i would kick it. My mum walks with a walking stick for such situations.

Floralnomad · 06/08/2014 18:24

galaxy ,if you read what I said I did say if an actual fight hasn't started ,it hadn't according to the OP ,she even managed to tie her dog up to try and catch the other dog ! I have never said that the OP is at fault ,it's the other numpty owner that is ,but let's be honest this kind of thread crops up every other week on here and all I'm saying is that you need to be able to manage your dogs behaviour because other people will often not manage theirs.

tabulahrasa · 06/08/2014 18:48

So if you've got a large reactive dog and you're not yet at the point where you can manage them any better than simply stopping them from harming other dogs...what are you supposed to do with them?

Just out of curiosity.

Original poster

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 18:50

I did after it had gone and sat in the middle of the road. I tried to grab it, it snarled at me and then sat on the pavement before wandering thought a gate which was when the bloke finally opened the door
I guess the question should have been, what if this happens again and the dog won't leave? In this instance yes it was ok, but I came home shaking because I was fearful for myself, and the dog. The dog I had was good enough that I tied her up and put myself inbetween her and the other dog

OP posts:

Original poster

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 18:53

How else can I manage a dogs behaviour though? I keep them on lead, they mainly know sit/say/leave, I keep them away from other dogs and people, I put them in a high viz warning jacket, I ask people nicely to put their dog on a lead if it runs up to mine
The instance before this one I had a dog that wasn't dog tested at all, a loose dog came haring over, woman had no control, admitted she couldn't control it while laughing and still didn't put it on the lead. It was all over the dog I was walking and carried on following us, I shouted her three times to get it on the lead and she couldn't get hold of it
People are complete idiots, I even said "it's aggressive and will bite, can you get your dog on the lead" and that's when she laughed and said "ooh I can't control him"
Luckily the untested dog turned out to be a complete saint and mostly looked bemused at the loose dog attempting to swing off his tail

OP posts:

LEMmingaround · 06/08/2014 18:54

I have a dog aggressive jrt. I try to be as relaxed as I can and not react when we encounter other dogs. Admittedly if he starts its easy just to hoik him up and out of the way but it does work. By making the dog sit when other dogs and people approach you are telling the dog there is "something wrong" and also making her feel vulnerable by being in the sit position. Easy for me to say with my little ankle biter but have owned giant breeds, ridden horses and been a vet nurse. The minute you shorten leads/reins etc you are putting the animal on alert for a change. They don't know if that change is good or bad but they are pretty good at picking up on anxieties.

Again I appreciate that its not always possible to just let them sniff and hope it will be ok when its a powerful dog but maybe relax a bit and see how it goes?

Original poster

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 18:56

I guess half of it for me is I have no idea if they are reactive. They might be ok with a friendly dog, I don't know if they would react to an aggressive dog. I have no idea of their history usually or what training they have had, so I go by complete caution and don't let any other dogs approach them. The only dog I've allowed is a v old red setter that I know from the park, he is completely disinterested in other dogs so he is ideal for dog testing!

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Original poster

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 18:57

Yeah I get that about sit - I do it when it's a v narrow path or small children/elderly people as I know she will jump up and from posts on here people hate that! If just walking past another dog I would carry on as normal. She's had a sniff of another dog but launched at them and growled so decided best to be on the safe side

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LEMmingaround · 06/08/2014 19:15

What rescue do you walk for? I can't help but think they should be giving more info on the dogs disposition as you are being forced into treating all the dogs you walk as if there is a problem. Which is sensible in one way but in another causes issues. Huskies are bloody strong though and im not sure I would have reacted any differently to you tbh.

Original poster

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 19:22

It's a local one. They're happy for me to socialise dogs, the only walk rules as such are that they must be double leaded and must be on lead at all times. I generally take cautious approach as in not letting them approach other dogs - I've had some dog owners with their dog on a lead come over and ask if it's friendly, I say I'm not sure, explain about rescue and some of them are happy to have a sniff and a chat (that's how the red setter became my unofficial dog tester)

Effectively I am the tester, that's why they come home with me so I can see what they do in a house, do they bark, how are they when the cat wanders outside the window, are they house trained etc

And yes husky is unbelievably strong, she's been here since Monday morning and I've walked 22km with her in 3 days (would be more but I've got a damaged foot)

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Original poster

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 19:24

So I'm not confusing you, the sit when people come past is only with husky as I've seen her launch and she bloody hurts when she does it

All the rescue dogs I sort of see as I go along, I've had some that are really scared of other dogs, and some that are dying to chat to every dog that walks past

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LEMmingaround · 06/08/2014 19:26

Sounds like a great thing you are doing there. Must be hard to give them back.

Original poster

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 19:28

It is sometimes. This is one double leaded on a video so you can see. The dog rescue thread in this section is mine with lots of photos
instagram.com/p/pv4KjoNd4D/

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nuttymutttie · 06/08/2014 19:55

You need always to be on the look out to prevent situations. So today if I had seen a lose dog approaching me I would have turned away and avoided the situation (even if it did mean me having to walk further to get to where I wanted to go) The loose dog sounds as if it was guarding an area so by retreating it is very unlikely that it would have followed you.

Re the video you have posted with the double lead - you have the slip lead on the wrong way around - I would recommend using a normal collar or a head collar than the slip lead on a reactive dog or a dog that is pulling like this one was.

nuttymutttie · 06/08/2014 19:56

lose - loose (obviously too much or not enough wine!)

Original poster

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 20:00

Oh ok, which way does the slip lead go? (I don't have a choice of leads, I take what the dog is used to)
In that case she had a slip lead and harness with lead, sometimes it's a collar and lead plus harness

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ClaimedByMe · 06/08/2014 20:12

I think the slip lead should be at the other side of the collar, you have it upside down too compared to how we were taught to use it but i still can't use it, we were also told not to use a harness as it encourages aggressive dogs to pull against it making them more 'pumped up' I never use the slip as my dog is still too strong for me if she decides to have one of her moments.

The lead I use keeps her close to me and gives me much more control of her

nuttymutttie · 06/08/2014 20:15

The lead coming back through the hole should be the other way up so that the lead releases when the dog is not pulling.

The metal ring should have the lead underneath it. The dog should only walk on the one side of you otherwise the lead will choke the dog.

hope this picture works scroll down to picture of labrador

The picture shows the correct way for the lead if the dog is on the owners left hand side.

It took me ages to find a picture of a dog wearing a slip lead correctly. They are pretty horrid leads for dogs that pull though

Original poster

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 20:18

Thanks will have a look at the link. I generally try to use harness or vocal commands, but the other lead is just in case one snaps IYSWIM

OP posts:

ClaimedByMe · 06/08/2014 20:18

nutty explains it better than me, we were told to always walk the dog on the left too!

nuttymutttie · 06/08/2014 20:24

Goodasitgets it is fantastic that you are helping out the rescue like this - they need more people like you to help them. I agree that double leads are a good idea for rescue dogs while they are being assessed. (although would not use a slip lead).

Do not hesitate to protect the dogs you are looking after by avoiding situations that they are uncomfortable with - it will help them and you to have a better time. I hope you have a better walk tomorrow. 22k with a bad foot - respect

Original poster

goodasitgets · 06/08/2014 20:33

Thanks. She's been out again tonight and we had a most uneventful walk except persuading her that eating a hedgehog wouldn't be good for her, and would probably taste disgusting
Never had a husky before so I'm erring on the side of caution with how much exercise she needs, we are doing about 7k a day at the minute

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