Attacked by a large German shepherd on our walk (no physical injury)

[newme175]

Arghhhh.... I have been dreading something like this happening since becoming a dog sitter and have been reading do’s and dont etc but feel so unprepared for what happened :(
This thread is just to vent and also to seek some further advice on what to do when/ if this happens again! I’m still a bit shaken...

Just do not drip feed, I have had dogs all my life, grew up with them. We do not have our own dog yet as not sure if we are ready for the commitment it brings. But I have had a very successful small boarding/ dog walking business for the last 6 months, and had a variety of different dogs come to stay with me, so plenty of dog experience.
I am not scared of dogs at all, and don’t have problems with any particular breed.

So this morning I was taking lab on our walk, it’s a very nice quiet woods/ park but I still keep her on a long leash as she is not mine and I don’t want her running off. All is well, we having a wonderful walk and the dog is good with other dogs we meet. I spot this huge German shepherd staring at us up the path, cannot see the owner, but there is a bend so I think they not far behind. The GS starts charging towards us, I stop and get the lab close, I could see straight away that he was not friendly and for some reason took dislike to my dog. It started to circle jump and growl, loudly bark at us, I was moving around so would always face it, ie turning around on the spot so GS cound not get behind us. With the lab between my legs.
At this point there’s a lot of noise as GS barking and growling viciously, the lab is also now barking back trying to defend us. I keep shouting NO as loud and in as deep voice as I can. See the owner and scream at him to call his dog back. He calls him back, the dog goes back for a second and then keeps turning back to attack us again. He did that quite a few times whereas the owner just calling him and not coming to get him.

Is this because the owner thought if he got close the dog would attack more??

Eventually what feels like absolute ages he manages to call the dog off and shouts to me if I’m alright. I can’t remember what I said to him to be honest as I just wanted to get away and his dog still wasn’t secured on the leash!

I’m so shaken and angry, it’s only pure circumstance that the lab was not bitten, I do not think GS would have bit me, as he only seemed to want to go for the dog but I cannot be 100% sure. GS had these massive balls, largest I’ve ever seen on a dog so an entire male. I’m so angry as we were literally moments from a massive dog attack/ stitches and vet involvement, if GS managed to get to the lab! It makes things worse that lab is not my own dog as all I could think about what would I say to the owner :( I am fully insured but that’s not the point :(

What Can I do better in the future? My husband said to carry a walking hiking stick from now own? If I see the man with GS again I will have a go and tell him to muzzle it, that is if the dog doesn’t attack us again and I can actually speak. I read to throw treats to the attacking dog, there was no time to reach in my pocket and anyway I don’t want to TREAT it! I’m due to go on another walk in an hour but still a bit shaken from it...

Any experiences?

Apparently a bottle full of stones can help too, the noise of them being shaken can startle the dog enough to make them back off

Yes so might I if actually bitten but not in the Op’s Scenario. Much better to walk away, after all if your aim is a bit off then you risk an angry in pain dog. Plus if it’s windy you’ll potentially end up with it in your eyes.

you were not minutes away from an attack, if the dog was going to it would have done

and you know this, how?

ZivaDiva

You can think it as horrid as you like, personally I see no difference in a dog barking at you or attacking you, it is terrifying once you have actually been attacked. Too many idiot dog owners out there who are incapable of controlling their dogs.

I couldn’t walk away as GS was lunging and circling us with a lot of aggression, I can’t put it into words how bad it was really but never had this happen before. And believe me I have experienced a fair amount of barking, etc. I hope it’s a very isolated incident and will move on.

Also just want to put this, I love German shepherds and my mum had one growing up, so nothing against them. But didn’t want to drip feed so mentioned the breed etc...

I kept thinking about it and all the different scenarios, but still don’t have an explanation of why this happened.

The online pet care course I am doing at the moment says that dog walkers should carry a pop up umbrella. This can be used as a barrier between you and and agressive dog. So far I have always managed to run away from difficult situations with the dogs I am walking. I never say anything to the dog or the owner we just turn and get away as fast as possible.

My German shepherd does the staring thing. I fully understand how intimidating it is but I do think it’s a German shepherd thing - sort of them assessing the situation/whatever they’ve seen.

Personally if you’re walking your dogs ON the lead why don’t you just avoid places where you know dogs aren’t leashed?? Nothing annoys me more than taking my dog over the field to let her off and have someone walk round and round the same field with the dog on the field. I feel like I have to then leash mine or go elsewhere because although her recall is great you can never be 100% sure.
I don’t see the point in going over the field and keeping the dog on the lead? If you’ve got to keep it on the lead walk it all over town and let off lead walkers feel comfortable.

However saying that, I think the owner should also be keeping his dog on the lead. He’s obviously not a friendly dog.

I am in no way defending him and personally if my dog was acting like this I’d be trying to get hold of her. However in dog training I’ve always been taught that when calling your dog never go to them, they must come to you. If you’re calling your dog without any luck of them returning and you then start heading towards them they’re more likely to keep running away from you.

Chippy walking away from your dog when recall is rubbish is a good trick and I have done it myself when he had selective recall but if my dog was being aggressive with another dog/person then I would be straight over there to grab him as I would be 100% responsible if he caused an injury to other living thing so I think normal rules don't apply in that situation.

Bit unfair to say that you shouldn't walk your dog on lead in areas other people go off lead. If everybody had some control over their dogs it wouldn't be an issue; dogs have to stay on lead for a variety of reasons. You don't have to put your dog on a lead if you see another on a lead, just don't let it harass the one on lead!

I haven't used it myself but a local dog walker carries some compressed air can, it doesn't hurt them or have anything in it but supposedly deters!

When I was growing up, I had a fearful Staffie who would hurl insults at passing dogs (he was actually quite scared of them) and fights could ensue so I got some practice at deflecting/stopping them. I used to carry a walking stick so that if the other dog was trying to land a bite on mine, I could put the stick in his mouth instead (this was useful and usually, by then, the other dog's owner would have got hold of it). I would also always do what you did, OP, keep turning so you and your dog are facing the attacker - if you try to walk away, you are quite right, your dog will be attacked from behind. I, too, would face up to the attacking dog and tell it to "get down" "go!" etc in a commanding tone (surprisingly effective but you have to try to show/emit absolutely no fear so you are a formidable barrier between them and your dog).

Thank you, some brilliant advice. Also I’m going to get a large golf umbrella asap instead of a walking stick.
For poster who said I shouldn’t walk my dog on lead?! Errr I have as much right to walk my dog on lead as you off lead and i don’t go round and round the field, we walk through forest on paths etc...
And I truly believe that if my lab was off lead she would have been bit, as I wouldnt be able to get to her fast enough!

Pet corrector might be the compressed air can, PaH stock it. Makes one hell of a noise!

That's the one she said it's worked twice, won't necessarily work every time.

A friend tried it with her dog, he just looks at her wagging his tail 🙈 Same with everything i guess, works with some not with others. Handy to have options

Chippy: Dogs are on leads for reasons (it's not the owner walking the dog, the dog was recently adopted and has no recall, bitch is in season, dog had an.op/injury...etc.etc.)

OP, I have face aggressive dogs,and found it best to let my dog off the lead when faced with an aggressive dog (at least she can run away then)

You’ve had some great advice especially missbattenburg’s post.

Just wanted to say I know how unsettling these incidents can be and that it’s not surprising you feel shaken.

Was the dog circling, rushing in for a nip then back out again while barking?

I do think it’s a Shepherd thing, I’ve been herded aggressively a few times by loose GSD. I also own two and mine tend to circle and herd a lot, albeit not in an aggressive manner.

Last time it happened to me I did growl at the dog to back off and it did but I wouldn’t reccomend this approach! I tend to find lots of GSD are all mouth and no trousers and mostly hold you there waiting for the owner to come and solve the issue hence why I thought it was worth the chance.

I think you did the best you could in the circumstances, don’t beat yourself up too much!

I run a pet sitting and walking business with multiple walkers and carers. I appreciate why you wanted to keep your client dog on a lead, but we have insurance to cover off lead walking if the owner is happy with the idea. I've noticed that stress induced squabbles are actually more likely when one dog is on lead and the other isn't. That's not to say that this particular GSD wouldn't have gone bananas at your Labrador anyway - but nine times out of ten when both dogs are off lead they sort their differences out really quickly with maybe a bit of noise but no blood.

I use nordic walking poles, partially because they're really handy on muddy uneven ground, but also because you can place one between dogs who are being a bit arsey with each other and create a breathing space. You can also use it to prise a twit male off anyone he tries to hump. I also always have a spare slip leash, so if I find a stray I can catch it, and it's also handy if a collar breaks, which has happened several times in the fourteen years we've been running.

Once again, I wish that owners in the UK had to get licences before they can keep a dog. Just a short course, covering basics like training, when to call the vet, why picking up poo is important, and why buying a cute puppy off GumTree is a really really bad idea.

I carry a small Pet Corrector compressed air spray ever since my daughter's dog was badly attacked by an off lead staffy. I haven't had to use it yet and hope I never do but I think it's worth being prepared.

No advice but ad someone that uses a dog walker
thank you for caring enough to protect dog was walking and yourself of course

I would have followed the dog owner and got address or car reg. It is an offence for a dog owner to let their dog threaten anyone in an aggressive way. I used to own a fear aggressive GSD which had to be put to sleep in the end. It is bloody scary having a GSD come up to you like that and I'm sorry you had to go through that OP.

Unfortunately there is nothing you could have done in that situation who knows whether the dog would have followed through. The only thing to do is to get owners to take responsibility for their powerful dogs. The owner was completely out of order to let this happen and the dog needs to be muzzled in public.

Good call out wheelwarrior - I feel a bit guilty most of use forgot to say that.

OP: thank you for caring.

One of mine would do the staring esp if it was just him and me, but I always got him back and on the lead, mainly because I think that should be the rule. Dogs meet other dogs ON THE LEAD. And I was always wary that he'd be the one to get the blame cos "yaknow...GermanShepherds...."

so we the dog would allow others to pass while sitting and staring or totally ignoring depending what sort of "protection order" I was deemed to require that day.

As already said, a stern "NO!" or "Away!" from a stranger can work wonders on even the most ill mannered dog.

I've had the exact same thing happen to me, twice, with the same dog and stupid owner. First time was my dog wasn't on lead and ran off (on a park). Second time he was on a lead as we were in the bloody street!. Owner never has dogs on lead and is always trundling behind them.
First time was "oh I don't understand why he did that?!"
Second time "oh he doesn't like your dog does he" second time my dog was attached to me and I was bloody livid as he couldn't escape. Her dog was absolutely being aggressive, snarling, snapping, took one look at us and ran over. I had my dogs plastic ball thrower in my hand but I missed the dog with it. Did leave us alone though thank god.