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The doghouse

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Original poster

German Shepard just charged at me, terrifying!

223 replies

FreshHelll · 09/07/2022 08:51

Was walking in a park just now. Saw a man walking, then looked to my left and saw about 15 meters away, a black German Shepard charging towards me at full speed. Terrifying, l shouted to the owner, put him on a lead. Then the dog charged again. It's was very frightening, a fully grown big dog making a very fast bee line towards you. Time sped up, l sort of did a standing phoetal pose. I shouted again, put your fucking dog on a lead! The man said quietly, lm very sorry. My adrenalin was pumping, l was hyperventilating. Just posting to get it out of my system. It was a young dog but fully grown. Please keep big and young dogs on leads. If that happened to a young child, it would be awful!

OP posts:
BeautifulSunrise · 09/07/2022 12:32

Iphigeniaa · 09/07/2022 11:02

A dog ran towards you, you hyperventilate, time sped up (did you mean slowed down?) and you went into "a standing foetal position" and began screaming at the owner?

Then presumably the dog just came to a stop and ran away?

What a very odd story.

I don't think Hollywood will be making a movie about it 😂

User48751490 · 09/07/2022 12:32

I have a giant breed and she could knock someone over and kiss them to death but isn't vicious by nature. Still dangerous though.

Hope you are okay OP, must have been a frightening experience.

MrsBokke · 09/07/2022 12:33

Jeez what a non story. A young dog was running around and ran towards OP - and then did nothing whatsoever Big fat hairy deal.

Noticingb · 09/07/2022 12:33

So it galloped towards you - not aggressive behaviour
then went away
then came back

but never actually reached you or did anything to you or tried to do anything to you even though it sounds like it could’ve done easily. Which suggests it didn’t actually intend to attack you. Or charge you.

and now you’re saying all dogs need to be on lead all the time and speculating about violent owners…

tiring.

midsomermurderess · 09/07/2022 12:34

It’s all the drama Mick! I just love it!

MissMaple82 · 09/07/2022 12:35

But did it hurt you though?

MissMaple82 · 09/07/2022 12:37

You do sound like somewhat of a drama queen 🙄

Subbaxeo · 09/07/2022 12:38

FreshHelll · 09/07/2022 11:07

Have to walk back through that park now the hyper-vigilence is real. My eyesight got tuned up, my heart was pounding for about 15 mins. It was a lot. I just hope l don't see him again, the man was not up to owning a big dog like that. A young, big dog should definitely be on a lead for a number of years. I've trained dogs and horses, when they go rogue it can be dangerous.

You’ve trained dogs yet you react like that?

FlorianImogen · 09/07/2022 12:38

Dogs running toward you is frightening, especially a big dog which can potentially knock you over.

I've had it happen to me, some dog owners are just ignorant peasants!

Frazzled2207 · 09/07/2022 12:38

midsomermurderess · 09/07/2022 12:34

It’s all the drama Mick! I just love it!

😂😂😂😂

OP you’re refusing to answer the most basic questions which makes me think that the dog basically ran in your direction. I totally get that that can be intimidating but I don’t think the owner or dog did anything wrong - although granted the owner should have put the dog on a lead as soon as he realised you were scared. If the dog growled or bit or displayed any kind of actually threatening behaviour that’s different.

groundhoglet · 09/07/2022 12:42

That happened to me when I was five and it gave me a lifelong fear of unleashed dogs which can be really embarrassing sometimes when I am out and about and get the shakes. I hate it

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 09/07/2022 12:43

Stabbitystabstab · 09/07/2022 12:29

There's a lot of "Those" owners on this thread.
All totally irrelevant, if you can't recall your dog, it stays on a lead. Simple.
Train your fucking dogs.
I have an arsehole dog that absolutely refuses to come back, so he stays on the lead at all times.
Sad, but he's an un-trainable nobhead.

No one has said otherwise.

Stellaris22 · 09/07/2022 12:44

I can’t take OP seriously till they say what happened when/if the dog reached her.

Either way I wouldn’t be trusting their judgement to train horses and dogs.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 09/07/2022 12:44

coffeecupsandfairylights · 09/07/2022 12:21

Is the dog out of control if he was responding to a recall command enthusiastically and the OP with her history of fucking up training dogs 'going rogue' just assumed he was running towards her to eat her?

If the dog was under control it wouldn't have approached in the first place.

If OP was directly between the owner and the dog recalling? So she was entirely irrelevant to the dog until she started shrieking and throwing strange dance shapes in front of him like she's at a Joy Division concert in the 80s?

Original poster
FreshHelll · 09/07/2022 12:44

@User48751490 Thank you. It's important to have a healthy respect for big dog breeds.

I used to walk a malamute/alsation cross. I loved him, in my eyes, a very chilled out older gentleman. My daughter took him to her friend's house on a play date. She came back with the news that he had killed one of their chickens. I never saw it coming.

Dogs are animals, and need to be trained to socialise. I just looked up the American Kennel Club, they said, keep your dog on a lead, as even a trained dog can be unpredictable.

OP posts:
OpenHeartCloseEyes · 09/07/2022 12:46

I’m a dog owner, I love dogs. But I wouldn’t be happy about having a large German Shepherd charge toward me (or run or bound or gallop or however else you want to phrase it). I think the issue of uncontrolled off-lead dogs is particularly problematic in the UK. I’ve lived in other countries where dogs are allowed off lead only in specific areas and it works well. In the UK far too many dog owners overestimate their dogs’ recall and seem to think it’s fine for their boisterous dogs to approach anyone they like. “It’s O.K., he’s friendly” is no excuse whatsoever.

Of course, some dogs are well trained and well behaved off lead. But they are the minority IME. I think that some owners see other dogs off lead and believe their dogs have the “right” to experience the same thing, but they aren’t willing to put in the time and effort to train a rock solid recall.

Flubber88 · 09/07/2022 12:49

This is why I invested in training our dog - sounds like it needs some classes (more the owner!)

Jalisco · 09/07/2022 12:51

So, basically... I was in the park. A big dog was running. Nothing happened.

I am all for responsible dog ownership, but an attacking dog attacks - it doesn't bound around doing nothing. Given all your dog experience, surely you realise this?

NiceTwin · 09/07/2022 12:51

I get it was scary but you seem to have over reacted somewhat.

WingBingo · 09/07/2022 12:53

Unless you share what happened next, it all sounds a bit over dramatic

Original poster
FreshHelll · 09/07/2022 12:56

@OpenHeartCloseEyes Thank you, well said. I can see your dog knowledge and experience shining through. I think leads on dogs in public and then off lead, only in dog parks, are a good solution.

I think the German Shepard may have been defending his owner, as l walked between them, though the man was ahead by a good 20 meters, not good enough, with a young, big dog with a prey drive.

OP posts:
PrittStickier · 09/07/2022 13:00

Tired of hearing that dogs are everyone’s responsibility and not the owners… I’ve been witness to and on the wrong end of a dog whilst minding my own business quite a few times. I’ve also witnessed a woman whose puppy was bitten by another dog - really horrible. The attacking dog was actually on a lead but not muzzled, and the owner wasn’t able to manage him.

A loud large dog hurling itself in your direction is not fun. It’s just a fact…

Too many dog owners mistake an apology as an acceptable substitute for poor control.

Frequency · 09/07/2022 13:03

German Shepards don't have a prey drive. They're herding dogs.

I sincerely hope you don't get paid for training dogs OP. You seem a bit clueless when it comes to canine behaviour.

coffeecupsandfairylights · 09/07/2022 13:05

Frequency · 09/07/2022 13:03

German Shepards don't have a prey drive. They're herding dogs.

I sincerely hope you don't get paid for training dogs OP. You seem a bit clueless when it comes to canine behaviour.

They certainly do have a prey drive!

That's what herding instinct is - a prey drive that's been modified and altered for human use.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 09/07/2022 13:06

FreshHelll · 09/07/2022 12:56

@OpenHeartCloseEyes Thank you, well said. I can see your dog knowledge and experience shining through. I think leads on dogs in public and then off lead, only in dog parks, are a good solution.

I think the German Shepard may have been defending his owner, as l walked between them, though the man was ahead by a good 20 meters, not good enough, with a young, big dog with a prey drive.

I don't live anywhere near a dog park. So not a good solution at all. I carry on as I am

Prey drive? I didn't realise GS were used for prey. Learn something new everyday!