Page 5 | German Shepard just charged at me, terrifying!

FreshHelll · 2022-07-09T07:51:43+00:00

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!

PutinIsAWarCriminal · 09/07/2022 13:06

Look, I don't believe you are / were a dog trainer or previous owner of large dogs if a. You are quoting the American Kennel Club, and b. You hyperventilated when a big dog ran towards you. You aren't a small child, so that argument is pointless. Regardless, a big dog ran towards you and frightened you. Even though nothing actually happened, the best course of action is to contact the local council or dog warden and let them know. A large dog shouldn't be off lead unless there is 100% recall.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 09/07/2022 13:07

coffeecupsandfairylights · 09/07/2022 13:05

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.

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Herding and chasing are 2 very different things. I've owned collies and sighthounds.

biscuiteer · 09/07/2022 13:10

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.

Only odd thing is your strange need to say it's odd.

User48751490 · 09/07/2022 13:12

biscuiteer · 09/07/2022 13:10

Only odd thing is your strange need to say it's odd.

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Everything is "odd" on MN - most overused word on this forum!!

Stellaris22 · 09/07/2022 13:13

I think we’ve established at this point that a. the dog didn’t actually do anything and b. OP doesn’t understand the difference between a hunting and herding dog.

inmyslippers · 09/07/2022 13:15

So a dog frolicking ran stopped and then left you alone? Sounds like he had a lucky escape

User48751490 · 09/07/2022 13:15

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.

My dog weighs in excess of 65kgs. She could knock down a small child or frail elderly people very easily. She is let off lead in remote areas or where other dog owners want their dogs to play too. Otherwise most of the time she is walked onlead.

Just glad you are okay.

Frequency · 09/07/2022 13:19

If OP was between the dog and the owner as she stated it's highly likely the dog was just running past her to get back to its owner.

biscuiteer · 09/07/2022 13:21

User48751490 · 09/07/2022 13:12

Everything is "odd" on MN - most overused word on this forum!!

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-yep! You don't take your kids to after school clubs because you don't want to? Odd. You don't know how to cook from scratch? Odd. You bath your child once/twice /three times a week/ every night of the week? Odd.

Fuck odd-people are different for a million reasons, and that is OK. So, just cos someone doesn't understand or can't grasp one person's real fear of a fucking German Shephard running at them doesn't make the situation or the person odd.

rwalker · 09/07/2022 13:23

Nice to see the usual entailed dog owners replies on here

keep the mut on a lead

biscuiteer · 09/07/2022 13:24

Stellaris22 · 09/07/2022 13:13

I think we’ve established at this point that a. the dog didn’t actually do anything and b. OP doesn’t understand the difference between a hunting and herding dog.

And that you're in charge of facts today. Keep on 'establishing'...

Jumperoo56370000 · 09/07/2022 13:24

Good lord, the bad owner /poorly behaved dog apologists are out force today. Thank goodness for all the excellent dog owners who recognise aggressive behaviour is unacceptable and are here providing support. Hope you are ok @FreshHelll.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 09/07/2022 13:25

Jumperoo56370000 · 09/07/2022 13:24

Good lord, the bad owner /poorly behaved dog apologists are out force today. Thank goodness for all the excellent dog owners who recognise aggressive behaviour is unacceptable and are here providing support. Hope you are ok @FreshHelll.

🤣

thenewduchessoflapland · 09/07/2022 13:25

If it's any consolation GSD's can be very hyperactive and go at a hundred miles per hour but are often very friendly and affectionate.I can see how it might be intimidating and the owner should have had more control as it doesn't sound like the dog had very good recall.

Jumperoo56370000 · 09/07/2022 13:27

Honestly, the “it didn’t actually hurt you” people are obviously all just shockingly poor dog owners. You are all effectively admitting you don’t care about other people enough to comply with the law about keeping your dogs under control.

coffeecupsandfairylights · 09/07/2022 13:28

Herding and chasing are 2 very different things. I've owned collies and sighthounds

That doesn't mean German Shepherd's don't have a prey drive though.

It may present differently to the drive of a sight hound or a beagle, but it certainly
still exists.

Jumperoo56370000 · 09/07/2022 13:28

rwalker · 09/07/2022 13:23

Nice to see the usual entailed dog owners replies on here

keep the mut on a lead

Really, it should be that simple.

IanStirlingrocks · 09/07/2022 13:30

OP doesn’t understand the difference between a hunting and herding dog

And why would it be the op's responsibility to know this? She was scared by a large dog charging towards her, many people would feel the same and are entitled to their feelings without people sneering at them for not being able to recognise different dog behaviours.

whynotwhatknot · 09/07/2022 13:31

My late dm was petrified of dogs the amount of times dogs off the lead ran riot and charged her lost count of

my df who is quite confrontiatinal used to have a right go at owners-sayng oh theyr ejust playing doesnt help either recall them or keep them on a lead some people jsut dont like dogs

Clymene · 09/07/2022 13:35

IanStirlingrocks · 09/07/2022 13:30

OP doesn’t understand the difference between a hunting and herding dog

And why would it be the op's responsibility to know this? She was scared by a large dog charging towards her, many people would feel the same and are entitled to their feelings without people sneering at them for not being able to recognise different dog behaviours.

That's fine. It's perfectly ok to be scared of dogs and admit you know nothing about them. The OP maintains she trains dogs though.

Clearly that's bollocks which makes the rest of her tale slightly less convincing.

vodkaredbullgirl · 09/07/2022 13:38

Clymene · 09/07/2022 13:35

That's fine. It's perfectly ok to be scared of dogs and admit you know nothing about them. The OP maintains she trains dogs though.

Clearly that's bollocks which makes the rest of her tale slightly less convincing.

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I don't understand either.

been and done it. · 09/07/2022 13:46

I've had small dogs and German Shepherds all my life...I've loved the bones of them but I recognise that not everyone else does... I'm now an older person and have a small terrier - I walk him across the field on the lead - occasionally other dogs hurtle towards him and I get really scared they're either going to hurt him or knock me over in their enthusiasm...either action is going to end in disaster for both of us... a couple of years ago I had a dog related accident and broke my back (my own dog) and now have to be careful..it is frightening when off lead dogs approach at speed and I get sick of the 'it's okay he's friendly' crap...owners need to be responsible, there are plenty of hireable 'dog fields' about now for offlead dogs with no recall.

VioletInsolence · 09/07/2022 13:47

A former dog trainer who’s terrified of a dog running up to her?! Yeah right….

I mean I don’t agree with it….it’s the reason I only take my dogs to on-lead sites because my yappy dog puts us at risk but I don’t think I believe the op

Stellaris22 · 09/07/2022 13:48

IanStirlingrocks · 09/07/2022 13:30

OP doesn’t understand the difference between a hunting and herding dog

And why would it be the op's responsibility to know this? She was scared by a large dog charging towards her, many people would feel the same and are entitled to their feelings without people sneering at them for not being able to recognise different dog behaviours.

Your average person wouldn’t, but OP claims they train dogs so certainly should know.

Original poster

FreshHelll · 09/07/2022 13:51

@coffeecupsandfairylights Thank you. I agree herding comes from the prey drive and was adapted by sheep farmers. I think if you know what a big dog is capable of, then you are right to have a healthy fear.

I remember volunteering at a dog rescue charity as a dog walker. There were young alsations always left in their pens. One day l l felt sorry for this young alsation and put him on a lead to walk. Well, he pulled me around the field. Not out of badness, just he was full of energy and untrained. I felt the power he had, my arm and shoulder were pretty sore after. That's why he wasn't walked.

Why do you think the animal charity walked dogs, on leads and in a field with a high fence? Because it's safe. Keep Dogs on Leads.

OP posts: