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Original poster

How to handle persistent dogs

27 replies

Peanutgurgle · 28/09/2022 12:54

We have a 2yr old female. She’s a good girl. Likes a play with other dogs but she dislikes it when persistent male dogs rocket over at her and keep pestering her. She will initially growl and then escalate to teeth baring. She hasn’t ever bitten. I know in a perfect world all dogs would have amazing recall and that this wouldn’t happen but how do you deal with it when it does? Today we had an incident where a big male slipped his lead, it wasn’t the owners fault. She tried to call him back but he wasn’t listening. I could see our dog wasn’t happy with it so called her to me and asked her to sit which she did but he ran straight back at her and continued pestering. I didn’t want to put the lead on as it meant she couldn’t escape the situation but I didn’t know how to help her. Any advice?

OP posts:
steppemum · 28/09/2022 13:04

It is a difficult one.
My dog reacts to others. We have worked so hard with him (rescue) so now he can walk past other dogs if there is some space, but if they come over to him he will start growling and barking and lunging and on a bad day he will snap at the other dog. He is always on a lead, and if another dog approaches I call out - mine's not friendly. I am pretty irritated by the number of people who either can't call their dog back (no recall) or don't see this as issue.
Then their dog gets to 3 feet away and my dog goes nuts. Then they get upset.

It really isn't fair on your dog when they do this. Because it makes your dog react aggressively which you would normally try and avoid.
I think in your situation I might have turned round and walked away. Or stepped between my dog and the other dog and said NO in a loud firm voice.

sillysmiles · 28/09/2022 13:11

She will initially growl and then escalate to teeth baring
I don't see anything wrong with this to be honest. She is telling him - other dog to back off.
Sometimes dogs are best at correcting other dogs (within reason).
A family friends dog hated other dogs sniffing her butt, she'd often give a little growl and if the offending dog persisted she'd snap at them. It never escalated to a fight - the persistent dogs I think sometimes just aren't reading the other dogs social ques and need to be shouted at in doggy language.

If that is not in your dogs vocabulary - and she is getting stressed - then I would put myself between my dog and persistent dog.

Leonberger · 28/09/2022 13:16

In this situation I absolutely would not have allowed the dog near her. Usually a good strong growl and a step towards makes them sod off pretty quickly. If not put your dog behind you and use your body to block it.

Is she neutered?

Original poster
Peanutgurgle · 28/09/2022 13:29

Steppemum I tried walking on and she follows me as she really doesn’t want to engage but the other dog usually follows.
Our other dog (rescue) didn’t enjoy it much either but she just sits with me and doesn’t react. The owners are usually apologetic but yes it’s annoying.

sillysmiles I agree that her behaviour is not problematic. She isn’t generally a reactive dog at all she is just warning. It totally is an issue of the other dog not reading her cues. It was in a field so putting her behind me was impossible as the other dog kept coming round the back of us.

Leonberger yes she is neutered. The males she reacts to are mostly intact. You are right I need to be more clear with the other persons dog rather than focussing my attentions on calling her. I think I need to be less polite about it.

OP posts:
blockpavingismynightmare · 28/09/2022 13:37

Just a suggestion so don't shoot me...
Have you thought about spraying her with bitch spray on the nethers before the walk if it is a persistent thing?

Original poster
Peanutgurgle · 28/09/2022 13:40

Never heard of bitch spray! Off to Google!

OP posts:
mountainsunsets · 28/09/2022 19:39

Nothing wrong with a growl and a snarl IMO.

But I would always put my dog on the lead in this scenario. I understand your thinking re. her being unable to escape, but if a fight did break out, you have protection in law if your dog is leashed.

Freshstarts22 · 29/09/2022 20:23

My dog since her first season has taking a real disliking to having her butt sniffed. She was almost attacked today because she wouldn’t let a large dog sniff her butt. She’s quite timid so doesn’t do anything except try to get away. She was on her lead and it wasn’t. she wants to say hello, just not the butt sniffs, which I think the other dog perceived as rude as he wasn’t initially approaching with aggression.

ALLIE369 · 29/09/2022 20:25

Rub some geranium oil on her collar before taking her out. NO dog will want to be around her as dogs are repelled by the smell of geranium oil. Geranium Oil - Nature's Dog Repellant.

Original poster
Peanutgurgle · 29/09/2022 22:20

freshstarts she sounds exactly like our dog. She is a really sweet girl and loves a play but it’s just persistent butt sniffing males she takes against. She was also fine with it prior to her first season.

ALLIE wouldn’t she hate having it on her though?

I didn’t know that Mountainsunsets.

OP posts:
Omnivert · 29/09/2022 22:28

I'd love to hear any advice too, same here with an almost 2 year old female. She gets really stressed and unfortunately now does escalate to snapping quite quickly if they approach too closely. Her recall is excellent and I put her on the lead immediately if another dog is off lead in the area but I can't relax on walls any more as I am constantly worrying about off lead dogs appearing suddenly round a corner.

Closerstill · 29/09/2022 23:07

I won't let my girl be pestered like that. I leave her off the lead, grab the other dog and put him on the lead and return it to the owner. The conversation then depends on their attitude and my mood

LBF2020 · 29/09/2022 23:08

I agree that a snap is perfectly good for telling off @sillysmiles
The thing that bothers me is that my dog is put in a position that she has to 'tell off' other dogs 🙁 The offending dogs owner often says, don't worry it's good she is telling him off. But it's not good for my dog! My girl is also spayed and is 12yr old collie. I have considered bitch spray but i think it can cause irritation with frequent use, and we would need to use it every day. Interesting about the geranium oil!

Original poster
Peanutgurgle · 29/09/2022 23:12

closerstill that’s actually a really good idea. I hadn’t considered it. I could’ve done that in a helpful way the other day and I think the owner would’ve been grateful.

OP posts:
Bedsheets4knickers · 29/09/2022 23:18

This is the problem

Bedsheets4knickers · 29/09/2022 23:20

Today we had an incident where a big male slipped his lead, it wasn’t the owners fault. She tried to call him back but he wasn’t listening.

Sorry , try again but this is the problem

LadyJaneGreyness · 29/09/2022 23:37

@ALLIE369
That's interesting. Wouldn't my dog hate the smell of geranium oil on her collar too though?

SurpriseWombat · 29/09/2022 23:57

There's nothing wrong with a dog that sets boundaries with other dogs that are being obnoxious. So long as there's a bit of warning and no blood is drawn, a lot of it is entirely normal behaviour.

If a bloke was equally persistent with you in a social situation, you'd probably tell him to fuck off, and your dog is justified in doing likewise.

With mine, I find that
A) putting him on a lead will escalate things into a scrap - think fight Vs flight
B) reminding him that he had the option to walk away is often most effective (for us, "this way" is guidance / FYI that I'm going a different direction to him, and "come here" is immediate recall; I'd use the former in this situation)

mountainsunsets · 30/09/2022 06:10

@Peanutgurgle the issue is that if both dogs are off lead and a scrap breaks out, there's no way to genuinely decide who "started it". So if (heaven forbid) your dog gets injured, you'll get told "well, you chose to have her off the lead and that's a risk you take". I'm not saying I agree with that necessarily, but that's the legal view.

But if your dog is on the lead, you can argue that they were under your control when the other dog approached and wouldn't recall back to its' owners. In that situation if your dog gets injured, you can argue that the other dog was out of control as it was off lead whereas yours was not.

NCforGore · 30/09/2022 06:39

It's not as simple as you are covered by law if your dog is on the lead, I know of 3 local examples of dogs attacked on the lead by loose dogs and no owner seen anywhere to persue a claim.
Besides, it's the prevention OP is looking for, not the outcome.

FleasAndKeef · 30/09/2022 07:07

My dog is exacltly like this too OP. I see it as my job to advocate for her in situations like you describe, so I do one of the following:

  1. do a U turn (they do sometimes follow though 🙄)
  2. throw treats at the other dog and do a U turn
  3. shout at the owner that my dog has an injury and can they call their dog please
  4. shout at the owner that my dog has an infection (or fleas) and can they call their dog please

The last is usually most effective!!

mountainsunsets · 30/09/2022 07:13

NCforGore · 30/09/2022 06:39

It's not as simple as you are covered by law if your dog is on the lead, I know of 3 local examples of dogs attacked on the lead by loose dogs and no owner seen anywhere to persue a claim.
Besides, it's the prevention OP is looking for, not the outcome.

Well, yes, there's always the risk of running into dogs with no owners or no owners in sight. But that doesn't mean that you're not better protected by having your dog on lead in general.

You will never be able to prevent unwanted dogs approaching or your own dog reacting - it's impossible. They're animals at the end of the day, not robots with flawless manners and behaviour.

A snap and a growl (like I said upthread) is understandable behaviour but I do think it's important to be aware of the law too. I always put my dog on lead when I see unknown dogs approaching us as I don't want to be in a position where I'm blamed for their dogs aggression or poor manners.

GreyTCat · 30/09/2022 07:36

I’ve stopped being polite about it and shout “you need to recall your dog!” at the owner.

Once I made my dog sit and wait and then held the other dog by it’s collar a little way away from mine until the owner came. But it was a ‘harmless’ bouncy puppy, it’s probably not a great idea to do that with unknown dogs!

lljkk · 30/09/2022 07:55

2 dogs I walk can be bad with unexpected approaches, so I need some strategy.

Try to prevent interaction unless my dog is in a good mood to receive it

Divert where we're going

Try to put myself between my dog & other dog.

Keep my dog close to me, communicate that I'm in charge, I will deal with the other dog.

Also wouldn't feel bad if the dogs I'm walking ended up snapping, they are just communicating when involuntarily overwhelmed, like others say.

SarahSissions · 30/09/2022 08:46

If it’s always male dogs and she’s not in season I’d get her checked by a vet personally.

but I think you might be a little in the wrong here, you have a dog who is known to be unfriendly to others off the lead. Ok she is just giving warnings now- but no dog ever goes from fine to attacking overnight- there is always a period of escalation that you may now be in. You can’t control other dog owners- but you can control your own actions and dog. Personally until you figure this out I’d be managing this a little differently-if she is off and away from you- you can’t manage the situation and advocate for her if there is another dog- you are having to call her back - before you can show her you are in control of the situation.
your dog is currently having to control the situation because the other dog isn’t, the other dogs owner isn’t and you aren’t there- so she is doing what she feels she has too- but it must be very stressful for her.
all these techniques mentioned, putting yourself between her and another dog, telling the other dog to get away rely on your dog being next to you.
you’ll also find other dog owners much more likely to respond to your call to put their dog on a lead or call their dog away if yours is already with you or on a lead