Page 7 | If you were to get attacked whilst walking your dog what do you think your dog would do ?

summergone · 2022-10-30T07:42:19+00:00

I walked my dog on a usual route yesterday thinking I would get to the end of the unlit off road bit before it got too dark but I didn't . I came across a man who spoke to me but he made me feel really uneasy and my heart was actual racing . This is not like me I'm not an anxious nervous person at all . As I walked away I was thinking if he had attacked me what would my dog do? I'd like to think she would know I was in danger and would pounce on him and protect me but it got me thinking . What do you think your dog would do ?

onmywayamarillo · 07/11/2022 11:43

I'm not sure what my lab would do... we walk in the woods a lot and she runs off in circles chasing squirrels, but if someone else is in the woods she always comes back and walks near me. That's how I know someone else is there.
She did take exception to this 1 person and growled and barked at him. He turned away and walked off.

bozzabollix · 11/11/2022 14:45

To all the fellow lab owners, the kids asked a question about how hard Labradors can bite. We looked and they’re just after a pit bull in terms of force. So it’s just be whether they felt the need to protect you, they’d certainly be able to despite their cheery natures, as they are so strong too.

I’ve got three, and I’m sure my almost 15 yo girl would give it her best shot, not sure about my 7yo one who is a massive tart. Although she goes berserk barking at any poor delivery bloke who comes along, so maybe it’s in her. Not sure about my loopy puppy…we will see.

Mydogisanaughtyboy · 11/11/2022 22:07

BarnacleNora · 02/11/2022 01:18

I don't walk my dogs because they're not actually mine, they're my parents but say I did.....

The Airedale has appalling manners and leaps up at any and all opportunity and as she's obviously a very tall dog I think that would be fairly alarming. She also has a habit of biting air in excitement so again, if you didn't realise she was trying to greet you I'd imagine you'd think twice. Big bark as well.

The bull terrier obviously has a reputation as a fierce bully dog (entirely underserved by the way, English bull terriers are utter softies and total idiots to boot). She is ALL muscle and has the hardest head known to human and dog kind (it's because she has a really thick skull-not much space for brain in there). She barks non stop as soon as anyone comes near and also jumps up because she is so thrilled that a new FRIEND has come into her orbit. Every time she barks a small trump is forced out at the same time from her rear end. Ordinarily she would just be absolutely over the moon to meet someone new but she is rather devoted to me (I'm ranked above my parents in her affections) so she might, just might turn to defence mode if I were attacked, if her little tiny brain managed to work out that was what was happening. Absolutely no guarantee she'd puzzle that one out though. I think even if she didn't her enthusiastic welcome would be enough to put off any assailant!
God I love that egg headed idiot

Laughing at the oh so familiar joys of owning an EBT! little clown he is and stubborn to a fault. And the barkfarts!

Whippetlovely · 03/02/2023 21:25

Buildingthefuture · 05/11/2022 19:49

My lot are calm, well behaved and well trained. I walk them a lot on my own and they will ignore other people and dogs generally, or on command. There has been twice though (over about 10 years so it’s not common!) when they have really taken exception to a person. Both times was a man on his own, with no dog. That’s not uncommon, we walk past lone men all the time, but something about these 2 men sent the whole pack into full alert mode. They all came back to me immediately, hackles up, stiff posture, tails down, very watchful….the second time, one of my big dogs did his best, from his boots, full on growl. He literally never does that and I stopped him immediately, but he stuck to me like glue. It does make me wonder and I do think they would protect me……

Same here. I always thought my dog wouldn’t give a shit and just run off if I was attacked , he’s a whippet and they are very docile lazy dogs! but just recently he took a dislike to a man at a crossing barking and shaking and his mouth going up and down. I steered him out of the way and the man went past in opposite direction. I now think my dog would have a sense danger and he would protect me or run at them at 35mph and that would hurt!

FearTheWankingDead · 03/02/2023 21:36

Mine would pee herself or lick them or both.
Shes what is seen as a ‘dangerous dog’ but she gets scared of birds.

LastOfTheChristmasWine · 03/02/2023 22:44

Mine has seen off a burglar in the night, got rid of a beggar who was following me down the street at 10pm, and recently 'defended' me from a high-five he mistook for an assault (oops, we do get some false positives, but never a false negative). On a couple of occasions he's taken a dislike to someone I hadn't noticed, and when I looked a bit closer they did look dodgy AF.

He may only be little, but he's a bit of a twat - and certainly ensures I'm not the easiest target in the noisiest way possible, and no one is going to risk having their ankles savaged for a casual mugging.

The downside is that while there may be many dog friendly cafes, he's not a cafe friendly dog!

MovinOnUp · 03/02/2023 22:48

My previous dog (GSD) would have had him by the throat.
My current dog (clumber spaniel) would sniff his pockets for treats.

Blip · 03/02/2023 23:13

As a kid I had a psychic golden Labrador.
If I just thought in my head "bite x" then he would do it.

OppsUpsSide · 03/02/2023 23:20

If it was me, I’m 50:50 on whether she would react or leg it. If it was my DD, I am certain she would react.

OllytheCollie · 03/02/2023 23:29

Mine would definitely leap up and have a go. She's from a breed known to be a bit nervous but she never got the memo. I have walked her in lonely walks at night safe in the knowledge that if anyone tried to attack.me and I screamed a) my medium sized dog would lose her freaking shit, jump, bark and nip hard and b) I am usually carrying a bag of her poo which I think would be quite an effective weapon, at least as good as CS spray if you can get it near the face.

WittynotPretty · 03/02/2023 23:47

Mine would immediately insert herself between me and any perceived threat, stand stock still and give the PT a Hard Look, in the way that only a 65kg Great Dane can. Never fails to make grown men cross the road on her nighttime walk. She will bark on (silent) command and would defend me without hesitation. ( probably by knocking someone over and climbing on their lap on them). I don’t expect she’d ever need to. She’s totally laid back with other dogs and children, and a bit of a local canine celeb.

JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam · 04/02/2023 09:33

DDog is a small softie so I would have said nothing at all, but when the kids were play fighting with their dad the other day her hackles went up so I think she might actually be useful if I needed her to be.

Dpup is only 11 weeks old so she’d do nothing but tremble at the moment

FatGirlSwim · 04/02/2023 09:37

Mine would tremble and hide, I imagine. Cavaliers so not exactly terrifying to potential attackers.

Allytheapple · 04/02/2023 09:58

I get approached a good bit by drunk or drugged up men when I’m out walking my dog mostly alone but it happens with my DH there too. My dog is a very popular breed and many have grown up with that breed. When they stop to ask about the dog I always start by warning them that he is extremely protective of me and that he can be very reactive with men so they need to take care of themselves with him. They often try to pet him but he pulls back which just illustrates what I’m saying to them and he has growled at people before who were very drugged up and who were coming too close to us for his comfort and he was feeling threatened.

Typically though with these encounters we end up having a pleasant chat about the dog and their experiences with the breed and move on. Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t be expecting someone to harm me just because they have addiction issues but equally I would feel uncomfortable around them being so out of it if the dog wasn’t there. But he is 40kg of muscle and he is huge so the risk from him is obvious which actually allows me to be comfortable chatting to them and for them to be comfortable chatting to me because we have some instant common ground.

Sweetleftfood · 06/02/2023 12:33

My one as others have said hates play fighting so that's a no no in our house now, so if someone actually physically attack me he would definitely intervene. He is also weary of lone men and also have sniffed out alkies and homeless people in the park. If a burglar came in with a stack loads of treats though, I am sure he would be rather more interested in the treats unfortunately.

HappiestSleeping · 08/02/2023 23:56

thelobsterquadrille · 30/10/2022 07:56

Probably lick them to death and mug them for biscuits

This 👆👆

Itisbetter · 09/02/2023 00:02

Both my dogs are dead now. I only keep one dog at a time. My first chased off an attacker in the park, and my second protected my dc from an intruder. I would have done the same for them. We loved each other.

jtaeapa · 09/02/2023 00:05

Mine would bite any human that attacked me. However, he's only 5kg so his bite would not be much use.

My 16yo ds once swung for me (but he was messing about, not actually going to hit me) and the dog bit him immediately. But that kind of dog bite is not really what people call a dog bite. He didn't even manage to draw blood through ds's clothes as his mouth is so small and his teeth are tiny.

CherrySocks · 09/02/2023 00:08

I've never had a dog but I have always imagined that people who do formal dog training would have a command word (or maybe several levels) to alert the dog that now was the time to growl / bite / attack.

jtaeapa · 09/02/2023 00:11

CherrySocks · 09/02/2023 00:08

I've never had a dog but I have always imagined that people who do formal dog training would have a command word (or maybe several levels) to alert the dog that now was the time to growl / bite / attack.

It's really dangerous I think, to train a dog to bite. As then they are an actual killing machine. My dog will bite, but he's so tiny that you might as well have been nipped by a hamster. I always keep him on a lead, but he growls when he knows someone is approaching in the dark to warn me. So essentially, the dog warns you rather than you warning the dog.

Itisbetter · 09/02/2023 00:12

I have a “release” command that if my dog was already alert to danger would be “attack”.

LastOfTheChristmasWine · 09/02/2023 08:55

CherrySocks · 09/02/2023 00:08

I've never had a dog but I have always imagined that people who do formal dog training would have a command word (or maybe several levels) to alert the dog that now was the time to growl / bite / attack.

I would consider that a spectacularly bad idea for a family dog - especially the biting bit.

The reason is that if you reward dogs for a behaviour they tend to use it more, even if you haven't asked them to. For instance, most dogs learn early on to 'sit' in return for a treat. If you have a bit of food the dog wants, it's common for a dog to try sitting and looking hopeful even though you haven't asked it to, in the hope that treats will be forthcoming. Occasionally mine does this to other dog walkers who have treats in the park. It's completely harmless but an example that dogs will do things they have been taught without being asked.

(On a side note, you should never tell a dog off for growling - it's often a final warning before a bite, and you really want that final warning!)

Police dogs (general purpose ones, often Belgian Malinois, not sniffer dogs) are taught to bite on command, but they are also taught a 'release' command. Unfortunately they can do quite a bit of damage in the meantime, and they aren't terribly good at telling the difference between uniformed police and criminals - police officers will tend to vacate before the dogs are released. It can go wrong from time to time; there was an elderly woman killed by one in Middlesbrough a few years back, and it was far from the first time the dog had gone too far in biting. If the police cannot reliably train dogs to bite the right thing and only the right thing, then Joe public definitely can't.

There are some online who will claim to sell 'personal protection dogs' and make out the dog has the judgement to tell the difference between a burglar and the postman. It doesn't. It's like giving a 3 year old a loaded gun and a job in security and asking them to make judgement decisions about when to shoot. It's spectacularly dangerous. Thankfully these dangerous people are few and far between, but their target market is clearly the criminal fraternity. This sort of thing - good luck getting the dog to tell the difference between little Johnny being attacked and little Johnny play fighting with little Tommy. www.instagram.com/reel/CoBTpc3gGzY/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

PugInTheHouse · 10/02/2023 22:29

LastOfTheChristmasWine · 09/02/2023 08:55

I would consider that a spectacularly bad idea for a family dog - especially the biting bit.

The reason is that if you reward dogs for a behaviour they tend to use it more, even if you haven't asked them to. For instance, most dogs learn early on to 'sit' in return for a treat. If you have a bit of food the dog wants, it's common for a dog to try sitting and looking hopeful even though you haven't asked it to, in the hope that treats will be forthcoming. Occasionally mine does this to other dog walkers who have treats in the park. It's completely harmless but an example that dogs will do things they have been taught without being asked.

(On a side note, you should never tell a dog off for growling - it's often a final warning before a bite, and you really want that final warning!)

Police dogs (general purpose ones, often Belgian Malinois, not sniffer dogs) are taught to bite on command, but they are also taught a 'release' command. Unfortunately they can do quite a bit of damage in the meantime, and they aren't terribly good at telling the difference between uniformed police and criminals - police officers will tend to vacate before the dogs are released. It can go wrong from time to time; there was an elderly woman killed by one in Middlesbrough a few years back, and it was far from the first time the dog had gone too far in biting. If the police cannot reliably train dogs to bite the right thing and only the right thing, then Joe public definitely can't.

There are some online who will claim to sell 'personal protection dogs' and make out the dog has the judgement to tell the difference between a burglar and the postman. It doesn't. It's like giving a 3 year old a loaded gun and a job in security and asking them to make judgement decisions about when to shoot. It's spectacularly dangerous. Thankfully these dangerous people are few and far between, but their target market is clearly the criminal fraternity. This sort of thing - good luck getting the dog to tell the difference between little Johnny being attacked and little Johnny play fighting with little Tommy. www.instagram.com/reel/CoBTpc3gGzY/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Show quote history

Yes my pug will literally try every trick he knows to get a treat, if I go anywhere near something that resembles a treat or a packet, he'll sit or start spinning like a mad man randomly. I also have a large breed dog and we have worked extremely hard to ensure he doesn't bite at all so would never want to even teach him for emergency situations as like you mentioned how would they know the difference to pretend or real aggression.

Earlier in the thread I commented I think and I thought my big dog would be useless however we were walking late at night the other week and a man approached me, he was friendly and was commented on his breed as we have mutual friends who have the same breed. My dog is usually nervous but friendly of strangers but he just growled quietly the whole time. It felt like a warning that he wasn't comfortable with it, I wasn't sure why but perhaps it was a protection thing.