Run or not?

[MzDon]

Hi, second guessing myself here a little so looking for some advice please.

I have a sighthound who can be lead reactive, great off lead and good one to one but if there is a pack of dogs she takes off and meets me once I've passed them. She will dive into the woods off the path, I know she does this, she doesn't take off and she is happier that way.

But I've just had a run in with a, what looks to be, lab bully type breed. Never seen it before. I saw it, called the hound back and waited off the path keeping her calm and focused on me.

The other dog wouldn't go back when called, was aggressive, wouldn't leave us alone and my hound was terrified and trying to escape.

I feel like if I'd let her off she would easily have out run it, but it clearly wasn't going to come back to its owners, especially if it thought a chase was on. My dog will now be even more lead reactive and frightened now though.

I think I did the right thing keeping her on the lead, but if she has a clear advantage do I let her go to keep her calmer? I know realistically she could have been terrified and just taken off and I could have lost her but what do I do?

Slightly wound up by the other owners as well. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

I've got a sighthound who is a lot like yours in behaviour and may well have done the same in that situation as you. That way I can physically intervene.

If the other dog is actually dangerous though (like bully breeds can be) and letting her go would be safer, then that's the thing to do. It's situational too, like being by the road vs being in a park.

Would your dog just run to safety or would she panic and bolt?
How far away are you from a road/cars/livestock/other dangers?

I just feel I let her down. It's huge woods, she always responds to the whistle and prefers to run in the direction we are facing, so today it would have been up hill into woods and paths where she would undoubtedly have the advantage. To the right a field with no livestock. My gut says she would have taken off up the hill and hidden until I got to her.

This was the first time I felt a dog was unpredictable. Snapping and snarling and not listening to its owners who couldn't control it. I wish I'd done more, like yelled at it or done more to protect my girl.

She's a big softie really!