How to respond to aggressive dogs in the park?

[StandingUpForWhatsRight]

Hi,

I wondered if I could ask advice from experience dog owners? I've never had a dog.

My son is out of school with anxiety at the moment and we are going for lots of walks, because the sunshine and exercise helps.

DS is very nervous of dogs, because just after the first lockdown a neighbour's dog squared up to him and barked and growled savagely and looked as though it might attack him.

Now we are out and about he is getting less nervous of them, and that is great. However, today in the park I saw two normal looking labradors run up to a man sitting on a bench and start barking savagely at him and really looking incredibly agressive, right up close to him. The owner called their names casually, but otherwise did nothin,g and just wandered slowly over to where they were. If it had been my DS he would have been having an absolute fit and I wouldn't have known what to do. After the man got the dogs away, they starting fighting each other and he couldn't separate them.

I wondered if you think I should carry tennis balls to throw for dogs if they get crazy with us like that, or a stick to give them a gentle tap on the nose or something? Sorry if that is not the right thing to suggest. I really don't know a lot about dogs. I would be really grateful to know what I should do if we get in a position like that.

Thanks so much for thinking about it.

You could try a pet corrector spray, it’s basically just a can of compressed air but it can scare some dogs away. Pets at home sell them.

I’m so sorry your son is having to put up with this, I am a massive dog lover and own a 40kg dog myself but I would never dream of allowing him to behave like that. He is very well behaved and completely neutral to people off lead but I always recall him and pop him back on lead anyway - I know he won’t bother anyone but they don’t know that. Unfortunately irresponsible dog owners are on the rise, the amount of off lead dogs with no/poor recall is appalling. If they can’t be recalled/stopped from approaching other people, dogs, animals, bikes etc they should never be off the lead.

You’d be well within your rights to give dogs like that a good boot tbh but I’m not sure that would help with your son’s fears, especially if the owner’s got angry afterwards.

Hi,

Thanks so much for these helpful comments. I figured out that probably the thing to do is cycle across the park with the rollerblades in the bike panniers and then rollerblade on the other side of the park on the pavements. Dogs are usually on leads on the pavements. I figure that any kind of activity that requires body armour and pet spray is probably going too close to the line for comfort.

I totally get what people say about staying calm to show my son, but it's just not possible really. If I stood by looking calm when a massive dog was jumping up and barking in his face, he would think I was unhinged.

I've been looking on youtube for videos of responsible dog owners telling their dogs to sit and stuff like that, so at least he can see what a sensible dog looks like. I figure if he knows that then he can at least spot when there is a silly owner.

I explained to him what you all said about dogs being like toddlers and that really helped to put it in perspective. He also get toddlers staring at his rollerblades and shouting things at their Mums, so we now know that what the dogs is saying is "Mum! I want those for Christmas!". We understand dog behaviour much better from being on this thread, and it has helped a lot.

Today the dog was not growling or pulling its lips back so I knew it would not bite, and that really helped both of us. Definitely learning about dogs is helping a great deal. Thanks so much for that.

Dog owners like this absolutely infuriate me. You shouldn't need to learn about dog behaviour to go for a walk around a park ffs. A pop up umbrella can work well OP as a physical barrier. Obviously it's not going to stop an aggressive dog- when my own dog was attacked by an aggressive dog nothing short of lethal force would have stopped the dog. But for the annoying 'friendly' dogs it can provide that barrier so that you can hopefully keep walking without being jumped on. I have used a stick but I find the umbrella easier to carry and the owners become less upset with an umbrella than with a stick.

I have also used K9 Bite Back spray- the one time I used it, it did work but it's quite expensive.

I'm a dog owner, but I would never allow my dogs to approach anyone. I was petrified of dogs growing up so I know how your son feels.
For dogs that are persistent and the owners are not doing anything you could always quote the dangerous dogs act at them. Most people assume it's for if a dog attacks or if it goes to bite but actually it's for anyone that feels worried by the dog. All dogs should be under control at all times. Doesn't mean they have to be on the lead but does mean that they shouldn't be wondering up to other people and they should return to their owners when called.
You could also try speaking to some of the owners about how your son feels, most should be sympathetic to him and will either introduce their dog to him in a controlled way or it might make them realise that not everyone loves their dog and that they should be kept at a distance.
I'm sorry you've had this, unfortunately there are some owners that think it's ok to let their dogs do whatever they like and they are often a pain to other dog owners too.

I take my dog to a local park sometimes, she is very well trained but I do see so MANY really awfully behaved dogs with sappy , wet incompetent owners with zero recall, either getting angry at their inane dog as it hoons around, or are calling it's name like a request: 'ruby? ruby? ruby? ruby? ruby?

instead of ''Ruby! Here!''

Yesterday a man had a 'puppy' on a long lead and it was attempting to jump up at an older woman.
The woman held her hand out flat towards the dog like this 🤚 and said ''NO"

The idiot owner said ''He won't hurt you''
The woman said ''I don't want my clothes muddied or the scar on my leg hurt, thank you''

More people are carrying heavy walking sticks or hiking poles to point dogs away if charged, or harassed by dogs and I don't blame them one iota.

I spend time training my own dog , but far too many dog owners are selfish asseholes who let their lumbering mutts hurt others, and terrify children by knocking them flying. Men do tend to be worse in this regard.

Incompetent dog owners have increased massively since lockdown.

Couldn't agree more!

Thank you very much for so many kind responses. It really helps.

My son is refusing to rollerblade now which is really bad because it was his one fun activity outside the house and he needs the sunshine to help solve the panic attacks. It's very frustrating.

Not sure what to do really. Can't change the world unfortunately. Oh well.

That’s such a shame. Give it a little time- he may be ready to try again.

Are there activities he likes that could be in a more controlled environment? Maybe English heritage or National trust parks where dogs have to be on leads.

Also, in my are the parks have MUSAs, tarmac pitches with fences around. We used to go roller skating on them because the surface was easier. Fences mean no dogs. They also aren’t allowed in the playgrounds round here. He may feel too old to ‘play’ but may play ‘floor is lava’ with you somewhere like that.

@StandingUpForWhatsRight If your son loves Rollerblading, there might be designated skate parks around- or fenced off children’s areas.
It’s ridiculously unfair that he can’t enjoy his activity because of selfish dog owners.

I go for a walk across the park near where I work at lunchtime, and I take my sandwich etc if the weather's OK. In the years I've been doing this I have to say I've noticed a massive decline in the behaviour and respect of a majority of dog owners sadly. I'm not particularly scared of dogs, but I don't want any dog running up to me (owner nowhere nearby) and slobbering over me, or jumping up on work clothes with muddy paws. And shouting 'it's OK, he's only being friendly' just makes matters worse to be honest - it doesn't make a difference - if your dog has no/poor recall you should keep it on a lead in public spaces.

@Ginandjuice57884

What catastrophic injuries can throwing sticks cause for dogs?

quite strange advice

I would have thought that idea makes sense to distract them from being interested in you or your child etc?

I totally understand @StandingUpForWhatsRight feeling a bit on edge with so many dogs owners then

I wouldn't have any problems or issues with still using a stick to protect myself in some ways

I have never yet met an owner of an uncontrolled dog call them back effectively. The owners tend to just get abusive, however politely & calmly I have asked them to get their dogs away from my children. This only upsets my children more.

Really sorry OP, too many dogowners are irresposible arseholes & something really needs to be done about it. You just need to encourage your son to stay calm and impress on him that he has as much right to be there as they do.

@StandingUpForWhatsRight I really feel for you and your DS. I think arsehole owners have increased massively including people getting rescues from Hungary without knowing what they’re taking on (yes, neighbour, that’s you 😬).
Not sure what the answer is but I’m afraid we now appear to live in a world where people just do what the fuck they like 😞

Thanks it's really good to know that English Heritage places require dogs to stay on leads and that dogs aren't allowed in fenced playgrounds. I didn't know that. I will look into that and see what we have round here. Great idea, thanks.

Shout ‘sit’ loudly. Most dogs react to being told to sit.

If I try that I absolutely guarantee that my son will be the one that will sit down. :-)

We always enjoyed NT outings when the DC were little - they could run around exploring happily knowing they wouldn’t have a big dog “just being friendly/just saying hello” spoiling the visit.

@AvonCallingBarksdale that's a really good tip, thanks. I had no idea that that was a thing before now. I will think about trips to NT places.

Our local park has areas where dogs are allowed and those where they are not. So sorry if that has been suggested. The one thing I would say is shouting and screaming from children is the absolute worst thing , because even a well behaved dog thinks they are "playing".

I am talking here about well behaved dogs not ill behaved aggressive dogs. I am wary of those when I take mine out.

Thanks yes I thought that. I really don't want to get into conflict with a dog or owner. DS and I are both strongly inclined to play it safe. Dog-free areas, and dog-on-lead areas sound really excellent.

We have a very nice little new town near us which has really flat roads to make wheelchair accessibility easy and it is great for rollerblading. I suppose in a town with a lot of roads, the dogs would be on a lead too. I think we will go there on foot and look to see what dogs do in that little town.

Shout "SIT!" if a dog comes over, in a very loud commanding voice.

I watched a video of a dog trainer saying what to do if a dog comes at you. The dog will either sit or it will run away in confusion.

Too many entitled dog owners around and I'm sick of them all.

Grabbing collars? There are people on this thread that are asking to get bitten! Honestly. Oh and OP, word of warning , don't hit a dog with anything...you'll get attacked by the dog or the owner. Stick to children's play parks maybe.

Thanks, I'll try shouting sit.

I just discovered some fantastic videos about dogs with voice overs by Janey Godley. I think these could really help.

Y

Take the edge off large dog behaviour nicely.

OP.. I am really beginning to wonder given the amount of time and worry you and investing in dog behaviour, exactly how often is your son nearly getting attacked by off lead dogs?? Surely if it’s happening so much more you should just avoid that specific park?

No tennis balls, the owners could become more aggressive than the dogs.

Stand up, stamp your foot hard and very LOUD, then growl. Remember this is a defense, a way to communicate to the animal to back away.

Dogs sense people's energy so get angry with it and do not, what ever you do feel fear as the dog will sense fear as weakness.

The two dogs you mentioned, should never be off the lead as they seem prone to aggression.