My dog was attacked this morning. How can we ensure he gets back to his previously confident self?

[drivinmecrazy]

My 16 month old Weimaraner was attacked by two Rottweilers who had escaped their compound this morning.
He's fortunately come out of the attack with superficial wounds that just needed stitching.
Fortunately we're staying with my mum in Spain so the vets bill is under €150, which the owner of the Rottweilers paid without any question.
I think he was as traumatised as me by the whole thing, and he's taken measures to contain his dogs while he gets new fencing installed.
My DDs and DH are back in UK and are understandably upset.
But more importantly how do we handle our dog going forward when he's back to walking?

I’ve no advice, but my mums dog was attacked and need two areas on her neck stapled. The owner just dragged his dog away and that was that, no contact details left etc.

shes a different dog now 4 months on (she’s nearly 13) absolutely petrified of dogs bigger than her (she’s a Jack Russell) and constantly pulls to go home when only on the lead for a few mins.

That's what we're concerned about.
I wouldn't wish it on anybody to witness an incident like this morning.
I felt so helpless and just screamed for help, which didn't do much good because we're in the middle of nowhere so only a couple of houses nearby.

I would give him a break to decompress, but not for too long - then just get back out there and try and carry on as normal. It is so hard (been there with mine several times) but the important thing is to act confident as your attitude really will rub off on your dog.

Best of luck!

It doesn't always have long lasting effects thankfully.

I raise guide dog puppies, and one was attacked by a bully that was on lead but pulled free of its owner. Luckily it was wearing a muzzle so couldn't do any physical damage thank god but it was terrifying all the same. I was so worried that it would ruin her chances.

For the rest of that day she was wary of other dogs (we were out for the day away from home) but once she'd been home and had a sleep we took her out to the beach and she played with other dogs as if nothing had happened.

I would focus on keeping your normal routine, and having positive experiences with dogs he knows as soon as possible. The guide dog puppy went on to qualify btw, no issues.

I would say try to carry on as normal.
Maybe walk with other dogs that you're familiar with.

My dog was attacked days after moving to our new home, I was nervous passing where it happened but she wasn't and we've been in there since and no problem. It was their neighbours dog & the owner came with chocolates and an apology, which didn't do anything for my dog hopefully your dog will be the same

Possibly fortune it wasn't on home turf.. Ddog won't associate walks at home with bad experience.. By coincidence our husky was attacked by an Irish Wolfhound yesterday. She absolutely didn't react except to pull back on the lead.. We made zero fuss and walked away calmly.. Can't imagine how you felt in your situation op. Hope ddog is fine... You yourself could have been mauled. We had a rotty for over 10 years and she caught my finger once. The crushing sensation was grim.

My dog was attacked when he was about 7/8, and unfortunately it's completely changed him - but he was very badly injured. He's now very reactive to other dogs and it's been devastating. We did work with a behaviourist, and that helped me enormously in being able to read his body language. The moment he stops and stiffens when another dog comes into sight, he goes onto a lead and I'll then let him off when they've passed us. He's happy meeting familiar dogs though which is at least some consolation.

It doesn't help that the people whose dog attacked him have stuck 2 fingers up to the dog control order they were given and they still walk locally - I always know when my boy has picked the scent of that dog up as he changes completely.

Honestly, it entirely depends on the dog. Some never fully recover and end up reactive as a result. Some just spring back.

Younger dogs usually just bounce back. It's when they get older you need to be more concerned.

If your dog is fairly resilient normally then try not to worry too much. Dogs are very good at picking up on when their humans are unhappy or scared - so try to just carry on as normal. When you next take him for a walk etc, you'll need to watch that you don't tense etc. around other dogs - they really do pick up on it.

1. Make sure that when you see other dogs, you are not stressed/anxious - your dog will pick up on that
2. Don’t force your dog to interact - let him take his time
3. If he is getting stressed move him away from the situation
4. Take things slowly He may surprise you and not worry at all

I had to work really hard to ensure my dog saw other dogs as no reason to panic. I did this with a shed load of cheese every time we went out. Every time we saw a dog in the distance, he got cheese. After about 6 months we could walk past dogs on the opposite side of the road. Before that, after his fight, he was snarling and growling and generally terrified.

My dog has been attacked twice , once by a SBT which resulted in an ear wound that needed vet treatment , the second time by a bulldog and the only injury was to me . On both occasions it didn’t seem to bother him at all but he is a feisty terrier ( or was as he’s very mellow now) .

Oh I'm so sorry this happened. My dog has been attacked a few times but he's a massive floof and only once come away with an actual injury. He is a nervous dog in general but it hasn't made him more so.

Biggest advice is to find a solid trainer who can help with this. You may only need a few sessions but I'd work on your bond with him and see if there is a group session to get him comfortable around dogs if he isn't now.

Wishing a speedy recovery.

This. And no matter what you feel try to relax, he'll take his cues from you.

One of my labs was attacked at around 15 months old. Not as serious as yours, blood but no vet treatment required but luckily it appeared to have absolutely zero effect on her.

Make sure you don't get anxious around other dogs if you are able to. What you don't want is for the dog to pick up on your anxiety and become anxious itself.