How do folks cope with other people dogs and poor recall?

[suecatsitter 10]

Just this morning I was out I'm fields walking our two dogs(both on leads) saw 2 small terriers owner shouted them no recall one approached my eldest I stood in front to shield our dogs as it barked and went for our dog I shouted no the owner still calling his dogs said sorry about that! I walked off

 

Another route and time of day for me to avoid

[Chelle-82 10]

Just this morning I was out I'm fields walking our two dogs(both on leads) saw 2 small terriers owner shouted them no recall one approached my eldest I stood in front to shield our dogs as it barked and went for our dog I shouted no the owner still calling his dogs said sorry about that! I walked off

 

Another route and time of day for me to avoid

 

At least the owner apologised i suppose.. I've come across some extremely rude people who see no fault with their dogs..

[samssong 10]

Met a woman today whilst I was horse riding on a bridle path and she had 5 or possibly 6 dogs all shapes and sizes and all completely out of her control. She shouted, bellowed and threatened and nearly every one of them ignored her.

 

One little yappy thing started to try to go for my horse, so I turned the horse and rode him at it, which got both the dog's and the owner's attention, however she was still powerless to do anything, as the dogs had no recall. When will people realise that if they can't control their dogs then they are not fit to have them other than on a lead?

You rode your horse at the dogs

[NewBiz 10]

You rode your horse at the dogs

 

Yes at a walk to get them to back off and to try to ensure they didn't rush at my horse, which would have frightened him. No drama (and no need for silly smilies)

[growup 10]

interesting stuff, so its middle aged ladies and yobs we need to watch . . .

 

a muzzle might be an idea, we would never expect to need one but it does signal to folks that they might want to give us a wide berth

 

when I was a kid we had a couple of Alsations and the biggest / oldest was actually a big soft teddy bear of a thing - but my dad had taught him to "talk", on command he would bark or growl quite menacingly, which was good at encouraging folks/dogs to leave him (or us kids) alone

 

If you use a halti or canny collar a lot of people think it is a muzzle and it helps to stop your dog pulling. The worse people I've met are those who tell me it is my fault that their off lead dog has reacted badly to my dog as she is on the lead, unfortunately these can be any age and male or female so can't spot them until they are having a go at you.

 

---------- Post added 06-07-2016 at 22:26 ----------

 

Yes at a walk to get them to back off and to try to ensure they didn't rush at my horse, which would have frightened him. No drama (and no need for silly smilies)

 

Please be aware that some dogs are also scared of horses and riding at them could cause the dog to act erratically. My dog is terrified of horses with riders and goes crazy whenever we see them (I ensure she is on the lead so is no threat to the horse). Oddly she is fine with horses in fields and is actually excited when we walk past a field with horses in but something changes when they have a rider on them. I agree the owner should have had control of her dogs but I think your actions could have put the dogs and your horse at risk.

[medusa 16]

Speaking as an owner of a very feisty (all fear based) GSD I can tell you that the vast majority of the owners that don't care and let their dogs off lead even when they don't have recall will continue to do just that, and it will be your problem to deal with.

 

I have found that the most helpful thing that you can call when their dog is heading towards yours and you know that your dog will be scared is 'SHE HAS KENNEL COUGH!!' (after asking them to call their dog away etc). You'd be amazed how many owners suddenly regain control when they think that their dog could catch something off yours.

 

The answer to 'Oh, he's friendly!' (which is a frequent answer to being asked to call them away) is 'It's not my dog I'm worried about!'. If your dog is fully under control then there is no doubt under the law at all about who is at fault if you have given warnings and your dog is properly under control. Those owners who ignore the warnings will be paying their own vet bills and you have no obligation to them if your dog causes any damage.

 

However, the likelihood is that your dog will sound like a hell hound, will rear up on his hind legs and look like he's going to eat the other dog, but is more likely to hide behind you than actually attack- GSDs aren't bred as attack dogs (as some think) but more for their vigilance and a bark that will wake the dead.

 

The great skill is in avoiding the situation in the first place. I would urge you to learn how to spot the moment of stillness in your dog just before the full reaction (whether that's barking, lunging or running away). If you can act with the stillness then you may be able to call him off whatever reaction he is likely to start completely (ask him to do something else like coming to heel or coming to sit for a treat, not just saying 'no') or you may be able to call his attention back to sit by you and body block him, even if you can't get him to stop focussing on the other dog.

 

If you're starting from scratch I'd advise making him a set of doggy friends by going out for dog walks with all of your doggy owning friends, starting off with parallel walking on lead for at least half an hour before allowing them to get closer to each other. If he reacts after half an hour go back to walking when he can't get at them and he will calm down near them eventually. Once he has doggy friends then he will be easier to introduce to other dogs.

 

Molly has doggy friends but still loathes being approached by other dogs without her permission, so we have spent the entire 9 years that we have had her being very careful about how she meets other dogs. Over the course of the time we've had her, she has gone from hell hound barking at every dog on the horizon 500 yards away to letting me know that she's spotted them but only reacting if they come within about 20 yards of her. She really doesn't want them to approach her and will run at them if they get too close, but I know that it's to warn them off rather than actually to attack. It's still unacceptable, but I see it as my job to prevent that from happening.

 

If we have to pass another dog or we turn a corner and there's one around the corner we take a step back off the path to allow them to pass and then I body block and ask Molly to sit and make eye contact with me while they pass, then I can thank her for being a good girl. It doesn't always work but she's learned over the years.

 

Good luck- GSDs are a lot more reactive than most breeds, so it's great to have a plan for this sort of thing

[rubydo1 10]

Yeah I walk a similar nervous aggressive dog . And I body block with my back to the on coming off lead dog and I get the dog to look at me. Ignoring the on coming dog seems to confuse the off lead dog and immediately sends the message to the owner to quickly get their dog under control . But I have to say if I'm walking that kind of dog I also avoid parks . But on the whole I do find most dog owners are quite good where I live , but you always get the odd numpty who thinks they know better and have no control over their dog .

[NewBiz 10]

Please be aware that some dogs are also scared of horses and riding at them could cause the dog to act erratically. My dog is terrified of horses with riders and goes crazy whenever we see them (I ensure she is on the lead so is no threat to the horse). Oddly she is fine with horses in fields and is actually excited when we walk past a field with horses in but something changes when they have a rider on them. I agree the owner should have had control of her dogs but I think your actions could have put the dogs and your horse at risk.

 

Of course I'm aware some dogs are frightened of horses, I pass them all the time and can see from their behaviour/body language that they're afraid. However these were largely ignoring the horse (and the owner) apart from one little dog which was getting very excitable and began pronking towards the horse tail wagging and yapping, it wasn't frightened it thought it was a game.

 

Years ago in about the same spot I was cantering a horse up the bridlepath when an out of control dog looking for a game came charging out of the undergrowth in much the same way. This startled the horse and she shied violently to the left and accelerated simultaneously. I was thrown off balance briefly but stayed on, but a less experienced rider may well have hit the deck, with who know's what result.

 

I had the same horse attacked by a boxer once, owner no where to be seen as the dog had escaped from it's garden. It was seriously trying to hamstring my mare. Luckily I was carrying a schooling whip which I used to try to fight it off. In so doing I caught it one right across it's nose which stopped it in it's tracks. I subsequently passed the house where it lived many times and whereas before it would always be barking madly and trying to climb the fence to get at the horse, I never heard another peep out of it.

 

I value my horse's and my own safety so I reserve the right to defend us from people's out of control dogs with any reasonable means at my disposal

[katkin 10]

If you use a halti or canny collar a lot of people think it is a muzzle and it helps to stop your dog pulling. The worse people I've met are those who tell me it is my fault that their off lead dog has reacted badly to my dog as she is on the lead, unfortunately these can be any age and male or female so can't spot them until they are having a go at you.

 

.

 

We use a head harness (because Jesse doesn't always like it when other dogs get close to her AND because she is a strong dog - a head harness gives much safer control than a collar and lead or even a body harness). Once had a couple walk past us who loudly proclaimed that I shouldn't have a dog out in public if it had to wear a muzzle. People can be hurtful and just plain THICK at times. Fortunately, you develop a thick skin over time.

[Chelle-82 10]

We use a head harness (because Jesse doesn't always like it when other dogs get close to her AND because she is a strong dog - a head harness gives much safer control than a collar and lead or even a body harness). Once had a couple walk past us who loudly proclaimed that I shouldn't have a dog out in public if it had to wear a muzzle. People can be hurtful and just plain THICK at times. Fortunately, you develop a thick skin over time.

 

I have to use one on my springer because she's terrible on the lead, fantastic off the lead but a complete pain on it... (she.has.to.get.to.where.we.are.going.really.really.really.fast)

 

Anyway it amazes me how many looks me and her get, people thinking she's muzzled because she's agressive or something.. We're not bothered though, we still have fun

[L00b 441]

Speaking as an owner of a very feisty (all fear based) GSD I can tell you that the vast majority of the owners that don't care and let their dogs off lead even when they don't have recall will continue to do just that, and it will be your problem to deal with.

 

I have found that the most helpful thing that you can call when their dog is heading towards yours and you know that your dog will be scared is 'SHE HAS KENNEL COUGH!!' (after asking them to call their dog away etc). You'd be amazed how many owners suddenly regain control when they think that their dog could catch something off yours.

 

The answer to 'Oh, he's friendly!' (which is a frequent answer to being asked to call them away) is 'It's not my dog I'm worried about!'. If your dog is fully under control then there is no doubt under the law at all about who is at fault if you have given warnings and your dog is properly under control. Those owners who ignore the warnings will be paying their own vet bills and you have no obligation to them if your dog causes any damage.

 

However, the likelihood is that your dog will sound like a hell hound, will rear up on his hind legs and look like he's going to eat the other dog, but is more likely to hide behind you than actually attack- GSDs aren't bred as attack dogs (as some think) but more for their vigilance and a bark that will wake the dead.

 

The great skill is in avoiding the situation in the first place. I would urge you to learn how to spot the moment of stillness in your dog just before the full reaction (whether that's barking, lunging or running away). If you can act with the stillness then you may be able to call him off whatever reaction he is likely to start completely (ask him to do something else like coming to heel or coming to sit for a treat, not just saying 'no') or you may be able to call his attention back to sit by you and body block him, even if you can't get him to stop focussing on the other dog.

A great post full of excellent advice grounded in experience (I can tell from my own )

 

My rescue is never off the leash, in any environment where there are likely to be other dogs, because as a large Patterdale cross (mostly Patterdale physiologicals and character coming through), he has the prey drive of something wild and hungry, and about as much recall as a house brick. Not vicious at all and the friendliest laid back sort with all sorts of people, but other dogs are sometimes wary/scared of him even on the leash, visibly so, and I joke (gallows humour) that it's like going walkies with the Voldemort of the canine world.

 

He is not muzzled though, because I want him to be able to defend himself if he is attacked...which, regrettably, he has been a few times by other free-roaming dogs, even though on his leash each and every time. His first 'fight' needed a short vet trip, but he's like a street fighter learning dirty tricks with each next fight, and he's never come off worse since, even with a newfoundland 4 times his size.

 

I don't do the "kennel cough" thing myself, but always ask other owners to recall their dogs in a friendly manner with a smile. You can't ever win them all of course, but I have found that people (even the initially aggressive ones) respond best to a calm and measured (but firm, never apologetic) manner. Let them rant and then, if you have to under circumstances, reply very calmly and evenly, that tends to take the "argy-bargy wind" right out of their sails, whence you should then be able to enjoy a calm(er), more sensible conversation.

 

If you adopt a reasonably regular walking pattern and schedule, you'll likely find yourself coming across the same people and dogs time and again, who become used to you and your dog and get to recall and leash theirs as they clock you, long before you'd have to ask.

 

Another tip is to never go walkies without a smartphone with you, ready to record an encounter if it should start to take a nasty turn.

 

You may also have to find it in yourself to hit another dog(s) attacking yours. Sufficiently hard that they backtrack, and that can have consequences. Not something you'd ever want to have to do, but circumstances be circumstances, so be aware. The alternative can also happen, wherein the smart and sensible thing to do is to let go of the leash so you don't impede your dog defending him-/herself. Same again, circumstances be circumstances, so be aware. It's hard enough to judge at the time itself, a split-second decision based on years of dog ownership experience, reading dogs body language and conflating same with the situation of the time (busy or remote environment? other dog scared by you or not at all or somewhere in-between? other dog's owner nearby or not? more than one attacking dog? etc, etc.), never mind to put into words on a Forum.

 

Above all, so long as you maintain full and permanent control of your dog on lead, and always give notice, be secure and steadfast in the knowledge that you are doing right, and they are doing wrong. The rest flows from there.

Edited July 7, 2016 by L00b

[Chelle-82 10]

A great post full of excellent advice grounded in experience (I can tell from my own )

 

My rescue is never off the leash, in any environment where there are likely to be other dogs, because as a large Patterdale cross (mostly Patterdale physiologicals and character coming through), he has the prey drive of something wild and hungry, and about as much recall as a house brick. Not vicious at all and the friendliest laid back sort with all sorts of people, but other dogs are sometimes wary/scared of him even on the leash, visibly so, and I joke (gallows humour) that it's like going walkies with the Voldemort of the canine world.

 

He is not muzzled though, because I want him to be able to defend himself if he is attacked...which, regrettably, he has been a few times by other free-roaming dogs, even though on his leash each and every time. His first 'fight' needed a short vet trip, but he's like a street fighter learning dirty tricks with each next fight, and he's never come off worse since, even with a newfoundland 4 times his size.

 

I don't do the "kennel cough" thing myself, but always ask other owners to recall their dogs in a friendly manner with a smile. You can't ever win them all of course, but I have found that people (even the initially aggressive ones) respond best to a calm and measured (but firm, never apologetic) manner. Let them rant and then, if you have to under circumstances, reply very calmly and evenly, that tends to take the "argy-bargy wind" right out of their sails, whence you should then be able to enjoy a calm(er), more sensible conversation.

 

If you adopt a reasonably regular walking pattern and schedule, you'll likely find yourself coming across the same people and dogs time and again, who become used to you and your dog and get to recall and leash theirs as they clock you, long before you'd have to ask.

 

Another tip is to never go walkies without a smartphone with you, ready to record an encounter if it should start to take a nasty turn.

 

You may also have to find it in yourself to hit another dog(s) attacking yours. Sufficiently hard that they backtrack, and that can have consequences. Not something you'd ever want to have to do, but circumstances be circumstances, so be aware.

 

Above all, so long as you maintain full and permanent control of your dog on lead, and always give notice, be secure and steadfast in the knowledge that you are doing right, and they are doing wrong. The rest flows from there.

 

My Jack Russell is the exact same L00b! Absolute NIGHTMARE of a dog... always leashed, not muzzled either as he's not aggressive but just a complete pain in the buttocks!

 

I don't know if anyone elses terrier does this as well he screams!! It's the most horrific noise.. He does it when he see's other dogs (every time) and he also does it if my other two dogs have walked off too far in front of him..

 

Inside the house he is the most pleasant little boy, i love him to bits.. so well behaved and does everything asked of him and loves to snuggle..

 

As sooon as we get out of the gate he turns into the devil!! He's not a joy to walk in all honesty, i spend my entire time apologising to people passing by