Fuming!

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SadKen

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Still enraged after last night and need to share!

I took my two for a walk, it was dark. I had a torch so could see two women and an Akita heading my way. I caught my two and put them on lead, and made them sit. The akita was about 30ft in front of these women, and looking to approach us so I called over 'my two aren't friendly!' and kept them in the sit. One woman half heartedly called the akita, which he ignored. He came right up to us and circled behind, presumably to get a sniff - however, my big lad doesn't appreciate this kind of behaviour as let's face it, it's a prelude to an attack, so I shouted sharply 'can you put your dog on a lead please'. They completely ignored me, at which point my big lad spun round and I fell over. The akita luckily ran off. I marched over to these two idiots and told them (politely, no swearing, but firmly!) that she had an off lead akita with no recall and had ignored my requests for her to control it. She said 'it's your fault, because your dogs are aggressive'. I said no, I didn't say they are aggressive, I said 'they don't like other dogs in their space, which is fair enough - it's actually rude in the dog world'. She was swigging from a bottle of cider throughout, and then told me 'to just go before I lose my temper'. As she was clearly unhinged, I did go.

Luckily the akita didn't seem to be aggressive, but I'm so angry that she had no control. This could have ended really badly, I don't know her or her dog from Adam and I've told her I don't want him in my space, so why ignore me? My OH has now banned us from walking in that area, as he says mine and the dogs' safety must come first. Unfortunately I'm forced to agree with him, but it really sticks in my craw.

Does anyone think it's worthwhile getting a can of that noise spray from Petsmart? I just can't stop thinking about what I would have done if the akita had actually made an attack, and I want to be prepared if it happens again somewhere else.
 
This sort of behaviour is sadly not rare I have found. I hope you didn't injure yourself when you fell and well done your 2 for being so obedient.
Since one of my dogs has been attacked on two different occassion's by loose dogs that didn't listen to their owners I have started to carry a hiking stick shortened down, I'm sorry if anyone is upset by this but if another dog goes to attack mine again I will defend him with it. I've not seen the noise spray but would be concerned it might upset your dogs in its use if the attacking dog was close to yours.
Glad the Akita was not aggressive but had owners that were obviously pillocks.
 
Sounds like owner being drunk in charge of a potentially aggressive dog. I would definitely report to the dog warden for future reference. You may well find the DW is aware of the particular dog and owner anyway. I don't think changing where you walk is the answer necessarily though. Perhaps your OH could come on a few walks with you just in case for a while? Thank goodness the Akita was OK with your dogs. It is sadly the case that it is usually the owners, not the breed, where the blame lies...
 
I'd have taken the bottle of cider off her and smacked her with it.

Might be worth a report to the police. I once had my dog out a walk when a dog (won't name the breed because you shouldn't blame the breeds, just the owners) came bounding over. I called my dog back and stuck her on the lead, this other dog followed and nipped her on the neck. I was livid and all hell broke loose between me and the other owner. His excuse was 'it's deaf so doesn't come to call'. Well it should have been on a lead then shouldn't it?
I reported it to the local police who had actually received a few complaints about this dog and the owner. He got a warning from them, and I've never seen it off the lead in a public place since.
 
I have had lots of issues with off lead dogs, especially while walking my (then only) dog - Brochan. There was an incident several months ago that really got me wound up. We had been walking along a path when this woman, child, and their two dogs appeared at the other end of it. One was a British Bulldog and the other a yellow Lab. Both were off lead and the Lab was boisterously running out in front and the woman was hardly paying any attention to the dog. So we started to go along another path thinking this would avoid them as Brochan can be quite reactive to rambunctious off lead dogs. However they started to follow us along that path. The Lab came charging up to Brochan and he started to make lots of noise. I tried to remain as calm as possible, but I started to get really annoyed with the woman. She had called the dog several times without success. Her dog was getting even closer to mine and that made him worse. I shouted at the woman to put her dog on a lead, but all she did was call the dog again, and nothing happened. I shouted again and nothing. Then a woman who had been walking towards us stopped and froze. She was obviously scared because on one side she had my dog on his back legs making a racket and on the other the woman's dog which at this point had its hackles raised and was going to start circling my dog. I shouted again at the top of my voice to get the dog on a lead. Nothing happened. Then thankfully the woman started to enter a field next to the path and the dog finally backed off. There was no apology or effort to physically get hold of the dog. It wouldn't have surprised me if she didn't have a lead. I was absolutely fuming. Not only had her dog caused my dog to be upset, but the incident had terrified the other woman. I said sorry to the other woman, but there was no response at all from the woman with the Lab.

However, Brochan was actually attacked back in July. My Mum had just taken him out for his morning walk and this female Staffie came charging round the corner and went for him. The owner had quite a bit of trouble getting her dog off mine. He was thankfully okay, but the other dog had gone for his neck and had bitten through one of the D rings on his collar. I really hate to think what would have happened if the dog had actually got hold of his neck. The owner came to the door later in the morning and apologized. She said the dog would always be on the lead from then on. However, we found out that the same dog had attacked one of our neighbour's dogs and they got told the exact same thing about the dog being kept on a lead. And the very next day (after my dog had been attacked), my sister had been walking past a field behind the house when she saw the same dog and another dog (it apparently gets on with) fighting and the owners trying to separate them. Both were off lead. This is a dangerous dog with an extremely irresponsible owner. I was told more recently by a guy in the area that the dog has been attacking other dogs from as far back as two years ago. It even went for one of his (a big Mastiff!). The dog is STILL being let off the lead in the field behind my house and I have never seen it wearing a muzzle. :mad:

I would definitely report the woman with the Akita. She sounds a lot more dangerous than the dog. I also think it's a shame that Akitas get a bad name. Brochan and I used to see one that would wander about off lead on one of our routes and she was a big softy.
 
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Yes, I think I'm going to report her. I still haven't calmed down. I have met eejits out and about before, but nothing this bad and certainly not swigging cider and then being obnoxious when the obvious error is pointed out!

I do agree it's deed not breed, it's just if it had been a JRT or similar I wouldn't have been as bothered about injury to my two. I could have just grabbed it if needs be! But I can't do that with an akita, without risking injury, just because it's a large breed. Having said that, in all honesty I've met two and both did not like any human or dog that they perceived as dominant, so my personal experience of them has been negative. I try not to judge, but the opinion of the breed isn't going to be improved when they are owned by such wanton fools as that woman.

In the meantime, I am going to start carrying one of those aluminium walking poles. I feel that I'd be within my rights to wallop any dog who gets close to mine, especially after I've given two warnings. OH will be coming with us for the next week (things would have been very different if he'd been there yesterday) but as he works away a lot I can't do that long term, so will have to revert to staying on the street and the playing field only if he can't come. Feel sorry for my two, they love to be off lead but I've got to keep them safe.

So cross! Hope the police make a record of it. And hope that woman falls face first in a big pile of dog muck with her mouth open.
 
It does not matter what breed of dog its just so rude and no respect for others - mine don't like being on a lead when another dog comes over and get wound up, because it is so bad around here I always put a soft muzzle on the younger dog if it looks like the owners have no intension of gaining control - I remember once in Cannock Chase I had all 3 out on leads and a large Weinarama(sp) type dog out of control got tangled up and bit me accidently in the stomach; owner panicked as she though I would report her and dog pts...............obviously I did not report as the dog didn't mean to do it - hopefully owner learnt her lesson!!
 
A word of caution, I think you mean a Nordic Walking Pole? If so, the bottom is very sharp and pointy, though they do come with covers to protect the points if you're walking on concrete or tarmac. Wouldn't want you to accidentally stab a dog.
Incidentally, I've been told the best way to separate 2 fighting dogs is to grab the attacker by the base of its tail and lift it up in the air. The dog would then open its mouth in shock and drop the attacked dog. Has anyone ever actually tried this, and if so, with what results???
 
I have to admit I'm a little caught in the middle here...

Listening to these stories there are 2 sides.

One is a dog who hasn't been taught recall properly.
One is a dog who isn't social.

Both can be fixed with time and patience, surely?
 
Sorry, don't agree with you about one dog being unsociable. Most perfectly sociable dogs are uneasy when they are on a lead and a strange dog off lead invades their space.
If I was in OP's situation I would have said mine was not friendly anyway, even if it was fine. To try and encourage owners to take control of their dog.
The amount of idiots with no idea about dogs, that allow theirs to rush about, bashing into others, saying, oh he's friendly, he just wants to say hello and play.
I always say, mine isn't and doesn't want to play.
The worst offenders for this I find, are spaniel and lab owners.
Poor dogs, an intelligent active breed, who should be working, often cooped up for days on end, then taken out loose, when owner fancies a stroll. They go off like a fizzy bottle of pop.
Totally non aggressive but an absolute nuisance.

I have come to the conclusion over recent years that the dog licence should be reintroduced and strictly enforced.
I also believe owners should need to prove basic care and training knowledge before a licence is issued. It will never happen, but it would solve a multitude of dog related problems, and make the life of dogs themselves a lot happier.
 
I have a quick question...

If you encounter something on your horse and you immediately become nervous/anxious/agitated/angry, shorten the reins enough to put pressure on his mouth and then start yelling, how do you think the horse will respond?

Surely this is what is also happening here?

If the dog is quite social off the lead but becomes very defensive when on the lead, perhaps he is picking up on the owners anxiety/mood and perceiving a threat which may actually not be there at all. Perhaps the owner is creating the "threat".
 
Ptolemy said:
I have a quick question...

If you encounter something on your horse and you immediately become nervous/anxious/agitated/angry, shorten the reins enough to put pressure on his mouth and then start yelling, how do you think the horse will respond?

Surely this is what is also happening here?

If the dog is quite social off the lead but becomes very defensive when on the lead, perhaps he is picking up on the owners anxiety/mood and perceiving a threat which may actually not be there at all. Perhaps the owner is creating the "threat".
Click to expand...

Such common sense.

Alec.
 
Oddly enough we've recently been chased whilst riding by barking dogs in woodland on 2 separate occasions.......different dogs each time. Don't know what to do other than face them down.. ...... fortunately both have backed off..... the horses are well used to dogs and experienced..... but a youngster might have been a different kettle of fish.

Too many loose, uncontrolled dogs on the go generally. Do report this incident to the police, they will then at least have a record of it and any future issues with this outfit will not be a "first"..... and just possibly it may be more serious next time.
 
Sounds very sensible! I have a young, large breed dog with excellent recall; however the only time we've ever had difficulty getting hold of her immediately was when faced with another owner who started screaming and shouting on sight of her, which really perturbed her. She still behaved but became a little fearful making the usually extremely swift process of recall- lead on into more of a problem. She is a very polite, well-mannered, socialised, friendly young dog but yet she is very big and that seems to send people (not dogs- people) nervous aggressive. If people just ignore, or say hello politely then we carry on doing our thing and they do theirs- all is well with the world. Instead I have to be extra protective of her (ie, avoiding situations, on lead where not necessarily warranted, I dont mean me behaving defensively) but because I want to keep her right- and protect her from people, not because I have any concerns about her behaviour.
 
Ptolemy said:
I have a quick question...

If you encounter something on your horse and you immediately become nervous/anxious/agitated/angry, shorten the reins enough to put pressure on his mouth and then start yelling, how do you think the horse will respond?

Surely this is what is also happening here?

If the dog is quite social off the lead but becomes very defensive when on the lead, perhaps he is picking up on the owners anxiety/mood and perceiving a threat which may actually not be there at all. Perhaps the owner is creating the "threat".
Click to expand...

I have to say that whilst I'm better than I was, this contributed to and exacerbated the problem with Zak, who is very DA. The trainer and mostly my OH made me see that I was the problem as much as Zak. However, it is difficult to be calm when someone lets their huge bouncy untrained loony of a dog jump at me if I can't walk away fast enough. It thoroughly annoys me that they want their dog given free rein to annoy mine and I really can't afford to be in between fighting dogs, I'm just not agile enough currently.

I would say avoid potential dodgy situations, don't rely on others to control their dog because they probably won't. Walking past quickly and ignoring the off lead dog will, nine times out of ten, avoid the issue. Be in control of yourself and control a strange dog with voice, they're usually responsive if you're very firm!

I sympathise with the OP, tho, my horse is similar with off lead dogs and is only better now because the yard has big dogs running loose virtually under his feet these days. He'd still wet himself at a dog coming at him on a hack!
 
I'd be careful with using something like a pet corrector spray. A strange dog could react badly to it thinking it was being attacked. I haven't seen it myself but a friend on facebook shared a status a while back that someone had used on a dog that was pestering her puppy and the dog reacted instantly to the spray by attacking the puppy. No idea what the truth is to that but It's something I could actually see happening potentially with some dogs.
 
Get a walking stick with a crook handle that's what I do. Since my dog was attacked by some idiots dog. The 'oh it's all right she is just playing' turned into a £400 vets bill which she got and paid.
 
Confused.

The Akita was a friendly and social dog.

Your dog was not and you increased your dog's stress level with your reaction.

Ptolemy speaks sense.
 
If a dog is on a lead don't let your loose dog near it it's quite simple. Put your dog on a lead to walk past. It's basic common sense.
 
Aberdeenshire, up Bennachie (horse chasing incident last week), Leith Hall on Boxing Day..... big lab knocked 2yo toddler down and slobbered all over baby in pushchair to the distress of the parents who had their own dog on a lead!! And here on the farm this morning .....3 dogs running loose all over the place despite signs asking that they be kept on a lead..... we have cattle, sheep, and livery horses all out at grass. There are several miles of unopposed access here why on earth do people have to abuse it??
 
Come visit my field AmyMay, I get at least one a day in there running round chasing squirrels, rabbits, cats, horses whilst the owner is 200 meters away screaming at Fido to 'Come' which is usually ignored until darling Fido is chased out of the field by me, my dog or one of the horses.
 
The thought persists: if you cannot control your dog without it being on a lead, then you do not have proper control of it at all, regardless of whether or not it is on a lead. Also agree that an awful lot of owners cause their dogs to react poorly by their own behaviour.

Relax and enjoy your walks already! Yes, the off lead dog might be badly behaved. It might also be absolutely fine. Heck, we may be hit by a meteor whilst walking, but who worries about that?

Why not try letting your dogs interact? They may just surprise you. The vast majority of off lead dogs do not actually attack anyone. Most are too busy enjoying themselves to even notice you.

And if you have a genuinely difficult dog, that must be walked on lead and cannot cope with others, then do what I do and don't walk it near other people. Turn and cross the street, take a detour, don't sit and wait for what worries your dog to come up to it! Avoid, block, carry a stick, etc.

Simple enough really. I do it every day with ginger pup, as he cannot cope with meeting strangers after being hit in the face with a hammer.
 
Personally I didnt leash mine. I train them to come back to me and heel touching me. We then walk together past whatever it is that I have called back for me it dog horse etc the dog is released. Reasoning is exactly what happened to the OP, I don't want dragged or knocked off my feet if something happens.

My last dog was a very large Gordon setter lean and fit he weighed close to seven stone, that on a lead I'd have had no chance had another dgg attacked and he was leashed. He wore a choke chain at all times, mainly for something for me to hold at a kerb or in case he needed leashed for busy public situations ie street walking. Mine even heeled to the horses on the pavement side for cars passing.

It's all in the training I believe :) in your defence OP I would have went bananas at the moron but her dog had it persisted would have got a chasing off from me before it came for a sniff.
 
I will say it again do not trust a dog coming up to your dog unless you say it's ok. Having had the 'oh she just wants to play' going onto a £400 vets bill. If another dog is on a lead put yours on a lead. My dog is off the lead when there aren't others about. She is also getting old and I don't want her pawed to the ground or worse thrown in the air. I trust no other dog with mine. I have shouted at people before to get their dog away but as usual 'oh she is only playing'
 
Hope you're ok OP.

Reminded me of something that happened here last spring, and I wondered what others would have done?

Whilst walking across our own land (no footpaths across this field) with 4 dogs all off the lead, I see a woman with 2 Labradors on those long extendy leads (on full extension, so she was effectively being skidoo-ed along when her dogs caught sight of mine). My dogs obviously ran over to hers all shouting their various 'hellos.' Her dogs proceeded to tangle themselves up in their ridiculous leads. She started shrieking at me to put mine on a lead which I don't carry with me so couldn't (plus wouldn't) but I called them to heel and went up to her to ask what on earth she was doing there when I was met with a tirade of abuse about 'wild dogs off leads' (said wild dogs currently lying down awaiting instruction whilst her be-leaded dogs doing wall of death on the end of theirs) and, unbelievably, 'are your dogs WORMED? I saw one poo over there and you DIDNT PICK IT UP!'

I not very politely told her that while she had her stupid dogs causing havoc in a field next to one with small lambs in, my worming habits were the least of her problems and what she needed to do was disappear through the nearest gate and never return.

I'm sure she would have told a very different story about the angry lady she met with 'wild' dogs.
(But not saying that's what happened here OP).
 
Whilst I agree with those posters who say that dogs are generally better when off lead, I totally sympathise with the OP here. She like me has GSDs, and I think owners of this and other larger breeds always have to err on the side of caution, otherwise the slightest incident would have our dogs tarred as "dangerous". My dogs are always on lead in areas where I am likely to meet other dogs, and on many occasions we have had other dogs rushing up, some no doubt are being friendly, but often their whole body posture is anything but, and sometimes they are downright aggressive. I carry a pet corrector spray, and have used it a couple of times.
SnowonSnow, in the incident you describe I would have been furious. I rent a field adjoining my own with a footpath through it, I take my dogs in there off lead but do always have a rope lead in my pocket and keep an eye open for other people and dogs. However in my own fields the dogs run free and I am not always totally supervising them (e.g. mucking out the field shelter). if someone came in there with their dogs (which is unlikely as it is pretty well fenced) they would have left fairly quickly I suspect before I got chance to say anything. :p
 
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