What can i do about dog owners having disobedient dogs loose?

Freya has been well socialised since 8 weeks old, has been to puppy classes where at the beginning and end of the class all pups play off lead together, got her GC Bronze at 6 months old and is working towards her silver. However she has recently started having a bark at certain dogs, some she will be fine with, others she will sound really quite aggressive.:( I am working on this and have come down on her quite hard. Where I live we very rarely meet other dogs when out walking, so I have started walking her round towns, parks etc. This week when in the park, first of all 2 little terriers came dashing up to her, whilst the owner watched and made no attempt to call them back (she was great,kept focussed on me:)) and then a little while later some idiot threw a ball for his dog right across our path, twice! Now I do accept the point that dogs are often better off lead, and in fact I am pretty sure if I let her off lead she would not attack them, however I am trying to sort out her problem ON lead , and more to the point if a GSD bounds up to people with even one woof there is every chance they would be shouting Dangerous Dog at me.
Therefore I do totally sympathise with regard to people not controlling dogs off lead, and just wish more people would realise that if a dog is on lead there is quite likely a very good reason. As to what you can do about it OP, I wish I knew.
 
EquestrianFairy said:
If my dog is off a lead and he spots another dog he will make a bee-line for them to attack them
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From what you have said (and this especially) it does not sound like he is fear aggressive at all. It sounds like plain aggression.

I own both types of dog. I have one who will lunge and run after any dog who comes near him. This, is plain aggression. I also have another who will run away from any dog that comes near her. She will run and run until she is cornered and has no where else to go, and then she will snarl. This, is fear aggression.
 
This afternoon while I was out walking we spotted a chap with two springers off the lead. Springer #1 immediately bristled and started barking at us. Man pips his whistle, both dogs immediately return to heel. Springer #1 gets a slip lead dropped over his head, springer #2 told to heel, man moves over to give several metres between us to allow the dogs to pass.

Dax is on her long line so instructed to stay to heel, R is attached to me via a belt and 6ft line so he's told to go on by. He has a little look at the springers, they have a little look at him but everyone passes without a single bark, lunge or drama.

Man and I cheerily exchange waves and thanks, pass by, he releases springer #1 and we carry on our way.

Had the springer been allowed to approach R, assuming it wasn't actually aggressive, the scenario would have resulted in R flipping out - lunging, howling, pulling me about, probably D would have felt the need to pitch in to protect him and unlike him she would actually get her teeth in if necessary. He is an anxious, wussy dog who is often unsure how to act around other dogs (poor socialisation, not my fault, doing our best to rectify it) and as a result defaults to screaming as it usually results in the other dog being dragged away.

Hopefully MM can vouch for the fact that even when snapped at by a big hooge nasty GSD (:p) he doesn't do a damn thing, it's just passing head to head and unexpectedly getting a face full of obtrusive dog that he doesn't know what to do with. Doing what springer man does is hardly difficult and removed any drama for either of us.
 
Yep I can vouch for R, he just looked hurt that said Gsd was rude to him. That was one of the first times she had reacted to another dog, as you will also hopefully agree she was great when she met R and D earlier in the summer, blooming dog!
 
It continually baffles me that I can take him to a dog show with a bazillion other dogs and he doesn't do a thing, in fact is quite pleasant and social, then a little old lady passes us in the street back at home with an elderly wheezy hound and he flips out at it. :o

I don't know enough about GSDs to comment but is it just an 'orrible gobby adolescent phase they have to pass through? Sibes have the manic excitable terror stage, it's only fair other breeds have their own phases. And yes she was wonderful the first time and and has happily remained wonderful with me, I even got a nice lick and munch last time before she decided R was to be shouted at. :p
 
4 behaviourists cannot be wrong- I've paid them enough.

He is fear aggressive- he is scared of everything and everyone he does not know.

If a dog is within a certain distance he will not stand there and run away, he protects himself by attacking (see my 'attack' explaination above- there is no blood shed) he then will then wee himself automatically afterwards and cry at me.

It might be easy to assume that one fear aggressive dog is the same as another but it's not always that straight forward. He has met some dogs in the past (again, see above) that I have known or people have allowed me to introduce him to and he is fine. Strange dogs or people he does not know, this scares him.
 
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I have a fear aggressive dog, well I used to she is fine now but I am still careful in certain situation. Darcy would just bark and lunge at other dogs as if to say keep away from me. Im sure if she had been allowed to continue it would have escalated but I put in a lot of work to help her over it.
 
EquestrianFairy said:
If my dog is off a lead and he spots another dog he will make a bee-line for them to attack them (in his mindset it's to get them before they 'get' him)

It's not easy to find dogs to walk him with because people don't want to risk him biting them
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Zak is just like this. He's just plain aggressive and has to dominate other dogs by getting in there first. Once that's over, he's their best mate. Shame the owners start shouting and screaming. :rolleyes:

He's currently seeing a trainer who uses old fashioned methods: a shout, a tug on the lead and increasing exposure to strange dogs with a toy or food reward. If dogs approach in the park, I stand on his lead tight enough so he can't get up from a down, other dog is safe. Also, yes, relax, stop and talk to other people with dogs using that trick. Ignore their dogs, let them sniff etc. Zak goes out on his own (they all do) which helps lots.
 
Unfortunately people don't seem to be able to use common sense when it comes to dogs!!

If a dog is on a lead, make sure you either put your own dog on lead or keep it close to heel. It may be that the dog is fearful/in training/aggressive but no matter which of these it is, a dog running up to it isn't going to help at all!!

It may be that they just have a non existent recall and if so the owner will usually say so, and often offer your dog to greet if wanted.

My own DA male stafford is very rarely walked 'in public' due to people not being able to control their offlead dogs - he would eagerly attack another dog if I ever allowed him to, but luckily for the dogs owned by numpties I'm a responsible and capable handler who doesn't let it get that far. He is not muzzled and will never be muzzled - he is on lead and under total control, unlike those whose owners yell and yell whilst fido does his own merry thing!!

I will call to other owners asking for them to recall their dogs, usually met by 'oh its ok he only wants to play' type responses. I will then ask again backed up by if your dog gets any closer to mine there's the possibility of it getting bitten, if you want to risk it then fine don't bother trying to call it back!!
If owner isn't in sight (like is always the case with 3 large entire male husky types) I will put my lad in a stay behind me and use body language to stop the dogs galloping right into us (this way, with him behind me, they react to my energy and not that of my dog)

I will then advance towards them, effectively sending them away - this works purely because they aren't aggressive in any way shape or form, they do simply want to play with my boy - but have absolutely no manners with other dogs and would get themselves bitten by just jumping straight in!!

Kim
 
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