what to do when a loose barking dog runs up to me walking my dog on a leash?

Question

I have a 4 mnth old black lab pup who needs lots of walks to help expend her boundless energy..

She does fine when we walk by dogs on leashes, sometimes they sniff and play a little but she doesn't have any aggression or problems at all. She is still a puppy even though she's 25lbs already...

Sometimes a loose dog will run up to us, it's fine now that she's a pup but when she's an adult, excited-energy lab jumping up to a rushing barking German Shep or Chow, that could cause problems!

What are you supposed to do when loose dogs run up to you walking your dog on a leash? So far I just stay relaxed and keep walking straight ahead but what if a dog comes all the way up to us and a fight starts?

Just trying to get educated before something like this happens. And yes she's in puppy kindergarten for socialization and yes we'll get her spayed. ;)

Any tips? thanks~

There is a leash law, but I live in a big city that is EXTREMELY dog friendly. Dogs are allowed on all the outdoor patios, there are tons of parks and dog parks, dogs are just everywhere and I wonder what should I do if me and my pup get bullied?

Answer 1

TURN IN THE OWNERS..WHEN I WALK MY PIT HE FIGHT WITH THE DOGS BUT IM THE BAD GUY MY DOGS ON THE LEASH....TURN THEM IN....THEY DONT NEED A DOG IF THEY CANT CONTROL IT

Answer 2

I have this same problem. Here's what is going to happen. No matter how well you socialize YOUR dog, you will run into an off-leash dog that is not well socialized and is going to attack her - while I use that word, I don't mean kill her, I mean, tussle. "fight" if you want to use that word - not draw blood, just lots of growling and so on, and what will happen is that your dog will develop on-leash aggression. This has happened with my dog. He has been "attacked" by (and still counting) SEVEN off-leash dogs in our neighborhood.

We also have a leash law, however, people seem to think that because their dog is a little sweetheart they don't have to obey it. And now me, the responsible one, has an on-leash aggressive dog.

I have been told, that one of the best things that you can do is actually drop the leash. Dogs that are restrained by/on a leash do not act "dog" like. Dogs do not naturally meet one another head to head - that's an aggressive stance. Dogs go for the rear area for smelling. Letting go of the leash allows the dogs to meet the right way. Of course, you never know what will happen when you let go of the leash, which is why I haven't tried it yet.

I have used Cesar Millan's techniques. I put my dog behind me, take a calm assertive stance and put my hand up and make a loud noise at the on-coming mack truck of a dog that is usually headed my way. I yell "NO" at the on-coming dog. This has worked with some success. And usually by that point the owner has emerged yelling - it's okay - beefie here is friendly, he wouldn't hurt a fly.

What people don't understand is - sometimes dogs are on a leash because THEY would hurt a fly.

I hope it doesn't get to the point that your dog gets on-leash aggression. It's embarrassing, a pain, and very difficult to deal with (especially since I walk all 3 of my dogs at the same time - when the one freaks out, 3 are a LOT harder to control than 1).

Good luck

Answer 3

First most dogs are not going to just attack to be attacking. You need to train your dog on how to react. If you are walking with your dog and you want to keep walking have a sound you will say and point yourself forward and keep walking. Don't assume the other dog will attack anymore than you assume that every stray human will attack. Yes there are leash laws which apparently you are abiding by. Great for you. We cannot force everyone to follow the law. That's what we have police for and should there be an incident inform them. You should carry a spray for yourself anyway when you are out and about. Should the need arise because of an four-legged animal or two, use it. Don't carry a stick. This may enrage some dogs. Swinging objects is never a good idea. Some dogs may appear like they might want to bite at the sight of it when all they want to do is chase it. Others may attack because the object might remind them of some bad incident. Train your dog to be obedient to you. Let the dog you are master. This requires love and consistency with commands. Use good old-fashion common sense.

Answer 4

Find out what the leash laws are in your county. If dogs are required to be on leash you can also report the loose dogs. Learn to see loose dogs coming and avoid them, turn and walk the other way or carry pepper spray for emergencies.

I actually had two off leash dog aggressive dogs run up to me and my leashed dog. They tried to attack her so I put her (lab) between my legs and yelled at the dogs in a low voice to get back. Then I ended up having to kick them in the face when they lunged. Once the owner ran up and grabbed one dog I ended up letting my dog go and tackled the other dog with a scruff grab. Probably not the best move bceasue I could have been bit but I really wasn't thinking.

I called animal control and one of her dogs were PTS after spending 10 days in bite quaratine. It was completely her fault since her dogs were off leash and she had to pay for my vet bills.

So yeah, pepper spray?

Answer 5

Should an incident occur on the yappy dog's property you could very well be responsible for vet bills - even if your dog is on a leash! I recommend you report this dog to your local Animal Control, and not just to stop the harassment of you & your dog. The yappy dog is asking for trouble. Not ALL dogs it goes after will be as tolerant as yours & it could be attacked. Not only that, a dog running free & unsupervised runs the risk of getting hit by a car. Animal Control will notify the yappy dog's owners of the leash laws & hopefully that will put a stop to the interruption of your walk AND keep the other dog safe from the hazards its irresponsible owners are risking for their pet.

Answer 6

I have a 56 lb White German Shepherd and there are these 3 loose, terroristic Chihuahuas that charge at my sweet natured dog and even bite her. My dog has been trained to be nice to smaller animals and I had to take matters into my own hands. I got a water-gun and filled it with vinegar, aimed and fired! I don't believe they will do this to my dog again. They don't even look at me anymore! Best of luck with this problem!

Answer 7

I hate to say it, but you really need to start carrying a repellent spray.

For your own, and the dog's, safety!!

I'm speaking from experience.

Citronella spray works. It doesn't sting or burn, dogs just don't like the smell. It will only deter "friendly" dogs. Angry/aggressive/attacking dogs will ignore it.

Pepper spray burns like fire. Unfortunately, I've found it necessary to carry it. Several times (yeah, more than once) my dog would have been mauled if I hadn't been able to hurt the attacking dog.

Get both at Walmart. Pet stores will have citronella spray.

Answer 8

When I take my dog for a walk, I take a large stick with me or stick a hammer in my pocket. I live near a forest preserve and we get lots of strays . Luckily I've never had to use it, but better to be safe than sorry. Even though your dog is socialized, some stray dogs are out for blood when they see another dog and can be mean.

Answer 9

i just had that problem, i have a 6 moth old male whippet i was walking and a female stafordshire bull terrier(pit bull) came running up to us, i waited to see what the staffie would do,it stoped before it got close enough to touch noses with my whippet and everything seemed fine so i let them meet, as soon as they touched noses the staffie lunged at my whippet,ether to play or fight i don't know but that was enough for me, so i told it no.and kept walking, it fallowed us so i had to tell it no again and when it would not back off i punched it and continued home it came with us all the way to the porch and even tryed to come in to the house. so i called police dispatch and had them find the owners.

Answer 10

well in my city they just passed a by-law making it illegal to have your dog off leash, maybe you should write the mayor or something.
provided you dont want to take a fish-bat to the other dogs noggen, id say try and put your own backside to the other dog and your dog in front of you, its unlikely the other dog will try to bite your ***, and if it did, itll heal.
better than getting your dogs face all stitched up for hundreds of bucks.

Answer 11

Best thing to do is to take a spray bottle- mix ammonia and water half and half... when the stray approaches squirt it in the face. If that don't work, knock the crap out of the stray and then call animal control.