Hi. I have just witnessed my lovely, well behaved(or so I thought) chocolate 22 month old female try to attack a smaller dog who was being walked on a lead by his owner. She went up to it and it was barking she then went for it. Barking. Snarling. Teeth out. Chasing it. The owner was trying to lift it out of the way as mine kept on trying to get at it. I am so shocked and upset that she reacted the way she did. She meets lots of dogs and has never done that. In the past if a dog has been aggressive to her I have seen her be the same back to it but she instigated this today. I am going to keep her on the lead from now on but what do I need to do? Any advice please? Thanks
Hi. I wouldn’t keep her on lead from now on for just one incident, but do so for a short time whilst you work with her. I would try and give her some positive interactions with other small dogs, but keep the interaction short and nice. Did the little dog give off any body language or snarl or anything? Some dogs just don’t like other dogs and I don’t think we should expect them all to get on. I do not let my girl interact with any dog on lead as they could be on lead as they are injured, reactive, snappy, bad recall etc etc. I also put her on lead if I see a dog I don’t know. By being on lead it has really helped us as my girl can be reactive with some dogs. It helps me manage the situation. I will see a dog and say ‘look at that’ and reward her for looking at me and staying calm. She now usually comes to me as soon as she sees a dog to get a reward and for me to pop her on lead. I hope this has helped a bit.
Hi. Thanks for your reply it really makes sense to me. Yes the little dog did give off a vibe and I think it was on the lead for a reason. The owner actually blamed his dog but I know mine was at fault. I will definitely do what you have suggested. Thank you for the good advice
I’m glad it made sense! It could well of been the reason the dog was on lead and your girl just reacted because of how he was with her. Please do let us know how you get on.
Hi Jan67 I agree with Naya’s advice by putting your girl on a lead until you establish how she is following this incident. I often put our two girls on a lead especially if I’m not familiar with the approaching dog. Best of luck x
I also don't like my dogs to meet others on lead. It's a bit different with my youngest if I know the other dog is very friendly, but with an unfamiliar dog, they never meet if they (or it) are on lead and my two older dogs never meet even familiar dogs on lead. It's a recipe for disaster as the lead inhibits natural body language and removes the "flight" option, meaning "fight" is far more likely. So, my advice is, if you see another dog on lead, put your dog on lead too if she can't be trusted not to approach. If your dog is on lead, don't allow others to come up to her or for her to interact with any other dogs.
Thank you so much for your help. I will definitely do as suggested. I have learnt from it and I will not let her be in that position again. I am still devastated she actually did it. Thanks again
I don't like my dog to meet others on leash either. Both off is completely different, especially as where we walk both usually have ample space to avoid each other if they want. Our trainer consoled a few of us when three of us had our dogs rush a young Min Pin, in our class. Not so young, about 18 months, the same age as my dog and both intact. AS trainer she was able to see that the Min Pin was staring at the other dogs. Not just the other three intact males, but mostly, but also all the dogs in class. While all our dogs were trying to pay attention to their owners the Min was staring as he waited his turn. He was slated to be a stud dog but even his owner eventually recognized he had some kind of problem. After some sessions with a behaviourist she had him neutered, which did not stop the staring but did take him out of the potential gene pool. He was just "off" somehow. Keep your ears open, maybe that smaller dog you met has some similar issues it takes a third party to notice. It might not be your girl's fault at all, but I agree, keep an eye on her too.
