Need To Blow Some Steam Of After Incident On Walking Trail.

[southerngirl]

It's a beautiful day outside so I took Missy on a walking Missy on a walking trial and saw a dog ahead so I switched sides with Missy so I would be between Missy and the other dog(I don't know how she is with other dogs) not only does doing this make me more comfortable but also Missy. Once close enough I notice the dog is on a stupid extendable leash(hate them with a passion, no offence to anyone with one I'm sure your respective and shorten the lead when other dogs and people walk by) and its owner is on the phone. The dog goes straight up to Missy, I try keeping her away from the dog I can tell she is not comfortable having this dog in her face the dog than bites Missy's muzzle(nose, snout). This causes Missy to go off. She was making some terrible sounds. No surprise the STUPID guy(owner of the dog) doesn't try getting his dog away from my know panicking dog he is to busy talking on his phone he just keeps walking like nothings happening . I was so mad I wanted to give him a piece of my mind but me being only 5'3 and a teenager and this dude being pretty big about in his twenties it wouldn't have been a good idea so I waited till he was out of hearing distance and called him every word I could think of GAH. I tried getting Missy to calm down by having her sit giving calming signals, but she wasn't having it she just wanted to get as far away from the dog as she could so I just continued walking. The rest of the walk she was anxious and one alert, it ruined our walk. BUT before the stupid guy we had walked by someone with two dogs politly walking by their owners side Missy calmly walked by at first she flipped around to look at them but I redirected her the right direction and she walked by them without a problem. I feel Much better know that I have gotten that out.

 

[Anneke]

Oooh Don't you just want to smack poeple like that in the face!! All your hard work in training Missy out the door, because of some idiot!!
I know how you feel...
I was walking Jinx and Cooper in the woods yesterday. Jinx is in heat, so try to find palces where I run into as few dogs as possible. This because of Cooper. As he is dog agressive, he is worse now, because HIS girl is in heat.
Here comes this lady with a little white, fluffy thing on an extenda leash. Little thing barks his head off, but lady doesn't keep him close.
So I stop, show her I have my dogs on leash and ask her to keep her dog close to her, please.
My dog doesn't do anything!! He is very social!!!
Yeah right, social... social dogs don't bark their heads of at other dogs, with their tail so high up and hanging on the end of their leash on two paws!!!
Well, miss, my female dog is in heat and my male dog does not like other dogs. So please keep your dog close to you.
Well that's asking for trouble isn't it? going on a walk with a dog in heat and an agressive dog(rolling her eyes, but still not doing anything about her dog)
By now Cooper is pulling and growling, Jinx is pulling and jumping around. I am trying to stand my ground. These two together weigh the same as me!
I struggle my way off the path to get some distance between me and the lady. Finally I manage to get Cooper to sit and Jinx to stand next to me.
The lady walks by shaking her head, mumbling something like: some people just can't controle their dogs. Little fluffy still barking and being dragged along...

 

[rouen]

social dogs don't bark their heads of at other dogs, with their tail so high up and hanging on the end of their leash on two paws!!!

Dont know many beagles do you? Beagles when excited can't help but screech, squeal and bay. They also hold their tails as high as possible. Dasy has a habit of going to the end of the leash(though not pulling) and baying at people, kids in particular. She absolutely adores kids and can't contain herself.
I've been known to grab approaching dogs, leashed or not. If they're coming at us I have no problem grabbing scruff, collar or leash if I can't deter them with body language and a stern voice.
Southerngirl, some dogs respond positively to a chest scratch while they sit. Others will relax with a butt scratch, or a little impromptu t-touch or other massage.

 

[southerngirl]

(The dog that was out of control was a siberen husky it was taller and huskier than Missy.)

Anneke There is not anything that aggravates me more than people who allow there dogs to walk up to other dogs and people, just because they like like dogs or their dog likes dogs does not mean that every person likes dogs or every dog likes other dogs, some people can be so ignorant. Whenever I pass by someone with or without dog I make sure Missy doesn't bother them. That stinks that you got stuck in a situation like that lucky you were able to keep your dogs from getting a hold of that yappy little dog.

Rouen thanks for the tips on how to calm Missy down.

 

[tigerlily46514]

AW, SouthernGirl, i'm so on your side, i'm so so sorry this happened, this IS frustrating, and what an IDIOT the other dog walked was...could he not see your dog has on a muzzle? what!?
OH, i'm sorry, big internet hug going out over to you. Poor Missy, she did not need that. I'm sure this WAS very frustrating for you. Real sorry this happened to you, and to Missy.

doesn't sound like there was much you could have done differently, except possibley, call over to other dog walker to keep his dog away from yours, in as calm of voice as possible. Still, lots of humans do not listen .

When people begin to get dragged by their dogs who are pulling over to my gangsta dog, i do call over, "My dog is NOT FRIENDLY" and i shake my head "no" for added emphasis,
and usually, out of fear for their own skin, they do stop their dog's approach and stay back. Sometimes, i will call over "My dog will bite your dog" or, "My dog BITES" ...i am very clear about it. (although, my dog has not bitten another dog in years now, if i only tell them "My dog doesn't like dogs" then they will keep coming, saying "Oh, MY dog is friendly" AS IF that is all that matters)

(although, their skin is not truly in danger, as Buddy would love THEM, he just might not like this unknown dog)

 

[tigerlily46514]

//"Southerngirl, some dogs respond positively to a chest scratch while they sit. Others will relax with a butt scratch, or a little impromptu t-touch or other massage"//

. Relaxing a reactive dog is not quite as easy as those who have never done it might think it is. It can be done, but, i have found ANYTHING that works 100% of the time, after years of working on this...........
and relaxing a reactive dog takes a lot of practice, a lot of ongoing desensitization efforts, and a lot of knowledge, patience and even a dab of courage to persevere on the project. and not that Missy was reactive in this story, i think most dogs would be upset in that situation.

NOT that we know for sure yet, IF Missy is, or is not, truly a dog-aggressive dog, SouthernGirl is still evaluating this, (i know this cuz of other threads that Sgirl has mentioned this on, it is still unclear whether or not her Missy has a dog-aggression issue or not)
so it might not be the case for her Missy, too soon to know for sure. so sorry to have made it sound like Missy IS a DA dog, when in fact, Missy might not be at all. What Missy went through, would probably upset most dogs.

and yes, Sgirl, i have also found, once my dog has reacted, or in MIssy's case, got very upset, the dog is now chockful of adrenaline, and it takes about 20 minutes for that to dissipate. I always avoid all dogs for next 20-30 minutes til he is calm again. Like if you've ever been in a car accident, how your hands might shake a bit after? that is adrenaline...takes a while to wear back off.
My dog also HAS TO pee on something after he is upset.
right away!!!!! So first, we have to find a bush or pole, etc.

then after he has found a place to pee, then i can pull him over off into some grass, ask him to lie down, sit down next to him, massage his back, give him a yawn, a few slow blinks,
and wait.........it takes a while, but it does seem to help him recover a lil bit quicker. I think it is better buddy lie down and try to calm down, rather than drag me down the street and stay in that state of mind.

GOOD LUCK SOUTHERN GIRL, and not to worry, not everyone out there is idiot like that guy was...

 

[southerngirl]

I doubt this guy would have payed attention to anything I said he was too occupied with talking on his phone, I mean the dog bit Missy and he didn't do anything about it no apology no getting his dog away from mine he didn't even glance in my direction just keep walking like nothing was wrong. Also I'm a quite person when it comes to people I don't know so I'm not comfortable shouting out to some stranger the only reason I would have said something to the guy is if his dog had of attacked mine, but it is a good way to protect your dog from irresponsible owners.

 

[southerngirl]

I tried getting her to lie down, but she was to worked up so I just massaged her while she was standing it somewhat helped but she was still on edge. She calmed down a lot when we got back to my neighborhood, I guess she feels safe their.

 

[tigerlily46514]

yeah, i have worked a lot on getting Buddy to sit, then lie down, when he is upset. He self-calms when he lies down, he is weird that way.
I remembered as i read your words, i do have to ask for a "sit" first, then a lie down. I'd forgotten that does take practice, too. we've been doing it so long, i'd forgotten, that was hard years ago..... sorry. and i almost always carry treats, too.

Your sitting down, *may* help Missy sit, or lie down, too. This gets easier, Southerngirl, it really does.

and i understand now, about you are quieter person, and he was on phone, and even if he wasn't, still, some ppl still keep coming ANYWAY , evne if he HAD heard a warning. sorry, SG, i don't want to add to your frustration, i would have been irritated to have someone be so thoughtless, same as you were. Real sorry this happened. >HUGS<

 

[rouen]

Tigerlily. I think those who keep coming after being warned are under the false assumption that their dog will get along with any other dog and may even cure a reactive dog.
Hopefully Missy was just nervous about the situation and the other dogs approach and just responded to it.

Relaxing a reactive dog is not quite as easy as those who have never done it mightthink it is. It can be done, but, i have found ANYTHING that works 100% of the time, after years of working on this....

Just wanted to mention, Dingo is reactive and extremely hyper vigilant, I was speaking from experience in calming him down.

 

[tigerlily46514]

Yeah, i bet you are right, about ppl thinking their dog being friendly is all that matters, and they don't know much about reactive dogs.

Is Dingo reactive to unknown humans, or unknown dogs?


//"Hopefully Missy was just nervous about the situation and the other dogs approach and just responded to it"//

that is not impossible, but, no way to know for sure. I hope you are right.
My dog is dog-aggressive,
and my dog has reacted when i was soooo calm, that i wasn't even paying attention ..........and my dog has stayed calm, and even "liked" an unknown, off-leash dog charging towards us, when i WAS sweating and very nervous and tense at the whole scene.

but, my dog was cool, and ended up playing with that dog. while i was trying to realize i should probably inhale again after all.


(nowadays, the only only only time i ever ever feel fear, is a charging offleash dog, other than that, i have become desensitized to my dog's reactions...so he barks, big deal. )

turns out, my dog is not necessarily an extension of me, but, Buddy is his very own being, with his very own feelings which are separate, and sometimes opposite of my own.

I reeeeally really wish my being calm could prevent reactions. wow, do i ever wish that.

 

[mewzard]

social dogs don't bark their heads of at other dogs, with their tail so high up and hanging on the end of their leash on two paws

Anneke - i'm not disagreeing with the overall tone of your post - the woman was impolite and discourtious to you. The bit highlighted above is Oka, and she is "hypersocial", she doesn't bark but she would look just the same as you described.

 

[southerngirl]

Missy won't take treats after something like that, she is too worked up, but I should get a treat bag so I can carry treats wherever I go with Missy. Next time something like this happens(which I hope will be never, but it probably will happen again.) I will wait until I have gotten Missy calmed down before walking(I'll try sitting next time to get her to lie down), but at the time I was shaken up so I wasn't thinking straight. It really scared me cause the other dog was trying to get a hold of Missy and Missy was flipping out.

 

[rouen]

Is Dingo reactive to unknown humans, or unknown dogs?

Both, although with people he's slowly getting better. I have found a lot of dogs in my area are DA or dog reactive. We dont really have many outlets for dog/dog socialization. So finding a dog that wont react to his reaction to work on counter conditioning and desensitization is tough.
Missy have you tried distracting her with a high value treat or working on easy behavoirs (sit, shake, etc) while other on leash dogs that make her nervous walk by?

 

[southerngirl]

Yes, I have had Missy do simple behaviors and after a while she stops paying attention to the other dog, but in this situation I could not do this cause the dog walked right up to Missy. I have not tried using a high value treat cause I usually don't bring treats with me, but I am going to get one of those treat carriers so I will start bringing treats with me. Next time I really need to take a breath and chill so I can focus on calming Missy down.

 

[Anneke]

Anneke - i'm not disagreeing with the overall tone of your post - the woman was impolite and discourtious to you. The bit highlighted above is Oka, and she is "hypersocial", she doesn't bark but she would look just the same as you described.

But if your dog is social, her attitude will be very different from an agressive dog. Jinx will do this too, but you can tell she wants to meet this other dog and play.
This little dog wasn't saying I want to play more like: I'll take your head off if you come closer.

 

[Anneke]

Dont know many beagles do you? Beagles when excited can't help but screech, squeal and bay. They also hold their tails as high as possible. Dasy has a habit of going to the end of the leash(though not pulling) and baying at people, kids in particular. She absolutely adores kids and can't contain herself.
I've been known to grab approaching dogs, leashed or not. If they're coming at us I have no problem grabbing scruff, collar or leash if I can't deter them with body language and a stern voice.
Southerngirl, some dogs respond positively to a chest scratch while they sit. Others will relax with a butt scratch, or a little impromptu t-touch or other massage.

I do know beagles, they can't help having their tail up high, because it is the natural position of their tail, but there is a difference in a high tail and a so called "flagged" tail, when the tail is held stiff and pointing over the back towards the head. This is a sign of exitement(not neccessarily aggression)

I did not explain all the signs this little dog was giving, but I can tell you they were not friendly. Somehow some people think that when a little dog shows this anti-social behaviour it is funny, but when a big dog(like my Cooper) does this, it is dangerous(which it is, because Cooper can do a lot more damage to a small dog than a small dog can do to him)

Problem with Cooper is, that he skipps a few steps. He will go from agitated, to kill mode in one step. Hardly any vocal warning. I am ashamed to say that is my fault, because I have been correcting every sign of agression, even a growl. I didn't know better back then.
So people see this dog, that looks like a bernese mountain dog(which he is not), think that he is cute and a little agitated. No problem, he looks ok. And then when the dog is in range, Cooper will react, seemingly out off nowhere. But I have seen the signs he gives, they are subtle, but they are there.
When he does lunge, he looks vicious and people will say: wow!! I did not see that coming!! He looks so nice!!
Well, that is why I warned you, but you did not listen. Thank you for putting my dog in a wrong, but heavily self-rewarding position!!(I lunge and owner pulls away enimy-dog, therefore I lunge and dog goes away! I did it again, I am invincible!!)

 

[tigerlily46514]

SouthernGirl, don't be hard on yourself, it does sound like you did the best anyone could have done in a very frustrating situation.
I so so so so understand about freaking out, ohhh bayyyyby, wow, i used to about panic when Buddy reacted, sure did. I worried, "what if he gets out of his leash! What if he bites the other dog, or if the other dog bites my Buddy!? How will we break up a fight! What if some human gets his hand bit while breaking up the fight!" on and on and on, i had 100 worries in my head, instantly, when Buddy did his cujo-dog thing.


it took a while, but i did get used to it. i did. Overtime, i became more confident, "i really do have control of my dog, yes, he IS barking away at the end of his leash, but, he is leaving with me. He will NOT get bit, nor bite anyone, and this here, is as bad as it gets."
no one gets hurt.
I look like a terrible dog owner ,
my dog looks like a crazed maniac,
and there is some noise,
and really,
that's about it.
how bad is that?
i did reduce my own fear. i did. it did not happen overnight. it took some time for me to notice, "oh, it is just a big noisey moment. well, all righty then, i can deal with that after all."

now, SouthernGirl, what YOU and Missy went through, would have scared me, too, and i do not scare easily anymore, but, yes, i think ANYONE in your shoes would have been upset!!
I still get scared, if the oncoming dog is off-leash,
however,
since i've worked so so so so much with Buddy, his reactions are no longer as dramatic as they once were,
and i don't get quite as afraid, even for off-leash dogs,
as i once did,
cuz now i think, there is much better chance,
that Buddy will not kill or maim the oncoming dog . I still get scared about off-leash dogs, but not as scared as i used to be.

anyway, SG, i just wanted to let you know, i think you did the best you could,
the best anyone could have done,
and don't be hard on yourself for freaking out, that would have freaked me out, too.
BUT, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, SouthernGirl, is does get easier, it does. You will feel more confident (for 'normal' situations, not like that one with the idiot).
you will.
overtime, the typical reaction becomes no big deal anymore....for buddy, it is now reduced to a "bark, bark" for most reactions now. It gets better and easier and less and less and less scarey.

 

[tigerlily46514]

lol, Anneke, your invincible Cooper!
i bet that IS how our dogs see all this!!!!

 

[tigerlily46514]

//"Both, although with people he's slowly getting better."//

Sorry to hear it, but i understand, i have a gangsta dog too. and GLAD he IS getting better with ppl!!! yay!!

interesting. He is getting better with unknown ppl,
or getting better with ppl he is getting to know?

Is Dingo a shy dog? Does Dingo prefer to stay across the room from unknown humans who visit your home, duck away from unknown hands, dislikes being leaned over, or touched by unknown humans?

Is Dingo your only dog? Does Dingo have any canine pals?


(sorry, i am very nosey person about dogs with issues )