DOG-Gone It! (a bit long, sorry!)

[sparrow]

Hi Everyone!

I have never been really comfortable around dogs. Not really afraid - we had dogs growing up - just nervous. Being with my husband had changed all that. He adores dogs, so hanging around him really made me start to like dogs. If a strange one approached me I would actually pet it, rather than hide behind my husband. But now, I have witnessed three unpleasant dog situations in the last month or so and I find myself really disliking dogs again. My nephew was bitten, my sister's puppy was attacked by a friend's dog and yesterday, while running in the woods with my husband, a dog "stalked" me. I was ahead of my husband, who was walking because of his knees, when I saw this HUGE dog up ahead. I have actually seen him before with his owner (always unleashed) but I did not see her, so I decided not to run past him. I stopped, and turned and started to walk away (he was about 200 feet from me). By this time he had seen me, and as I turned I saw him head in my direction. I walked, calmly, then looked over my shoulder. He was much closer to me and when I looked at him he crouched down a bit and made some aggressive noises. I calmly picked up a stick and kept walking. Looked back, same thing, though closer this time. At this point I was fully expecting the dog to lunge at me any second. As I walked I could hear him getting closer. Then luckily his owner came charging around the bend and started screaming "Henry! Henry! WAIT!" ( Judging from the tone of her voice I had good reason to be worried). Then my husband came around the corner and took the situation in and came hustling over, but by that time it was over.

Anyway, I am just looking for some input from the dog lovers! Should I have handled this differently? Been more aggressive with the dog myself? Could he have been playing? ANd, any thoughts on getting over the fear? The world is full of good dogs; I was really enjoying them for the first time in my life and now I am back at square one.


Sparrow

















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[dss62467]

I wouldn't get aggressive with a dog that is being aggressive to me. I would only defend myself if actually attacked, but I've never had that happen. I've never had a dog threaten me. Oh wait, I did get bit by a Yorkshire Terrier once when I came into his house. He's lucky I didn't kick him across the room, the little snot.

Now, if that dog at the park was truly a dog to be wary of, it was extremely irresponsible of his owner to let him off the leash. My dog bumped a little boy at the park one day and cut his cheek. I had him on a leash, but I was caught off balance and was unable to hold him. My dog was in no way being aggressive and has never been aggressive towards a person in his entire life. But I will never take him to the playground again. He's just too big and strong.

 

[jdoll]

dogs sense fear and discomfort. they are very intuitive. it of course is also a possibility that the dog in the park is wacko. i adore dogs and have been around them my whole life. i have never been afraid of one and although i have come in contact with aggresive dogs, i have always had "luck" with diffusing the situation. it is hard to say, but i think you handled yourself the best way you know how and you can't really help it if you feel uncomfortable, so maybe you should keep some pepper spray or a large walking stick with you if you will be in an area where unleased and aggressive dogs are roaming about. it is very irresponsible of people to let their pets go unleashed in public places.

i hope you don't stop liking dogs though based on your recent experiences. most dogs are great. ;-)


jes

 

[wutherhi]

I'm with Jes. Dogs can sense even the mildest fear or even discomfort. You'd only have to see my little four-pound Ani around a stranger to realize that she only gets aggressive with people (or other animals) who are afraid of her (and there are more than you'd think). At four pounds, she'd BETTER back down if she doesn't inspire fear.

When she meets someone new, she gives a little "test growl" and kind of waits for a response. If she senses fear, she's a "quivering, snarling, white-hot ball of canine terror," to quote an old Steven Spielberg short film. Otherwise, she's the world's biggest coward. I've seen her chased around the backyard by a cat! Pathetic!

I ride my bicycle nearly every day on country highways all over southeast Kansas. Out here, the houses are far apart, the roads are not busy, and many, many people let their dogs roam free. I'm chased by dogs nearly every day. I've even been followed all the way home, sometimes ten or fifteen miles, and have had to load the dog up in the backseat of my car and take it back home. And not just once, either.

I do carry mace, just in case, and I would not hesitate to use it if necessary, but I have never even had to reach for it. I just talk to the dog the way I talk to my own. I say things like, "Well, now, aren't you just beautiful. Look how strong you are. You're doing a great job of protecting your property, aren't you? But you'd better get on back home now. It's not good to be out in the road like this. A car could come along and then where would you be?" (Talk about pathetic! Even I think I'm a nut.)

I look toward the dog but not into its eyes, which I understand they view as a challenge, and I stop pedaling so the dog can come alongside and sniff me without thinking I'm running away. Then I slowly start to pedal again after the dog calms down. I'm no expert, but so far, so good. (I've probably jinxed myself and will be bitten, now.) I guess I'm just not really afraid of that. I know it will hurt, of course, but I also know I'm not going to die from it. I can easily grab my mace (it's attached to the frame with velcro) and spray the dog before it can do any serious damage.

Anyway, my point is that any dog, either naturally passive or aggressive, can get aggressive if they sense they have the upper hand. But it's not just a matter of behaving as if you're not afraid. I think you have to actually BE internally calm. They're so intuitive. I'm not sure that's something you can develop, but it would be worth a try.

You might read up on dogs a little bit. (Knowledge is power.) Stories are good. Read some humorous stories, especially. There are tons of stories on the Internet. Also, read some of the stories about pets people have lost. It's heartbreaking, but it really gives you some insight. (Here are a couple of sites I used for some research for an article: http://www.mycemetery.com/my/pet_menu.html -or- http://www.in-memory-of-pets.com)

Also, read about dog behavior and what you are telling them with your actions and body language, as well as what their body language means. (It can be surprising.) Also, read some articles on dog training. Learn what works. Learn to enjoy dogs and love their little quirks, and you may find yourself relaxing without really having to put much effort into it. The rewards are so worth the effort. My life is so much richer for the dogs, both friends and strangers, that are a part of it. I wish the same for you.

Shari

 

[kmkali24]

I agree about the pepper spray. With the way you feel, and people being so "irresponsible" these days, you'd probably feel safer.
I've never had this happen, but where I live there have been some incidents w/ dogs, who's owners train them to attack and be mean and vicious to other dogs. When I see something like that on the news I'd like to sig their dog on "them" and see how they like it! Jerks.

Also, as far as your fear, try telling yourself you're not afraid, and "believe yourself", whenever, not when you're out walking in the woods. If you keep at it you will. Our thoughts become feelings. Fear is crippling. And in this case w/ dogs, they can sense it. I've done this before and can tell you it works. Hope you feel better.
Kali

 

[67firecracker]

A dog that has the inclination to sense fear and respond dominantly toward it should not be let off the leash in a public area. Most dogs will not respond this way - in fact some dogs will sense fear and act compassionately! If you have the opportunity I would talk to the owner about the situation - any decent owner will be more inclined to either limit their dog's off-leash activity to a less public place or at least watch it more closely. The protective spray sounds like a good idea - and mentioning to the owner that you feel the need to carry spray because of the situation would be a good idea - dog owners do not want their dog sprayed and that alone may get her to pay better attention to her pet's whereabouts.

I believe you did the right thing - it's pretty tough to act not fearful when you are scared! Even wanting to address this fear shows an incredible strength of character. I really admire you for it.

Trish

http://www.dogshow.ca/images/running-dog.gif

 

[red_mct]

I was bitten in the face by a doberman when I was a kid and had tons of stitches. (I am lucky to have only a small scar on my jaw.) The dog just had puppies & I went over there with a bunch of neighborhood kids... we were standing on the porch and the owner opened the door and the dog came lunging through the door at me. I think I was 5 or 6.... it was terrifying.

But I still like dogs, just not big dogs because most people don't know how to control animals that size properly, and definitely not dogs that are known for aggression.

I think you acted appropriately and got some great advice here. It's easy to say, "Don't be afraid" but more difficult to actually NOT be afraid in that kind of situation. I would carry mace or pepper spray to be on the safe side. I also think it is really irresponsible of the owner to have a dog that size off the leash. I have a pug, and I never let him off the leash! lol

Cheers,
Marie

 

[pink_fortitude]

I was running a few months ago with my daughter trailing me on her bike. We ran past a house that had a dog on a chain in an unfenced backyard. OF COURSE as soon as we ran past, his chain broke loose. He started to chase us and I felt threatened and he was not going to get ANYWHERE near my DD, so I turned around and chased him and yelled at him. He ran away and looked at me and left us alone after that.

I was raised with dogs and I feel VERY comfortable with them (I had SEVERAL childhood dogs including one Rottweiler). Everyone here is right, you show fear and they will show dominance. I know it is hard not to show fear especially when you are afraid, so what you did was right. You picked up a stick so you could defend yourself. Another thing that dogs hate and it scares and confuses them is throwing rocks and dirt at them. One thing that I would do is if you see the owner of the dog again, especially if that dog is off the leash again, I would talk to him about putting a leash on him. If he makes excuses like "he doesn't like the leash" or "he's harmless", let him know how "harmless" he was with you and let him know that animal control will be contacted the next time you see him w/o a leash.

Please don't let this incident deter you! Dogs are so wonderful! They are great companions and they are so eager to please humans and they are cute!!!! I have so many fond memories of dogs and they were my best friends growing up! There are a few bad apples, but most are so loveable and cuddly! I am honestly more afraid of what people can do than dogs.

Missy

 

[dss62467]

That's the problem with pit bulls. They aren't natural born killers, as the media would have you believe. But people mistreat them and teach them to be aggressive, because if you've ever seen the way they attack - they just don't let up! I get very aggrevated every time I see a news story about a pit bull attack because it gives the rest of them a bad reputation. I sometimes get a reaction from the unenlightened when they find out what breed my baby is. Most people aren't afraid though, which I find comforting.

Something that I've noticed with pets in general (well, dogs and cats), they seem to sense the people who really aren't too crazy about them and then the animal will gravitate towards them. Like they want to win them over or something. Maybe the dog in the park sensed that you don't really like dogs and he wanted to show you how awesome they can be.

Or maybe not...

 

[red_mct]

Donna,

I notice that behavior with my cats (we have three; they are NOT happy about their new Pug brother, lol)... whenever anyone who doesn't like cats comes over, they practically stalk the person for attention! This drives my SO crazy because he is NOT a cat person and he can't even sit down without someone planting themselves on his lap (not me). lol

Cheers,
Marie

 

[andtckrtoo]

I'm really sorry that some bad owners have effected your love of dogs. You did the right thing, with the aggressive dog, but you should not have turned your back on it. If a situation like that happens again, look at the ground near the dog (do not make direct eye contact - but you want to be able to see the animal) hunch over a little to not appear as threating (standing up right is also considered a sign of aggression by dogs) and retreat slowly. Usually this will work. I would work on trying to breath deeply and slowly. I've done a lot of training of dogs - my Aussie is a search dog. And you can sometimes scare off dogs by acting very assertive and demanding that they go home. The problem with that is that if you're on what they see as their territory and they think they are top dog, they will challenge you - and you don't want that. You're better off is a submissive retreat.