TheCheekyMonster

I don't blame the OP for that though - his dog was injured, and badly by the sounds of it. Adrenaline and emotion and the potential for some 'right' on his side .... it can lead to being cross and not necessarily without grounding to be so. ETA: Mind you - I didn't think it was heated. The OP described a stressful event and then asked a question. ow no no, i ment it struck a heated discussion...

What a heated first post

our dog also gets walked on a horse lead.... :D she is quite the steam train when on walks... doesn’t care for anything or anyone half the time.. the road is her sanctuary haha

We dont know how long the grey was bouncing around.... and how close it was bouncing, if it read the on lead dogs signals and reacted?... there are a lot of factors with the OP was probably not even witness to since the OP was not near their dog till the attack.... I do agree though "IF" this person did own a pitty or another typically strong dog, they should be walking it on a more appropriate lead.... (its like when you see people walk giant dogs on retractable makes me laugh) but all jokes aside in this scenario that’s the only thing I agree with unfortunately and without being there I wouldn’t say deem the dog dangerous biased on this one incident.

It is not like saying every dog should be muzzled. Why would your dog need to be muzzled? Every owner should have a clue of their dog's tolerance towards other dogs. If their dog has a low tolerance it should be muzzled in public. It isn't hard to work out. This dog has a low tolerance and so needs to be muzzled. Even if the owners didn't know before, they certainly do now, and council has a responsibility to enforce restrictions on it. she would not, but after 5 minutes of an annoying off lead dog she might lose her cool and bite... does this mean she will need to be muzzled the rest of her life when in public? I think the history of the on lead dog would need to be taken into consideration before any decision was made.

Yeah nearly everyone here has been in that position. The difference is that your dog didn't cause a massive injury. And if you think your dog ever will, I hope you are responsible to muzzle it and keep it on a proper lead. Otherwise you can expect to have your dog reported and declared dangerous. Every dog has the potential to bite if severely aggravated.... its like saying every dog should be muzzled which is not realistic nor ideal... every owner having control of their off lead dog is realistic though and very ideal....

I have been in the position where an off lead dog has charged at my ON LEAD dog and there is no owner to be seen or an owner pondering meters away.... my dog is not dangerous nor has she ever bitten but she also knows when she has had enough of an off lead dog aggravating her on lead.... my OH has been bitten by on off lead dog who didn’t get hackles raised and us shooing him away meant back off... we tried walking away but this dog kept following wanting to mount her, nipping her feet wanting to play... some dogs are not interested and you cannot expect every dog to like being harassed and not get annoyed about it... who knows how long the OP dog was there before she saw what was happening....I am not saying the behaviour is ideal of the onlead dog but one owner was present the other was not which makes a world of difference. P.S I'd also like to add it’s very hard to control 2 dogs in a provoked situation especially if one is not yours and off a lead.

.. dogs are on lead for a reason. Off lead dogs should respect that

Please do not assume it was a American Pitbull terrier if you are not 100% sure they already get a bad wrap when the majority of people do not even know what a pitbull looks like. It is unfortunate your dog was on the receiving end but if you could not see your dog and your dog was off lead then the responsibility lays in your hands, you should be insight of your dog at all time and call it back if you see any potential for danger, if you did call your dog back and he/she did not come then it should not be off lead to begin with.... failing to protect your dog is not the dog on leads fault but your own..... sorry to be harsh but you cant assume every dog your dog runs up too will want to play and be well mannerd.

Just remember that they get A LOT worse before they get better, if she gets louder and more frustrated its probably because she is exhausting all matters of gaining your attention key thing is to ignore it at all cost (as long as she is not injuring herself)... I found they stop within a week..... but if thats really not working i'd go with what everyone else is suggesting trainer/behaviourist

he looks almost ghostly with them... I think they add so much character,... not to mention his the biggest smiler sooo we have a little joker on our hands.

annd again

I have posted this in the Dalmatian 101 thread but i think Gus is deserving of optimum exposure ahahah :)... Here is my boy at 5-6.5 months old, he is coming along to be a real gem and a little cutey aswell.... I cant believe how much his face and body has matured in such a short space of time!!.. hope you enjoy the spots as much as I do...

salt :), it will just fall right off no pain to the dog at all.

I have decided the role of council is just to a) be the go between for nosey neighbours, and b) to make stupid regulations that solve nothing in the world make but themselves money

Sensible post. Good manners linked with caution when dealing with an 'unknown'. And it would apply to many other situations where you'd be intruding on someone else's space/ belongings. So I put 'good manners' first. Yesterday, when walking our 2 tibbies, I met a 6 yr old boy. He asked, 'Can I pat your dogs?' I answered, 'Would you like to make it a cuddle?' 'Yes, please!', he said. I told him to kneel down & open his arms a bit. Next thing he had a gentle armful of gold. I said to him, 'You were polite and careful. You deserve a big cuddle.' His mother, who'd supervised him, beamed. Mita that brought a tear to my eye, how beautiful was that encounter :-).. +1

I think permission should always be granted..... its the polite thing to do

Dont be to wrapped up in his weight, honestly his a massive baby, his going to have a belly and it should be a very cute one, :) the paw thing ayee... it will be easy for you to teach him shake from that :)

Coastdal

I think if your kids show an interest great show them a few things, but at the end of the day be prepared to be committed 150% and your kids to have no commitment... this will be their family dog till they are 10yro or older...but for you its a third child and will need a lot of time and attention... I think parents make a mistake of getting dogs when kids are young, because they get them "for the kids" my parents did it, I know a whole bunch of people whose parents did it and now they have a sour taste in their mouth of when "we had a dog and you kids never looked after it, I did"...this may just be personal experience but If i was a parent i would get a dog because I wanted one, the kids involvement would be on a novelty level. :D

Excellent, I think joining a club, or taking him to classes of any sort is great major component for me is socialisation for you and the pup ,you want pup to be comfortable about every dog he meets, especially the small fragile ones, I wouldn’t be to wrapped up with obedience at this stage, basic sit, drop, and maybe a little stay later down the track will be enough to tackle for now, but for the next 5 weeks make sure he knows his name and he knows to respond to it, im having issues now where Gus refuses to respond to his name when distracted and I regret not concentrating more on that element of training in the first few weeks. Also make him use his brain with problem solving toys... i was told it was better than any form of exercise at these puppy stages and that person was right!, nothing tires Gus out more than trying to get food out of a empty water bottle or what have you.... throw their breakfast kibble in there and watch him go for gold :). I used to do the plastic bottle thing with my old GSD 20 years ago. So when I bought this lovely 'ball' that you can put kibble in for the young fellow what did he do with it? Buries it somewhere in the garden??? It turns up now and again, I've given up washing it and trying again as it keeps getting buried, turns up full of mud, that's then rolled around and emptied all over the patio and disappears into the garden beds again. :laugh: Yea I gave up with balls and food, the plastic bottle is alot more appealing to him hahah... (also cheaper for me)

Oooww you can bring your pets?? :) No, not unless you are involved in some way. Well, that understandable..... I shall come meet the dally without Gus :D

Oooww you can bring your pets?? :) can our dallys say hi!! Gus has never really met another dally before.

Excellent, I think joining a club, or taking him to classes of any sort is great major component for me is socialisation for you and the pup ,you want pup to be comfortable about every dog he meets, especially the small fragile ones, I wouldn’t be to wrapped up with obedience at this stage, basic sit, drop, and maybe a little stay later down the track will be enough to tackle for now, but for the next 5 weeks make sure he knows his name and he knows to respond to it, im having issues now where Gus refuses to respond to his name when distracted and I regret not concentrating more on that element of training in the first few weeks. Also make him use his brain with problem solving toys... i was told it was better than any form of exercise at these puppy stages and that person was right!, nothing tires Gus out more than trying to get food out of a empty water bottle or what have you.... throw their breakfast kibble in there and watch him go for gold :).

Just watch his protein intake, make sure you don't over do it, let his body grow as slow as it can... other than that sounds good :)... how does he play and has any training begun? Im sure you are going to have your hands very full, by boy just turned 6 months and i need the doggy lord to help me keep sane!! hahah :) pups are amazing little things and they just show you a little bit more of themselves every day, if you have any questions the forum is more than not a great way to start, you will have people bite your head but ignore them, they are poorly socialised