Lolly002

The other thing is, even if their dog is freindly but becasue they are off leash one day they might invade the space of a not so freindly on leash dog. I guess these owners either have not thought of this or they just don't care. Last year my dog dot jumped on by 2 large over the top labs, the labs were not agressive but they not only knocked me off my feet they rolled my girl over and she fell on her back and she was screaming.. the owner could not call the dogs off.. they had zero re call and were just not listening. once his dogs were off my girl then he simply walked away laughing. they could be the freindliest dogs in the world.. but i do not want them invading my or my dogs personal space. i'm definitley in the same mind set as you.. i see every dog as a dog that could start a fight, no dog can be 100% trusted.

100% something like that but portable LOL

I am training her with a method i was taught by a trainer i saw a while ago.. which helps her stay calm. However it is absolutley impossible to train her when there is off leash dogs running up into her face. I can get her calm by walking a little away from another dog and telling her to sit and i use the keyword "who's that" and she looks for a treat and does not bark. Now when i have dogs that are not leashed it's a serious challange and not only makes training impossible but also makes her reactivity worse. This training method works when she is exposed to leashed dogs from a distance then i can gradually decrease the distance. Medication is another route i might consider.. i have tried prozac for her in the past and it made her 10000 times more fearful so it's not something i'm super keen to try again. i'm at a loss on what to do i have always wondered why i see so many people walking their dogs with huge sticks or metal poles... now i know why.

Never thought of that! Thank you

Thank you all for the suggestions! I’m trying to find better spots to walk even though we LOVED going for 2 bushwalks a day, but sadly those bushwalks are not the same for us anymore I even went to a place that was patrolled regularly by rangers (massive area parklands 25 min drive away) where leash rules were strict, but sadly off leash dogs were there also! When I asked to please leash you’re dogs then I coped a mouthful of abuse. Do these people think it’s a cool thing to do? Or are they just stupidly selfish and think rules don’t apply to them? I can’t even walk 2 houses down from where I live because they have dangerous dogs who have attacked another dog walking past before (called the council nothing was done) the issue now is my girl has become reactive and will bark at any dog she sees (not aggressive) but I’m terrified that even a off leash friendly dog might take her barking as a reason to fight.. if you know what I mean? I’m considering a vinegar spray as well as a umbrella and insect spray but there’s only so much I can carry while controlling a dog who pulls like a steam train LOL I always carry treats so that’s also a idea to occupy a approaching dog.

I’m so sorry you’re girl Molly was attacked. People also don’t realise that the effects of the attack are long lasting and permanent in some cases. Our walks will never be the same again. I just wish the owners of these dogs understood how incredibly selfish and irresponsible they are.

Hi all About a month ago my beagle girl was attacked by a stray staffy when bushwalking There were actually 2 staffy's but one bolted away and the other did not even sniff my girl just ran over and latched on! Was pure terror and i did not even have time to pick her up, Luckily i had someone with me and after about 2 minutes of trying to get the dog off (i jumped on it) i was able to seperate them (my girl was squeeling) i then had to put the dog in a choke hold while my mum (who was with me) ran back to the car with my girl. Now this dog was totally out for the kill and was trying to escape my grip for about 20 minutes until local rescue secured the dog. I was very angry that the dog was indeed chipped and the owners were allowed to just simply bail the dog out of the pound the same day! My girl got away with brusing and swelling a few puncture wounds and tissue damage. Now as you can imagine i am terrified when out walking now and the amount of off leash dogs i come across is absolutely ridiculous. My girl is now always on "high alert" and is constantly paranoid that a dog is going to come out and grab her. What can i use for protection?? i brought a can of "spray shield" citronella based spray, but what else can i carry for protection? I'm absolutely beyond shitted off that responsible people have to carry deterants to defend ourselves with because of irresponsible owners! It's not fair.