corvus Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) This is really NOT a method that is expected to work for aggressive dogs. If you read the blog post, Trish made the video because people were so skeptical it would work. She also states it's not going to work for a dog intent on attacking. It's really aimed at folks with dogs that don't like being approached by other dogs, like dog-reactive dogs for example. She also says that the nice thing is it distracts the dogs for a while as they look for treats, so you can slip away while they are busy. ETA But hey, don't ask me, I haven't tried it. I found having a dog run into a tree kept it busy for long enough to slip away. Edited September 25, 2011 by corvus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Yes, you have to train your own dogs to ignore the whip and you have to know how to crack it safely. It is rarely used but is good to know it is there. On the few occasions I have had to use it I wouldn't care who it disturbed if it prevents my dogs being attacked. I would prefer to carry a gun or a taser but don't think that would be allowed in suburbia. My whip makes less noise than the air rifles (I assume) that are frequently heard round my area near the local park. I think they are trying to get rid of the cockatoo invasion. I mostly drive to large parks that are away from houses to minimise the risk of running into roaming dogs, so using the whip there is not an issue. I have a short whip that just hangs around my neck and would rarely be noticed unless someone walked really close to me. I agree, surely the screams of a person and their dog being torn to shreds would be more disruptive than the crack of a stockwhip. yeah but the thread is about how to deter approaching offlead dogs. Most dogs that approach don't attack. If I cracked a whip at every approaching dog on a walk I'd be cracking it a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesomil Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 I doubt this method would work in most situations. For alot of dogs, the interest in meeting another dog is higher than the interest in food. The video is very flawed as to proving how the method might work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life Of Riley Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 I have a client that since her dog was attacked she carries an air horn, she said it works but i'm sure it would scare every dog in the neighbourhood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 i think banging saucepan lids together would repel most dogs too. And they'd double as shields from the aggressive dogs. Bag of lollies... tempting. Pretty sure it would work too. Ie kiddy knows not to take lollies from strangers but what if the stranger just tosses them... My herding instructor used a long length of 2cm diameter plastic pipe to keep my dog separated from the shaggy sheep. My dog head butt it quite often to start with. Certainly made her think twice about charging in and grabbing the sheep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 It's not going to help if you have a regular walk and see the same friendly dogs, cos they're going to start associating you with a fist full of treats. So teach them to stop at a distance from you to get their fist full of treats. Or gradually substitute a clicker for the treats :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Yes, you have to train your own dogs to ignore the whip and you have to know how to crack it safely. It is rarely used but is good to know it is there. On the few occasions I have had to use it I wouldn't care who it disturbed if it prevents my dogs being attacked. I would prefer to carry a gun or a taser but don't think that would be allowed in suburbia. My whip makes less noise than the air rifles (I assume) that are frequently heard round my area near the local park. I think they are trying to get rid of the cockatoo invasion. I mostly drive to large parks that are away from houses to minimise the risk of running into roaming dogs, so using the whip there is not an issue. I have a short whip that just hangs around my neck and would rarely be noticed unless someone walked really close to me. I agree, surely the screams of a person and their dog being torn to shreds would be more disruptive than the crack of a stockwhip. yeah but the thread is about how to deter approaching offlead dogs. Most dogs that approach don't attack. If I cracked a whip at every approaching dog on a walk I'd be cracking it a lot! You have to be joking. I have never yet run into a friendly off lead dog that has rushed at mine. Without fail every one has attacked or approached aggressively so now I try to avoid any area that I know has loose dogs and carry the whip to ensure that the odd one we run into never gets close enough to find out what their intentions are. I do not tolerate any dog ever rushing at one of mine. It should not happen because all dogs should be under effective control and that means being able to call them away from any person or dog. Unfortunately the world is full of morons that allow their dogs to roam the streets or take them to a park and let them go when they have no control whatsoever. One of the parks I use now occasionaly has an offlead dog or two but they seem to be well trained and stay with their owners. The one I had trouble with a few weeks ago had been running unseen in the adjoining bush with the idiot owner who came out into the park and the dog ran the full width of the park at me and my dog. It eventually retreated from the whip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 no I'm not joking. It would be awful to be in a situation where nearly every dog you come across attacks yours So how many times have your dogs been attacked then? I come across, on average, 2 or 3 offlead dogs a day (completely sans owner) and not one has ever attacked. Some might posture, but no attacking. Only one of my dogs has been attacked and that was by another dog who was onlead at training club. I do completely agree that offlead dogs are complete nuisance - I really don't understand why people can't take responsibility for their pets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Am I the only person who yells SIT ? Confused dog sometimes just instinctively does it. Full on charging dog seldom reacts to anything really, too late by then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 no I'm not joking. It would be awful to be in a situation where nearly every dog you come across attacks yours So how many times have your dogs been attacked then? I come across, on average, 2 or 3 offlead dogs a day (completely sans owner) and not one has ever attacked. Some might posture, but no attacking. Only one of my dogs has been attacked and that was by another dog who was onlead at training club. I do completely agree that offlead dogs are complete nuisance - I really don't understand why people can't take responsibility for their pets. We have had about 8 dog attacks over the years and have stopped at least that many that were in full aggressive charging mode with the stockwhip. I can walk round a dog show that has 1000 dogs on the ground with no problems because all the dogs are trained, socialised or under control. We often stop to let dogs greet on lead with no issues. The dogs I see loose in the street or parks are never friendly but territorial and aggresive. I never let unknown loose dogs even approach mine now. The only time I have had a friendly dog really launch itself at my dogs was an exuberant male GSD at a show that literally jumped on top of my two dogs who were lying on the ground on leads next to me, to say hello. No harm done, no reaction from my dogs at all and the owner quickly grabbed his dog and apologised profusely for having the dog on too long a lead and not watching it properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dracdog Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 I used to ride my pushie to work at night and carried one of those clear plastic cap guns. Don't know if it was the sound of the caps or the flash or both that did the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 (edited) Some people live in the suburbs where it's considered disruptive to crack a stock whip and anti-social to carry a cattle prod. So? Booting a dog in the ribs and roaring f*** off is probably considered disruptive and anti-social as well.. Personally I'd rather be disruptive than risk my dog. "Here's a familiar story to everyone who has had a dog-dog reactive dog: You're out walking in the neighborhood, your own dog responsibly on leash, when you look up and there is a ___________ (pick one: set of Golden Retrievers, Jack Russel Terrier, Black Lab, trio of Dachshunds) charging toward you and your reactive dog. Many yards behind the oncoming bundle of doom, the owner waves and smiles, shouting "It's okay!!! They love other dogs!!" Meanwhile, you're not fine at all. Holy moly, now what? You know your dog is not going to react well, and you know the other owner has no control over his/her own dogs, who are running toward you." I've found yelling back "yeah well mine is NOT friendly" at the other owner works a lot better than throwing treats around. It's also much more entertaining.;) efs Edited September 26, 2011 by SecretKei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quickasyoucan Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 I think it works to put your own dog behind you and talk/shout at the dog to go away. Unless they are obviously ferociously human agressive (in which case you are stuffed anyway) they are usually more interested in your dog than you. I have used this to good effect several times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 no I'm not joking. It would be awful to be in a situation where nearly every dog you come across attacks yours So how many times have your dogs been attacked then? I come across, on average, 2 or 3 offlead dogs a day (completely sans owner) and not one has ever attacked. Some might posture, but no attacking. Only one of my dogs has been attacked and that was by another dog who was onlead at training club. I do completely agree that offlead dogs are complete nuisance - I really don't understand why people can't take responsibility for their pets. We have had about 8 dog attacks over the years and have stopped at least that many that were in full aggressive charging mode with the stockwhip. I can walk round a dog show that has 1000 dogs on the ground with no problems because all the dogs are trained, socialised or under control. We often stop to let dogs greet on lead with no issues. The dogs I see loose in the street or parks are never friendly but territorial and aggresive. I never let unknown loose dogs even approach mine now. The only time I have had a friendly dog really launch itself at my dogs was an exuberant male GSD at a show that literally jumped on top of my two dogs who were lying on the ground on leads next to me, to say hello. No harm done, no reaction from my dogs at all and the owner quickly grabbed his dog and apologised profusely for having the dog on too long a lead and not watching it properly. sheesh well we've been very lucky then. Many of the dogs we meet aren't friendly as such but don't want a fight either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noisymina Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Some people live in the suburbs where it's considered disruptive to crack a stock whip and anti-social to carry a cattle prod. Kids cap gun. Acceptable in the burbs and makes a big bang. I armed my kid with one when he was being hassled by dogs when he was catching the school bus. Worked on those particular dogs. May not work on all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted September 26, 2011 Author Share Posted September 26, 2011 Some people live in the suburbs where it's considered disruptive to crack a stock whip and anti-social to carry a cattle prod. So? Booting a dog in the ribs and roaring f*** off is probably considered disruptive and anti-social as well.. Personally I'd rather be disruptive risk my dog. Did you not read Trisha's blog post? The whole point is that maybe you don't need to be disruptive and anti-social. Why is it so hard to just put that one in your tool belt or some such? You people know dogs. You ought to be able to judge if an oncoming dog is likely to be distracted by a handful of treats or not. Use your common sense. Consider that you've got a dog coming towards you that you don't know and may meet again and you're planning on scaring the crap out of it. Ask our gas man how that panned out for him. I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do. I'm just saying, hey, here's a nice technique that could help you. If you'd rather boot dogs and scream at them, that's your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Why is it so hard to just put that one in your tool belt or some such? You people know dogs. You ought to be able to judge if an oncoming dog is likely to be distracted by a handful of treats or not. Use your common sense. Consider that you've got a dog coming towards you that you don't know and may meet again and you're planning on scaring the crap out of it. Ask our gas man how that panned out for him. I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do. I'm just saying, hey, here's a nice technique that could help you. If you'd rather boot dogs and scream at them, that's your choice. Treats might work on some dogs. Only the boot will work on others. Issue that I can see is an owner getting up you for 'rewarding' their dogs approach by feeding it. I don't want a dog that's just given me the finger to run up to another dog to have that experience positively reinforced. Not the treat thrower's problem I know but its probably going to be just as popular with some as booting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Some people live in the suburbs where it's considered disruptive to crack a stock whip and anti-social to carry a cattle prod. So? Booting a dog in the ribs and roaring f*** off is probably considered disruptive and anti-social as well.. Personally I'd rather be disruptive risk my dog. Did you not read Trisha's blog post? The whole point is that maybe you don't need to be disruptive and anti-social. Why is it so hard to just put that one in your tool belt or some such? You people know dogs. You ought to be able to judge if an oncoming dog is likely to be distracted by a handful of treats or not. Use your common sense. Consider that you've got a dog coming towards you that you don't know and may meet again and you're planning on scaring the crap out of it. Ask our gas man how that panned out for him. I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do. I'm just saying, hey, here's a nice technique that could help you. If you'd rather boot dogs and scream at them, that's your choice. Yes I did read the post. My thoughts are this; A dog that is a threat (ie charging with intent) is not going to take treats, he doesn't want food - and I'm not going to take chances. A dog that is just being friendly/nosey (ie would take the treats) is not a threat and easily shooed away with little to no fuss anyway. If another dog is threatenting mine I'm not going to dilly dally around trying to be polite, nor am I going to kick a random dog for doing nothing wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted September 26, 2011 Author Share Posted September 26, 2011 Issue that I can see is an owner getting up you for 'rewarding' their dogs approach by feeding it. I don't want a dog that's just given me the finger to run up to another dog to have that experience positively reinforced. Not the treat thrower's problem I know but its probably going to be just as popular with some as booting. I doubt it. I have had people slip Erik treats when he's being rude (Kivi is never rude) and it's very frustrating, but I assure you, if anyone ever boots either of them I'm going to be a lot more than frustrated. I have never met anyone out on the street or at the park that is sophisticated enough in their training to care if someone rewards their dog if it ran away from them, assuming the dog did run away from them, which from what I have heard on this forum seems is rarely the case ("Don't worry, he's friendly!"). Such a dog is probably never going to have a reliable recall anyway. Why try to find the negative side? It's obvious there is one (thanks SK and everyone else including myself who mentioned it). Why not look for what's good about it? It might even have some useful applications elsewhere. I know some dogs that get a bit overexcited in play that would benefit hugely from a break and a feed. Some dogs don't have much sense of body space, so are not easy to block. I've had dogs dive between my legs and over my hands to bounce on Erik's head. I'm not going to boot them and risk an adverse reaction when their focus is on E (not to mention an adverse reaction from the owners over a situation that is more annoying than dangerous), but maybe a handful of treats would interrupt their focus and bring their arousal down. It's worth a shot. Another possible use is when we've got one of those dogs that badly wants to say hi coming over and my boys badly want to say hi to the friendly dog as well and forget there are procedures about this. Sometimes I just need a moment to get their attention again, and I don't get it because I'm trying to block the other dog and talk to their owner and get through to my boys at the same time. Maybe mine need a handful of treats in their faces! I think if we are open-minded about these things we might just find out they are useful on occasion. That's the only reason I posted it. I knew it was going to get picked apart, and I knew it would irritate me no end, but don't people deserve to have one more potential tool they might find some creative uses for, or might suit their particular problems down to the ground? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambrosia Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 I don't own a cattle prod, a stock whip or any form of gun, nor would I trust myself to use any such device, I'm also a pretty poor kicker. Shall put this idea in my tool belt, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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