angry and upset with myself,but what would you have done?

a few will know on here that sash is da,or i think more fear aggressive.she has'nt always been she used to have doggie friends when she was younger,then she was attacked and just did'nt like other dogs near her,never attacked one thou,then last year got attacked again.i have always made her sit when other dogs pass and she is fine,hackles go up,ears back thou,we have been lucky on our walks up to now.we were coming back from our walk this evening,nearly home when i spotted a wolf type dog just wandering round on its own,no owner in sight,it was distracted by some thing on the ground,so i just slightly quickened my pace hoping it had'nt spotted us.thought we were ok when the flipping thing spotted us and started to come running over,i admit i panicked,an off lead wolf and sash on lead i know sash would have gone for it,so i picked her up and crossed the road with the wolf at my heals,my first instinct was to protect sash but also the other dog,luckily a neighbor saw what was happening and manage to distract it whilst i got her home.i feel so cross with myself,what would you have done?

Stella I would have done the same as you. Lola is fear DA so I know what it's like. Sounds like you had a bit of a scare!

I know it's a natural instinct but I wouldn't pick up my dog when out on a walk. Were you not able to shoow it away I have done this before and it worked.

In your position Stella, and knowing what Sash may have done I would have done the same. But no way could I pick Vinnie up have been in that situation and although Vin is not DA I always distract another dog with a treat before it gets to Vin.
Don't beat yourself up too much all was ok in the end xxx

thanks Claire i just did'nt want her to get hurt or hurt the other dog,scared me i must admit .

I think when our pooches are threatened or could cause injury rational thought can go out the window, now rationally I think you shouldn't have picked sash up and that's why your upset & angry with yourself but I id have done the same thing to protect all involved.

I'd have probably done the same thing in a panic!

i did'nt think to try and shoo it away,it just would'nt go away even when i crossed over the road,i know i should'nt have picked her up and hayley your right thats why im cross with myself but seeing what she was like the last time she was attacked,picking her up seemed the only way to protect her.

I think you panicked yourself, to be honest, by seeing the other dog as a 'wolf' type dog. I'd guess it was a spitz type? Huskey-ish or some such?

No, I wouldn't have panicked, but that's easy for me to say - I've had an out & out da dog, and an unpredictable part da dog, and I've sort of got used to it.

The worse thing you can do is panic because Sasha will pick up on your feelings & it'll make everything so much worse!

I would have stood my ground, to be honest, with retreat a last resort.

it was a beautiful dog,bright blue eyes,very wolf looking to me,i just dont think i would have coped very well with two dogs fighting so instinct made me pick her up,with sash on lead would you let her off?

No, but I wouldn't have panicked, either. Huskey types are often very direct dogs but can be quite friendly, so I'd have looked around for an owner, and then started to back away whilst trying to keep my dog's attention on me.

The trouble is, you can't avoid other dogs totally and sooner or later you will have to deal with them. Better to remain calm and walk slowly away, than to get all het up & pass that on to Sasha. 

thanks Caryll,i think i know i handled it badly thats why i'm so angry with myself,it was always my worst nightmare to come across a dog with no owner.

In a panic, I would have done the same thing. Your first and foremost thought is to just 'get the hell out of here'!! Glad all okay  

It's always my worst nightmare too, I just know that Rocky would get the blame if anything was to happen even though he is always on the lead and under control, it makes me so mad. Sometimes i think we would get the blame if we only hear something happening in the distance erghhhh

stella wrote:thanks Caryll,i think i know i handled it badly thats why i'm so angry with myself,it was always my worst nightmare to come across a dog with no owner.

As I said, though, it's easy for me to say - I'm used to situations like that! 

Big hugs. Sasha probably was just wondering what the heck was going on. If I hadn't had a very very da dog before, I would do exactly the same thing!

I wouldn't have done the same but tbh I will not say you did wrong only what you thought best. Huskies can be very * sure of themselves and they carry themselves in a very dominant way which is prob what pricked your nerves. Marley will approach other dogs tail up and puffed out and then walk straight past without even looking at the other dog. It is a demeanour that can make other owners nervous as it looks uber confident and top dog. But I would love to show them a vid of him being chased around by a lil scotty who called his bluff. Generally huskies are very dog freindly and will more than likely run off than fight. They can hold there own but that would be a very last resort and with no where to go which for a husky is a rare place to be...

picking up the dog and running away would show you as an unstable pack leader and put yourself in danger. I doubt it was a wolf which 'just came over' and a neighbour went to distract it. You sound very shaken which I am whenever an incident occurs with my dogs, honestly its like protecting your children! At least no one got hurt so who knows maybe it was the right thing to do after all?

"What would you have done?"

Me, personally - shoo'd it away to be honest.

12rachel2 wrote:picking up the dog and running away would show you as an unstable pack leader and put yourself in danger. I doubt it was a wolf which 'just came over' and a neighbour went to distract it. You sound very shaken which I am whenever an incident occurs with my dogs, honestly its like protecting your children! At least no one got hurt so who knows maybe it was the right thing to do after all?  

i know i didnt handle it to well,but to me it was a wolf which did come running over and a neighbor did distract it.i did'nt say i ran away,im upset about the whole thing so please don't doubt what im saying,thank you.

It really does shake you up when this sort of stuff happens, and please don't feel mad at yourself. Picking up your dog isn't the best thing that you could do granted, but panic does funny things to you and your fight or flight response will kick in. Biscuit is fear aggressive with unknown dogs and it's taken me a long time to keep calm in those situations, she is always muzzled when on lead anyway, which stops me from worrying as much but does concern me that she wouldn't be able to defend herself. But if a dog approaches I just say NO and put my hand up with a flat palm (in a sort of STOP sign) to the dog, which I do find deters them a little and has actually stopped a few in their tracks! If they continue to approach I talk to Biscuit in a silly happy voice and fuss the other dog to keep them from pestering biscuit too much, who by this point will be frozen to the floor and usually wetting herself! If they try to sniff her she will try to defend herself, but she doesn't react unless she feels she has to. By this point if the owner approaches they usually get my frustration taken out in them, and then we continue our walk as normally as possible. She is much more confident with her doggy friends to walk with and socialization has helped a lot for us, but these encounters set her back so much and it drives me mad!

thanks rach,i just saw the result of the attack on her last year,her coming home with my husband from the fields covered in blood and in pain,so many visits to the vets to get her better,i just did'nt want it to happen again  

Totally understand, I saw lots of dog fights in my time working at Bristol and those flash backs can stay with you for a long time! The main thing is you both got away from it unharmed and have now come here to ask for advice! Which can be practised in the future if it was to ever happen again if you get into that situation again, try your hardest to see it as an opportunity to practise your new techniques, and remember to breathe!!

I think it takes alot to stay calm in those situations if you're not used to it. We need a topic on relaxation techniques

Stella, I don't believe you are an 'unstable pack leader'. The pack leader philosophy has sold a lot of books, but it's over-blown and overdone. You are, however, the one, rightly, who makes the decisions. If you decided that picking up Sasha was the way to avoid a nasty scene, then that was the right thing to do. I personally wouldn't pick up Douglas, but that's only because the chunky boy is nearly 4 stone and i would stagger under his weight. So for me, it wouldn't be an elegant solution! However, i certainly would add it to the list of (less desirable) options if he were a smaller dog. When incidents like this occur, you don't exactly have much time to think. No one got hurt and Sasha's not traumatised. Result! Now that this new legislation is out, there's extra reason to make sure we're looking after ourselves as well as our dogs and to avoid uncontrolled scraps if at all possible.

I would have done the same in a panic, more so because of what happened to you both last year. Dont beat yourself up over it, no harm has been done and that is all that matters.

Yeahbut I'm sorry I didn't mean the typical wolf pack I meant the domesticated dog-human relationship where the owner is in control and makes the decisions. I am not being very clear, but it was a personal opinion and I am sorry if I am wrong.
stella I wasn't doubting, what I type can come across a bit strong. I apologise if I upset you which was not my intention I don't doubt about the 'wolf' its just that there could have been a possibility that it wasn't a wolf as they don't show the same traits as dogs and aren't the type to walk over. I know people with husky type dogs get accused of walking wolves all the time!

I have been in your situation with dogs running over and the owner miles away. Axl is very unpredictable so I always feel sick with worry when a random dog runs over. I can't pick axl up he's too heavy so I either body block the dog and shoo it away or throw a treat at it to distract so I can get away. Don't beat yourself up about it sometimes I wish I could pick axl up!

I'm always getting the same thing happen. Dempsey is very unpredictable; sometimes he's friendly, sometimes he isn't & there doesn't seem to be any real reason for either!

I often get dogs making a beeline for us, with the owner either out of sight or miles away & making no effort!

Generally I yell "whoever this dog belongs to better get it away as mine isn't friendly!"

The tend to take one look at Dempsey & panic! If they don't, I up the threat - "take your dog away, or I let mine off the lead!"

I woudn't, of course, but they don't know that! 

Shout go home to the other dog and see if it startles it.Maybe bring a walking stick next time in case you get into trouble again.As you never know what kind of dog you will meet off the lead.

Ruby Sparks wrote:Shout go home to the other dog and see if it startles it.Maybe bring a walking stick next time in case you get into trouble again.As you never know what kind of dog you will meet off the lead.

If anyone waved a walking stick at Dempsey he'd attack it! 

Axl would probably think you were playing fetch with him if you started waving a walking stick about, he does love a stick....

i would just body block the other dog as if i raiased my voice to try and shuuu the dog away or tell it to go home it would stress memphis even more and send him loopy trying to get to the other dog .
one to try in futer which has worked for me (only if the other dog coming from some distance) turn around and walk other direction so dog coming from behind you then turn round suddenly and walk towards it the change in direction can distract them and halt there fixation and they run the other way .

 or you could try what i did when memphis was attacked by the same dog twice on a walk (by same off lead dog) at 6ish month old run at the other dog shouting come on then lol then promptly pick the owner up by the neck and give him as few lessons in resposible dog ownership     

I owned a very dog-aggressive bitch called Gypsy and have been in a few similar situations meeting an off-lead aggressive dog. I never felt that they were going to harm her, I was always afraid of what she would do to the attacker if she got a hold of them. I have even resorted to lifting her into a neighbour's garden while I saw off the other dog.

Without playing the sexist card, I think men and women would each approach this situation differently. Us guys like to think we can fight off an attacking dog while keeping our own under control, and the ladies would rather avoid or run away from the situation completely. Both of these tactics, although instinctive could get you into trouble. The real solution will always vary depending on the exact situation.

As others have said, waving a stick at a dog can be a bit of a red-rag to some, but if the other dog is biting your stick, they're not biting you or your dog and can buy you some escape time.

Another suggestion might be to carry a brightly coloured umbrella, the pop-out type if possible. If your dog is of a nervous persuasion, it would be a good idea to introduce the brolly to your dog beforehand. If the approaching dog becomes aggressive, deploy the brolly between yourself and the other dog while trying to keep your dog behind you. Hopefully the other dog will be startled by the brolly and leg it. If not, it will provide a barrier between you while you back away.

If you dont want to play the sexist card, Richard, you'd maybe best not play it.

Body blocking has worked well for me in the past although there are dogs that are hard to body block, staffies being one of them!

You learn from experiences, Stella. It's the first time something like this has happened, so under the circumstances I think you coped well with it. In future, you may decide to do something different - i.e., not picking her up - but that's all a part of the learning curve!

DafnPuppet wrote:

Without playing the sexist card, I think men and women would each approach this situation differently. Us guys like to think we can fight off an attacking dog while keeping our own under control, and the ladies would rather avoid or run away from the situation completely. Both of these tactics, although instinctive could get you into trouble. The real solution will always vary depending on the exact situation.

Yeahbut is right. There's no point saying that you're not going to play the sexist card, and then proceed to be sexist anyway. Unless I'm very much mistaken, you're not a lady and don't speak on behalf of the female population. For your information, I think you'll find that most, if not all, of the women on this forum actually do not prefer to avoid or run away from situations. What you've just said is very insulting and completely untrue.

 Sorry for any offence, my comment was poorly worded.

It was meant to infer that, without saying men would behave like... and women would behave like....
My point was that both courses of action could equally get you into trouble.