Out of control choc labrador

It happened last week, first chance I have had to come on here. Me and Pixee were walking through two fields, I checked to see what other dog owners were about, as I always do, spotted a owner and dog up the top end of the fields, so I wasnt worried. Pixee was happy playing away with a stick, I checked to see where the dog was, and to my suprised it was running full pelt at Pixee. Now Pixee hates those kind of dogs, they scare her so much she will just run away from them to wherever she feels safe, I didnt need that, so I called her and had her back on the lead before the dog was upon us, it was huge too for a labrador, all its hairs was raised on the back, and just went at Pixee, while it didnt bite her, it wouldnt leave her alone, I was trying to calm Pixee down between my legs so I could keep her safe, while pushing the dog away, the owner took her time coming, she was just walking down without a care in the world, I shouted at her, your dog is scareing my dog, get it under control! Meanwhile I had Pixee pulling in all directions trying to escape her lead and collar, I was so worried for her neck, that I let some lead out so she could move away, only for the other dog to jump on her, I knew then that to let pixee off the lead would be a mistake, so all that time while I was trying to get Pixee back within my legs, or pick her up, which was impossible due to the other dog, I was getting so angry, that I did think about kicking out at the other dog, but didnt, however the air did turn blue, and I was shouting at that woman, she had no control over her dog at all, couldnt catch it, or grab it, when on for over 5 mins, each time me and Pixee tried to run, the dog was all over her. Finally the woman got hold of her dog. Now while I still feel so angry with her and her dog, I keep thinking, perhaps I should have let Pixee off the lead, but she would have only ran off, or perhaps may have had ago back, for this reason alone, I kept Pixee on the lead, but it greatly upset me and Pixee. Now if I see her again, and she does not have her dog under control, I wont hesitate to kick it this time. Do you think I am wrong to think that way? What would you have done?

Its horrid Lynne we have had it on many occasion and Labs as it happens. Like you I always put Vin on lead when other dogs are about mainly as its the correct thing I think to do. Hope you are both ok xxx

Thanks Inez, to be fair, we were both shook up, me more so! Since that day, Pixee has refused to go walking there, so I am staying away, but aim to go back the other way in the next few days, as its a nice walk back home instead of through the village on footpaths.

Call the local warden, that's an out of control and potentially aggressive dog. I'd be more inclined to kick the owner! I now carry a spare lead with me, put their dog on the lead and give them back!

Id be worried to if a dog came bounding towards my dog aswell like that so i get where you are coming from with that.. But sounds like you haven't done your dog the favor by making it into a bit of a dramatic event. Labradors are generally happy go lucky kinda dogs that just want to meet everyone.. Very playful as well. So to me just sounds like the chocolate lab was like "oh look a dog im going to go play with her"

Its hard to say what i would of done in that sort of situation as my dog reacts differently, Betty stands her ground and hasn't shown any signs of intimidation from another dog.

when you say your dog is scared is her tail between her legs does she run to you for cover ? If your dog didnt have a go back at the Labrador when she was on the leash chances are she probably wouldn't of if she was off leash either as when she is on leash shes a lot more vulnerable and could feel trapped like she couldn't get away. A lot of how dogs act is dependent on how we act as people so with that in mind i try not to get to worked up over or ever feel sorry for bad things that happen and try to keep my emotions pretty neutral for the most part so the dog doesn't develop fears towards anything.

Rachel33 wrote:Call the local warden, that's an out of control and potentially aggressive dog. I'd be more inclined to kick the owner! I now carry a spare lead with me, put their dog on the lead and give them back!

There would have been no way I could have put that dog on the lead, with me trying to calm Pixee, it was so out of control and fast! But yeah, kick the owner if the best idea.

cwg12
I know Labs are happy bouncy go lucky dogs, our neigbour has one that Pixee gets on well with. There have been some labs that are just not friendly. Yes Pixees tail was sometimes down under her legs, thats what upset me, as I had to keep her on the lead. Reason for this being, is up the top of the fields are two staffies and just a waist high gate that stops them from getting into the fields, I dont know if they are friendly, and theres a farm with two jack russells, they are friendly as I found out one night, so if those 4 dogs had come out, what would have happened? I just couldnt risk it. The lab while it didnt bite, it was aggressive towards Pixee. That woman should not have had her dog off lead if it runs full pelt to the other side of a field. I hate dog owners that allow this. Pixee has been trained not to approach any dog unless I say so. The other reason I kept Pixee on lead was for fear of her having ago back, we all know what would happen here, so I kept my dog under control as such, but really I wanted to let her off.

This angers me so much, she had no consideration for anyone else. She had no idea how another dog would react to hers and most of all, as you said, she had no control what so ever over her dog!   

Aggression in my eyes would be if the lab went your dog.. Its not uncommon for dogs to growl and bark a bit when playing or when in high levels of excitement. Sounds like you did the right thing for the most part but i personally wouldn't of sheltered the dog between my legs because that could make your dog and yourself a target if the labrador was at all aggressive. As bad as this sounds you're already visioning a worse case scenario about the other dogs "what if they got out.." you've got fear in you so your dog will pick up on those things and act fearful as well and fear can quickly turn into fear based aggression.

It does suck that other pet owners aren't as switched on as others and let there dogs off leash when they don't have any control over them I would of stood my ground and told the other dog to "go on get away" or something similar in a stern voice. If the other dog came up to my dog and my dog attacked it i would feel sorry for the dog that got attacked but its that stupid owners fault for putting there dog in such a situation.

Flowerbud, you spot on! Makes me cross.

cwj12, Yes I agree most dogs do play growl and bark, Pixee does just that. But I can see the different, it was aggression, so pushy, hairs raised all the time. I was calm to start with, ever told the dog to shoo, it was as if I wasnt there. No I shouldnt have sheltered Pixee so much, I was trying to pick her up too. I thought at the time, if I could keep pixee between my legs sitting down, the dog would give up. Except it didnt. To be fair, I didnt have any fear in me when I was thinking about those other dogs, I was just trying to think, off lead, or kept on, and thought best kept on, I didnt want a pack of 6 dogs all out of control should it have happened, it could have gone either way and I was not prepared to take the risk. I am pretty calm, but I was getting angry as the time went by when the owner couldnt get her dog under control. Pixee gets scared when she is suprised by dogs, or dogs running full pelt at her. And yes I will say, keeping her on the lead does not help her, makes her worse, but so long as I have mine under control, thats the way it stays much as it does upset me and Pixee. While its the stupid owners for putting their dogs in a situation, we know its my dog that would get the blame because of its breed, hence the reason for keeping Pixee on lead. Totally unfair yes, but people are sheep..................

A dog's hackles can be raised for a number of reasons in just a matter of seconds. Fear, excitement, interest, aggression, nervousness, insecurity, startled or aroused feelings can cause a dog's hair to bristle. Sounds, scents or direct encounters with other dogs and stressful situations can put the dog on guard. Understanding a dog's body language isn't difficult to comprehend and it's essential for dog owners to take the time to learn what a dog is trying to say so you can grasp what his intentions or concerns are and recognize his state of mind.
Mia has her hackles raised when meeting other dogs on walks but she isn't aggressive.

Labradors are generally happy go lucky kinda dogs that just want to meet everyone.. Very playful as well. So to me just sounds like the chocolate lab was like "oh look a dog im going to go play with her"

This kind of thinking is the whole problem. Just because the other dog is happy and "playful" and just wants to meet another dog DOES NOT mean its okay. If someone has a fearful dog allowing their off lead dog to run over is plain irresponsible and downright annoying. Why should you be allowed to let your dog run over and upset an on lead dog or cause major stress because "oh its okay my dog is friendly" or "he's just playing". Its not acceptable to do that at all and very irresponsible.

Lynn - I hope Pixie is okay, its my major bug bear when people allow their dogs to run over to Axl when I have him on the lead and stress him out, its just bad manners and just because their dog is okay with it does not mean mine is.

Totally agree Debs!! I think this post explains it all..

This would have angered me too as Rocky is now nervous again of other dogs due to an encounter I won't go into here. I would have probably tried to walk back again away from the dog. You could always tried to slow the approaching dog down with some hand signals, I would use this one for a loose dog approaching us:



Then this one to try to get it to sit:

i love all dogs but that's just plain wrong. i would have given it a good hard kick then kicked the owner. when i first had tessa (she was a rescue) i wasn't sure about her ability to stand up for herself and a labrador came charging up the canal towpath to us and i kicked it into the canal. now after nearly 2 years with tessa i know she can look after herself and if we have too much grief from another dog and owner i just let her off the lead. they tend not to bother us again.
on a related subject! who thinks that these big dopey looking labs have an attitude problem

If you had kicked my dog into the canal then you would be following it. It's not the dogs fault if they have an irresponsible owner   

If a dog was trying to attack my dog then I would do anything to get it to go away, if that mean't kicking it as a last resort then yes I would but only if I had no other option. I'm sorry but I won't let anyone or anything hurt my dog and if that means kicking somebody elses dog that's harrassing mine then so be it.

Debs01 wrote:

Labradors are generally happy go lucky kinda dogs that just want to meet everyone.. Very playful as well. So to me just sounds like the chocolate lab was like "oh look a dog im going to go play with her"

This kind of thinking is the whole problem.  Just because the other dog is happy and "playful" and just wants to meet another dog DOES NOT mean its okay.  If someone has a fearful dog allowing their off lead dog to run over is plain irresponsible and downright annoying.  Why should you be allowed to let your dog run over and upset an on lead dog or cause major stress because "oh its okay my dog is friendly" or "he's just playing".  Its not acceptable to do that at all and very irresponsible.

Lynn - I hope Pixie is okay, its my major bug bear when people allow their dogs to run over to Axl when I have him on the lead and stress him out, its just bad manners and just because their dog is okay with it does not mean mine is.  

Exactly right Debs, fully agree!

Rachel33 wrote:Totally agree Debs!! I think this post explains it all..

Rachel this is brilliant, I need a huge sandwich board of this to wear when Im out with Alfie!!

I don't condone kicking another dog, however we once had to as a dog (staffie sadly) was attacking our old dog and we couldn't get it off her any other way. The woman had not just taken its lead off but was holding his harness too, why take that off?! So there was nothing to get hold of and it would not let her go. It was more pushing it off with our feet rather actually kicking it. But you have to do what you have to do in each situation.

Sue I was considering making posters of it and sticking them up EVERYWHERE! Lol! I think my actions would depend on the dog, if it was a bull breed attacking Biscuit a kick or punch is going to do nothing but rile them up. I had 2 staffies latch onto each other in kennels and the only thing that separated them was a hose in the nostrils and collar twist. I once had a mastiff grab me by the back of my head and the only thing that released her was firm commands!

If a dog is deemed to be aggressive I think it's fair for the owner on the receiving end to do anything appropriate to get the dog away, I've picked up a stick and thrown it for a dog before to distract it, also sternly told them to go away, or if they're calm enough put them on a lead! I always stand in front on Bis and put her in a sit stay when a dog approaches (she's usually glued to the floor in terror by this point anyway!) but if that dog was to then try and bite her I can't say what my natural reactions would be, however, I would TRY and hold them apart and then take my anger out on the owner.

You may also want to consider carrying a can of pet corrector spray, I have one in my bag:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/pet-corrector-spray-50ml

I am sitting here fuming at owners like these. They drive me to despair. I am so sorry that this happened to you.

When my last Staff Riley was 6 months old a Labrador ripped into him in the woods while his owner stood 2 yards away and done NOTHING. I was so annoyed that I had to pull his dog off of Riley while he stood and smiled. This Guy was no chav. He was with his children but seemed to revel in the fact that his fuill grown Lab was beating up the Tough Staffie (6 Months old). Vets bills followed and Riley recovered well. However, from that day had a bit of an issue with Labs but was well trained enough for this not to be an issue.
2 Years later, exactly the same Lab in the woods, same owner. The Lab crossed the stream and started to pester Riley who I had recalled and was sitting between my legs. I called to the owner to recall his Dog and he LAUGHED at my face.

I am only half ashamed that after 2 of the longest minutes of my life trying to fight off this Guy's Lab while it tried to get to Riley, I let Riley take his revenge the way a Stafford was originally bred for.
The Guy looked so shocked and terrified, but realised that he could not say anything because he had caused the whole situation.
The Owner was irresponsible, the Dog was aggressive and untrained and I am afraid got what it deserved.
This was the only "fight" that Riley ever had. I have to admit, I still (half ashamedly) smile about it now.

I hope that this Dog and Owner do not cross your path again. If they do, try to show confidence in the hope that your dog picks up on it and tell the Owner that you will report the issue next time unless he controls his Dog (although these owners don't seem bothered by this). Good Luck.

Yeah I know it's not right for other dogs to be off leash that are not under control by the owner I know that's not okay at all but sadly there's nothing we can do exactly if faced with that situation except for controlling our dogs.

Debs01 wrote:

Labradors are generally happy go lucky kinda dogs that just want to meet everyone.. Very playful as well. So to me just sounds like the chocolate lab was like "oh look a dog im going to go play with her"

This kind of thinking is the whole problem.  Just because the other dog is happy and "playful" and just wants to meet another dog DOES NOT mean its okay.  If someone has a fearful dog allowing their off lead dog to run over is plain irresponsible and downright annoying.  Why should you be allowed to let your dog run over and upset an on lead dog or cause major stress because "oh its okay my dog is friendly" or "he's just playing".  Its not acceptable to do that at all and very irresponsible.

Lynn - I hope Pixie is okay, its my major bug bear when people allow their dogs to run over to Axl when I have him on the lead and stress him out, its just bad manners and just because their dog is okay with it does not mean mine is.  

This is exactly what happened to Marquez the other weekend at the track. One of the guys at the track had his young daughter (about 10) walk their golden retriever to the track OFF LEAD and I told him to yell out to his daughter to put it on lead as I saw them approach but he was all "my dog is friendly and likes other dogs.... except for one dog in my street that he doesn't like for some reason". I'm like, just restrain your dog when he comes up to us. After some sniffing his dog then tried to attack Marquez who is always kept on lead as there are mx bikes riding on track and last thing we want is him taking off into the middle of it all. After that little drama, the my hubby gave the guy one of the bikes straps to use as a lead and to move his dog away from ours as the dog was also barking like an idiot at all the MX bikes.
Was very proud of Marquez as he totally ignored the golden retriever and was the perfect boy behaving himself

Thank you all, I too wouldnt mind blowing that poster up and wearing it on a t shirt each time I go walking. As most of you know, Pixee too is a rescue, she has come on in leaps and bounds since being with us. While she will never fully trust a stranger, she is so much better with them. She has always been scared of big dogs, dogs suprising her, coming at her full pelt, but over the time she got better. I always put her back on lead, when I see another dog on lead or put on lead. If I feel theres going to be a situation, I put Pixee back on lead. It avoids all this stress, for both owners and dogs to go through.

TonyW, thats awful what that man allowed his dog to do, just goes to show. And dont feel ashamed for your part, you had to, to teach a lesson, its a hard situation to be in, you have to think the best way.

Kathy, I just dont know about carrying one of those spray cans, but on the whole, its better than having to resolve to worse depending on the situation.

On a good postive note, we went walking down Stratford on Avon, along a old railway track that goes on for miles, it was full of walkers, dogs, children, bikes. Pixee was very much her old self, walking pass big dogs, letting them have a sniff of her, there were times we put her back on lead. There was one man who grabbed his dog by the collar, he had read his dogs body lau, and we quickly did the same with Pixee to put her back on lead, he called out saying, no dont bother, its my dog, friendly it is, but tends to run at other dogs, which does scare some. We thought finally, someone who understands just because his dog is friendly, its the other dogs, how they could cope with it. And I managed to walk Pixee in that field last night too going a different way in, and she was fine. So yeah Pixee is fine, thank you all. I will however be watching her closer with big dogs just in case.

Well done Pixee and Lynn x

flowerbud wrote:Well done Pixee and Lynn x

  Wuffy and thank you