I am mortified.

So it's been a long time since I posted.

Ruby has had what I thought was a fantastic first year. It's her birthday today.

Any hooo

We went camping, it's a long weekend in Western Australia although I work tomorrow so me and the dog have come early. The dog in disgrace.

We were playing at the beach and walking with another dog quite happily for about 40 minutes off lead before Ruby took offence to something. She had her hackles up, was lunging and snapping (though not connecting, thank f***), and making the most horrible nasty noises I have ever heard. The other woman who I had just met was petrified for her dog and I was stunned into action, the only one I could think of because Ruby obviously was flat out ignoring me was to whack her on her back end with the lead I had in my hand. I am NOT PROUD of my actions at all but because she has never had a hand raised to her it stunned her enough to snap out of what she was doing. I felt the other dog's life and health was in danger as it was an old dog and if she had of made contact I feel it would of come off very badly. She turned into Syd Viscious so to speak.

What happened to my darling girl?

Have I spoilt her? Is she protective of me?

She has played happily with other dogs at our local beach before. Not for as long though. Did I miss a warning sign or body language that she was over it?

Ruby is not a vocal dog at all. She rarely barks. We have a dog over our back fence that barks at her all the time and she just stands there quietly wagging her tail. This one today was a yapper. Did she mis interpret it as a challenge? Did she get sick of it barking at her?

There is only one other time when we were walking on the local beach (she was on a lead) as we were walking towards people and dogs that she got her hackles up (no growling) and that dog was barking I felt at me and she didnt like it. There was no growling and snapping then though as she was on a lead and we just kept walking around it.

She was spayed at 6 months of age.

She is affectionate and doesn't even bark when people come to the house. She just stands there wagging hoping they will pat her.

I feel like I can't trust her now and she's gonna have a miserable time on her lead for the rest of her life.

What should I do.

I cant exactly test her out around other dogs incase it happens again.

How do you get trust back after you see something you didn't know your dog had in them?

I would try a long lead so you can still have some control and she can roam a bit. I'd also advise carrying a can of pet corrector spray.

Was the other dog the first dog that she had met or had she met lots of dogs people prior to that meeting? Could she have been overwhelmed? If the dog was barking at her she may have taken it as a challenge - and staffies love a challenge! What's her previous track record with meeting unfamiliar dogs?

Thanks for the replies.
I have a 20 metre lead that I used at the oval when she was alot younger, I will drag that out again, but in the situation we were in yesterday I think it would end up in a big knot.

The dog she was fighting was the only dog I had let her play with yesterday. She had had a quick sniff at the camp site when we arrived, and the next day I was walking her up the beach on her lead (trying to get to an empty stretch so she could have a run) when I bumped into the same family. They told me dogs didnt have to be on lead down at the beach and theres was running around so I thought ok i'll let her have a play. She was fine for that initial 15 to 20 minutes. She loves to run and have other dogs chase her. I then decided to continue Ruby's walk off lead alone and we walked up the beach alone for about 20 minutes. On the way back the same lady and her dog were walking up to meet us and because everything had fine before I thought. OK one more play. We walked along fine for about 10 minutes then stopped to let them play. Bad idea. I really have no idea what set her off. So it was only one dog that I let her play with yesterday.

The other dog that she got her hackles up at was a completely different day. time, place and its only yesterdays incident that made me think of it. I thought nothing of it at the time.

So yeah, she normally is eager to meet dogs when we are out walking in our normal routine and if ok with the other owner I let her have a quick sniff and we are on our way again. I take her to the local beach about once a week and have let her play with other dogs off lead if there are other suitable ones there, never for that long though. I have never let her approach another dog off lead though. For example if on the beach I see people and or another dog I put lead back on till we pass them. She just loves people and thinks everyone wants to pat her and the worst behaviour I thought she has is jumping up.. She doesn't run off when we walk along the beach but occassionally will get a little further ahead than i like. She knows the word WAIT though. (Or seems to). That was the word I used to stop pulling on the lead when she was little.

I will try the pet corrector for any future undesirable behaviour, it seems to have good reviews from what I have read. Its just gonna be awhile before she gets to play off lead again. She really did frighten me. I have always told everyone what a happy and friendly little girl she is, now I am a bit unsure.

I'm going to play Devils advocate a little here but are you sure it was pure aggression or over excitement ? It can be hard to tell the difference sometimes and my Flo sounds quiet vicious when she gets playfully excited and the hackles also go up. The clue with her is the Staffy bow before she gets involved.

If I'm not sure or dont want the interaction to happen at all, I will distract her with her favourite toy which happens to be her Kong Stix. This used to work 100% but is now down to 98% due to an incident a few weeks back

You will get the confidence back but it will take you some time to read the body language and feel confident. If Ruby runs and plays nice with dogs she knows then I wouldn't worry just be a little more wary when strange ones are about and perhaps use that long lead.

Was this the first time she was in unfamiliar territory? Was she maybe feeling a bit unsure of where she was and so defensive? For what it's worth, I think that most dog aggression (not all, but most) is caused more by worry/uncertainty/lack of confidence/etc rather than out and out aggression. Being in a strange place and having a dog yapping in her face might have just tipped her over her tolerance threshold.

But... I would doubt if this has changed her really. I know it's very difficult to see her in the same light because you now have this image in your mind, but she is still the same dog. As Ian says, once she gets back to the dogs she knows she'll probably be fine, but use your long lead for the time being until your confidence in her is restored.

Thanks Liz and Ian for giving me a different perspective.

Possibly I miss interpreted but she sounded serious, and for such a quiet girl I was stunned.

She has been camping before but never allowed to play with another dog that long and I have never heard her growling and snapping like that when playing previously. She normally looks so happy.

Never mind.

I have forgiven her and she has forgiven me, she just hasn't been off leash since.

I have recently taken to attempting to train her to jog along side me when I cycle so she still gets the release she loves. It's really awkward but hopefully we'll get the hang of it!

I'd try and work up to getting her off lead with known dogs again if you can. Not only is it nicer for you both, there's also a risk of frustration from her if she is no longer allowed to do something that is a fundamental instinct with dogs. But take your time, it's early days after your worry, just keep it in mind that it's something you know she can do because she's done it before.