Dangerous dog behaviour....solution?

Hoof_Hearted

I walk my good-natured male labradoodle often in the local park, the only one within walking distance, where he plays with his ball.

Today, for the fourth occasion be has been approached aggressively by a huge Newfoundland with the owner trailing behind. The Newfoundland, I think, wants to mount him but my dog is clearly heterosexual and objects to this.

An adult male Newfoundland weighs 60-85kg and I would say this dog is at the upper end of this. On the three previous occasions, my dog faced the aggressor and was aggressive back, stopping him for long enough for me or the owner to grab him. Today, the Newfoundland was on top of him with my dog buckling underneath. I whacked him with a ballthrower and tried to grab him. Eventually, the dog's owner got him off. My dog was not injured, just shaken up but with his rear end intact.

The dog is perfectly amiable under normal circumstances, but always seems to make a bee line for the labradoodle. I had a go at the owner, who was apologetic, but I am a bit fed up with it.

Any suggestions for a deterrent? It is not a dangerous dog as one would normally be defined, but it is so heavy that it will do some serious damage with its current behaviour.

krlyr

I've heard of several unfortunate cases where, for no apparent reason, one local dog will take a strong dislike, or perhaps a dangerous fixation, on another local dog despite being fine with 99% of the dogs it interacts with.
Unfortunately this kind of behaviour can be very difficult to manage - does the owner keep their dog on-lead all of the time, on the off-chance they encounter you on a walk? It would be a shame for a dog to lose its freedom for the sake of meeting you once in a while, but it would be a bigger shame for your dog to be seriously injured or worse for the sake of not keeping the dog on-lead.

Firstly - is the owner of the Newfoundland going to be cooperative? It sounds, to me, like you may have an apologetic owner but one who perhaps isn't so sorry they're going to move the earth to prevent a repeat episode.
If I'm wrong then it may be worth coming up with a solution that works for you both. One that I've heard used in this kind of situation with good success is for both owners to exchange mobile numbers and let each other know when they're going to use the communal park/area that these incidents happen in. Obviously far easier if it's just one or two places, it may not be so ideal if you bump into them all over the place.
If it's around the same time, same place, another option would be to simply come to an arrangement that one of you goes to the park at x time and the other avoids it, or alternate days, or if the owner goes to the park at a time you may be there, they keep the dog on-lead, or whatever. This may not seem so fair on you, being excluded from a certain time or day, or having to time yours to certain slots, but it may be a solution that allows you both to use the space without the worry of bumping in to each other. You may not be at fault here but equally, the owner cannot help that her dog has taken this fancy to your dog. She can, however, take control of the situation with the use of a lead so she shouldn't be completely shirking her responsibility here. I know that my dog has taken random offense to a particular person I know (works in the local petshop), so for everyone's sake, I avoid taking the dog there.

If the owner isn't willing to take any kind of responsibility here then I would be having a word with the local dog warden. Although there is no legal route you could take (a dog-dog attack would be a civil offense to be persued through the courts), many dog wardens are happy to have a word or act as mediator in situations like this. They may give the owner an unofficial warning to control the dog - like I said, a dog-dog attack is a civil offense, but with a dog the size of hers then the line may blur in terms of the dog being out of control in a public place. I hate the "It could be a child next!" line but in a local park, two dogs having a set-to, especially one of a giant breed with a lot of strength, could be dangerous to anyone caught in the middle. If a child (or even an adult) were to be playing with your dog or stroking him when this Newfoundland was to run over and hassle him, it could result in unintentional injury to a human being, which is a much more serious offense (in the eyes of the law I mean, I'm not downplaying the seriousness of an injured dog)

You might want to look into some methods or gadgets used to distract dogs like this too. A few I can think of off the top of my head
- the Pet Corrector spray. It makes a loud noise to distract/deter dogs. The idea is you desensitize your own dog to the noise, so it wouldn't spook, but if this Newfoundland were to run over, you'd spray at it and hopefully it would flee, or at least be stunned enough by the loud noise to give you time to retreat/the owner to fetch the dog.
- a walking stick. It's not a weapon, but it is, in a way. It may just give you the opportunity to stick something between the two dogs to prevent a fight erupting, without getting your hand or arm bitten
- a popup umbrella, preferably one that is operated by an easy-to-reach button in the handle. Again, not a weapon but it will have a) the shock factor and b) somewhat of a physical barrier
- a handful of treats. I'm not sure this would work if the Newfoundland is overly fixated but often with an overly friendly dog running over to you, throwing a handful of yummy treats directly in its face can cause it to stop its approach and then provide distraction as it eats the scattered treats, giving you time to remove yourself and your dog from the situation

Raksha

This isn't sexual behaviour you know, it's dominance between dogs and although not always appropriate, quite 'normal'. A fit and healthy dog will be able to extract itself.

Is your dog castrated?

However, it might be worth having a word with your local dog warden.

Hoof_Hearted

Thank you, Krlyr, for the time and trouble to post such a detailed reply. Mon-Fri I am at the park early and we don't meet. Weekends seems to be the problem time. I don't think the other owner really sees it as a huge problem as the dog isn't really vicious and I am sure it would not bite enyone. It's the extreme weight that is the problem. I know it also knocked over an adult in the park, again, not on purpose. I may well try the umbrella. The pity is that I know my dog could run away and would be much faster that the Newfoundland, but that's not in his head as he doesn't want to turn his back on the other dog.

gettingready

If it is only weekends - can you have a word with the other dog owner and arrange you do NOT walk at the same time? Seems simple enough....

Hoof_Hearted

Raksha wrote: »

This isn't sexual behaviour you know, it's dominance between dogs and although not always appropriate, quite 'normal'. A fit and healthy dog will be able to extract itself.

Is your dog castrated?

However, it might be worth having a word with your local dog warden.

My dog isn't castrated and is very, very fit (nearly three years old), but it is not easy for a 25kg dog to extricate himself from under an 80kg dog. I watched his back legs buckle under the weight this morning.

I hadn't realised it wasn't sexual. My dog has never tried to mount another dog even though he will stand up for himself in the face of aggression.

Hoof_Hearted

gettingready wrote: »

If it is only weekends - can you have a word with the other dog owner and arrange you do NOT walk at the same time? Seems simple enough....

After this morning, we are not on good terms....

krlyr

Yes, mounting means a lot of things in 'doggy language' and not all sexual.
One thing that just popped back into my head, I've heard several cases where dogs seem to have taken the smell of a dog's anal glands as a cue to mount so may be worth having your dog's glands checked out by the vet.

3v3

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

..... Today, the Newfoundland was on top of him with my dog buckling underneath. I whacked him with a ballthrower and tried to grab him. Eventually, the dog's owner got him off. My dog was not injured, just shaken up but with his rear end intact.

The dog is perfectly amiable under normal circumstances .... I had a go at the owner, who was apologetic, but I am a bit fed up with it.

Any suggestions for a deterrent? It is not a dangerous dog as one would normally be defined, but it is so heavy that it will do some serious damage with its current behaviour.

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

After this morning, we are not on good terms....

Hardly surprising; don't think I'd be on "friendly" terms with someone who thinks it is ok to whack my dog with their ballthrower! And then have a go at the owner? And for what? Because their dog is heavier than yours?

Rather than trying to change the behaviour of the other dog (which is not yours to do!), I would advise rescheduling your weekend walks - if you are that concerned!

It's no different than with people: you have no control over how *they* behave; you can only change your own.

Seriously? If I saw you whacking someone elses dog and then "having a go" at that dogs owner (for nothing more than doggy play?), I think it would be you I'd consider reporting.

Hoof_Hearted

That's a very high horse you are on there.

When an 80kg dog is clearly hurting your own dog, rational thought is not always to the fore. The dog should be on a lead if it is a danger to other dogs. If I had spotted the dog, I would have gone the other way, but it was too late. He came over.

Of course, I could re-schedule my walks as I know exactly what time the other dog arrives at the park each day! We don't all do things at the same time at weekends.

Of course I could be "reported" for allowing my dog to be attacked by a hulking brite of a beast. What a cretin!

If you don't have anything sensible to say, keep your trap shut.

3v3

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

That's a very high horse you are on there.

When an 80kg dog is clearly hurting your own dog, rational thought is not always to the fore. The dog should be on a lead if it is a danger to other dogs. If I had spotted the dog, I would have gone the other way, but it was too late. He came over.

Of course, I could re-schedule my walks as I know exactly what time the other dog arrives at the park each day! We don't all do things at the same time at weekends.

Of course I could be "reported" for allowing my dog to be attacked by a hulking brite of a beast. What a cretin!

If you don't have anything sensible to say, keep your trap shut.

Oh dear; still being aggressive and confrontational I see. :rotfl:

Your homophobic comment was bad enough - which I ignored, initially - but clearly, your even lesser understanding of doggy playfulness puts yourself, not me, in a poor light.

Your dog was not injured. BOTH dogs should have been on a lead! You have a history of FOUR previous occasions where you have had an issue; yet, you still think you do not need to lead your dog? It works both ways

You asked for advice? My advice is: reschedule your walks, keep your dog on a lead that way, you don't have to resort to whacking someone elses dog, being confrontational towards a fellow dog owner (with little empathy!) or fearing your dog might be rogered in the rear end It is the *only* way to have control over your own dog.

Finally, understand the breed of dog you are berating: newfoundlands are reknown as "gentle giants". Your labradoodle, however, is a cross breed and can carry both positive and negative traits from either breed.

You posted asking for a solution to your dilema; the solutions are very straightforward and simple.

Being rude to a fellow forum member merely shows your true character (As if your aggression toward a dog and confrontational attitude towards a fellow dog owner wasn't enough in itself :rotfl:)

Had you whacked *my* dog and then confronted me ... yep, it is *your* behaviour (and not that of your dog! Silly billy ) I would be reporting and not that of a playful, albeit boisterous, fellow dog!

Whacking that dog was cruel, unnecessary, and was not within your remit when the dogs owner was there in front of you! YOUR dog was not injured!! You acted on what *may* have happened and not on what *did* happen ... that is down to your own anxiety/paranoia/ignorance and not fact.

The world does not evolve around you and your dog; it is give and take and, more importantly: responsible dog ownership!