my dog attacked by another - any advice?

foreign_correspondent

relay wrote: »

I tend to be confrontational with this sort of thing & just tell people how i feel - in fact i do it whenever i have a situation with another dog owner if they were at fault.

If you prefer to avoid situations then maybe get an idea of the times he is more likely to be there so you can avoid meeting. Does he seem unaproachable? (not that it would bother me because i'd just tell him to control his sodding dog!) lol :rotfl: I am not unnasertive (by any means) but really don't want to get into running battles or have to avoid them, especially as there are two of them and three dogs, whereas I walk my dog alone, and it is quite an isolated and quiet area, and some people are nutters, unfortunately. Also, to be honest I enjoy the peace and quiet of walking there and it would be spoilt for me if I was always on edge, hoping not to bump into them!

The other option would be to perhaps force a meeting & walk with him and his dogs so that your dog can get to know and be comfortable around them.[/quote my dog has no problem with other dogs, she is quite chilled out and not generally nervous or over excited, infact, if she is a bit unsure of another dog, she generally just comes and sits down, by my feet! The problem is that his dog shot across a field (about 100m) to attack my dog - not something I am keen to let happen again, a he is a big muscular boxer dog and has the size advantage over my placid little collie x!

foreign_correspondent

Well, I have just been out to the park, and they were there with the dogs again. It looked like they were on leads today. I hung around till they were on their way out before I went in with my dog, but didnt get close to them to say anything, to be honest I didnt want to risk getting too close to the dogs after yesterday.

relay

That's the whole point though isn't it - it isn't your dog that's the problem. That's why i suggested getting to know his dog under less strained circumstances where his dog gets to greet yours in a controlled way - what you describe wasn't controlled & it makes a difference believe it or not.

foreign_correspondent

relay wrote: »

That's the whole point though isn't it - it isn't your dog that's the problem. That's why i suggested getting to know his dog under less strained circumstances where his dog gets to greet yours in a controlled way - what you describe wasn't controlled & it makes a difference believe it or not.

yeah I understand what you are saying, but that is their owners problem - they cannot even control their dogs whilst on a lead, the dogs drag them down the field, and the bloke appears to be using his bodyweight to avoild being pulled over. I dont trust that those dogs have any respect for their owners authority.

pboae

This is such a difficult situation, tine is absolutely right that this comes under the DDA, but relay is also right that the police are very rarely interested, especially in dog on dog attacks.

If you feel you could gain anything by trying to approach the owner, then go for it, even if it is just the chance to help rebuild your dog's confidence. But if you think that might just escalate the situation, then there's probably little point.

If you want to have a chat with someone about it and get some advice on what to do next, then I'd suggest trying your local dog warden. They are something of a mixed bunch TBH, but a good dog warden is worth their weight in gold, and you've nothing to lose by speaking to them. If nothing else, you can have the incident put on record, so if (when?) it happens again, they already have some information on file.

I hope your dog is feeling OK today, it must have been very frightening for her.

foreign_correspondent

pboae wrote: »

This is such a difficult situation, tine is absolutely right that this comes under the DDA, but relay is also right that the police are very rarely interested, especially in dog on dog attacks.

If you feel you could gain anything by trying to approach the owner, then go for it, even if it is just the chance to help rebuild your dog's confidence. But if you think that might just escalate the situation, then there's probably little point. yes, that is what I am wondering - I am guessing from his reaction that he isnt too bothered about his dog's behaviour, I would have been so apolpgetic and concerned if my dog did that, whereas he didn't even apologise. God knows why he has three big dogs and hasnt got them behaving better, walking them must be a nightmare.

If you want to have a chat with someone about it and get some advice on what to do next, then I'd suggest trying your local dog warden. They are something of a mixed bunch TBH, but a good dog warden is worth their weight in gold, and you've nothing to lose by speaking to them. If nothing else, you can have the incident put on record, so if (when?) it happens again, they already have some information on file. thankyou, that is a good idea. I may also talk to the park keeper for advice, if I can catch him, I have seen him tell someone to keep their dog on a lead before now because he was concerned it could be dangerous.

I hope your dog is feeling OK today, it must have been very frightening for her.

she seems absolutely fine, but to be honest, not much phases her, which is pretty cool considering she is relatively new to us, and a rescue dog, it seems she has absolute trust in me and just looks to me for direction when we meet another dog!! She is actually the easiest dog to train I have ever had because she is so attentive.

lemontart

omg I do hope you and the dog are ok and recovering from this scary event, report then to the police.

Liz

Errata

I've put my tin hat on as I'm sure many won't agree with me !

If a dog is attacking your dog KICK THE BL00DY THING ! Your dog might be killed but all the attacker will suffer is a broken rib at worst.

Shouting and screaming at the same time might distract it.

If the worst comes to the worst and it starts to attack you, I was told by a police dog trainer to grab hold of its front legs and yank them apart with all my strength and for as far as I could manage. This could result in a dead dog, but that's better than a dead you or a dead child.

relay

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

yeah I understand what you are saying, but that is their owners problem - they cannot even control their dogs whilst on a lead, the dogs drag them down the field, and the bloke appears to be using his bodyweight to avoild being pulled over. I dont trust that those dogs have any respect for their owners authority.

I guess put that way i can understand why you are not comfortable getting near the dogs. Maybe an idea if you invest in some of this stuff -

http://www.dogtrainingproducts.co.uk/pet-corrector.php

It's a spray can that emits a loud hissing noise that is used to stop dogs in thier tracks, completely harmless but they just don't like the noise - at least that way you can deter the other dog before it gets near enough to strike.

I used to keep a can of it in my jacket when my dog was in season in case she attracted any unwanted attention from the boys. It really does work & a lot of trainers use it to break unwanted behaviour such as dogs that jump up at you or nip too much when playing.

I know not everyone likes the idea of it but it does have it's value in some situations like fights.

snipzychick

I would say you definitely did the right thing by not picking your dog up, all this does is teach your dog to be anxious around all other dogs.

This is an unfortunate fact of life, there are irresponsible dog owners everywhere. It would make no difference if you had spoken to this man, as you said he doesn't even have control over his dogs on the lead.

If i were you walk your dog at a different time of the day to avoid bumping into this fool.