Author Topic: Off lead dog attacks.  (Read 2932 times)

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Offline Gazrob

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Off lead dog attacks.
« on: February 27, 2019, 09:45:55 AM »
Hi there I'm looking for some advice. Over the past few weeks my working cocker spaniel Marley has been attacked two or three times luckily he's only suffered minor injuries to his ear. The final straw happened last week when my on lead dog was attacked by two off lead dogs at the same time. My dog is not aggressive he's very friendly whenever I see any dogs when on a dog walk I always put my dog on the lead but a lot of the dog owners in my neighbourhood don't bother. I'm getting very upset and frustrated. I try and be polite and tell the other owners to please put their dog on the lead but this doesn't always work as it depends on the situation. My dog still has his dangly bits I was wondering if that's part of the reason or is it just out of control agressive dogs. I'm worried that if this keeps happening my dog will turn aggressive. I'm avoiding all the dog parks as much as possible. I let him play with certain dogs that I know but I'm wary of strange dogs.

Offline bizzylizzy

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2019, 10:38:58 AM »
Oh Gazrob, you have my sympathies, we‘re going through exactly the same at the moment! Humphrey‘s been attacked 3 times in the last few weeks, the last time resulted in a nasty bite to his leg which needed a visit to the vet and my fears are the same as yours, I worry at some point he‘ll decide attacking is the best form of defence, he‘s already started to growl at other males recently. Just this morning we’ve  discussing having him castrated , as we‘re also concerned about the amount of unspeyed bitches around here at the moment, which are also distracting him.
My heart‘s arguing with my head at the moment, he has such a beautiful coat which I know could suffer if he‘s castrated and I’d hate it to effect his happy-go-lucky, friendly temperament but then I do worry about the attacks and what its doing to him.
Its a tough call and only we can make the ultimate decision in the end but it does need careful consideration. Do let me know what you decide!
Jayne

Offline bizzylizzy

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2019, 10:48:26 AM »
P.s. How old is Marley now? Are the dogs which attack him also males?

Offline Gazrob

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2019, 10:56:47 AM »
Hi bizzylizzy. Marley has just turned 3. It's mainly dogs who I don't know who are going for him so I'm not sure if they are male or female. The dogs I know and let him play with are mainly female and he gets on just fine with them. He has also played with other male dogs with no problems. I'm not sure what's going on. Im taking him to places where there are fewer dogs. I'm not getting him neutered even if that's why he's getting attacked. It doesn't happen every week just the past few weeks. I'm not going to take him to the dog park anymore. I'm not sure if it's because he has his bits he might still get attacked even if I get him done. I do ask the owners to put their dog on lead if I get enough  time but sometimes other dogs just appear from out of nowhere and it's too late to do anything.

Offline bmthmark

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2019, 11:04:33 AM »
I went through this with Jett. We would be walking along nicely in our own little world and then a random attack would happen. This was a daily thing for Jett and it was very upsetting to see as he was starting to get scared of other dogs.
I discussed this with my vet, they told me that they suspect Jett is letting of some sort of scent/hormone thing which could be causing the attacks.
I decided that because we were never going to breed from him he should be neutered. Deep down I felt why should I change Jett for the sake of other dogs, but in the end we had no option.

So he had the operation and since then (1 year later) he has had zero random attacks. Before the operation I would walk him down our road and he would attract attention of other dogs on lead. They would be so vicious to him and the owners always looked in shock like it’s never happened before.
After the operation the same dog just ignored Jett. It was really weird.


This may of been completely luck and not related in any way, but I was happy with the decision I made. Jett seems happy so I am happy.

Jett is 2.5 years old

Offline Neil

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2019, 11:38:51 AM »
My heart‘s arguing with my head at the moment, he has such a beautiful coat which I know could suffer if he‘s castrated and I’d hate it to effect his happy-go-lucky, friendly temperament but then I do worry about the attacks and what its doing to him.
I had Bobby castrated 2 years ago and worried that he might loose some character and get fat. In all honesty I can't say I've noticed any change in him at all. He's the same crazy spaniel that he's always been, no adverse side effects at all.

Offline Gazrob

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2019, 01:01:37 PM »
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I thought the other dogs might be able to smell his dangly bits a mile away that's why he's getting attacked. He's at the vets next week for his yearly check up I'm going to ask the vet what they think but I'm not getting him castrated unless things get really bad. My dog is no bother it's just other people's dogs. Up to now it's just been a bit of barking, snapping and had his ear nipped.

Offline sodpot2000

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2019, 01:15:58 PM »
So sorry to hear about your problems. It really is irresponsible of people not to keep their dogs under control. I have no idea whether Marley's 'bit and bobs' have any part to play or whether the other dogs are just canine thugs with rubbish owners. I do feel that it would be a shame if you had to shell out for surgery in the hope that it would remedy other dog owners' deficiencies.

As to the impact of neutering. Buster is the first neutered dog I have had. He was 'done' just before we got him from Many Tears. He has not grown fat (although that might be down to me being on my third pair of hiking boots) and his coat is the glossiest black I have seen.

Do hope things sort out for you both

Offline Gazrob

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2019, 01:23:35 PM »
Thanks sodpot. Yeah I'm thinking they are just horrible aggressive dogs with irresponsible owners who let them run wild. Most owners are fine but some couldn't care less and dont even apologise after their dog has gone for mine. It makes my blood boil. My parents want me to get him castrated but I'm very reluctant he's my dog at the end of the day.

Offline Digger

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2019, 10:42:33 PM »
Hi gazrob.
We had a male springer (Digger ;)) before the female cocker we now have.
Digger was never castrated. The vets advised us of all the things that could happen but none of them did so we left him be. He was the gentlest most unaffected dog you could ever meet and didn't have an aggressive bone in his body.
However, he did get attacked from time to time-once quite badly by a pair of German shepherds and sadly, right near the end of his 15 year life some nasty little (uncastrated) lurcher took a huge deep bite out of him when he was just plodding along home. He never retaliated in any way to any of these or the more minor attacks.
Having watched the situation throughout his life we concluded these things (not saying we're right):
1) Some intact male dogs always have a bit of a competition going on, so they have to assert whose on top if they meet another one.
 2) If there is a female on heat anywhere in the area that competition suddenly becomes really intense.
3) Dogs don't cut any slack so if you are the weakest you will be told (as in the attack on our old failing boy).
4) and I have noticed our girl does this.. some situations can spill over. Our girl is really well socialised but there has been the odd time when she's been a bit snappy, and I've notiiced when she's been bashed around by bigger dogs 'playing' which had obviously stressed her out so that when we came round the corner and met her friend she started on her- and then realised who it was and stopped.
5) Some dogs are just nasty.

You're right-you shouldn't have to castrate your dog because of others- your dog hasn't done anything wrong., but if I had an entire male that was the attacker I would do the decent thing!
Hope your boy is ok.

Offline Gazrob

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #10 on: February 27, 2019, 11:04:25 PM »
Hi digger my boy is ok. He got his ear bitten last week which drew blood. I'm furious about it but didn't notice any blood till I got home. im constantly on edge when I let my dog off anywhere in the neighbourhood and I get very frustrated when I put my dog on lead and the other people don't and just let their dog come straight over to Marley when they can see I'm not happy about it. I'm keeping away from all the popular dog walking areas as much as I can. It doesn't happen often but it happened twice in 3 days. I'm just going to manage the situation and keep him away from other dogs that I don't know as much as I can even if they are apparently friendly I don't know how many people have said oh my dog is friendly and suddenly have tried to have a go at him. My dog hasn't done this once he's a very friendly gentle dog. Sure he's defended himself but he's never been the aggressor.

Offline Barry H

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2019, 09:43:52 AM »
Sorry to read about this and FWIW you have my sympathies.  Jack (4) is also entire and a friendly, well socialised chap.   Just wanted to say that if I was going through the same thing there is no way on earth that I'd be having his wedding tackle cut off!  I regard his family jewels the same as I do mine.  Apart from anything else I'd regard it as an admission of defeat and therefore totally unacceptable for that reason alone.

After a particularly nasty incident when Jack was much younger (no harm done glad to say) I did come across this which I was very tempted to try if all the usual tactics fail.  Thankfully I'm now much more vigilant and haven't had any more 'incidents' so haven't used it, but it may be worth checking out as a confidence booster and another weapon in your arsenal.

PetSafe SprayShield Animal Deterrent Spray
https://www.amazon.co.uk/PetSafe-SprayShield-Animal-Deterrent-Spray/dp/B00MIP6X06/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

Offline bizzylizzy

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2019, 11:31:30 AM »
[quote  Apart from anything else I'd regard it as an admission of defeat and therefore totally unacceptable for that reason alone.



PetSafe SprayShield Animal Deterrent Spray
https://www.amazon.co.uk/PetSafe-SprayShield-Animal-Deterrent-Spray/dp/B00MIP6X06/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8
[/quote]

Sorry, but that sounds a bit like not moving out of the path of a speeding lorry because you‘re „in the right“. I honestly do sympathise and, as said, am facing the same dilema at the moment. My dog loves to socialize and denying him the pleasure of playing with other dogs and force him to become a canine recluse seems very unfair to me. I feel its my responsibility to do all I can to protect him against being attacked by other dogs, - unfortunately I can‘t do much about the irresponsibilty of the the attackers‘ owners and, as you say, it isn‘t fair but there‘s a lot of things in life that aren‘t. At the end of the day, if all else fails, then I‘m willing to swallow my pride and admit defeat but if it helps prevent my dog from serious injury, then so be it.

Offline Emilyoliver

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2019, 01:22:03 PM »
To anyone contemplating castration as a way to reduce attacks by other dogs (or to try and solve behavioural issues), please think of using the implant before you go through with surgery. The superlorin (sp) and other implants are forms of chemical castration and last about 6 months - so aren’t permanent. This way you get to see whether there is an improvement before going the drastic route. I would also add that castration can also cause untoward reactions from other dogs. My entire dogs have found castrated males particularly ‘interesting’ - to the point that I’ve asked the owners whether their bitch is in season  :005:.  So castration isn’t always a cure all. It’s everyone’s own decision as to what they do with their dogs, but if I were ever to contemplate castration for anything other than health grounds, I’d definitely try the implant first to be sure.
Michelle, Emily and Ollie

Offline bizzylizzy

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Re: Off lead dog attacks.
« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2019, 02:19:51 PM »
Thanks Emily, that‘s certainly worth considering and definately better than making a rash decision. I‘d be gutted if’d I had Humphrey castrated for nothing. Unfortunately it is one of those issues for which there is no straightforward solution and experiences and opinions vary, so it is trial and error I suppose, but I‘ll certainly have a word with our vet.
Gazrob, sorry for jumping in on your original post! I hope the discussion has been helpful to you aswell though!
Kind regards, Jayne