CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Specific Discussion => General Cocker Spaniel Discussion => Topic started by: Jane57 on September 17, 2012, 11:54:29 AM
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The trainer was talking about this on Saturday at puppy class. Have any of you really had to step in when your dog was being attacked?
I must admit Im not really prepared even though I have thought of it several times.
What is the right thing to do if an unleashed dog does attack your dog?
The trainer says she carries, keys or chains of some sort and has been known to through them at the ground just infront of the oncoming attacking dog to stop it in its tracks. Failing that she mentioned a spray to stun it, not hurt it but just stun it.
What is the right thing to do? and have you had to intervene? My first reaction would be to try to protect Riley, even if it meant me being hurt, I think that would thought though in that situation would go right out of the window about my own safety to be honest.
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It's hard to prepare because you don't know what the situation could be. Barney was attacked walking on the canal. He was on lead when a teenage couple approached with a bigger dog off lead. It came up to Barney and was sniffing him, then without warning lunged and bit his side. I actually just shoved the dog off with my hand. Barney was traumatised and just lay on the ground, not moving. I had my niece and nephews with me so was worried about them being upset too. The girl grabbed the dog and put it on lead and apologised with the usual "He hasn't done that before". The boy was just talking on his mobile the whole time and seemingly oblivious. I should have made more fuss but was too concerned about Barney and about not upsetting the children.
I don't know what I would have done if the dog hadn't been grabbed by the owner when I shoved it off. I would probably have kicked it. ph34r Barney wasn't too badly injured physically, just bruised, but it has made him more wary of other dogs. My niece and nephews also still talk about the day that horrible dog hurt Barney.
I had a situation the other week with Pippa. We were just setting off on a walk and literally stepped out of the back gate with Pippa on lead when a staffy came racing up the lane towards Pippa. It was obviously not friendly. Pippa screamed and got behing my legs and we were spinning in circles with me trying to position myself between it and Pippa. Thankfully, it was only for a few seconds as the owner appeared from my neighbours' yard and came and grabbed the dog.
Like you say, at the time you don't really think about safety. You just want to protect your dog.
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I wouldn't hesitate in kicking the other dog. Not necessarily hard, but enough to jolt/give it a shock then see where that took me. Also try and pick Charlie up - with his leader/harness so my face isn't going in the middle of it. I'd rather bruise Charlie from his harness than have him attacked/bitten.
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When there was a spate of dog attacks around here all the dog owners started carrying sticks - considering the damage this dog had done to several dogs I wouldn't have hesitated. In saying that, when Brodie was attacked I just froze :-\. It was a nearby couple that pulled the dog off her. My plan had been to pick her up and put her into someone's garden if I ever thought she was in danger of being attacked, but in the end it all happened so fast I would never have had the chance to do that.
Ideally I'd have done whatever I could to protect her. However, during that spate of attacks i mentioned above, one owner ended up with very bad bites on her arm after she tried to pick her dog up, but I think you just act on instinct and that instinct tells you to protect your dog.
One of the things recommended to me after Brodie's attack was a spray, which I keep meaning to look in to.
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No one is going to like what I say......BUT, we were told that the best thing to do is to carry a cigarette lighter always. The breeds that lock jaws will not let go or relent even if kicked repeatedly in an attempt to get them to release their hold.
After Luis was attacked twice by a local mastiff...but luckily escaped......someone told us that a lighter held beneath the nose, makes them open their jaw immediately.
Has anyone else heard of this?
PLEASE KNOW that I am not advocating this method. The subject came up, and I wondered whether anyone else had heard of this last resort method.
It took two hefty owners to sit on their dog last time we encountered it. It really worries me.
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The last time fred was attacked I actually launched one the offending dogs (with a hefty boot to the ribs) into the sea and picked the smaller one up by the collar and scruff trying to get it to break its grip on his ear once it had let go of him it also got launched into the water. I phone the police and the dog warden immediately afterwards to report the attack and my actions as this was not the first time this pair of dogs had attacked him and I had also seen them attack other dogs. I am afraid all sense of self preservation goes out the window with me if my dog gets attacked and I have waded in one more than one occasion with a pair of size 6 boots and either got Fred behind me or when he was smaller lifted him into my arms - we are lucky that he has never suffered a serious physical injury and is still happy to meet other dogs when we are out
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No one is going to like what I say......BUT, we were told that the best thing to do is to carry a cigarette lighter always. The breeds that lock jaws will not let go or relent even if kicked repeatedly in an attempt to get them to release their hold.
After Luis was attacked twice by a local mastiff...but luckily escaped......someone told us that a lighter held beneath the nose, makes them open their jaw immediately.
Has anyone else heard of this?
PLEASE KNOW that I am not advocating this method. The subject came up, and I wondered whether anyone else had heard of this last resort method.
It took two hefty owners to sit on their dog last time we encountered it. It really worries me.
Totally understand what you are saying Lily freya, I think this is a good idea, Im sorry but If a dog had its jaws locked on Riley, I would do absolutely anything to make it let go. I would face up later Im afraid.
Of course in the hands of RESPONSIBLE dog owners this method is a great idea. It would take an extreme case for me to use it but hey I sure would do it if it meant I watched my pup being tore to pieces. >:D
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No one is going to like what I say......BUT, we were told that the best thing to do is to carry a cigarette lighter always. The breeds that lock jaws will not let go or relent even if kicked repeatedly in an attempt to get them to release their hold.
After Luis was attacked twice by a local mastiff...but luckily escaped......someone told us that a lighter held beneath the nose, makes them open their jaw immediately.
Has anyone else heard of this?
PLEASE KNOW that I am not advocating this method. The subject came up, and I wondered whether anyone else had heard of this last resort method.
It took two hefty owners to sit on their dog last time we encountered it. It really worries me.
Totally understand what you are saying Lily freya, I think this is a good idea
How can you hold a lighter under an attacking dog's nose - it's not exactly going to stand still so you can do it! So you run the risk of burning yourself and your own dog and getting bitten yourself.....
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What about you Helen what would you recommend ?
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I think I will carry the mini deodorant with me, as the dog trainer says it wont blind a dog but will be enough to stun if its not for letting go.
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What about you Helen what would you recommend ?
I agree with your trainer.
What in everyone's eyes constitutes an 'attack' though?
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What about you Helen what would you recommend ?
I agree with your trainer.
What in everyone's eyes constitutes an 'attack' though?
Well in my eyes its not a fight, its when a dog has actually physically attacking your dog and the other dog,s owner is nowhere to be seen or has no control over their own dog.
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Thank you for starting this thread.
Darwin was attacked last week ( no blood, thankfully he's got a thick coat at the moment) on our own road on the way to the park, he was on the lead.
It has left us both shaken and now Darwin is nervous of large lab / ridgeback type crosses. It has taken a bit of work but I've got Darwin to walk past the spot where it happened. But when he was out with OH at the weekend, Darwin saw a similar sized/shaped dog in the distance and reacted if he was being attacked ( squealing /crying/ trying to hide )
At the moment I feel a complete failure as I was unable to prevent the attack and couldn't have stopped it if the owner hadn't acted quickly.
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No one is going to like what I say......BUT, we were told that the best thing to do is to carry a cigarette lighter always. The breeds that lock jaws will not let go or relent even if kicked repeatedly in an attempt to get them to release their hold.
After Luis was attacked twice by a local mastiff...but luckily escaped......someone told us that a lighter held beneath the nose, makes them open their jaw immediately.
Has anyone else heard of this?
PLEASE KNOW that I am not advocating this method. The subject came up, and I wondered whether anyone else had heard of this last resort method.
It took two hefty owners to sit on their dog last time we encountered it. It really worries me.
Totally understand what you are saying Lily freya, I think this is a good idea
How can you hold a lighter under an attacking dog's nose - it's not exactly going to stand still so you can do it! So you run the risk of burning yourself and your own dog and getting bitten yourself.....
Please understand that I did not say this is necessarily what I advocate......I wondered if it was something that was known in dog circles.
I agree that a dog is not going to react well to a lighter under it's nose. The person who told me about it said it was used as a last resort to open the attackers mouth to free a dog....severely injured, but not dead as a result of the attack.
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What in everyone's eyes constitutes an 'attack' though?
That is the hardest question in the world to answer!! Because a growly scuffle can be fine in a 'doggy' world, I know Ben will run at growl or nip another dog if it pesters him too much, and I would not class that as an attack - equally if another dog did that to one of mine I would view it in a similar fashion, just dogs sorting themselves out and its best to leave them to do it I always think human intervention can escalate the situation when it is not necessary.
However - for me it depends on the 'breed' of the other dog. And I know that is not going to be a popular answer - becuase it is making a judgment about a breed without taking individual dogs and owenrs into consideration. But I have fears about certain big breeds, eg staffies, dobermans, huskey types (huge huge apoloiges to all you people who have lovely kind examples of these breeds ph34r) but my fear is that with a strong or big dog I wouldn't be able to get it off or pick it up or even do anything much if it was pinning down or drawing blood on one of my boys. I know someone who had a really bitey terrier, and probably much more likely to bite than a big breed, but I wasn't scared of him becasue in my head I imagined if necessary I could pick him up or shove him out of the way. Not necessarily logical perhaps, but the way my head works.
So for me an attack would be a certain breed biting or trying to pin down one of my boys - sorry
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No one is going to like what I say......BUT, we were told that the best thing to do is to carry a cigarette lighter always. The breeds that lock jaws will not let go or relent even if kicked repeatedly in an attempt to get them to release their hold.
After Luis was attacked twice by a local mastiff...but luckily escaped......someone told us that a lighter held beneath the nose, makes them open their jaw immediately.
Has anyone else heard of this?
PLEASE KNOW that I am not advocating this method. The subject came up, and I wondered whether anyone else had heard of this last resort method.
It took two hefty owners to sit on their dog last time we encountered it. It really worries me.
This sounds like a potentially dangerous way of trying to get a dog to break its hold.
Many dogs that have been bred to be very gamey seem to "lock" their jaws, but it's just sheer tenacity from their genetic drives. If a gamey dog like a staffy or a terrier has bitten and refuses to let go, the best way to open its jaws is to use a break stick, or anything that is a solid rod that you can insert in the dog's jaws behind the molars and twist it around so that they are forced readjust their grip. Never try to pull two dogs apart as that will only make the bite tear the victim dog even more. Always be aware that once the aggressor has released its grip, it has the potential to redirect their aggression on you.
There are APBTs where I live and although most of their owners are very responsible and fully aware of what their dogs are capable of we always take precautions when going for a walk in the park. We carry sprays and wooden sticks to fend off attacks or use as break sticks if the worst were to happen. Many dogs will back off if you assert yourself and stand between the aggressor and your dog, but I would not hesitate to hit or kick a dog with all my might to defend my own dogs and I have done so in the past.
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Thank you for starting this thread.
Darwin was attacked last week ( no blood, thankfully he's got a thick coat at the moment) on our own road on the way to the park, he was on the lead.
It has left us both shaken and now Darwin is nervous of large lab / ridgeback type crosses. It has taken a bit of work but I've got Darwin to walk past the spot where it happened. But when he was out with OH at the weekend, Darwin saw a similar sized/shaped dog in the distance and reacted if he was being attacked ( squealing /crying/ trying to hide )
At the moment I feel a complete failure as I was unable to prevent the attack and couldn't have stopped it if the owner hadn't acted quickly.
Poor Darwin, Hope he overcomes his nerves and isnt too traumatised with this attack.
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What in everyone's eyes constitutes an 'attack' though?
That is the hardest question in the world to answer!! Because a growly scuffle can be fine in a 'doggy' world, I know Ben will run at growl or nip another dog if it pesters him too much, and I would not class that as an attack - equally if another dog did that to one of mine I would view it in a similar fashion, just dogs sorting themselves out and its best to leave them to do it I always think human intervention can escalate the situation when it is not necessary.
However - for me it depends on the 'breed' of the other dog. And I know that is not going to be a popular answer - becuase it is making a judgment about a breed without taking individual dogs and owenrs into consideration. But I have fears about certain big breeds, eg staffies, dobermans, huskey types (huge huge apoloiges to all you people who have lovely kind examples of these breeds ph34r) but my fear is that with a strong or big dog I wouldn't be able to get it off or pick it up or even do anything much if it was pinning down or drawing blood on one of my boys. I know someone who had a really bitey terrier, and probably much more likely to bite than a big breed, but I wasn't scared of him becasue in my head I imagined if necessary I could pick him up or shove him out of the way. Not necessarily logical perhaps, but the way my head works.
So for me an attack would be a certain breed biting or trying to pin down one of my boys - sorry
same here :shades:
Unfortunately i have seen 1st hand how much damage a SBT can do :'( with a completely unprovoked/out of the blue attack on my 1st cocker, he nearly had his ear ripped off & after we eventually got the dog off him, in a split second he was back on his throat :'( the owner was nowhere to be seen >:( even now after 14 yrs or so i still shudder about it & will never trust unknown dogs unless they are what i would describe as well known family type dogs such as cavvies & our breed ph34r
I would avoid any type of dog that can do serious damage that is showing aggressive body language, which would be very difficult for me to quickly get off one of mine, just because i now have this inbuilt desire to protect my current dogs from anything similar happening to them :shades:
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A woman near us has many dogs and walks them where I walk my gang. When we had our cockers, one of her dogs first attacked Buffy and a month or so later attacked Harriet.
When it pinned Buffy the rest of my dogs ran to help her and it was horrendous - I was trying to unlock it's jaws from my precious girl and the rest of my gang were snarling and trying to get it off her too.
Luckily she wasn't too badly hurt.
Then the same dog attacked Harriet in the same way.
This time I saw red and had a real go at the owner. She assured me it had never done it before - so I reminded her it had done it to Buffy not long before. I told her in no uncertain terms it must be muzzled as it was dangerous.
I walked them at different times and different places for a while - then I saw her again minus said dog.
I asked where it was and it transpired it had been put to sleep after attacking a child :o :o
Someone once told me if a dog really locks onto your dog, don't ever pull at the collar as if it works the dog will come away with a mouthful of your dog too - twist the collar thereby strangling the attacking dog to make it let go. She also said as a last resort put your finger up the dog's bum -not nice to think about but let's face it if nothing else was working we would try anything.
Again, I am not advocating that and when my girls were attacked I was too busy trying to get the attacker off without thinking rationally about ways to do it. As other say, it happens so quickly.
This is one of my biggest fears as I know the rest will rush in to try and help and so it could well end up with all of them getting hurt - even Suki who is the biggest wimp in the world and will hide behind me if a dog so much as glances her way, will go to the aid of the others if they are in trouble.
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Connie was attacked by a staffie x who locked on her face and the owner ended up with stitches in his hands from trying to get it off her by prising open her jaw. He wasn't successful, it went on for about 10 minutes and two men passing by ran over to help and one of them was laying on the floor punching this dog into it's ribs really hard to try to get it off Connie.
I was hysterical and my first reaction was to pull her free but i quickly stopped myself as i would have ripped her face apart if i had continued. Now if i see a dog i don't like the look of (which is daily as where i live a lot of youngsters strutt about with mean looking dogs) i move away as quickly as possible and watch it like a hawk while i plan a way of avoiding it/escaping it.
For me it was the worst thing that i could ever have imagined happening and i don't think i could of prepared myself for such an unprovoked attack walking along the street by another dog on a lead with it's owner.
Oh i also was screaming like a banshee which helped bring the two men running over to help.
Angie x
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I think I will carry the mini deodorant with me, as the dog trainer says it wont blind a dog but will be enough to stun if its not for letting go.
I carry a small spray when I am out walking Dexter by myself. I feel safer when I am out with OH but when by myself I think there would be nothing I could physically do to pull another dog off Dexter if it had him. I tend to stay to main roads and populated places when out by myself - I know it doesn't mean nothing will happen but I feel happier having other people around. Its my worse nightmare for anything to happen to Dex!
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twist the collar thereby strangling the attacking dog to make it let go.
I've done this to get a dog off my old bridge boy Boysie. Obviously the dog needs to be wearing a collar ........ Not proud of it but the owner was half a field away and not at all concerned by what his dog was doing :o . I twisted the collar and pulled the dog off - it passed out a couple of times so I released my grip then so it could breathe, but it would have gone back to Boysie so I still kept hold. Took the owner ages to come over and then he had a go at me..........
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I too have heard about the shoving something up the attacking dog's bum which sounds as daft as the cigarette lighter as I've no idea how you'd get a fighting dog to be still enough for it! On two occasions I've had to try to separate a Jack Russel and later on a Patterdale from fighting other dogs (not mine) in the past and it was impossible as terriers just won't let go and you can't get them apart without pulling lumps out of the dog being attacked. Luckily there was water to hand to chuck on them, but the Patterdale still redirected and bit my leg. Twisting the collar sounds like a good idea.
I've been on the other end of this too. Years ago I had a lovely but large male Dalmatian who ran about 5 miles with me on leash every day. One morning we were passing someone's garden and a chihuahua came barrelling out from under the hedge and bit me on the ankle. My dog picked it up and started shaking it like a rat. I suppose he thought he was defending me. It took literally all my strength to prise his jaws apart and drop the wee dog. We went to the house to tell the owner, I asked to use his phone to call my husband to bring our car to take the dog to the vet (owner didn't have a car), pay for the vet etc. but all was refused. Next thing I knew, I received a court summons. The owner took me to small claims court (this was in the US) for $1000 in vet bills. Fortunately the judge found for me because my dog was on a leash and the other dog wasn't, but he still told me off for not being in control of my dog. Given their difference in size, I know my dog could have killed the other easily if I'd not been able to stop him. Leave commands don't work in those situations. What I'm trying to say is that a dog fight is horrible for the attacking dog's owner too. We caused the little dog pain and injury, and me too actually as my bite festered a bit and I was always vaguely paranoid about rabies over there. I have a friend whose chihuahua was killed by a labrador. It's not always staffies.
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What constitutes an attack in my mind is if a dog launches itself at mine , and starts biting it or pinning it to the ground and wont let mine up and is biting it , im lucky in the fact that ive only in my mind had one serious attack on my bridge boy bruno by a ex breeding chocolate lab and she would not back of even after a light kick to the ribs so then im afraid she got a full force couple of kicks and then did back off , she was also jumping up at my friend to get at her little terrier who she was holding aloft in the air it probably only lasted two minutes but seemed like alot longer the lab had hold of the skinn on brunos side and was shaking her head like she was trying to rip him open so im afraid i got her off , ive had a couple of terriers who have ran in and had a little snappy go at mine but usually the voice of doom sees them off, i would always go in to protect mine if they were in danger
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It isn't just the fighting breeds that can be a danger. My neighbours' daughter has a chocolate labrador that they look after. It seems like a really soft dog and is very obedient generally, but it doesn't like smaller dogs. My neighbour was telling me on day that they had been to the seaside with it and it had raced along the beach and grabbed a cocker spaniel puppy and shaken it. :o
My neighbour looks after it on Wednesdays, so I always give their house a wide berth then and put Pippa back on her lead if we see it out on the fields.
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I always carry a small can of hairspray. It makes dogs sneeze so if Harvey was locked onto by another dog I would spray it at the offending dog's nose. There was a bad attack a few months ago on the field where we walk (I wasn't there), but an old nervous lab cross was viciously attacked by a staffie. The poor old dog's ear was 3/4 torn off and then the staffie sank its teeth into the lab's shoulder and was locked on for a long time. I know dogs can have squabbles all the time (and Harvey can be guilty of squabbling and nipping at another dog) but I hope I never have to use that spray in a serious situation. (Incidently one of Harvey's best friends is a staffie who has the most beautiful nature, and is adored the all the other dog owners).
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This is my biggest fear . Our Megan a 7 year old rescue ex-breeding bitch is very timid in any event. When walking Megan off lead and a dog we do not know approaches we put Megan on lead and talk her through it by our sides until we pass the strange dog.
The other day whilst walking we were all having a lovely time when a Staffie appeared from nowhere and locked on to our little Megan. I panicked immediately and Colin got hold of the Staffie and pulled and shoved him off. The owner of the Staffie then came ambling along saying dont worry he wont hurt he is docile. While he may be to his own family he certainly was not towards our Megan and two other dogs that came along after us. No words of sorry. I just lost it and told the owner exactly what I thought of him and his dog. Whilst Megan fortunately was not hurt too badly it has affected her confidence. So we are now back to the stage of calming and assuring her and talking her through the situation if a strange dog should appear. I went straight off to Pets at Home and bought a spray which I now carry with me at all times.
Gwyneth
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Please lets not use this thread to bash breeds...can we please get back on topic which is protecting your dog from ANY other dog attacking.
Thanks :shades:
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My dog Bo is a staffie x was attack when she was a really young dog about 4 months old by another staffie and i have never kicked a dog in my life but that day i had no other option but to kick it as it had Bo around the throat. I was so shaken up after that and i had my son who was 8 and he was hysterical and was rooted to the spot i had to phone my OH home from work to come and collect us. But i would do the same again
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Bingley was once jumped on and pinned down by a poodle, he was snarling and snapping and trying to go for us too. OH did the collar twisting thing in the end. Have to admit I was just so shocked I was pretty useless. The owner then came bounding over, didn't apologise, and began telling me how wonderfully trained his dog was and it wouldn't have happened if my dog went to the same training classes :huh: I do worry sometimes when I walk Bingley alone, I'd never heard of carrying hairspray or similar it is something I will definitely think about.
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The trainer was talking about this on Saturday at puppy class. Have any of you really had to step in when your dog was being attacked?
I must admit Im not really prepared even though I have thought of it several times.
What is the right thing to do if an unleashed dog does attack your dog?
The trainer says she carries, keys or chains of some sort and has been known to through them at the ground just infront of the oncoming attacking dog to stop it in its tracks. Failing that she mentioned a spray to stun it, not hurt it but just stun it.
What is the right thing to do? and have you had to intervene? My first reaction would be to try to protect Riley, even if it meant me being hurt, I think that would thought though in that situation would go right out of the window about my own safety to be honest.
TBH Jane, to 'think about it' is the most any of us can do & preparing yourself for the unknown, could in itself, lead to problems IMHO :-\
We could all kit ourselves out for this eventuality or that but incidences such as this, are unpredictable & on most occasion, aren't foreseen but come as a complete surprise.
To be 'en guard' when going out, equipped in case you get attacked & getting anxious when you see a certain breed of dog, can influence your own dogs behaviour. If you are nervous & over cautious, your dog might feel he/she has reason to be nervous/ cautious too & be giving off mixed signals even before another dog were to come near :-\
(*touch wood*) I've not had any 'major' incidences with my 4 but a few minor scuffles with GSD's on Purdey's part, that has left her not liking them very much but we just steer clear if we see any, or use distraction techniques if that's not possible but I do try to stay pretty relaxed about it all & only react my self, if really necessary - just raising your voice could be enough to alert your dog that something is could be wrong?
'If' I were in the position that some of you have been, I would possibly do as Karendorman13 has done & put the boot in & just use any way possible to bet the dog off but I keep paws crossed, I never have to find out :016:
Lindsey x
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TBH I had never thought about this until Ruby was attacked by a Labrador when she was about 6 months old (actually there were 3 Labs that pounced on her, one of them bit her) My son was walking her at the time, she was on a lead. The Labs were off lead, the owner was with them but had no leads for them, made no apology and basically couldn't care less!! My son said Ruby was terrified and so was he, but he just picked her up without thinking that he may have been bitten as well!
For a long time afterwards I walked with a stick (the kind with a pointed metal end- a bit like a ski pole) but I don't anymore. I would hate to think this would ever happen again, so I try not to think about it.
As Lindsey said, how you feel/ react could influence your dogs behaviour, so I think you need to be mindful of that. I would not want to cause any harm to another dog BUT if it were ever to happen again, I would do anything I could to protect Ruby.
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I do hear what you say Lindsey, but when you live in a huge seaside town with many parks, beaches and grassy areas as I do and the amount of dogs I see on each walk has to come into our thoughts at times.
Theres no way I would impact on my pups behaviour as Im not nervous and am in full control when walking him. (pity lots arent) Its just a normal thought that comes into our minds when we know of so many attacks, just look for instance at the people on here.
I feel more confident in my own mind now after reading a few tips on here whereas before I might have panicked if he had been set upon.
Like I say theres no harm in asking / discussing or thinking about this.
The trainer actually encouraged/recommended we do so.
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What in everyone's eyes constitutes an 'attack' though?
Please lets not use this thread to bash breeds...can we please get back on topic which is protecting your dog from ANY other dog attacking.
Thanks :shades:
People are explaining what they see as "attacks" no-one is breed bashing it is just unfortunate but fact that many,but not all,are by stafs.
For me an attack would be an unprovoked bite that drew blood.I have had handbags or rather Ruby has with several dogs who had no manners but luckily she has never been attacked.
We had several incidents with a rottweiler which was basically him rushing at her while really growling and that scared me enough but wouldn't describe that as an attack at all.
If it were to happen i would twist the attacking dogs collar or bits if it were a "he" but these things happen so quickly and the movement is so fast we just can't predict it.
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I do hear what you say Lindsey, but when you live in a huge seaside town with many parks, beaches and grassy areas as I do and the amount of dogs I see on each walk has to come into our thoughts at times.
Theres no way I would impact on my pups behaviour as Im not nervous and am in full control when walking him. (pity lots arent) Its just a normal thought that comes into our minds when we know of so many attacks, just look for instance at the people on here.
I feel more confident in my own mind now after reading a few tips on here whereas before I might have panicked if he had been set upon.
Like I say theres no harm in asking / discussing or thinking about this.
The trainer actually encouraged/recommended we do so.
I do too Jane ...they don't come much bigger or busier than Bournemouth ;)
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I don't think it matters where you live Jane! We live in a tiny "hamlet" in south Cumbria, but Ruby was attacked. It could happen anywhere...
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I don't think it matters where you live Jane! We live in a tiny "hamlet" in south Cumbria, but Ruby was attacked. It could happen anywhere...
I meant that Im surrounded by lots of dogs each and every day off lead and some undesirable people "in charge" of them
I think you misunderstood, Im not meaing there is more chance of an attack here, my reply was merely in reply to Lindsey in overthinking and overreatcing to a possilbe attack.
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What in everyone's eyes constitutes an 'attack' though?
Please lets not use this thread to bash breeds...can we please get back on topic which is protecting your dog from ANY other dog attacking.
Thanks :shades:
People are explaining what they see as "attacks" no-one is breed bashing it is just unfortunate but fact that many,but not all,are by stafs.
For me an attack would be an unprovoked bite that drew blood.I have had handbags or rather Ruby has with several dogs who had no manners but luckily she has never been attacked.
We had several incidents with a rottweiler which was basically him rushing at her while really growling and that scared me enough but wouldn't describe that as an attack at all.
If it were to happen i would twist the attacking dogs collar or bits if it were a "he" but these things happen so quickly and the movement is so fast we just can't predict it.
Well looking back at this thread it seems that labs are high up on the list - and I'm sure there are plenty of cockers on other dog breed forum lists of attacking dogs as well ;) I'd rather blame the deed in any case and any of the posts on this thread which mention a breed would be just as effective without the breed name mentioned.
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Totally agree with Lindseyp. If you look for trouble you'll often find it. Also totally agree with Helen - it can be any breed. In my own limited experience I've only so far had trouble with working-type terriers, e.g., Patterdales and JRTs, but it's only my experience and I should not judge based on that - I've known some lovely JRT's. (Still looking for a Patterdale to love ph34r but I'm 100% positive they're out there. It is unfortunate though that they're often used for badger baiting by undesirables.) As said, there's got to be bad-assed cockers around being badmouthed on other forums.
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Never met a bad cocker in all my life.......However, have met many other aggressive breeds.
Give me a cocker any day, despite what any other forums might say. :005:
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I was once told by a vet to pick up the offending dogs back legs and pull the legs apart as this unbalance the dog. Don't know if it would work. It's my biggest fear, I go the opposite way if we see a dog I dont know
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Never met a bad cocker in all my life.......However, have met many other aggressive breeds.
Give me a cocker any day, despite what any other forums might say. :005:
Have to agree with that. I've picked Toby up a couple of times when I've suddenly noticed a particularly aggressive dog (which has attacked three dogs in only a few weeks recently) coming towards us. I've never, ever known anyone feel the need to protect their dog when a cocker approaches.
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What in everyone's eyes constitutes an 'attack' though?
Please lets not use this thread to bash breeds...can we please get back on topic which is protecting your dog from ANY other dog attacking.
Thanks :shades:
People are explaining what they see as "attacks" no-one is breed bashing it is just unfortunate but fact that many,but not all,are by stafs.
For me an attack would be an unprovoked bite that drew blood.I have had handbags or rather Ruby has with several dogs who had no manners but luckily she has never been attacked.
We had several incidents with a rottweiler which was basically him rushing at her while really growling and that scared me enough but wouldn't describe that as an attack at all.
If it were to happen i would twist the attacking dogs collar or bits if it were a "he" but these things happen so quickly and the movement is so fast we just can't predict it.
Well looking back at this thread it seems that labs are high up on the list - and I'm sure there are plenty of cockers on other dog breed forum lists of attacking dogs as well ;) I'd rather blame the deed in any case and any of the posts on this thread which mention a breed would be just as effective without the breed name mentioned.
I'm sure any of the posts would have been effective without mentioning the breed but as i already said people weren't breed bashing ,just answering a question you posed (which digressed the thread) and gave their experiences and you can't ignore fact. ;)
I will bow out now to keep the thread on topic. :police:
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Well, I for one didn't intend my post to be "breed bashing" :luv: I was just sharing my experience! :shades: Ruby is my first Cocker, before her I had a "different" breed for 30 years. As Helen said, this is about protecting your dog from ANY other dog attacking.
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I was once told by a vet to pick up the offending dogs back legs and pull the legs apart as this unbalance the dog. Don't know if it would work. It's my biggest fear, I go the opposite way if we see a dog I dont know
This is a good method for separating two dogs that are fighting when you have another person to assist you, though you grab the back legs, drag out and swing away to both separate the dogs and also to decrease the chances of the dog biting you. This is not a good method for most terrier breeds that latch on and shake as doing this will only increase injury to the dog being bitten. When breaking a fight it really depends on the situation, the individual dogs, and why the aggressor is attacking in the first place (out of dominance or fear, out of fight or prey drive, etc).
I wouldn't say it's breed bashing to mention the breeds you've personally had bad experiences, though I will admit that I am very leery of certain breeds that are known to be dog aggressive and even larger dogs that are known to have high prey drives. These are breed traits for some dogs and though I won't blame the individual dog for acting on its genetic drives, I will blame its irresponsible owner for not being aware of those breed traits and drives and not maintaining control over them. If some owners were more knowledgeable of and responsible toward their breed of choice BEFORE the act then we wouldn't have to "blame the deed" AFTER an innocent dog has already been attacked.
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I was once told by a vet to pick up the offending dogs back legs and pull the legs apart as this unbalance the dog. Don't know if it would work. It's my biggest fear, I go the opposite way if we see a dog I dont know
This is a good method for separating two dogs that are fighting when you have another person to assist you, though you grab the back legs, drag out and swing away to both separate the dogs and also to decrease the chances of the dog biting you. This is not a good method for most terrier breeds that latch on and shake as doing this will only increase injury to the dog being bitten. When breaking a fight it really depends on the situation, the individual dogs, and why the aggressor is attacking in the first place (out of dominance or fear, out of fight or prey drive, etc).
I wouldn't say it's breed bashing to mention the breeds you've personally had bad experiences, though I will admit that I am very leery of certain breeds that are known to be dog aggressive and even larger dogs that are known to have high prey drives. These are breed traits for some dogs and though I won't blame the individual dog for acting on its genetic drives, I will blame its irresponsible owner for not being aware of those breed traits and drives and not maintaining control over them. If some owners were more knowledgeable of and responsible toward their breed of choice BEFORE the act then we wouldn't have to "blame the deed" AFTER an innocent dog has already been attacked.
Very well put Praia......totally agree with all you've said here.
None of us want to breed bash.....it's just sad that the incidents mentioned have involved similar breed dogs.
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I didn't want to breed bash in my post - although I know I mentioned specific breeds. But I wonder if there is a link, not in specifying a particular breed as any more aggressive than another, but that our own perception and fears cause anxiety that is picked up by our dogs which makes their own responses differnet or more extreme - sort of a catch 22 situation. Could this cause an escalation of aggression, leading to an attack, which could be avoided?
I know Ben is very sensitive to my responses, Harry less so. I used to be frightened of boxers (not breed bashing, just a fact) at agility I used to avoid Lily the boxer or pull Ben away from her. It was her owner that pointed out that I was actually causing a problem that didn't even exist for Ben as he started to grumble whenever he saw Lily arrive. After that I used to try to make sure losend his lead and didn't move away and actually it turned out that Mr Grumbly Ben who doesn't really like other dogs got on quite well with Lily, it was my fears causing the problem. (I actually discovered that I like boxers after all, they are quite soppy and playful when you get to know them ;))
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I didn't want to breed bash in my post - although I know I mentioned specific breeds. But I wonder if there is a link, not in specifying a particular breed as any more aggressive than another, but that our own perception and fears cause anxiety that is picked up by our dogs which makes their own responses differnet or more extreme - sort of a catch 22 situation. Could this cause an escalation of aggression, leading to an attack, which could be avoided?
I know Ben is very sensitive to my responses, Harry less so. I used to be frightened of boxers (not breed bashing, just a fact) at agility I used to avoid Lily the boxer or pull Ben away from her. It was her owner that pointed out that I was actually causing a problem that didn't even exist for Ben as he started to grumble whenever he saw Lily arrive. After that I used to try to make sure losend his lead and didn't move away and actually it turned out that Mr Grumbly Ben who doesn't really like other dogs got on quite well with Lily, it was my fears causing the problem. (I actually discovered that I like boxers after all, they are quite soppy and playful when you get to know them ;))
There's a lot of truth in that... I know I physically tense when I see a big bouncy dog - doesn't matter what breed it is or if its showing signs of aggression - I do it because I am so aware of Maggie's back I don't want it accidentally landing on her :embarassed: But I know if she's close to me she'll pick up on it because she completely changes and turns into a screamer :embarassed: which makes her more of an exciting/interesting dog to the big one and it is a vicious circle then. If she's away from me she deals with it fine on her own and just gets out the way until she can get past and back to me. I try really hard to remain very calm, but its very difficult so I can imagine how hard it is for someone who's dog actually has been attacked etc...