Is it enough to keep a dog aggressive dog on a lead or should it be muzzled?
Not sure if this has been discussed before, but I'd like some opinions.
Jiro doesn't like strange dogs running up to him, and Kinu can get aggressive to dominant dogs and bitches. I never let my dogs off lead and I try to avoid places where there will be loose dogs. However sometimes this is impossibe, some people let their dogs loose in the street and when I ask them to put them on a lead the reply is usually, "Oh it's okay, he's friendly!" as the dog rushes up to Jiro.
I was talking to a friend earlier and she thinks it's fine for loose dogs to run up to dogs on lead and that mine should be muzzled. I don't think that is fair on my dogs, I keep them under control, I give other dog owners plenty of space. I worry about muzzling my dogs because if there was a fight they would have no chance to defend themselves.
What do you think? Who would be in the wrong if an on lead dog attacked an loose dog that ran up to it?
Both dogs are usually fine if the other dog is polite but we had a near miss with a GSD earlier near our house, no owner in sight, thank God it stopped when I shouted at it, but my dogs would have been a mess if there had been a fight then and they'd had muzzles on!
Jiro doesn't like strange dogs running up to him, and Kinu can get aggressive to dominant dogs and bitches. I never let my dogs off lead and I try to avoid places where there will be loose dogs. However sometimes this is impossibe, some people let their dogs loose in the street and when I ask them to put them on a lead the reply is usually, "Oh it's okay, he's friendly!" as the dog rushes up to Jiro.
I was talking to a friend earlier and she thinks it's fine for loose dogs to run up to dogs on lead and that mine should be muzzled. I don't think that is fair on my dogs, I keep them under control, I give other dog owners plenty of space. I worry about muzzling my dogs because if there was a fight they would have no chance to defend themselves.
What do you think? Who would be in the wrong if an on lead dog attacked an loose dog that ran up to it?
Both dogs are usually fine if the other dog is polite but we had a near miss with a GSD earlier near our house, no owner in sight, thank God it stopped when I shouted at it, but my dogs would have been a mess if there had been a fight then and they'd had muzzles on!
Comments
I keep Kuma on leash 99% of the time, unless we are taking the last walk of the day and only on the square behind my building, where we have a lap of loose walking, and he's always great, or when we are practising recall. So even though I'm the first to get between him and another dog when things go south, to avoid any direct contact, I want to know Kuma is capable of defending himself should the other dog pass me.
Most time his growl gives other dogs something to think about and it's usually enough, but I'd rather pay for another dog's vet expenses than for mine on that case. My job is to keep him safe.
On one hand, I know his aggression is from fear and making him more helpless doesnt make him less likely to get upset.
On the other hand, keeping Sage safe means keeping him out of any trouble. That includes keeping him out of any chance to fail, or be accused of damage, keeping him from being taken away from me in the event he is in an altercation and does damage. I do not trust people to be reasonable. A muzzle removes this risk.
On the third hand (3?) if I take away his bite, I HAVE to be able to defend him myself, and I have to keep the promise that I can and will, and I dont know if I can. Is it worse if my DOG bites a dog that charges him or if *I* hit the dog, mace it, etc? If I am the other dog's owner, there is a chance that I might believe that dogs will be dogs, but if a dog comes at mine I can;t wait for it to hurt him before I take steps to shoo it away. Therefore its "he just wanted to say hi and you kicked/screamed/pepper sprayed him?!"
I hope it never happens. I am interested in what everyone adds to this thread.
On the fourth hand, muzzle or no muzzle I still have to decide for him based on the feelings he has inside, behind the muzzle. I work very hard to make sure he is not in situations where he freaks out.
At the end of the day, we are controlling our dogs, the owners of the loose dogs also have responsibilities!
I agree, your dogs shouldn't have to be muzzled, but w/o a muzzle you do risk losing your dogs if they severally injured another dog... BUT, we are talking dog-to-dog here, and most of the time you or your dog will not be ticked/fined/reprimanded unless your dogs attacks a person.
@Chrys - If you hit a dog and hurt it, and it was off-lead, you can always say you thought the dog was going to attack you. No one can argue with that, unless you beat the dog mercifully, which I am sure you wouldn't.
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I'll tell you what I have started doing...
Instead of acting defensively and trying to avoid the situation, I just FREAKING YELL at the other people. I (verbally) unleash all the anger I have inside me on that person. They will usually get their dog and go. ;o)
I usually act rather offensively toward the dog too, like pointing and moving forward while yelling. That will usually make any dog turn and go the other direction.
I'm sick of dealing with it, when we are walking the COs or CCs (on lead), and they are negligently (and illegally) letting their dog wonder off-lead, they are risking the life of their dog - just like if they did this by a busy street. So, I let them know it.
Most of the time I feel like a real ass afterwords, but my dogs safe!
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WHAT!? Nooo!
you can always say you thought the dog was going to attack you
mm, that's a good point.
I was told the same by a dog behaviorist I saw when I first got Jiro, it's good to know by law he is under proper control, still doesn't make it any less terrifying when I see an off lead dog!
Good on you Brad, I wish I was brave enough to tell them what I think!
But with regard to your friends opinion of off leash dogs being okay running up to strange dogs, I think she is plain wrong. The owner is already violating the law, and then is just being selfish and rude by inflicting their dog on others without invitation.
& a lot of them are cases where two dogs attacked eachother.
In the cases of off-leash vs on-leash, the on-leash dog ALWAYS wins, & the off-leash dog owner has to pay 100% of damages.
If both dogs are on-leash, OR both dogs are off-leash, the damages are split 50-50. [ or each pays for their own damages ]
However, the CRUX of the matter is, YOU have the burden of proving that the other dog was indeed, off-leash, & yours was indeed, on-leash. Many people lie & say there dog WAS leashed <---& get away with it.
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Likewise, if you have a fenced-in yard & another dog sneaks onto your property, your dogs are in the right as it is THEIR yard. However, if your dogs are in your yard & sneak onto someone ELSE's property, you are in the wrong as your yard should be secure.
Hope that helps. The laws very from state-to-state but the one thing that is always consistent is that the on-lead dog always wins. [ unless, like I said, the other person lies ] ~
Brad, I got a weird mental image of you going ape-shit crazy like the guy in that film I Love You Man. LOL ~
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jirogo i wouldn't muzzle them for dog aggression issues, if they are leashed and under control then you are not the one in the wrong. british police will not get involved in a dog on dog incident unless a person is injured in the proccess or if they think that the general public could be in danger eg. your dog is running lose attacking every dog it see. its actually your local dog wardens job to deal with such things should it be reported. but tbh if yours is anything like my chocolate fireguard springs to mind.
i can understand your frustration i have similar issues
with ven, idots with no control allowing their mutts to attack her have caused my lovely friendly girl to become very on edge when out around strange dogs.
i've lost count of the times someone as said "they only want to play" only to have to put myself between ven and an obviously aggressive dog.
i find it incredably rude when someone allows their off leash dog to approach, my girl is on a leash for a reason and they do not know what that reason is and like brad i now get rather pissed and shout a lot. does seem to work and it keeps ven save. she as had a handfull of fights that i have been unable to stop and its very unplesant and upsetting all round.
mmm sons late for school again so best leave it there.
LMAO.
(not really, of course)
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LMAO!~
...but ah man, that scene from that movie is just hilarious!