Friday, July 31, 2009

What do I do when walking my leashed dog and an unleashed dog approaches us?

When an unleashed dog approaches my leashed dog and me on our walks, what should I do to keep us safe?
Answers:
Stop, tell your dog to sit. This gives you the opportunity to let the other dog approach you, not the other way around. Plus you now have control over your dog, which may be needed if the other dog becomes aggressive. Your dog will have a better chance to study the situation, and hopeful remain calm with your direction.

Hopefully the other dog's owner shows up, and nothing happens. After a sniff or two, you should be able to walk away from the dog and crossing the street will help that. Most dogs will stay by their home, so even switching to the other side before coming near the other dog is best.

Showing fear to the other dog and even to your own puts excitement into the air, which raises the dogs anxiety levels.
Maintain focus, keep walking and watch your dogs behavior. Hackles, stiff tail? Look for signs of aggression, if the other dog is aggressive, keep moving do not allow your dog ey contact with the other dog.
ignore them, if the dogs are fighting, pick YOUR own dog up on your arms or tell the owner of the "unleashed dog". this might help but hope it will
How fast do your dog run? You can just get out of there.
You have several options, but first of all make a judgement: decide whether you think the approaching dog is friendly and whether your leashed dog gets along with other canines. If the answer is no to either one of these, try one of the following:
1) You can circle around instead of going straight ahead. Just stay out of the way.
2)Keep your dog focused on you to prevent some communication by carrying treats.
3)Be calm and speak in a low voice to the approaching dog. Move slowly.
Try to look up different ways to recognize a dog's "manners" - It could prove to be useful :)
Use a choke chain when walking your dog. I know this sounds horrible, but a quick yank on your pooch will help him to know that aggressive behavior is not acceptable. Oh yah, a loud NO when you yank the chain.

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