Unfortunate Incident

sensiman

Hi, i new here and live in the uk.
Yesterday i was walking my 2 dogs, a female bullmastiff and a male Chihuahua. Both my dogs were on leads and get on fine together, However out of the blue my bullmastiff attacked another dog that a woman was walking, this dog was not on a lead and came up thinking my dog was going to be friedly and my dog attcked it and then slipped her collar and chased it 20 yards and bit it she did not show any agression towards its owner, i got the situation under controll quickly, however the woman did not show any real concern at the time of the incident. I agreed to pay for her dog to be fixed at the vets and she told me i need to keep my dog under controll.. what a laugh!, if she had her dog on a lead and under controll this would not have happened. I feel really bad about the incident and even worse the guy next door has been round expressing his concern saying he has to walk his dogs and my dog poses a threat to his dogs and what about it around your children ( i have 2 yound kids), funny thing is that its ok for his dogs to attack my little Chihuahua and as a responsible dog owner i look after my little boy, but because she is a big dog and has done this me and my dogs are now dangerous according to them.My bullmastiff is lovley and i can not for one minute understand why she did this other than shes got like me, annoyed by everybody elses dogs off the lead attacking my Chihuahua and thought she shuld protect us against dogs off the lead. What should I do??? and surley they have a part too to play in having their dogs on leads.
Really upset with this and any advise would be warmly welcomed..

tankstar

They need to have their dogson leads. Not only is it rude to let your dog run up will milly to any other dog, it provesit is dangerous.

you also need to gain some control and find a proper collar that fits correctly.

Criosphynx

only advice I'd have is in the future try and prevent loose dogs from aproaching you. A hand out like a stop sign and a yell usually works.

Tess

A trainer friend of mine carries an umbrella and if another dog approaches her she opens it up in front of her and that stops the other dog from coming near.

If you try this technique, its good to get your own dogs used to it first, from their angle next to you, so they are not startled.

I don't know what your relations are (were?) like with your neighbors... maybe it would be worth it to try to repair things a little? I mean, even though it is their fault for having a dog off lead, sometimes a bit of outreach can still sooth nerves, before the animosity grows. I don't know what people in the UK might do... but here in the US, a plate of cookies, or some home grown veggies etc, along with a gentle note of friendship, might work wonders. Anything to break the cycle of growing distrust and start a conversation of connection.
I may be off base.... its just an idea...

dixiesmygirl

I think people should be able to walk there dogs off lead but before you go hating me let me explain. I only believe they should be off lead if you can call them to you and they come in a blink of an eye. If they are not that well trained they shouldn't be off leash. Obviously if the dog was trained the owner didn't call her back or if he/she wasn't trained he/she shouldn't have been off leash. Afterall, your dog was on a leash. I want to train my dog to walk off leash but I'm not sure I can trust her to do just what the little dog did.... run to another dog or something. I live out in the country and I know where the dogs run loose and I would love to turn Dixie loose if we had more land and the neighbors weren't as close and if i was sure she'd listen to me. So maybe I'm just used to it but I think if you can control your dog with your voice only then it's fine. Tess is right about how to patch things up with your neighbors though!

pawzaddict

No dog has 100% recall in every situation. Plus most states have leash laws so if you're in one of those states I don't recommend letting your dog off leash. I agree with all the above, you need to change collars to make sure your dog does not get loose from you, also hollaring a NO and putting your hand up should scare off an approaching dog
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dixiesmygirl

Your right Pawz, I guess I mean if the dog listens to you on most occasions. In the city they should be kept on a leash b/c a lot of people have fancy yards and there are more people out and about (and more cars!). But out here (in the country) if your dog listens to you well I don't see any reason not to turn it loose especially if it's a big dog like mine. But ya def. get a collar your dog can't escape out of.

Tess

I too value off-lead time for dogs immensely. We are very lucky to live in an area where there are woods and fields where we can safely let our dogs run, and do their "hunting dog" behaviors without concern about meeting other dogs that will be a problem. Mostly we have to worry about deer, bears, moose and an occasional porcupine! We take our dogs for daily exercise in this fashion. But we live in the country so this is possible.

That said, I agree with Pawz that few dogs (if any) are 100% reliable with a recall. In an urban or suburban setting, we could never let our dogs off leash as they are bred to run and seek birds. I doubt that with any amount of training we could gain that much control. We always keep them on leash if we are anywhere near a road, houses, or there might be dogs we don't know in the area. I think it depends on your location as well as the dog's training. There are some beaches in the NE USA where you are allowed to let your dogs run free at certain times and off season. There is also a big tradition of hunting in many areas of the country, and clearly your dog has to be off-leash for that. Where I work, at small school, there are many "campus dogs" that often have some freedom to walk between buildings with their owners while off leash and that works just fine. They all know each other and are well socialized. I think the key is to know where you are and be aware of any potential situations and considerate of others.

dixiesmygirl

Yes, animals are animals. In some cases they are going to do what they want but if your dog generally comes when called despite distracting situations then I don't think letting them off leash is a problem. I wish I could let my dog run more often. But we have land so she has plenty of room to run.

GreatDaneMom

and that time when they decide not to come when called... and there happens to be a car coming... yeah... sorry... i just cant do that...