About a week ago, we encountered another loose dog in my neighborhood on the way to our trail. If my other “methods” can’t get rid of a stray dog, and if I’m comfortable with the way the other dog approaches, I usually drop my dog’s leash and let them briefly greet. This large stray did not have a collar on and he immediately barked and lunged at me very fearfully. Luckily I had my bike that day. The dog was afraid of me, probably more of the bike. I did not like the way he fixated on Jazzy. I told her to stay behind me and the bike and I tried to body block the dog using the bike as a “shield”. He did not care about the food and ball I throw for him. The only thing he cared about was getting to my dog. I gradually and calmly pressured the dog to back away with my bike while I kept Jazzy behind me. (I have to thank Patricia McConnell for teaching us the “body block” and “stay behind”) The whole thing lasted about 5 minutes, we moved in, the dog stepped back. I looked away a little, the dog moved back into our space. I felt like we were sheep herding. This time a Border Collie is getting herded and my bike is my shepherd’s crook. While all this was going on, there were two adults looking over their fence. They were shouting “shoo shoo” at the dog but not coming out to help us. But I guess they can call someone IF anything goes terribly wrong. I eventually got the dog to back away enough for Jazzy to escape. Then I heard the audience clapping. I never go there without my bike ever since.
A week after the incident, we were on our trail again, Jazzy trotting and me on my bike. She spotted Max in a distance, a Heeler mix that we met briefly two weeks ago. He was slightly nervous of people but I liked the way he approached Jazzy. So he was on my good-doggy list. When Jazzy saw him at about 100 yards away, she got curious. Then Max started darting towards her. (You can see the interaction in the video below. Sorry about my annoying high pitch voice.) That caused her to stop, look towards me, then come to me and my bike – her safety zone. I thought about the incident with the loose dog. I did not want that to affect her. First I told her “Good girl” for coming to me. I would rather have a dog to come to me when she is afraid, instead of running away. Second I used the word that has a really strong and positive reinforcement history to her. “Who is that?” She became dog reactive one point in her life, after she went through 2 years of surgeries and rehabs. While working on the issue, she learned what the phrase meant. It didn’t really mean “Who is that?”. It meant that “Jazzy, Look! I know that dog. He’s alright. You can go check him out if you want. I might even give you the best treat at the end.” I also use it when she sees her favorite people in order to maintain the positive association with the phrase.
In the video above, you can see (you might see something else) Jazzy getting a little nervous. She did not like the way he ran towards her on a full speed at first. Things would have been different if I took a different approach. If she were on a leash, that would have made her more nervous. That’s where many people make a mistake. When a dog is nervous about another dog, they either tighten the leash or hold onto the dog. I cringe when I see people doing that. What the dog needs in this type of situation is space, escape route and your support. Holding on to the dog tightly does exactly the opposite. In this case, she was loose and she could make her own decision. She knows I was there for her and got her back. With my encouragement she decided to check Max out. You can also see how she became more relaxed the second Max made a curved approach. After that they had a brief and polite sniff and greet.
I don’t suggest you do exactly what I did in this situation. You have to know your dog, assess the situation and do what you think is the best for your dog. There are several things you can try when you encounter a loose dog. I like to start off with the least aversive way possible. You can;
- Grab a handful smell treats and throw over his head (or to the side if the dog is nervous of you) while you and your dog slowly move away.
- Squeak and throw a toy as far as you can, away from the road. It’s not often you encounter a crazy toy driven dog on the street but you never know.
- Give the dog a command. The dog MIGHT know Sit or Stay. Unfortunately most dogs know what “No” mean.
- Toss a bag of your dog poop. Most dogs just want to smell another dog’s butt.
- Carry a pooper scooper and let the dog smell the end of it. (Got this idea from Dr. Ian Dunbar)
- Carry a pop up umbrella. It can be used to deter a dog, block your dog or in the worst situation as a stick.
- Carry a spray to deter stray dogs. This can make the dogs more aggressive in some cases. I have one but I never used it.
- Carry a loud horn. I don’t do this as I don’t want my dogs to be scared of it.
- Take a bike with you. (This is my new best friend)
- I know there are more but I can’t think of them right now. I will add more as I remember. If you know others, please share your ideas!
- Once you are in safe area, report the loose dog!
Bordernerd 