Do you let strange people with dogs come up to your Rottie while walking?

[Simba]

I think I have had enough of letting people with dogs that I don't know come up to see my Rottie Simba. In the last year he has been growled at and snapped at by strange dogs at least ten times. he has never shown any aggression back until last night.

Well last night this happened again. A lady and her dog came up to us and they were nose to nose. The other dog growled and snapped at Simba. He is now 14 months old and getting quite sure of himself so he snapped right back. No damage done to either dog as I pulled them apart right away and put Simba in a sit-stay until the other dog was away..

From now on I think when I see another strange dog on our walks we will be going right by. He has plenty of other friends and family dogs to play with all the time! I don't want him developing dog agression.

Anyone else have this problem?

Thanks

[Mick Trainer]

I never let people bring their dogs up to mine (excluding puppies) nor do I walk them in off leash areas where there are other dogs any more. The risk now is just too high. The vast majority of people have no idea what their dog is doing and how it is acting and will make all sorts of excuses for undesirable behavior. We have all come across a dog with it's hari up, growling at us and the owner only says "he is talking etc". People as a rule are oblivious to their dogs behavior.

The last time a women let her dog come upto Kyle he got bitten on the neck by her dog. This made him very defensive about any dog that even looked like stacking and meant that I had to retrain him around this which took about a month before he would truly happily play around a large group of other dogs.

So now I walk my dogs on their own excluding at the training centre where I know people truly have contol of their dogs.

Mick.

[TrishB]

So Mick, out of curiosity, at what age do you stop bringing your pup up to other dogs for socialization? I've been socializing Parker and he really is wonderful with other dogs.

He will be an intact male for the show and obedience ring. At what point do you feel that he's out of the 'puppy socialization' stage and on to the 'mature male' which requires different handling and precautions? He's 5 1/2 months old now and hasn't had a bad experience yet (and I'd like to keep it that way). ;)

[ptremaine]

Originally posted by Simba
I think I have had enough of letting people with dogs that I don't know come up to see my Rottie Simba. In the last year he has been growled at and snapped at by strange dogs at least ten times. he has never shown any aggression back until last night.....From now on I think when I see another strange dog on our walks we will be going right by. He has plenty of other friends and family dogs to play with all the time! I don't want him developing dog agression. Anyone else have this problem?

Yes, lots of people have no clue about how their dogs will react to other dogs, or they downplay the obvious aggression. My dog has been nipped and had one eye scratched by a miserable little Afghan Hound who tips the scales at a massive 45 pounds. :D

Since my dog was raised with a female littermate, she gets along well most of the time with other dogs, both sexes, but she's also become quite adept at determining which dogs to avoid and who to play with if in the park or swimming at the dog beach.

She won't fight back most of the time and walks away or ignores belligerent dogs. I've seen her aggress back [head over other dog's neck, boxing with paws] only when another dog violates her boundaries and dog protocols of greeting/meeting. Some of her new dominance response is from a growing confidence level, some of her response is learned from experience. She will NOT snap back at a dog who's snapped at her if she can leap sideways [she's good at that] and or sit alongside me. But I've seen her engage in dominance over slightly small dogs mostly in the form of chasing them. She won't bite but she'll wrestle and body jostle.

The way to avoid others dogs is to ignore them. Some of the dogs we see around here are infirm, old and or badly socialized due to stand-offish owners. We move on quickly and she tends to ignore those dogs. Some dogs, particularly those her own size, she sees as possible playmates and will eagerly try to approach, still, but I do not let her rush any dog. She is off lead but is becoming better and better with "Leave it" concerning other dogs or kids [whom she wants to play with all the time].

I think age and confidence level as well as personal experience of the dog determine the responses he or she will exhibit. If a shy dog or young dog is beat up on by another dog, that might do damage to the dog's confidence and make the dog more aggressive out of fear/defense. So just keep your eyes peeled, you judge the dogs approaching you and don't assume that a smaller dog is "okay". I've found most, but not all, are very aggressive towards my dog, even though she's showing all the friendly signs to them.

PT

[Carina43]

Simba, I don't let other people's dogs just come up to me & mine either - though I do let mine play with friends' dogs. It's not a big propblem because I'm rural, but the few times it's happened I just say I'm training my dog to ignore other dogs (which really I am, in public) - that way nobody's feelings get hurt.

I think a young dog can be set up for having bad reactions to other dogs for life by just one or two incidents of other dogs being aggressive or snotty towards them. At 14 months Simba is full of pi$$ and vinegar, you're absolutely right in not letting him have a reason to reinforce that attitude!

[Miabella]

Since I live in the city and there are alot of dogs in my neighborhood, we come face to face with an average of 5-6 leashed dogs during our walks on leash. As other people have mentioned, it is rather impossible to predict the behavior of a random dog and/or knowledge of an owner from a glance, I generally just keep walking and don't let my dog stop and sniff.

I do not want a negative incident to occur and cause my dog to develop leash aggression, that is no fun and can be a tricky problem to solve. I will allow my dog to sniff and visit with dogs I know, but generally I expect my dog to ignore other dogs while we are on leash unless I say otherwise.

[Simba]

Thanks everyone,
glad that me and Simba are not alone. As mentioned he does have quite a few other dogs that we know that he plays with from time to time ( including 2 male Rotties around the corner that he has been around since he was just a pup.) . He also has his girlfriend, my parents 4 year old 130lb Newf that he plays with every weekend all weekend long up at the cottage.

[RottiMomCT]

I meet alot of dogs while out walking. We only stop to say hello to people who ASK first, and only if their dogs are under control.

Ben and I will keep right on walking and I tell people "We're in training for a show, please do not walk up to us right now." We don't stop or slow our pace. When I see other people with or without dogs, I put Ben in a formal heel, right at my side, and when I do that, he KNOWS to watch/pay attention to ME and nobody else.

If people get snooty - that's they're problem! I've had people tell me that I was full ot crap and I told them not to approach my dog because he's vicious! I tell them that I am more afraid of their dogs than mine because their dogs are the ones barking like mad and straining at the leash to get to me while Ben sits or walks quietly at my side.

Now tell me this....who's dog is smarter and better trained?!?! Vicious my fanny - only if you try to hurt me!!

[SABELLESMOM]

:) I suppose it depends on the situation, and each can be a little different in some way.

Sable has always been friendly towards others. She is well socalized and we schedule play dates for her as well as our Cocker. These are supervised and with dogs and owners I know and like.

If we are training, I tell people. If it's a potentially undesirable encounter, I tell Sable to "leave it!" and keep on walking, or put her in a sit or stand-stay.

There are many times I allow and encourage encounters with people. I do some my best PR work on behalf of Rotties, then. I also use a sit or stand-stay for this as well.

Encounters with other peoples dogs is by mutual consent only and usually rather brief. Dogs who are not showing leash agression and behaving themselves and friendly owners are the only considerations. If their dog appears agressive/unpredictable or unhealthy, I make sure they stay away!

Even at shows, you can tell which dogs demonstrate agressive tendencies. Though, I suppose you can not always tell if they are ill in some way. I tend to stick with owners/handlers that I've gotten to know a bit. My prime objective is to keep my dog healthy. I already know she's well socalized.;)

[Roscoe's dad]

Luckily I have never had that problem. Normally when we go on walks if other dogs and owners approach from the opposite direction they cross over to the other side of the street:( .
what bothers me sometimes are the joggers or bikers that come up from behind without warning. If I see them coming, I get on the grass and put either Guido or Big Boy in a sit stay until they are past. If I don't hear them coming up from behind, Guido likes to give chase to the fast moving object.

[Mick Trainer]

Originally posted by TrishB
So Mick, out of curiosity, at what age do you stop bringing your pup up to other dogs for socialization? I've been socializing Parker and he really is wonderful with other dogs.

He will be an intact male for the show and obedience ring. At what point do you feel that he's out of the 'puppy socialization' stage and on to the 'mature male' which requires different handling and precautions? He's 5 1/2 months old now and hasn't had a bad experience yet (and I'd like to keep it that way). ;)

I dont really have a definative answer for you Trish. I am in a very fortunate position of having my own training centre where there are always dogs that I know are ok as well as having a lot of good trainer friends who we all take our dogs to so that we can socialise when they are young. Any night of the week I can take my dog to another training school as well as my own. I dont really have a need to do it on the street.

To answer your question though I would say that you have passed the peak socialsation p[eriod so you can stop. However I also feel that dogs should constantly meet and play with other dogs all their life. Even a well socialised dog can become anti-social if allowed to by a lack of exposure to other dogs. My advise generally is to stay connected with a dog group of some sort so that the dog can always be socialised under controlled circumstances.

Mick.

[Knucklesmom]

Like Roscoe's dad, most people cross the street to get away from me and my vicious dog! However, if someone is coming toward us, whether or not they have a dog, we "park" in a driveway and I put Knuckles in a "sit", until they pass. Most of the time, a lone person will not threatened by my well-behaved (at the moment)dog. If someone is walking a dog, it depends on the person and the dog. Knuckles gets excited, but gets praised and rewarded) for staying put. If the other dog is nuts, that's that owner's problem to deal with. If the other dog is relaxed and doesn't show stiffness or signs of aggression, then they are allowed to get to know each other. (If we walk by a yard with a crazy dog, I may let Knuckles and the other dog get acquainted through the fence.) Luckily, Knuckles and I have not run into any aggressive dogs on our outings. I still like for him to socialize with people and other dogs.

[gparcels]

I never let strangers just walk right up to my dogs, I will step in front of the dogs if they try without my permission I hate being this way but the way things are today all one of the dogs has to do is bump into someone and then it can turn into a legal issue and the same goes for other dogs.:(