Sick of being attacked by other dogs

fred funk }{

I have a Foot Beagle who's nearly one year old. Within the past month he has been attacked separately, by three dogs. My dog was on the lead each time.
Once was on the beech when a stray came over and went straight for my dog and attacked him, I managed to lift him up into my arms and scare off the other dog.

Another time was on another beech when a dog that was with its owner but off the lead ran over to us and again attacked my dog. The owner was very apologetic and said her dog had never done it before.

Today was the last straw, I was walking along with my dog when a large GSD ran from inside its garden and across the road and attack my dog and while I was trying to get my dog away from it it snapped at me too. A man ran out from the house and was calling the dog, I shouted at him to control his dog and he shout back at me telling me it isn't his dog.
My dog has a small bite mark at his ribs and i'll be going to the vet ASP to get him looked at.

When I was younger and living at my parents house we had some big dogs over the years, Great Dane and a Bulmastiff. I often brought them for walks and never had any problems like this, is it because these were large dogs? were other dogs scared to attack them? now it seems that because I have
a small dog it's like every dog wants to attack my little fella.

Next time I go for a walk I'll be bringing a Hurley and I will use it on any dog that attacks us, I presume that I would be OK legally if I seriously injure a dog that's attacking us?

Any advice/opinions welcome.

Thanks.

CL32

Jesus - sorry to hear about that, must be pretty upsetting.

I don't know much about the legalities of carrying something to defend your dog, but I often meet people with sticks that are too big to play fetch and certainly aren't walking sticks.

I certainly wouldn't worry about the legalities of it (whats the hurl for? playing fetch of course, we just lost our ball)- its just a pity you have to resort to carrying it. (Of course you don't have to seriously hurt the other dog like you said above if its not needed)

Hope your dog is OK, incidents like that that can turn a placid dog timid, nervous or even DA.

fred funk }{

Hope your dog is OK, incidents like that that can turn a placid dog timid, nervous or even DA.

He's OK, none the wiser at this stage.

My girlfriend wont walk the dog anymore because of these attacks, she's terrified of being attacked herself.

I noted the address of the house and i'm going to report it to the warden, am I wasting my time or what shall I expect to happen?

TechnoPool

fred funk }{ wrote: »

I have a Foot Beagle who's nearly one year old. Within the past month he has been attacked separately, by three dogs. My dog was on the lead each time.
Once was on the beech when a stray came over and went straight for my dog and attacked him, I managed to lift him up into my arms and scare off the other dog.

Another time was on another beech when a dog that was with its owner but off the lead ran over to us and again attacked my dog. The owner was very apologetic and said her dog had never done it before.

Today was the last straw, I was walking along with my dog when a large GSD ran from inside its garden and across the road and attack my dog and while I was trying to get my dog away from it it snapped at me too. A man ran out from the house and was calling the dog, I shouted at him to control his dog and he shout back at me telling me it isn't his dog.
My dog has a small bite mark at his ribs and i'll be going to the vet ASP to get him looked at.

When I was younger and living at my parents house we had some big dogs over the years, Great Dane and a Bulmastiff. I often brought them for walks and never had any problems like this, is it because these were large dogs? were other dogs scared to attack them? now it seems that because I have
a small dog it's like every dog wants to attack my little fella.

Next time I go for a walk I'll be bringing a Hurley and I will use it on any dog that attacks us, I presume that I would be OK legally if I seriously injure a dog that's attacking us?

Any advice/opinions welcome.

Thanks.

sorry to hear about your situation, if a dog cant be controlled, others owners shouldn't really let it be off lead.

but if you do bring a hurley out and strike some one else's dog there is a serious issue if it escalates between yourself and the other owner and turning into an assualt or a fight, i for one would flip if someone struck my dog and with a Hurley, forget about it .

Fair enough you are protecting your dog but i really think its a bad idea if you bring a weapon out with that mindset.

Best bet wouldnt be to note the address's of the house's that your dog was attacked from and report them to either the gardai or the dog wardens.

morganafay

My dogs have been attacked loads of times too (they're small dogs too). It was my own fault once because they're friendly dogs so I'd let them go and say hello to any dog that was coming out of its garden, but if the dog was acting aggressive or staring at them, etc. then I'd pull them away. Usually it would be fine, but one time when I was pulling them away from a dog it attacked them while their backs were turned.

But mostly dogs would just run out and attack them, mostly other small dogs like terriers. But also big dogs have attacked them and a Staffie, which were too strong for me to pull them off of my dogs. So I'd be hitting and kicking the other dogs, getting bitten myself. And my dogs never fight back.

A nice friendly boxer who lives near me used to be friends with them but one day it snapped at Donna and she fainted, and now they're terrified of the boxer, so the boxer will attack Donna. I think they're both dominant females so that's probably why.

People really need to keep their dogs shut in their gardens or on a lead if they aren't well trained. Like if a little kid was walking her dog and another dog attacked them they could get seriously injured. And my little dogs don't deserve to get hurt when they are not a bit aggressive themselves. Now I don't let them near any other dogs unless it's something like another Cavalier or a Golden Retriever or something really friendly, or if I know the owner is responsible.

I know that you need to defend yourself and your dog, but remember that it's the owner's fault, more than the dog that attacks your dog.

boodlesdoodles

I'm sorry to hear what happened and I can't totally empathise my dog was attacked 6 weeks ago. Definitely report it to the warden as he can also make the other dogs owner pay your vet bills which they should offer to do anyway. He can also fine the owner under the Control of Dogs act and as GSDs are on the restricted breeds list it can be pretty serious for the owner. Unfortunately for me, the dog that attacked mine was just a large breed that's not on the list and the only thing the warden could do was advise the other owner to muzzle the dog for public safety, which they haven't done.

I know walk with a big thick walking stick but I have to admit I'm still terrified of another attack but my doggie bounced back quicker than me. He didn't need stitches but you're right to get him to the vet, dog bites can cause serious infections.

boodlesdoodles

TechnoPool wrote: »

sorry to hear about your situation, if a dog cant be controlled, others owners shouldn't really let it be off lead.

but if you do bring a hurley out and strike some one else's dog there is a serious issue if it escalates between yourself and the other owner and turning into an assualt or a fight, i for one would flip if someone struck my dog and with a Hurley, forget about it .

Fair enough you are protecting your dog but i really think its a bad idea if you bring a weapon out with that mindset.

Best bet wouldnt be to note the address's of the house's that your dog was attacked from and report them to either the gardai or the dog wardens.

As a woman there's no way I'm ever walking my dog without a large stick ever again. My dog is a small Westie and I will do what it takes to protect him. I couldn't do that last time when a passing neighbour had to prise open the attacking dog's jaw to release my little fella's neck from his grip. All the while I had him up in my arms trying to stop the other dog from turning him over so he could get at his throat. So yes, I will never walk with a stick again for mine and his protection.

fred funk }{

I know that you need to defend yourself and your dog, but remember that it's the owner's fault, more than the dog that attacks your dog.

Ye I know it's the owners fault but when a large dog is attacking me and my dog
I will use whatever force is needed to stop that dog. Good point about kids walking dogs, they haven't a hope against a large dog.

fred funk }{

TechnoPool wrote: »

sorry to hear about your situation, if a dog cant be controlled, others owners shouldn't really let it be off lead.

but if you do bring a hurley out and strike some one else's dog there is a serious issue if it escalates between yourself and the other owner and turning into an assualt or a fight, i for one would flip if someone struck my dog and with a Hurley, forget about it .

Fair enough you are protecting your dog but i really think its a bad idea if you bring a weapon out with that mindset.

Best bet wouldnt be to note the address's of the house's that your dog was attacked from and report them to either the gardai or the dog wardens.

What do I do then? not go for a walk again because some fools can't be arsed to keep their vicious dogs under control or go for a walk and take my chances on getting attacked?

TechnoPool

boodlesdoodles wrote: »

As a woman there's no way I'm ever walking my dog without a large stick ever again. My dog is a small Westie and I will do what it takes to protect him. I couldn't do that last time when a passing neighbour had to prise open the attacking dog's jaw to release my little fella's neck from his grip. All the while I had him up in my arms trying to stop the other dog from turning him over so he could get at his throat. So yes, I will never walk with a stick again for mine and his protection.

i understand where your coming from completely , im just referring to if a dog ran over and was acting agressive or growling and people hitting another persons dog,in the situation your describing i would ''thump'' my own dog if he had another dog held like that never mind the other dogs owner.

TechnoPool

fred funk }{ wrote: »

What do I do then? not go for a walk again because some fools can't be arsed to keep their vicious dogs under control or go for a walk and take my chances on getting attacked?

no im not saying that, thats just taking it in the extreme, and yes i know you have to protect your dog, ive a GSD and he's a huge softie, often getting chased and harassed by smaller dogs.
im just offering your advice , that if you do hit someone Else's dog with a hurl you are opening up a huge potential can of worms , as you have no idea how the other person will react for your own safety.

morganafay

fred funk }{ wrote: »

Ye I know it's the owners fault but when a large dog is attacking me and my dog
I will use whatever force is needed to stop that dog. Good point about kids walking dogs, they haven't a hope against a large dog.

I know, I would too. I guess it's safer to have something with you, just in case. It'd be better than your dog being hurt.

You know you can get pepper spray on a keyring, do you think something like that would work? I just thought of it, I know if the dogs were moving a lot it would be hard to spray it in the dog's eyes, but it might work and just stop it attacking, without seriously injuring it.

If you do use a hurley then hopefully you can just hit the dog and it will stop and run away and not be badly hurt. But I do agree that if the dog is going to hurt yours then you have to defend it.

I don't know what I'd do if something like a Rottie or a big Labrador attacked my dogs, I'd have no chance against one

fred funk }{

TechnoPool wrote: »

no im not saying that, thats just taking it in the extreme.
im just offering your advice , that if you do hit someone Else's dog with a hurl you are opening up a huge potential can of worms , as you have no idea how the other person will react for your own safety.

I see your point but I plan on using the Hurl as a last resort try scare the dog away with it first.

boodlesdoodles

TechnoPool wrote: »

i understand where your coming from completely , im just referring to if a dog ran over and was acting agressive or growling and people hitting another persons dog,in the situation your describing i would ''thump'' my own dog if he had another dog held like that never mind the other dogs owner.

That's different alright. Up to when my fella was attacked I'd put an awful lot of work into him ignoring other dogs on our walks so that he'd just walk right past them. He's exceptionally nosey I hope never to have to use my stick on another dog, because I never want to see the look of anguish my doggie had in his eyes ever again.

TechnoPool

boodlesdoodles wrote: »

That's different alright. Up to when my fella was attacked I'd put an awful lot of work into him ignoring other dogs on our walks so that he'd just walk right past them. He's exceptionally nosey I hope never to have to use my stick on another dog, because I never want to see the look of anguish my doggie had in his eyes ever again.

i agree with you, its better to have the stick and never need it, than need it and not have it

fred funk }{

You know you can get pepper spray on a keyring, do you think something like that would work?

I was thinking of something like that or a bottle of water with a squirter on the top, but the pepper spray is something that you could only use at the time of the attack and not to scare off the attacking dog.
Where do you get the pepper spray anyway?

morganafay

fred funk }{ wrote: »

I was thinking of something like that or a bottle of water with a squirter on the top, but the pepper spray is something that you could only use at the time of the attack and not to scare off the attacking dog.
Where do you get the pepper spray anyway?

I just did a quick search online and apparently it's illegal in Ireland even for defense.

You could maybe try something else in a small spray bottle, perfume, lemon juice, chili . . . don't know if I should be saying this on here! But they wouldn't be illegal, and if it was just for defense then why not? Dunno if perfume would cause permanent damage, but I doubt it, because someone could accidentally spray it in their eye, and if it made them go blind then surely they couldn't sell that . . .

TechnoPool

fred funk }{ wrote: »

I was thinking of something like that or a bottle of water with a squirter on the top, but the pepper spray is something that you could only use at the time of the attack and not to scare off the attacking dog.
Where do you get the pepper spray anyway?

the water bottle would be a much better option, the pepper spray come's into all sort's of legality issue's

morganafay

I think the water would be good for scaring away a dog that seems aggressive, but once it's already attacking your dog, water mightn't work because the dog would be so worked up it mightn't even notice. Maybe salt water in the eyes?

I'm really interested if people have good ideas to stop a dog that's attacking your dog, preferably without using a weapon. Any ideas anyone?

peasant

Sprays don't work in a windy country like ours ...you might knock yourself out.

Without wanting to sound dismissive ...has anybody ever thought about WHY their dog is getting attacked?
I'm not denying that there are aggressive dogs out there that will attack others for no apparent reason ...but surely there couldn't be as many of them as it sounds from this thread.

Have you ever watched your dog when you're walking it? Is it doing something? Our big fella (usual big softie at home) went through a phase where he had delusions of grandeur when out walking, particularly on the lead. (where he knew he had backup if things went pearshaped)
It's not like he was growling or barking at other dogs ...just small little signals. His tail would go up, he'd puff himself up a bit, showing himself sideways to the other dog, strutting his stuff.

This kind of behaviour is very provocative to another dog, especially if you are on that dogs' turf. (or whatever that other dog perceives to be its turf)
I also used to think that my poor dog got the aggressive treatment (he was never attacked, thankfully) for no reason until I cottoned on to what he was doing and put a stop to it.

morganafay

peasant wrote: »

Without wanting to sound dismissive ...has anybody ever thought about WHY their dog is getting attacked?
I'm not denying that there are aggressive dogs out there that will attack others for no apparent reason ...but surely there couldn't be as many of them as it sounds from this thread.

Good point. My dogs are very friendly and will act completely friendly to other dogs.

But one of them is the most dominant, and she's protective of the other two. So if she's a bit scared of another dog, if it's a bit intimidating or big, then sometimes she'll act really tough and bark or run up at them (she wouldn't attack them, but she acts like she could beat them up!) and that was the problem with the boxer who attacked her.

But when I've just been walking my other two dogs, who are both perfectly friendly and not dominant at all, they've still been attacked, even with their backs turned.

I'm sure the other dogs think they're invading their territory, but they're on the road, so there's nothing I can do about that.

And I've also had dogs just run out and suddenly attack mine.

I think mine have been attacked so much from walking them in the country. it usually happened in the county / edge of town, and nobody seems to have their dogs fenced in.

All I can do is try to keep Donna (the most dominant one) away from other dogs if she's acting too tough for her own good.

I think since I've gotten more scared of them getting attacked, I'll get nervous when I see certain breeds of dogs or big dogs, and the dogs can probably sense it. My dogs are also now scared of terriers, bull breeds, and pointy eared dogs. So maybe the dogs can sense that! And my dogs aren't picking up on my fears there, because they even get scared of two boxers that I know are in a run so I'm not scared. My dogs are just racists

boodlesdoodles

My dog, after a lot of training, takes no notice of other dogs on walks and there are a couple of neighbours dogs he likes and we allow them play with each other. The night he was attacked, I was across the road from the other owner and their dog. Their dog immediately started barking aggressively so I just told my fella to walk on which he was. Before I knew it he had his jaws locked on. I think its a great pity that dog socialisation and training isn't somehow compulsory then we wouldn't find ourselves having to carry great big sticks.

fred funk }{

Have you ever watched your dog when you're walking it? Is it doing something? Our big fella (usual big softie at home) went through a phase where he had delusions of grandeur when out walking, particularly on the lead. (where he knew he had backup if things went pearshaped)
It's not like he was growling or barking at other dogs ...just small little signals. His tail would go up, he'd puff himself up a bit, showing himself sideways to the other dog, strutting his stuff.

Don't know if you're familiar with Beagles Peasant, they walk along with their nose hovering an inch or two above ground. Has never shown any aggression at all since we got him. All he wants to do is play with other dogs so when he sees another one he perks up a bit, that's the only change in behaviour that I can see.

lrushe

See I'd have the opposite experience, small dogs trying to attack my large dog, only instead of an owner being horrified that their dog was acting aggressively they think its funny that their little bundle of fluff is trying to take lumps out of my Rottweiler. Its just lucky that Brook is a pretty happy-go-lucky type of dog and usually waits for me to step in and calm the situation down, that said she is certainly no wimp, she might never start a fight but if it came to it she would definately finish it, with the Rottweiler being in the wrong of course

morganafay

lrushe wrote: »

See I'd have the opposite experience, small dogs trying to attack my large dog, only instead of an owner being horrified that their dog was acting aggressively they think its funny that their little bundle of fluff is trying to take lumps out of my Rottweiler. Its just lucky that Brook is a pretty happy-go-lucky type of dog and usually waits for me to step in and calm the situation down, that said she is certainly no wimp, she might never start a fight but if it came to it she would definately finish it, with the Rottweiler being in the wrong of course

I'm glad to say that no Rottie, GSD, greyhound, etc. has ever attacked my dogs The only restricted dog that has was a Staffie and I completely blame the owners for not having him shut in and probably not bothering to train him properly since he had cropped ears :mad: It's usually small dogs that attack my dogs too.

Emmet_F

Hi, we live in the country andthere are always packs of dogs around the place. We bought one of those ultrasonic "clicker" devices used for training dogs. It emits a high pitched frequency. Honestly thought it was a gimmick until 2 large Labs ran at us and I pointed it and clicked and stopped them right in their tracks. They stopped, all confused and then started to walk over towards us slowly. Clicked again and they stopped. Not sure how effective it would be long term but it definitely stopped dogs enough for us to walk away.

CreedonsDogDayc

Emmet F that sounds like a result!!

Those who's dogs seem to get picked on a lot, are your dogs neutered/spayed??

The only reason I can think that your dogs are getting attacked from a distance is that they are releasing pheromones that riles up other dogs?

It must be a really horrible experience, especially when the attacking dog is unleashed and your so helpless.

morganafay

My dogs are all neutered and still often get attacked. For mine I think it's something to do with the fact that small dogs seem to hate other small dogs. Mine are Cavs and are easy targets too. Some terriers seem to want to attack all dogs but they might get scared of a big dog, they're not at all scared of my dogs so they are brave enough to attack them.

CreedonsDogDayc

for those of you that were looking for something to stop a fight, I came across this today that some American doggie daycares use to break up fights

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002XKIV6

dreamer_ire

Emmet_F wrote: »

Hi, we live in the country andthere are always packs of dogs around the place. We bought one of those ultrasonic "clicker" devices used for training dogs. It emits a high pitched frequency. Honestly thought it was a gimmick until 2 large Labs ran at us and I pointed it and clicked and stopped them right in their tracks. They stopped, all confused and then started to walk over towards us slowly. Clicked again and they stopped. Not sure how effective it would be long term but it definitely stopped dogs enough for us to walk away.

Emmet, do you mind me asking where you bought it? I've looked online and can only find it in US stores that don't ship to Ireland/UK.

Thanks

IvySlayer

My dog was an extremely friendly dog to other people. With dogs she was different, she wouldn't mind being in the presence of others dog, but if they went to have a sniff of her she would go mental. I mean snap, growl, jump on their heads etc etc. She did it to Rottweilers and GSD who were being friendly

I would warn other dog owners about it. Dogs not on leads on streets really pisses me off. It's so dangerous. I suggest just bringing a cane, just something you can whack a dog if one is attacking yours.

kildara

We have a spray called Bite Back Spray. It is issued to posties and meter readers etc in the UK to use on a dog if they are attacked by it.

It smells of cloves and sort of minty.

The wind won't really affect this - If you can get close enough to hit a dog with a stick you can get close enough to spray this in the dogs face. It is natural so wont do any lasting damage to the dog.

I've seen it break up fights a few times. It works.

Only thing is - I dont know where you can get it. It can be bought direct from the manufacturer, but only in bulk. Have seen it on eBay once or twice but other than that...

branwen00

Bring a water spray bottle and squirt any dogs that come over, the owner can't say a thing as you are not hurting their dog