A few weeks ago, I was walking home with my Siberian Husky after a nice neighborhood walk. Suddenly, I hear some heavy barking, and a pit-bull charges out from one of my neighbor’s backyard and starts barking at us crazily.
If he were a truly aggressive pit-bull, we would have been toast.
Instead, I backed away from him slowly and shouted out to my neighbor. Of course, he was doing yard work at the time, and did not hear me over the noise of his lawn mower. He had left his gate open so that he could get easy access to his recycling bin.
Dude! … I mean really?!
Luckily another neighbor heard me, came out, and secured the dog.
Several days later, I was charged by an Akita. She came over, and started bullying my Husky girl. A boy came running after the dog, and then just stood there. He did not know what to do.
I raised my voice and said Stop to the Akita, which surprisingly, she did. Maybe she was just momentarily startled. I asked the boy to please remove his dog, but he just hit his dog on the muzzle. Since the dog did not have a collar on, the boy was unable to effectively remove her.
However, since the Akita was no longer focused on my dog, I was able to move away, and then Akita Inu finally followed the boy home.
Dude! … I mean really?!
And then today, I was charged by a large Labrador. He was being walked off-leash in the neighborhood even though he had 0% recall.
Then one of the owners said, “Don’t worry, he is not aggressive”.
Another one said, “I am doing off-leash training with my dog and I did not see you.”
Dude! … I mean really?!
- Point – Someone who lets an untrained dog run about off-leash in public neighborhood streets has no understanding of dogs. I very much doubt they know whether their dog is aggressive or not.
- Point – Leaving a dog with no recall, off-leash, is dangerous to other people, other dogs, and to the dog himself. There are not too many cars in my neighborhood, but all it takes is just one.
- Point – Perhaps the Labrador is not aggressive, but then my dog could be aggressive. In which case, a fight could have broken out when the Labrador invaded my dog’s space and forced a butt sniff on her.
- Point – One DOES NOT do off-leash training on public neighborhood streets. Find a private enclosed area to start recall training, and once the dog is more advanced, take him to an off-leash hiking park.
What to Do When Charged by Off-Leash Neighborhood Dogs?
I usually just ignore the owners and walk away as soon as they get control of their dog.
I don’t really want to converse with them, because I would likely lose my temper and that would upset the dogs even more.
I am not sure if that is the best thing to do though. I would like to try and convince them not to leave their untrained dogs running around off-leash.
What do you think?
- What do you do when charged by off-leash neighborhood dogs?
- How do we get our neighbors to keep untrained dogs on a leash?
I have a right to be left alone on a public sidewalk or street when I go for a walk or a bicycle ride. You have a right to own a dog. However as of 2013 millions of people in the US are bitten by dogs each year. As you can see people’s rights are being violated on a mass scale. You could be next. There’s only one solution – dogs and their owners by law must attend and pass stringent dog training and dog ownership classes.
The public sidewalk in front of my apts (DTLA) is often occupied by my next door neighbors new (young, untrained and gigantic) Great Dane off leash. After several attempts to solve the issue peacefully and calmly with my neighbor, who was once a friend, through emails and meeting in person-it is clear she is still not willing to use the leash, and not able to control her very large dog. She likes to sit on her porch and let the dog roam around freely to use the grass in front of my apts next door. There is zero visibility from her door, to around the corner of my building where many cars could be backing out of the driveway or anyone could be working out of the several garages in the building. The last time I got out of my vehicle in my own driveway, the dog ran right up to me, and my neighbor was no-where in site. I had to get on the hood of my car to escape and shout around the corner “Hey! Leash your dog!” several times before she finally stopped chatting on her porch to offer me a half-hearted “sorry”, from around the corner. The dog ran back on it’s own, she didn’t even try to call it or retrieve it. So I am finally done with being nice. I told her that from now on I will be documenting with notes and photos or videos each instance I see her dog off leash and getting a dog protection device for myself. She told me that she thinks I am being abusive and hostile because her animal is only sweet and nice. I absolutely HATE it when off leash dog owners use “my dog is so friendly and you are just so mean” as an excuse for their own irresponsible behavior. There is a leash law for a reason. I don’t care if an off leash dog only wants to lick and play. I don’t want any off leash dog invading my (public or private) space without my permission, and I don’t want them running up to jump on me or only sniff my feet. I don’t even care if the dog is big or small, (though the large dogs are scarier) it just makes me extremely angry every time. In my neighborhood there is a leash law that is constantly abused, by soooooo many dog owners, which is probably why my neighbor thinks she has a right to unleash her dog whenever she pleases. I sent her the copy of the official ordinance, so now she will not be able to say she didn’t know. My next step will be to contact my landlord, then the HOA and then report it to Animal Control if I can’t get results. I have decided to also start documenting all the off leash dogs in the neighborhood, even though I do not know where they live, so that I will have a case to make a nuisance complaint large enough so that a regular patrol will visit and moniter the dog action for awhile. Hopefully a few expensive tickets/fines will encourage some leashing. But for now, every time I go in and out of my apt and car, I have to be on high alert for a huge dog running at me off leash. Also, sadly this Dane has copious amounts of urine that has now almost completely killed the small amount of green grass strip near the sidewalk in front of the apts. It’s disgusting that people can get away with this. Pretty much every public park in my area has a leash law and no-one pays attention, so I cannot ever walk and enjoy the awesome trails near my apts, because someone’s off leash dog in always bounding at me around the corner, far ahead of the owner. If enough people were willing to take action though, it could change-so don’t just ignore it PLEASE!!! Just one official and legal complaint can start the ball rolling. Make your complaint public and where you will have some support. Report them to your HOA or Animal Control.
I disagree. The money it would take to attend such classes in order to be certified is enormous (at least around here it is). There is no way I could afford them. But as one of the poorest people in my neighborhood, I probably do more to train and restrain my dogs than anyone else.
I faced an owner whose much larger off-leash dog always came after my leashed Shiba inu at a nearby park. After putting up with this for over 4 months, I finally asked this owner why he did not leash his dog as required by law and why he thought it was okay to drive his golf cart in the park when that too was prohibited. I was very calm at this time. The owner got off the golf cart, removed his jacket, and in a rage, came after me and my dog. He threatened to kill my dog and then shove him down my throat. At this point before he got any closer, I had to warn him that I had a licensed concealed handgun, showed him my 9mm Glock in my holster, and said “take one more step towards me and
you will force me to draw my gun.” Of course, he backed off, claiming that I should fight like a man. I left the park and called the police. He claimed that I threatened to shoot him beacause
Wow, that sounds like a pretty horrible experience. What happened at the end? Did the police at least get him to stop breaking park laws?
I have neighbors like that. They let their Pitt (as in APBT, not how many use the name loosely which is wrong and terrible for the reputation of each breed) wander into my yard and I chased it out several times. One time it came in and flat out attacked my GSP Poker. Poker is fine (and way stronger than he looks apparently o.0), but then the dog continued to come into my yard after it attacked my dog and its owner had to come and fetch it. So I told them I was going to call animal control and have them put a dog trap in my yard.
They said they were going to come over and shoot my dogs
So I told them I had evidence of their dog in my yard and that I was going to sue.
I never saw the dog again.
Still, I have had two of their other dogs come into my yard frequently, but they are very fearful of Poker and Bailey so thankfully they are the ones running for safety then
Sounds like every day in Alaska. Ugh
Get doggie mace and spray any dog that charges you. It may learn never to charge again. I am really tired of people with little dogs that are too lazy too hold onto a leash. If a dog charges my large leashed dog he is going to fight.
Best way to break up a dog fight is to grab the dogs back legs, lift them off the ground and turn or pull the dog back. Keeps hands away from the mouth and makes the dog off balance.
I have a leash reactive dog too – like level 10 .. mostly reactive at other dogs (on or off-leash) but also sometimes people. (I have not figured out the people trigger yet)
There are only so many streets where I am so there are not that many alternate routes.
Most people here have dogs and many are not trained or stable so it makes it difficult.
What makes it difficult more than anything is the comments from PEOPLE when my dog starts barking, I try turning the other way and they are telling me I am getting rough with my dog. How else am I supposed to get him outa there unless I turn around and guide him where I want to go?
He is a tiny dog — 10 pound shih-tzu/pom mix. Not nutered yet until he is finished his shots. He is about 1 year old dog I adopted from a super busy house (several other dogs/kids constantly in a level 10 excitement) to a quiet house where only me there & some visitors (who are also usually calm etc)
He is fine at the door (now) & instantly responds when I say ‘down’ if he jumps a visitor – however this is usually prevented if I sit him down a few feet back from me when I answer the door. (before this it was about lvl 8 excitement – PET ME!!!)
I don’t think the other owners took him out much & basically learned he is always supposed to be screaming/barking & going nuts around other dogs because that is what he did at his old home. He was also treated human like (always carried around, spoiled, no boundries, disiplane or anything like that)Owners coddled/paid complete attention to him just for simply moving..
I asked the old owner what key words they used for getting their dog to listen or do things… the only thing they could make the dog do is dance (for treats)
OK – so start with very basic training then huh…lol.
He does not guard resources, is awesome with grooming – I can do anything to him & he’s OK with it. (this is kewl since shih-tzu needs lots of grooming)
He’s good with potty outside.
He’s getting much better with the separation anxiety stuff. MAJOR improvement here.
The people comments tick me off, I am sure the dog can feel my frustration & therefore reacts more.
He’s a tiny little dog & his reaction – I can’t tell if it is GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!!! or I WANNA PLAY NOOOOWWWWWW” LOL!
I am trying to get him to just ignore other dogs.
No dog parks here, any parks here mostly are around water which is also bad because of the constant invasion of hundreds of geese … which means every 6 inch space on the ground is goose poo which he wants to gobble up like M & Ms….(I don’t think this is at all healthy)
The other thing I have trouble with – because he is small & cute – EVERYONE wants to get in his face & let him jump all over them because they think its cute…
I am trying to train him not to pester people & it seems as soon as he starts getting better at not doing this … someone comes along & more or less forces them on him purposely triggering his pestering actions.
Because it is a small town everyone knows everyone so if I try walking away or getting my dog off them (since he is not going to learn – that person its ok to maul & this person it is not) they get ticked, tell everyone how unfriendly I am including my parents who feel the need to question me about it. (BTW – I am 45 – not 12)
Their dog is about 45 pounds & its OK with them for their dog to jump/pester everyone so they get ticked when I call my dog off people thinking I am mean…
People here can’t mind their own business, think they hafta check out everyone elses doorstop rather than cleaning up their own & then feel the need to blow things totally out of proportion.
(eg: I walk down the street with my dog, he hears dog a few doors down the street barking like mad, he joins in (taz style – not just hi!), person grumbles about my dog, I turn the other way guiding the dog my way & they go off telling others that I am yanking/dragging my dog … bla bla bla)
It’s not the DOG I don’t know how to handle – its the PEOPLE! LOL!
I’ve only had the lil guy about a month & 1/2, we have made very good progress in some areas but not so well in others.
Obviously I am not using a choker chain – he’s a 10 pound tiny lil dog with a neck not much bigger around than my forearm.
Prong collar — ummm forget it! Same as above (I hate those things but do have an open enough mind that it may be useful on some dogs)
Halti – forget it — hes too small & his spaz time from calm time is about 1/2 a second or less so he would end up breaking his neck or something plus he has a really short face so it would not fit well anyways. (again – useful on some dogs – just not applicable in mine because his reaction time is too fast & he would get seriously hurt especially since it would not fit right)
Harness == PULL like MAD!! I use a harness in the car to keep him safe and when we are on the treadmill. (yes my dog is OK on the treadmill LOL)
Front leader — forget it – I’ll end up with him flipping over @$$ over teakettle & getting hurt.
REgular collar seems to work the best with gentle redirection but still it sounds like he is literally strangling himself with barking/over excitement.
The excitement is so high it is no longer barking – it sounds like I am standing on his throat!! (this obviously does not trigger a calming affect on me)
Trying to find some-place where there are no other dogs, NOSY people or other WILD animals is near impossible.
He & I both need the exercise. I can’t keep him pent up indoors always because he will take his frustration out on something inside.
I feel he will eventually get over it or at least tolerate other stimuli if I stay calm and just ignore whatever/whoever & continue on.
I don’t know what to say to other people though that obviously have no clue and can’t help but make some snide rude comment or are obsessed with practically diving on top of my dog because he is cute.
Yes – he is cute – but he is easily excitable so PLEASE don’t trigger him!
HAHA! I’d love to see em do that with an adolescent 100 pound not yet trained pitbull! LOLOLOL!
No – nothing at all against any large breed animal — just getting this oh-so-funny picture of someone saying cute doggie, trying to approach it then watching scent II where the big doggie bounds toward them in a playful manner & knocks em flat out! (SLURP!) (while the poor owner is working on also picking themselves off the ground (hopefully laughing!))
I have a miniature schnauzer who is four years old. I got him as a young pup and I lived in a rural area and trained him entirely off leash. I always have a leash on hand incase of any emergency, but walk him without it. I have spent years working on our bond and his recall to the point where he stays within a few yards of me and checks in frequently. He is very well socialized, has a few dozen “dog friends” of different breeds and never had altercations of any kind. When he sees another dog he runs to me and only investigates if I tell him it is ok, after I ask the owner. He is also trained to not go into the road. When we come to a corner he will stop and sit until I let him know it is ok to cross at which point he sprints full speed to the other side. He has a very high chase drive so training him to the point he is at was not any easy venture, but we are to the point where we trust each other and I have learned to watch his body language and talk him through situations. I have never had any situations where I’ve regretted having him off leash.
Upon moving to Salt Lake City, I continued letting him off leash at times, but due to city laws he is on leash about half the time. One early morning I was out for a jog with my off-leash dog at my side. I didn’t even see the pitbull approach from behind until I heard my dog yelp. I turned to see a pitbull with it’s teeth bared and snarling, latching onto my dog. I’ve never struck or hurt an animal in my life, but the adrenaline and protective instinct must have kicked in and I kicked it as hard as I could square in the face. I am a girl, but I also played college soccer so I can kick pretty hard. The surprise of the kick gave my dog just enough time to run full speed under a car out of reach of the big pit bull. At this point the owner ran out and started threatening to sue me for kicking his dog despite the fact it was unphased and still lunging towards my bleeding dog. I was flabbergasted. My dog is the one that needed a trip to the vet. If my dog hadn’t been off leash, he probably wouldn’t have been able to get away because he would have been attached to me.
Due to this experience I wish that cities or states would allow owners to get something similar to a Canine Good Citizen, where the off leash demeanor is tested and only dogs who pass are allowed off leash. This would teach owners how to train their dogs and dogs how to behave off leash. I feel like it is a lot safer for my dog to be able to escape if needs be. Also I wish that cities would have stiffer fines for owners who allow aggressive/untrained dogs to be off leash. In my city each offense is only $50 and you have to actually get caught by an animal service person. They wouldn’t do anything about my attack because it was my word against the other owner’s word. I also have started carrying high grade pepper spray, but the kind that comes out in a stream, not a mist. Apparently (according to several police officers) it is much more effective with animals. I think that coupled with a swift kick to the face would deter most dogs.
Lastly, not all off leash walkers are “irresponsible pieces of crap”. I’ve spent a lot of time, energy and effort ensuring that my dog is very well behaved. He is not even a slightly agressive dog, and doesn’t charge, knows how to interact with other dogs and doesn’t run in the road. A lot of that is due to his personality, as a young puppy he was very eager to please and started life well socialized so I probably had it easier than most owners. I understand that not all humans and dogs like dogs, so I’ve trained him to let me decide which ones he interacts with, keeping him safer and more confident. He is better behaved than most dogs I see on leashes. Even after being bitten he still loves interactions with other dogs. Hope that some insight from the other side helps š
While your dog may be exceptional, the law is the law. Having a leash does not mean it is permanently attached to you. You could let the leash go to allow your dog to escape. Unfortunately most people DO NOT take the time to train their dog as you have so it is the law for the greater good.
I have some people who have a really nice lab they walk off leash but they do not watch him…in that I have found the dog defecating in my front lawn and they follow a few minutes behind him. They cannot see what he is doing. So they do not see their dog as a problem. I told them what their dog does, and they got annoyed with me. sigh.
I also witnessed him eating some garbage left at a park across the street. I cannot imagine letting my dog eating stuff off the floor, getting bit by a snake etc. If on leash you are in a closer proximity to your dog and can monitor what they are doing.
You keep your dog right by your side so you can see what is going on…but most off leash owners think its cool to let them run ahead. Not so cool.
I agree,, dogs that sneak up quietly from behind scare me the most. One did that to my two dogs and I raised my stick to the dog shouting NO….now the neighborhood gossip is that I hit him on the head and like to hit dogs with sticks. Good grief.
Some people are too stupid to won a dog.
Dog owners whose dogs run unleased into public spaces are irresponsible pieces of crap. These craps includes the “nice looking people with the nice expensive house”. If you can afford a dog you need to afford proper dog education and training. This should be law. I’ve been assaulted by a number of dogs over the years while walking down public streets and the dog owners never apologize. In one case the owner blamed me for walking by his house! What a piece of human crap. Most dogs are potentially dangerous weapons. When a dog gets loose in public the owner should be charged with a serious crime.
SHIBASHAKE, thank you for the article link, which I enjoyed and is helpful and interesting, looking at getting a copy of the book too. Rude dogs are nothing compared to their rude owners who create rude dogs in the first place. I am definitely working up to writing a poster with some well chosen comments from this site, no names of course, and nailing them to posts in our area.
Although I seem to be the only one with a little guy, who btw is not yappy :)I find the articles and comments here to be the most helpful of all the sites I’ve checked out. I empathize with those of you who have large breeds that are well trained, but you feel the need to be cautious around small, dancing yappy things, it’s like being baited by a toy and risky. I tried hard to socialize my 15lb happy Havanese who was adopted from a family with small children who couldn’t cope with a puppy. I found it next to impossible to socialize my dog outside of a class where the instructor commands the attention of dog owners to produce well behaved dog owners and their dogs:) Off leash dogs outside of training class meant that puppies the size of ponies would come lumbering up to my guy and flatten him or throw him in the air. After a few of these incidents, my on-leash dog definitely became snarly and didn’t want anything to do with a large dog, regardless of temperament and calm persona. If the dog insists pursuing him and get too close he tells them very clearly to back off. This resulted in nasty incidents with a particular off leash shepherd, a pair of large white dogs, and several large mixed breeds and, of course, the boxer. The odd things is, at first I used to apologize even though I was minding my own business, had an on leash dog at my side and was not interfering with them or their dog, not anymore!
I really appreciate everyone’s contribution here, it’s helping me understand how to deal with situations and how I can make things better from my end.
The park near our home has an on-leash trail with an off-leash fenced area. My dog is a 15lb male who doesn’t like being charged. He is frequently charged by off-leash dogs in the 45-60lb range. I read that I am the problem because I haven’t trained my dogs to stay calm and submissive when another dog approaches. My guy waits until the other dog gets along side him, aiming for his butt and then responds with snapping and barred teeth aggression, or maybe it’s dog speak, telling the other dog to get lost. However, the off-leash dog doesn’t respond well to rejection and responds, not just by growling or snarling, by trying to take a chunk out of my guy. One day I am going to get bitten because things go crazy quickly and all attempts to calm the situation fail when you have a reactive dog on leash and a loose, out of control dog.
My dog was leashed by my side while I collected poop š I saw an off-leash, muscular boxer looming towards us, it’s owner yapping on her cell about 6 yards back. I used a firm voice and told the dog NO! The dog kept coming and I ended up in the middle of two dogs snapping and trying to bite each other. My dog was on leash and is 15lb, the other dog was off-leash and at least 45lbs. It is very difficult to control your dog when another dog does not back off and keeps coming closer and getting in our space and refuses to retreat. I shouted to the owner to leash her dog, she ignored me and carried on with her conversation. The owner eventually leashed her dog, walked in the opposite direction without checking to see if we were ok and was verbally abusive. Her response was that “this is what dogs do.” That might be the case, but the dogs were unequally matched in size and ability to protect themselves.
I am tired of irresponsible, inconsiderate owners. A neighbour rescues large, unwanted dogs and always walks them separately on leash, she receives verbal abuse from owners she asks to take control of their dogs. Yes, dogs are social animals and I want to provide mine with opportunities to socialize, but it is very difficult with uncaring people.
I think you will enjoy this article by Suzanne Clothier-
http://www.nesr.info/images-english-shepherd/He-just-wants-to-say-hi.pdf
She also has a book (Bones Would Rain from the Sky
) that I enjoyed very much.
Hugs to your furry one. š
I live in a neighborhood where people own agressive breeds of dogs, and then don’t train them. Nor do they bother making sure their property is securely fenced with a gate, or sometimes they leave their gates wide open, and that is why my 5 year old sweet as pie Yorkie boy, Elmo, is dead. We were on our nightly walk as I had just gotten in from work LATE on a Friday evening (traffic jam). My apartment does not have a fenced in yard, and the landlord refuses to install one (despite my offering to help pay.) Neighbors pit bull (who has attacked and killed a german shepard before) charged through the wide open gate, attacking me, attacing elmo, and ultimately killing him. I sit here with 6,000 dollars in credit card debt from trying to save my babys life, and all the woman could do was scream at her children for leaving the gate open. She was obviously drunk and had no clue. She’s one of those 40 something divorcoed five times women who try to act like they’re 20… she accepts no responsibilit for any of this and it angers me. Husband and I decided no more small dogs, so we bought our husky boy Crosby (named after Sidney Crosby) who is now 4 months old and pretty smart. I read your website for training advice, and read this story (among others) and wanted to add I understand how everybody feels, and it sucks that there really is nothing anybody can do about stricter enforcement of leash las. Nor can we expect everyone to be responsible pet owners who exercise common sense. We can only protect ourselves, and when I walk crosby I carry a loaded mag lite flashlight. 6 d cell batteries bashing a dogs skull will make it think twice, although my heart will break in half if I ever had to.
10 months ago, I started fostering a wonderful 2yr old Pit Bull named Daisy. Her family fell on hard times and could not keep her anymore and were dropping her off at the animal shelter just as I was walking out. I offered to care for her until they got back on their feet. I have owned dogs before, but had no experience with Pit Bulls. I immediately contacted my friend, a licensed dog trainer, who did a full behavioral assessment on Daisy. I also began implementing training methods under my friends supervision. Because I was fostering her temporarily, I wanted the owner to take her through formal training, not me.
Daisy is very smart, loves to play with other dogs, and knows sit, stay, come, and does very well off leash. She is great everywhere we go, never a problem. EXCEPT when she is in the front yard!!! I garden, and when I am in the front yard, she will lay on the lawn or stand by my side, not distracted by people walking by or cars. But, if one of my neighbors is walking their dog…..zoom! Off she goes! Now, Daisy is not aggressive (I know some of you hate it when the charging dog’s owner says that) she just wants to play. But, I would be freaked out if an 80 pound Pit Bull came charging at me and my dog! How do I know it “just wants to play!” Of course, I look like an idiot running after her yelling ” She won’t hurt you!” while my horrified neighbors are shaking like a leaf!
I truly apologize for not responsibly restraining my dog. My actions put others in situations that could have had negative results. I now have a retractable cable leash that is staked in the front yard allowing Daisy to be with me, but keeping her safely within the lawn area.
Just yesterday, Daisy’s owners transferred ownership to me permanently. I love Daisy so much, and want her to live a long, happy, and SAFE life. That starts with me being a responsible owner. Even more so because Daisy is a Pit Bull, and there are special laws in place for her.
I’m so glad I found this site and was able to read all the comments. My neighbors see that I have taken responsibility for Daisy, and she has lots of new dog friends that stop by to play now, and some that just walk by on the other side of the street with a nod or a wave by their owner which I interpret as a “Thank You” for respecting them and their dog. š
Glad you wised up and decided to leash your dog. I wonder though, what would your friendly dog do if he ran up to a dog and that dog acted aggressive. Would he back off or also become aggressive?
There are always strays in my neighborhood and with my non aggressive dog I never really feared walking her. It’s my leash aggressive boy that I dread walking. Afraid he will bite off the head of the little dogs running loose that are stupid enough to approach him when he is acting like Cujo. Now I am armed and dangerous when I walk both my dogs. Probably a good thing as I heard the cops had to shoot a pit bull that attacked another dog.
Thank you for making a change and leashing her. Unfortunately the retractable leashes often break, and they can cause injury – would you please consider a standard leash instead.