What to do when being encountered by an unfriendly, unknown off lead dog when out for a walk on your own with your little pack of dog reactive Shibas?
Stay calm.
Try and walk away if you can.
Use your body as a barrier and keep yourself between your dogs and the loose dog.
Don't allow for any face to face dog greetings.
Try to make it unworthwhile for the loose dog to linger around (use your imaginations)-this is harder when, if like me, you are walking your intact dogs and the loose dogs seem intent on getting in a good sniff.
Some people may carry mace, canes or shrill whistles, but my best defense towards loose dogs that don't look friendly is to keep my eyes open for them, maintain a good distance and use the right body language. Afterall, I would feel bad for harming a dog whose moronic owner was the one who deserved to be punished.
This may be contrary to what one's initial reaction is-to let the dogs work it out themselves or hurt the loose dog so long as the people aren't bitten. I would rather be bitten I suppose then have to pry a large dog off of my Shibas, afterall, they are my buddies and companions.
Some really great tips! Unfortunately, I panic. I know this isn't what you're supposed to do, but I can't help myself! My heart starts pounding. I tense up. Then I just pray and hope for the best. So far, I've been lucky.
ReplyDelete