just came bak from walk in local woods… theres a woman with 2 huge dogs…dont know the breed but lets say it was like a lion (no joking)..she had two of them and one was off the lead and came bounding over to my screaming petrified miniature whippet..i was scared too ! had to lift my dog off the grounf and clutch him tight… her dog just came bounding over and she never called her dog back or even tried to but him on the lead ??? obvioulsy i shouted at her, but she ignored me and whort i was crazy…. surely you cant have these dogs running off the lead with no attempt to call it back wen situations arise ????

Troll alert!

Probably looked pretty scary, but big dogs like Great Danes tend not to be aggressive. Totally wrong not to call them back though

do what i did last week – ride into the **** at 20kph …. obviously not intentionally but the stupid **** ran out from behind a parked car that its owner was sat in watching the dog do the toilet ….

bet she puts it on a lead next time !

*i do not condone this and it was a complete accident – as noted by my somersault of the bars and the bruised ribs my G/f now sports !

I like most of the Internet hard-man would have put the dog in a headlock and ripped it's heart out with my teeth, it's the only way they learn.

I'd have fired a shot over it's head.

sounds like a leonberger – make my pooch look tiny!

but ive told you before about picking up your dog
let it defend itself, or flee, whatever it wants. If you pick up your dog, in front of mine, my dog will be more interested and think about jumping up to see what you are holding out of range AND your scared dog will be more scared.

Got chased by a dopey looking, but still pretty scarey Rhodesian Ridge Back the other week – blimey they can run

elaine anne – Member
dont know the breed but lets say it was like a lion (no joking)

No, I'm not getting you. Sorry…

Leonberger? 🙂

Troll Alert!! Troll Alert!! Troll Alert!! Troll Alert!! Troll Alert!!

Hainey I agree !

Lion dog?

screaming petrified miniature whippet

Are you sure?

Also, the only time my dog has jumped up at someone is when they have picked up their dog when she's approached. She is the most playful, non-agressive dog btw, and EVERY owner I've come across is quite happy for their dog to have a play with mine if I let her. Except the one donut who picked their dog up, of course. I can't recall this dog "screaming" though.

OK I'm going to fall for it then

If you have a small dog and it is being hassled by a big dog DO NOT pick it up! big dog will just jump up to see what you are holding, Miniature whippets are quick enough to get out of the way and are tougher than you give them credit for. They are dogs not babies remember and will sort out the pecking order themselves

if big dog has yours by the neck then different approach needed!

*chewkw to the thread please, chewkw to the thread*

My dog spends 99% of the time off the lead. If it sees another dog then it will approach it, sniff its ass, perhaps run around with it a bit, take a piss then move on. Does this regardless of whether the other dog is bigger or smaller than him. I never call my dog back IF the other dog is also off the lead. I will call him back if the other dog is on a lead.

Amazes me that people with dogs the size of rats always pick up their dog up when they see another dog….How dare other people have a dog off the lead in the great outdoors when they are walking their precious little rat dog in the same county.

screaming dogs…… Brilliant!!

THE SIZE OF THE DOG DOES NOT MATTER.

If someone has a dog off the lead and can't control it, they can't control it. If someone lets their dog come up on me or my dog uninvited, that is just a lack of respect and ignorance. Plenty ignorant people have small dogs too. 'these dogs'? I've had more grief from jack russels than any other breed!

Can I resist this thread?

Its really simple – the dog must be under control and its a criminal offense if it gives someone reasonable cause to be scared. Just causing annoyance and nuisance is wrong but is not a criminal offense just a civil one.

Either way its an irresponsible dog owner

By the sounds of it, the dog was under control – just that the owner didn't choose to stop it running up to you…

Definitely antisocial irrespective of what the law is.

The only Big Dog you need to be worried about coming at you is this one:

criminal offense

Not that again?? Call the bloody police! "That dog sniffed my dog's arse. Arrest the owner!!"
Reality check please.

How is a dog running over to play with another dog ever going to be a problem? My dog is off the lead almost all of the time and will come back if I shout him.

As with the guy above, I won't shout him back if he's off to play with another dog – if the other dog won't play, he quickly gets the message and moves on.

I get totally p1ssed off when over-protective owners snatch up their dogs when mine approaches – he's neither big, nor scary – a fluffy white stunted lurcher.

Dogs like playing with each other. Fact.

>surely you cant have these dogs running off the lead with no attempt to call it back wen situations arise<

But no "situation" arose. Clearly the dug isn't in the habit of attacking other dugs.

Relax…

But no "situation" arose

No but that doesn't actually make it ok – plenty of people (and particularly kids) are scared of dogs (even more so, ones that look like lions 🙂 ) and don't like it. Letting your dog do it is antisocial.

My step dad had a karabash. That was very lion like. Used to break out from his garden and eat people's pets – literally. Nasty horrible big dog, badly trained, bad tempered, and extremely powerful and fast. The size of this dog did definitely matter! It was bred for dangerous stuff in dangerous places, and coupled with bad training, made up a pretty dangerous combination.

Blame the owner or whatever (I did!), but they had to get rid of it before something horrible happened.

It shouldn't have been allowed as a pet, full stop, let alone out in public.

You don't necessarily know the difference between a monster like that and a friendly big dane or something running up – my sympathies are with the op.

what's a dug?

guilty till proven innocent.

Nick – Member
what's a dug?

That'd be one a them Irish breeds.

a scottish dog
If my dog is not aggressive and it runs up to someoene elses dog why should I react call it back muzzle it?
Nothing happened a dog came over to your dog and went away. I walked past a gang of hoodies on a street corner and nothing happened can we ban them as they looked a bit iffy?
IME little yappy yorkshire terrier /jack Russells are more likely to bite you /attack you

snowslave – seriously though, do you think the owner of such a "pet" would take it out for "walkies" off the lead??

Scottish dogs are dugs

Irish dogs are dags

A big dog recently…

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to tell you it's down to you to MTFU, not the owner to actually show some consideration and control their dog.

DezB – unfortunately, this dog could get out of it's own accord. That's when it did it's damage.

But I've also had an occasion where a ninja pit bull tough guy status dog on a lead saw my daughter sat on some grass about 100 yards away, and made a run straight for her, snarling in a most unfriendly and evil manner – it was dragging the yoof on the lead behind it and it took 3 of them to hold it back. She wasn't even aware – only 3 at the time, just picking daisies, and for some reason the dog just went for her.

Dogs like playing with each other. Fact.

SOME dogs like playing. SOME dogs are aggressive and will fight rather than play. I don't know your dog. You don't know my dog. Please show the minimum respect and don't assume you know my dog or I know your dog isn't aggressive. I don't and I've had several bad instances with stupid people not controlling their dog. Let them meet properly and see if they play – don't let your out of control mutt run up on me or mine. My (therapy dog trained) rotty will always get the blame if it kicks off – just because he is a rotty.

Whippets come in minature sizes? WHY WASN'T I INFORMED?!

+1 for XCGB and David_R.

If a big bloke walked towards you in the street or came into the pub do you run home or phone 999 just becuase you don't like the look of him and he looks like he "could" be a bit handy?

By picking up your dog you are reinforcing to the dog that he has to be scared of everything and that any dog approaching it is a threat, this is not too smart and can leed to a nervous dog that is likely to feel more scared more easily and possibly snap at other dogs thus actually starting the fight.
My mother in laws precious King Charles gets picked up and kissed at every little thing and is totally unmanagable as a result. I took my new puppy rund to meet her and the first thing she did was go for his throat as she now equates any dog with danger.

I agree that the owner should have called out to you asking if your dog was alright with other dogs or reassuring you that hers was a big dappy thing (assuming it was), but you need to remain calm and assertive or else your dog will pick up on this and start to feel snappy and nervous too. Your calling to her and her not responding was irrsesponsible and she should have headed and responded your call.
On the other hand if her dog was a slavering beast that would eat you dog for breakfast then it was irresposnible to have it off the lead- but if this was the case your picking it up wouldn't have changed anything and it would have attcked both of you- which it didn't.

Getting worried yourself and scooping up your dog just turns it into something far more interesting that the other dog will want to know.

I don't want to sound rude here, I'm simply trying to offer some advice as an experienced trainer of working dogs. Sounds like you could both do with an opputunity to socialise and get to know more big dogs that way you will both feel calm happy and confident when surprised by one. You admit that you were scarred too.

A call to the local RSPCA or Dogs Trust Dog shelter would give you a chance to take your dog and both get to know and get used to some large dogs in a controlled enviornment thus leaving you both calm and happy campers when another big lad comes over to say hello, albeit in a less than restrained way.

Nice one Matt. Very er, practical advice.