Charlie Went for a Dog ;(

[Charlie]

A little background information. I sometimes meet a couple in the forest with two male fox red labs, a bedlington terrier and another terrier. All four dogs continuously bark at everyone and all dogs. The two terriers regularly do a disappearing act sometimes being left in the forest over night The owners admit they have no control and are "alpha pack leaders" you know the type. One of the labs in the past has repeatedly tried to mount Hattie and has knocked her into a ditch, I was not happy, neither was Hattie. One of the owners told me they try to walk where they won't meet anyone. All good plans! Anyway, yesterday I was walking Hattie and Charlie when round a bend there they all were, no time to get Charlie on lead, their dogs barked like crazy Charlie was looking anxious, just as I was about to pop his lead on the pushy lab got in his face wouldn't leave him alone, all looked OK and that was it, Charlie went for him twice, their dog yelped but no damage done to either dog. The lady was screaming which didn't help. I got Charlie on lead and off we went. As a matter of interest Hattie always gives these dogs a very wide berth and I trust her instincts. These are the dogs that Charlie recalled from at the weekend but was whining and up on his back legs, trying to back out of his collar. I feel a little down about it as we have worked so hard with building good associations with any dogs we pass or meet etc. I really feel Charlie has so few doggie social skills I'm not sure I will ever really get this sorted out. He can be fine with some dogs but he can be unpredictable it seems with larger dogs. It is now the only issue I struggle with, everything else seems to be sorted out. (touch wood!) I am in no way making excuses for Charlie he shouldn't have gone for the dog but what do you think of this scenario please? Any feedback good or bad that will help me in the future would be really appreciated. Thank you xxx

 

[snowbunny]

If there were no veterinary bills, it wasn’t a fight. It was just posturing and the normal escalation from stiffness and general dickishness that boys can be prone to.
I’m not saying it’s not something to be worried about, just that it wasn’t as bad as you feel it was.

I know exactly how you feel; I’m having a session with a woman and one of her dogs tomorrow to try to work Shadow through his issues, too. I don’t think I would ever expect him to turn a blind eye to a dog rushing up and getting in his face, though.

 

[Cupcase]

Life with some dogs is like snakes and ladders, mainly ladders but there is the odd time you land on a snake and end up 10 squares back, but the next ladder is a longer one, so you catch up faster.
Can you walk the dogs with dogs they get on with, this helps reassure you that they are not turning into antisocial monsters,( I've started doing this, as any negative event with Cupar, leaves me with negative feelings and to overcome that we do stuff where I know he doesn't get stressed and I'm left feeling more confident).
4 strange dogs would be intimidating for a lot of dogs, this sounds like a scuffle rather than handbags at dawn.

 

[Charlie]

@snowbunny Thank you Fiona, no vet bills, it wasn't a fight I'm sure of that just noise and mouthing but with the owner screaming, four dogs barking it was difficult to control. But Charlie did eventually listen to me and came to me to have his lead attached. I've not seen him do this before so it left me feeling down.

@Cupcase You're right that's a good analogy. The problem is where we live there aren't that many people so nobody to walk with, if you happen to meet someone it's quite rare, except this week

As always I will be vigilant and chalk it down to 'one of those things' and a bad situation.

Thank you xxx

 

[Charlie]

@snowbunny Is the session with a trainer or a dog helper? I would be interested to hear how you get on and what is involved. xx

 

[snowbunny]

@snowbunny Is the session with a trainer or a dog helper? I would be interested to hear how you get on and what is involved. xx

It’s a dog trainer but I will be the one leading the session, and she will be in the capacity of a helper.
The plan is to do what I did with my friend’s dog, Rocky, walking S on a long line and muzzle behind them until he gets used to the scent, then gradually bringing them into a natural interaction and then bumbling walk together. I have a more detailed training plan going forward to work up to the element of surprise meetings in our “territory”.

 

[Charlie]

Hope it all goes well. xx

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

If there were no veterinary bills, it wasn’t a fight. It was just posturing and the normal escalation from stiffness and general dickishness that boys can be prone to.

100% this. I'd say you handled it as well as you could have done. You got out of there as fast as you could. It sounds like you already avoid this crew, so this was just a bad surprise. Hopefully Charlie has already gotten over it and is back to himself.

 

[Charlie]

Hopefully Charlie has already gotten over it and is back to himself.

Charlie is but I'm not xx

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Charlie is but I'm not xx

That's the tough part - they forget a lot sooner than we do.

 

[Granca]

Anyway, yesterday I was walking Hattie and Charlie when round a bend there they all were, no time to get Charlie on lead,

It’s always difficult being taken by surprise. Charlie did really well to come back to have his lead on after being goaded by the pushy lab. I hope you don’t meet them again.

 

[snowbunny]

This article might help. Ian Dunbar is a bit outdated now, but there is a lot of sense here:

Fighting

 

[Naya]

Sorry this has happened. It’s frustrating when people let their dogs run over when they know they will be pushy. It does sounds like she doesn’t have control over them!. It is horrible when your dog reacts and the noise is awful. I’m glad that Charlie did come back and didn’t bite. It sounds like frustration on his part of having a dog in his face.
When I get near a corner I can’t see around, I recall Harley and pop her on her lead until we get around and I can see what’s around me. I also pop her lead on if I see a dog I won’t know and randomly during walks so she doesn’t associate the lead with a dog being in sight. This has really helped us, especially me as I feel more relaxed as she is under control.
Hope you are feeling a bit better today. Big hugs

 

[Cath]

Hope you are both ok. It was not your fault. It was just one of those things

 

[Charlie]

This article might help. Ian Dunbar is a bit outdated now, but there is a lot of sense here:

Fighting

Thank you so very much for this Fiona. I feel heaps better after reading it. It was only scruffing, Charlie at no time went for any other part of the dog. This is also the first time he has ever reacted this way or even made contact with a dog in a negative way. Hope it's the last, not sure my nerves can take it!

I having been mulling the incident over, like I do and one thing the owner told me earlier in the year was they can NEVER ever leave their dogs alone, they never go out for dinner, a coffee or even for the weekly shop as one of them always has to stay with the dogs. They moved from Yorkshire two years ago and haven't made a single friend. I wonder, in my limited knowledge if they are feeding their dogs anxieties? They are all males and all anxious even when approaching humans, the barking is so deafening we cannot even hear ourselves talk should I meet them.

Thank you all for your words of support, it really does help. xx

 

[Stacia]

I feel we think our dogs should sit back and be 'abused' by other dogs, I don't blame Charlie one iota, he was just telling them to back off and behave. It is usually all 'handbags at dawn' and no teeth involved.

 

[snowbunny]

I feel we think our dogs should sit back and be 'abused' by other dogs, I don't blame Charlie one iota, he was just telling them to back off and behave. It is usually all 'handbags at dawn' and no teeth involved.

Totally this! As much as this isn’t my situation, I hear people so often who are anxious because their dog told a rude dog off. That’s allowed and, as much as it can look and sound scary - as well as the backlash that you can get from the other owner - it’s all within the bounds of normal dog behaviour.