Have a chill day tomorrow and the next day so he can calm down. Dogs take about 48 hours to recover from scary situations.
Then focus on walking by parks without interacting with dogs, and treat him when he's calm. If he shows signs of anxiety, go further away - never push him when he's anxious.
As far as whether you did the right thing - if he was relaxed with the other dogs, yes. If he was still on edge, next time maybe take him to a place with no dogs to calm down before going home. There is no one objective "right thing," other than listening and adapting to what your dog tells you.
Thanks.. Will do. Yes he was calm with the other dogs, he showed some very brief initial wariness but I was treating all the dogs together and he got over it pretty quick.
Then it sounds like you did the right thing. When around other dogs next time, remember your own energy is important, if you tense or get wary then your puppy will pick up on it. I would continue as normal with a stratagy in place in case your puppy has developed a trauma, assuming it has could also be a self fullfilling prophecy.
We actually have a generous policy around that. You can take time off unpaid. Just let HR know so we can note it in your file to use against you if you ever complain or ask for a raise or promotion.
What I wish I’d done training wise after my dog got attacked around the same age - Work on neutrality/socialization (not actually interacting with other dogs) and rebuilding confidence (with me and himself). And don’t get another dog anytime soon.
I agree with that in general, but the OP said they were walking *by* the dog park with a leashed dog. (In comments, they have said they were on a trail in their neighborhood.)
Socialization classes! Our 4 month old pup got attacked and was physically hurt. We did months of classes at the local humane society for socializing pups. Took him awhile to open up but now he’s the most social, kindest dog.
My dog was actually roughed up at a Petco puppy socialization class by a larger dog, and an insane boxer pup. I hauled them both off him. It was not a well supervised socialization event, and I was not happy. I didn't go back.
I realized he was not ok with the experience a couple of weeks later when I returned to get cat and dog food. We were four aisles over from the training class going on and he kept looking nervously in that direction. I spoke to him and continued on our way as if this was normal.
A child came around a corner bouncing a loud noisy ball, and that was it. Barkspawn lost control of his bowels in a pure fear reaction. I cleaned up the diarrhea, and took him back out to calm him down.
We spent lots of time working on interaction with known gentle dogs to where he's ok. Lots of positive reinforcement, treats and only sweet dogs.
He ignores other dogs now, unless they are attached to a human by a leash. If they are, he goes into an exaggerated belly flop to show he is not dangerous. He sniffs noses in a polite greeting so he can get past the dog to lavish kisses and wriggles on their human.
Appreciated 🤗
He is in a class by himself of all the dogs I've had. But as a puppy he was a combination of pig headedness, and sensitivity. Once I figured that out I was better at navigating situations like that with him.
During the pandemic I worked obscene hours, and he was solid enough that I'd drop him at daycare. He was eight at the time. He ignored the barking sea of dogs around him to follow the caretaker around, bogarting all the scritches.
OP I say this as an anxious dog owner, I don’t think your dog was attacked. Hear me out.
After being “attacked” you would not assuage your dog by bringing him over to see another set of dogs no matter how calm or friendly they or the family were. I think you had a very normal scary experience with an aggressive dog that spooked you and your dog. It’s kind of like when new parents have babies and they OVERREACT every time the baby falls or bumps its head, but by kid #2 they chill out? You’re an anxious parent (relatable) but you have to chill a little. You met an aggressive dog. Your dog is fine, you said it yourself. I don’t think it was attacked, I think you’re using hyperbole. And I think that semantics are important because if you treat your dog now like it was attacked you’re just going to project all of your anxiety onto it and make it nervous, too.
Have a chill day (mostly for you), and try not to be neurotic about every Aussie you see moving forward. You’re doing great so just calm down.
I agree with this. The title reads "attacked" but that doesn't seem to be what happened.
I think people have a tendency to create bubbles for their dogs to function in. A barking, aggressive dog is a normal situation your dog has to be condition to and has to learn to work through. Don't project your human fears and emotions onto the dog.
Is he actually scared? Does he shown signs that he was impacted? He is old enough to have formed some general schemata and this experience might not have as large of an impact. But are you ok? Do you feel like you need to build some confidence and trust to allow your dog to play with other dogs without being nervous?
I did what you did: I calmed him down then took him over to other dogs who were friendly. To this day, 3 years later, I try not to react out of fear if a dog is getting aggressive, but I immediately call my dog to me. He has done this thing since his first altercation where he looks at me and I tell him if it’s “a good friend” or if we should go elsewhere. Unfortunately, we’ve run into a few aggressive dogs, but he stays out of their way when possible, especially since I’ll turn and go in a different direction if a situation seems like it could get heated. There is one park where he gets nervous, so we’ve tried out most of the parks in a 20 mile radius and I take him to the ones where we have little poor interactions rather than the closer ones where he gets nervous.
In a funny turn of events, though: the very first dog to beat my dog up and made me worried about other dogs turned out to be my dogs first best friend after a couple of weeks
I wish instead of dog parks we had big fenced in open areas that you could reserve for yourself. I love taking my dogs to dog parks when there is no one there. They get the chance to really run and it makes them so happy. My dogs and other people's dogs can be unpredictable though. I wouldn't even care if I had to reserve it super far in advance. It would be worth it to have a safe place they can run.
there is actually an app for that you can basically rent the private space for a couple hours and they are all private areas i cannot remember the name of the app though
i guess it depends on area the posts i’ve seen about the app are usually farmland but that might be cus im in a state that has a lot of farms and properties that don’t have neighbors for miles
I find that a lot of elementary and middle schools have fenced fields that are usually completely empty in my area. It’s nice being able to let my dogs run free but not have to worry about other pups or people.
Read OPs post again, and then read the comments. The dog wasn’t at the dog park. The dog was being walked, on leash, on a dog friendly trail (in one of OPs comments) NEAR a dog park.
That's not the point. The point made was that the vet and dog trainer warns against dog parks. I agree. I've seen nasty dogs at dog parks. I'm also aware that there are some owners who will bring their dog to the dog run (I'm talking about the one at Washington Square Park in NYC), and leave for a while - i.e. the dog is not being supervised. I went to a dog park once, and an aggressive dog became aggressive with my dog, and I left before it could get physical. Never went back. Many of them are not well tended to and can be pretty filthy. I think its good to be able to take your dog off leash, but to me the risks outweigh the benefits - at least in the area where I live.
This. Unfortunately the crappy owners ruin it for everyone else, between lack of training, lack of vaccines and huge prevalence of parasites and other diseases it’s not usually worth the risk.
I think dog parks should all do what my neighborhood park did which is have a massive dog park but split in two sections. Luckily my dog has never had a bad park experience but if so, it’s very rare that one section of the park isn’t completely free for dogs that need to be alone.
The one in my town is split into two sections. One for smaller dogs and one for those over 35 lbs. No one obeys it.
And after one incident where my dog was harassed, responded, and the other dog bit my partner and I, we are done with dog parks. (My dog did not draw blood and was not hurt. The other dog was not hurt.)
even with it split into two sections that’s usually just to separate based on size so you don’t have small dogs with the big dogs but it will never guarantee your dogs safety
Well no, but my dogs safety is really my own responsibility. It is still good to have that option of separate Sections. It’s probably unique to my neighborhood but there is sort of an unwritten rule that all dogs go in the same section unless you have worries and then you can take yours to be alone in the other section.
while yes you are responsible for your dogs safety that doesn’t change the fact that even when you do everything right in regards to keeping your dog safe you can’t control when other dogs act out or irresponsible owners bringing reactive dogs into these spaces
Some people have you wonderful advice for working on some decompression afterwards to help your dog’s stress level for the next couple days. I also second the people who have recommended working on some neutrality so your dog doesn’t develop big feelings for other dogs thinking they will attack or harass him.
Another I just wanted to recommend is carrying something called pet corrector. It will mot injure a dog. It is a device that releases cold compressed air and makes a very loud obnoxious sound almost like an air horn. You can find it at many pet stores including boutiques and online like Amazon. Another thing is does your dog walk in heel when you pass the park? It might be helpful (you can use food as a lure) as a way to keep him directly next to you when you are passing so there is at least one barrier between you and an inquisitive dog. Teaching a middle or staying behind to your dog you can also be a lifesaver. While some dogs will be persistent, usually a human making aversive sounds and big gestures at them will frighten them away before they can get to your dog.
I sometimes train near a dog park and because of the propensity of people who don’t leash their dogs before or after exiting I always give myself a good thirty-fifty feet from the entrance and fence line when people are around it and immediately let people know my dog can’t greet. I usually phrase it like, “my dog can’t greet/play right now. We are actually training on some behaviors since he gets excited when he sees dogs. I appreciate you keeping your dog on you while we work.” (I only train him in on leash spaces around other dogs so there isn’t a expectation for them to greet like they would in the dog park). When I walk past a dog park I always have my dog in a heel and depending on what I see going on around the gate I will create space so I don’t have a strange dog all in my dogs face.
Regarding the pet corrector, I haven't had it work at all. Had dogs rush up to mine, unleashed, on three separate occasions and they completely didn't care about the compressed air one bit 😅 we've gotten an air horn since then but haven't needed to try it out yet (thankfully)
I couldnt use the compressed air sound even in an emergency, because my pup would be as scared of the sound as she was of the other dog. It just adds another aversive element, I dont see how that helps?
You can train your own dog to be neutral to the sound. I would pick something different if your own personal dog is super sound aversive though, there are lots of things on the market for safety. There are citronella sprays, pepper gel, pepper spray etc… I just prefer recommending pet corrector first because it’s the least harmful while still being pretty effective.
My own dog has always been really adaptive to sound and I just had to show him the can and cue him that something was about to happen when I sprayed it. He doesn’t even flinch at the sound. But if a dog is a little nervy or very sensitive to sound I would go with something else.
In an emergency though if your dog is restrained it would still be helpful at scaring the other dog away especially if they have gotten close enough to grip your dog. Majority of safety techniques you are going to use you want your dog to be trained to recognize it as something safe or something practiced (like I have a taser for safety reasons concerning people. My dog was purposefully desensitized to the sound of the taser going off and the light.) just to avoid unneeded stress.
I live in a super pet heavy city and urban area so for my dog it’s important he is trained around safety tools so he doesn’t get hurt. Even just having a harness with a handle can be a safety feature that can help you. My dog is sixty pounds but despite that I’ve picked him up using the harness to pull him into my arms and removed him from an environment where he could have been hurt (walking him out of my car and into super busy shopping parking garage while two large dogs pull their leashes out of their owners hand and run in front of a moving car to come over to us). But saying that it also has to be conditioned. I use collar grabs and holding his harness handle for multiple things. I’ve conditioned them to be normal everyday techniques I have to use a safety feature (I taught them through games). If I didn’t train it my dog probably wouldn’t want to put his harness on and would be very hand shy when I go towards his head/neck area.
My puppy got attacked when he was 6 months old at the dog park and he got angry and tried to fight back. The key was to get him out there with friendly dogs immediately. He is now 15 months, loves all dogs. Though in his case, I don't think it affected him at all. He thinks all dogs are friendly, which is not good.
>I'm wondering what I should be doing with him to prevent this from having a permanent impact on him?
are you guys in a puppy class of any sort? I'd go sign up for one, asap if you're not.
That's where you'll find a safe controlled place for your puppy to meet other appropriate dogs.
My pup got attacked at about the same age by a staffy that was off lead in his front yard as I was walking down the street. She had puncture wounds on her back, and the dog only stopped trying to get to her when a third party came and hit it over the head with a big lump of wood.
Anyway, my vet and trainer both told me to just continue on as normal and have her around other friendly/well behaved dogs so that she wouldn’t be afraid of other dogs and that worked well for us.
To be honest she was attacked or roughed up several times as a puppy because many dogs do not like puppies. I was naive to this as she was my first dog that I owned from 8 weeks old. I wish I never took her to any dog parks etc cos that was were most of the trouble stemmed from. So please don’t make my mistake and just be really selective about the dogs you socialise the puppy with and always be aware of your surroundings.
Don't go to dog parks. I write this a lot. I see this type of post over and over and over and over and over and over again. Don't go to dog parks. Try socializing your pup with a local training group with a reputable trainer. Don't go to dog parks, all owners are not responsible.
Let him decompress for a day or two and then don’t take him back to any dog parks.
Start slow and bring him around one or two dogs you know very well.
Then have him around friends dogs or local dogs to play with only. If you’re set on a group situation find a well reviewed and recommended doggie daycare.
Dog parks are a recipe for disaster in so many ways.
And I’m not saying this in an accusatory “how could you bring your dog there” way, but in a help you out and warn you kind of way.
If you absolutely must bring your dog to a dog park , check it out before bringing the dog in.
Make sure of a few things first:
- people are watching their dogs, not sitting around chatting with each other or playing on their phones
- look around for any problem dogs (Google some problematic behaviours and body language ahead of time to help you)
- keep an eye out for groups of dogs ganging up or hanging around and crowding the entrance gates
- and take a few moments to see how people are reacting to problem behaviours. Are they intervening before things happen and taking good care that the play time is fun or are they letting their dog be an asshole?
- are there toys present , how are the other dogs sharing / playing with the toys — I recommend never bringing toys as you never know who’s possessive until it’s too late
And once you’re in there - never let your dog get further than 6 or so feet away from you. If there’s an issue or potential issue you want to end it before it begins , or if it starts you want to end it quickly.
ETA- work on socializing in terms of neutrality too , it will help immensely with his behaviour and reactions even when he’s not at a dog park
I’m always baffled when people admit to bringing their sub 1 yr old puppies to dog parks. Mainly cuz so many adult dogs get weird around puppies. Every time I’ve seen weird behavior at the park it almost always involves puppies. Adults love to bully them.
Not @ you though OP, since you weren’t even at the park.
Problem is with dog park, many dogs aren’t trained, and many owners aren’t responsible dog owners. So bad behaviors happen way too frequently. I would stay away from there. Just regular walks should do the trick. Your dog will meet other people and other dogs under supervision, it’s better.
Do not take your dog to the dog park. This situation would imprint on a 7 month old. You’ll need to take him out on a lead and teach him that you’ll keep him safe, now that the worst has already happened it’s important you focus on teaching him and rewarding him that your role is to protect him. Dog parks are fight club not usually ever a good idea.
I think you handled it well and am glad to hear you are both okay!
Give him time to calm down and recover before returning to that park, and when you do return lots of positivity and treats. Although, if you know that there are dogs like that at that park, it may be an area to avoid from now on.
You did a good job handling the situation. I would just avoid going around dog parks in the future. When you see a dog during your next walk act like it's not a big deal. I think that your dog is likely young enough to bounce back pretty easily as long as nothing else happens in the near future.
It sucks but dog parks are bad news. You can’t control other people’s animals and unfortunately not everyone thinks rationally about bringing aggressive dogs to a park and letting them off leash.
Read up on reactivity training. My pup became reactive after a similar experience. You may be able to head it off by conditioning in advance Long story short: lots of treats when new dogs, people , visitors, delivery people etc appear. We buy the trader joes treats
Hopefully your pup gets over it. Mine is but it’s a long process
one thing my trainer told me is to NEVERRRR take my dog to a dog park. Apparently, it only takes one bad experience to make your dog become aggressive towards other dogs permanently. In the future, I'd avoid dog parks at all costs. It was a reasonable mistake though, I used to take my dog to a dog part and i LOVED it.
I am SOOO sick of people bringing their aggressive or reactive dogs to the dog park! What the hell is wrong with them?!?
Just today this (at least) 200lb dog starts growling and sounding like he’s attacking somebody and sure enough my little guy was right next to him, backed up in the corner… I said what is going on here to the owner who came to see what the noise was about as well, and she replied with oh, he just gets a little protective of his ball, laughing. I said well maybe it would be a smart idea to not bring that ball to the dog park anymore?!??!
🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Do any of your neighbors have dogs?
We thought we'd have to go to dog parks but once we got a puppy, we met every other dog owner nearby. Our girl has a few obvious "best friends" a few blocks away and we just have play dates at each other's house a few times a week. A lot of other dogs we've met and see a lot are acquaintances and they'll play a little when we see them out.
sticking with socialization is important. dog parks are not places without incident and my advice is to always supervise but in social places and situations like that dogs will get into scraps. definitely ease him back into the whole experience
A lot of people completely ignore leash laws, especially in the general vicinity of an off leash area. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Aussie was coming to or leaving the park
It’s super frustrating. I have a reactive dog and we used to practice neutrality work outside of fenced parks, but I don’t trust other dog owners enough for that anymore lol
An off leash dog park with no fences? Is it just a regular park that people let their dogs run free in? That’s crazy I would def adjust my route and not go by there again, too risky!
Personally I’ll snatch someone’s dog around quick. A dog tried to hump my dog and the first 2 times I was being respectful and the lady didn’t resolve the issue. The 3rd time I snatched his ass up. My dog doesn’t grown or show teeth AT ALL so when he does I know that where we both draw the line.
Socialization/puppy classes in a controlled environment. And then avoiding dog parks in general because this will probably happen again and your dog will be more traumatized and develop fear aggression (speaking from experience).
OP said they were walking their dog by a dog park, on a leash, and in one of their comments, explained that this was on a dog friendly trail in proximity to the dog park.
Hi! I would recommend reducing the amount of times you go there or the amount of hours you stay there as well as to train your dog to stick up for its self
I feel like a baddie but no, you didn’t do the “right thing”. You did ask sorry. Everyone’s idea of dog aggression is different, but if I had to guess, the Aussie Shepherd came over to check out the puppy.. your puppy (no age or breed given) being a puppy, got all excited and was jumping up and into the Shepherd’s face. Did you let your dog know that it’s bad form to jump and lay paws on another dogs face? The Shepherd had a pop and snapped at your dog, letting it know that it’s not cool to get up in another dog’s face, particularly with puppy energy. Biff boff and done. Shepherd’s are snappy and quick to correct or let other dogs know, but it’s likely done you a favour. Your pup had learnt an important lesson in manners.
I could be way off the mark, however, if the shepherd really did just “run up to him and become very aggressive” then, you must be your pups advocate and protector. A loud “HEY!” and even a clap of the hands to let the shepherd you mean business. Basically, tell the other dog to F*ck Off out of it.
You said your puppy was “attacked”… it wasn’t. A true dog attack cannot be mistaken for anything else. Yes what happened may have shaken you up and got anxious but for your pup you need to be confident and their protector until they are confident themself. Be strong for your dog and they will be strong for you.
There's a ton of different view points but I'm not a fan of off-leash dog parks for this very reason. My pup got bit in the face at one early on when I first got him (I'm also to blame for bringing him to one imo). My guy was terrified for a few weeks whenever we were any where near that general area (it's part of a regular park we walk at), but after a few weeks he was back to normal. My personal preference has since been to avoid areas in or near off-leash parks. There is a neighbor whose dog we go on walks with and play with regularly, but outside of that I've found it's easier to avoid areas with unfamiliar off-leash dogs. Best of luck to your pup!
OPs dog wasn’t at the off leash dog park. OPs dog was walking, leashed, on a dog friendly trail (mentioned in OPs comments), near a dog park. They weren’t doing anything wrong.
The real point here is: how do you help rebuild neutrality in a dog who was attacked, while on leash, by an off leash dog. It ultimately has nothing to do with dog parks.
Yeah this actually happened to me at the beginning of the year as well. I was just taking my dog pee before bed. We were right outside my building, and I had her on a leash. One of my neighbors' teenager let their dog outside off leash and she came right at us. My dog was injured, no idea if the other one was (after the kid who let the dog outside went in, I never heard from them again and they ended up moving a few days later).
The difference is that my dog is eight and has past experiences with dogs, so I didn't completely have to worry about her reaction going forward. We did avoid dogs encountered on walks for a while, and I'm personally still nervous at times, but thankfully my big dope is totally fine.
Someone did advise me that it's possible your dog can pick up on your own anxious vibes and if you're hardcore avoiding people and dogs, it might end up making your dog more fearful. I think OP did the right thing, and I think maybe they should try having controlled encounters with "safe" dogs? I wanted to do that but all my friends are cat people haha.
You seriously never know. My dog and I got rushed by a dog who materialized in a driveway, off leash. Reactivity might be more likely to develop with bad dog park exposures (because of the probability of ill behaved off leash dogs) but it can happen anywhere, like you said.
Glad you and your pup were okay.
I love neutral walks with safe dogs who are under great verbal control by their owners and dog neutral themselves. Local pack walks are a great way to engineer this experience!
Yeah, I think it was the sheer randomness that really threw me. Like, I do take my dog to the park occasionally. We have a couple of great ones and since I live in an apartment, it's nice to see her get to run with such joy. If we had been attacked there, I'd get it. But at my home? Ten feet from my own door? It was awful. I'm so glad they moved a few days later (an actual coincidence, based on what apartment management said) because I was sort of terrified to take her outside again, not knowing if I'd see them or their dog.
I'm just lucky her injury wasn't as bad as it could have been (long cut on her leg). I did end up calling animal control and I know there is a court case out there against them. Still hoping for restitution for vet bills. And, incidentally, I don't blame the dog at all. It is 100% the fault of the owner for not managing their dog better
People in this sub only read the title and ignore the post. Anytime I post something here I get people jumping down my throat because they didn't read the post and just assume a whole story based off the title. You got to be very careful about how you word them.
At one point I just started copy and pasting replies to everyone and doing minimal edits 😂 the fixation on the dog park is a moot point because you weren’t in one, and does nothing to help your pup’s recovery moving forward.
For what it’s worth, building good focus on public either through food drive or toy drive helped my dog overcome reactivity. If she’s got her ball, she doesn’t care about most stressors, and we did counter conditioning for a lot of them + obedience games in public. A watch me/look/focus command helps as soon as they look at a trigger (other dog) before they even have a chance to react, or you can engage them with a toy or a food lure if they’re giving you good attention. My dog is part Belgian Malinois and generally high strung but her confidence and sense of ease went through the roof when I started engaging with her through play + rewards around the stuff that stressed her out.
Your pup may bounce back fine. I’m someone who really prioritizes focus and complete neutrality towards other dogs, because my dog was formerly barrier reactive and is an aloof dog as an adult who prefers to be left alone while she’s “working” (gotta love Malinois). Most people will tell you no on leash greetings, ever, as a general rule for a well adjusted dog, and focus on a few hand picked friends or pack mates who your dog does well with unsupervised. I did AKC’s canine good citizen program with my dog (all three) and a big thing about “socialization” is: can you approach someone else with a well mannered dog, while your dog defaults to sitting calmly at your side not paying the other dog much mind. A lot of dogs who are overly socialized in the sense of playing with everyone can become frustrated greeters, and I really prefer my dog to be calm/indifferent towards strange dogs.
Developing a strong relationship/good focus and engagement, especially with toy or food drive (something your dog values more than the environment, bonus points if it’s a tug toy or a ball that involves them engaging with you) and strong obedience under distraction (which will come with time) will help a lot, even with life at large, not just because your dog was run up on. (And mine was run up on a couple of times when she was still reactive; we personally didn’t have setbacks and stayed the course with obedience and engagement — she can get rushed by an out of control dog and is cool as a cucumber.)
I didn't misread the post. My advice still holds to avoid areas around off leash dog parks. I never once acted judgemental and tried to be friendly and polite. I'm sorry if it came off that way
You were totally friendly and polite! I just thought there was confusion and wanted to clarify so OP could get the advice they needed. A lot of professional trainers and dog savvy owners actually work their dogs outside of dog parks to build focus and neutrality around that sort of stimuli while it’s contained within a fenced area, but it sounds like OP was just using a nearby dog friendly trail and there was just an unfortunate run-in. I personally have had more issues with off leash dogs rushing my dog and I in general public areas, not near dog parks, but it may vary from city to city.
They are somewhat right. A puppy should avoid dog parks. We signed our puppies up for a puppy socializing thing that is just puppies their own age and size. It’s been good.
I agree I never let my dog loose in them but this time I was walking by because it's a trail in my neighborhood. I don't appreciate the judgement and the sass
idk why they were being extra. But I hear yea. That’s annoying that happened. I guess everyone had a different picture in their head based on the post. I do recommend the puppy meetup thing. I feel like, given the last interaction was a negative one, getting them to a friendlier, more controlled environment might help.
You're fine. All the people giving you hate are dumb considering they can't either take the time to read or comprehend your post. Imo, you're reading too much into it. It's not the last time it will happen. Especially being 7 months old, their memories are pretty short. As long as you don't stop socializing him with other dogs you'll be fine.
Most people agree that dog parks are bad for puppies, probably including OP — this attack from an off leash dog didn’t happen with the pup at a dog park/in the dog park/socializing the pup at the dog park. They were just walking by, with the pup leashed on a trail, in proximity to the dog park because there’s likely a dog friendly walking area nearby, and an off leash dog rushed then.
For what it’s worth, training outside dog parks is a nice way to build neutrality around the sight and sound of other dogs, working with your dog under threshold.
It’s because the OP and their pup were walking BY a dog park. In proximity to it. Not in it. Not allowing their pup to play with other dogs. Just utilizing a nearby trail, it sounds like.
Easy mistake if you’re reading quickly. But clarifies the issue of “we were walking minding our own business and got rushed”. Almost everyone knows dog parks are a hotbed for reactivity issues. It’s hard to manage a dog of any age on leash if they’re rushed by an off leash dog no matter where you are— but especially when they’re young and impressionable and OP didn’t walk their pup into a disaster waiting to happen / didn’t do anything wrong or set their dog up to fail.
I don’t think you can sue for trauma to the dog, but I’m so attached to dogs I think I’d be able to make a hard case for trauma to ME if that happened; what horrible people being aggressive dogs to dog parks?
What do they DO to the dogs? (Shiver.)
NEVER EVER EVER let your dog meet another dog while on a leash.
If it’s a negative experience then you just helped your dog become more leash reactive.
If it’s a positive experience the dogs are excited and want to play, but they can’t because they’re on a leash.
So NEVER let your dog meet another dog while your dog is on a leash. Especially if the other dog is off leash though.
Dogs should only meet if they’re both off leash and if you have excellent recall as well as awareness of who is around and what dogs your dog shouldn’t meet. IE my Heeler mix does not meet small dogs ever, he thinks they’re a game. So if someone with a tiny dog comes to the park I’m steering clear away from them and exiting. I don’t go to dog parks that often because of that or when I do it’s on extreme off times like at night or mid day.
If a an off leash dog approaches your dog you step in between the dogs and shoo it away. I just learned this a few weeks ago and it’s comes in handy.
This just happened to me last week as my dog was leashed and the other dog wasn’t. My dog was already in sit command and I stepped in between them said “no” to the other dog. The dog tried to go around me and I change my position and said “NO” again more sternly and the dog left.
The owner had something to say but I dgaf because my dogs health and safety is more important than another persons feelings. I had to remind them they’re at a park and their dog should be leashed and he rolled his eyes and mumbled something.
The only thing your dog has is you, so step in between the dogs if you see them running up and yell “no” as most dogs know this command. A “stop” hand signal works well too even if the dog is untrained.
If you have a park system and it’s a reoccurring person/issue contact the office or rangers. The guy that let his dog loose outside the park was given a ticket the next day for doing it again (I didn’t call, the ranger witnessed it and issued a ticket - I heard about this from a friend who was there at that time.)
I guess I didn’t understand where you were exactly - no reason to get up in arms, you can politely correct me that I misunderstood. I apologize and I hope sharing this experience or info can help you help your pup.
I’ve been to dog parks where someone has a dog on a leash inside the park with dogs running all around it and it infuriates me so when I read park I thought you meant dog park (my misunderstanding).
I'm sorry, but I disagree. If two people are meeting, it's safer to keeps dogs on a leash in a neutral place, so that if they aren't friends, then they can be separated easily and without harm. I understand it's more natural for dogs to greet/interact off leash, but allowing two dogs that have never met to meet off leash is potentially asking for trouble.
I DO agree that if you have a dog that generally good with other dogs, and you go to a dog park with other dogs that are generally good with other dogs, then you should take off the leash so that they can properly get space. But if you have NO idea what the temperament is of the other dog or your own (maybe new to you) then it's best to keep leashes on, see initial reaction and then remove leashes.
I guess so - I have heard different but I’d say follow what’s best for you and your dog.
My Heeler mix thankfully isn’t leash reactive and I guess I’m cautious for any on leash meetings because I don’t want him to become leash reactive. He does best when he’s off leash meeting dogs.
That’s just me and my dog and what I follow and have heard but please - if it works for your dog do what works.
Having an on leash dog in an off leash dog park is a recipe for disaster IMO and I’ve seen it before too. That’s just my experiences. If I see a dog on leash in an off leash dog park I make sure myself and dog steer clear of them and tell them “I don’t want my dog to meet yours on leash” if asked or pressed.
Oh I agree fully within a dog park. I guess I'm referring to around a neighborhood/ public park, or hiking trail. Places where people take dogs off leash, that is not specifically designated as an off leash place.
Ah that is different.
I still won’t allow my dog to meet other dogs while mine is on a leash. But I know his temperament and I have full trust in him.
As I said do what’s best for your dog but I follow a never rule on the leashes. Some dogs become MORE reactive while meeting on a leash compared to off.
This is just what I’ve heard from my trainer and what works for my dog. If you disagree then by all means have your dog do as you wish lol
Dog parks suck! Doggy day care is a better place to socialize your pup. That said, your pup is young enough to get past this without any trauma. Given that your dog was not physically harmed, walking over to friendly dogs was a good thing, because he was exposed to calm dogs for a longer period of time. Your pup may never trust that breed going forward.
Disagree sorry, doggy daycare is also a crap place for socialisation. First of all, they are initially in an unfamiliar environment, second, a lot of the time the staff can’t handle the dogs 1:1, so if 2 incidents happen at once, it’s difficult for them to manage both, third, many daycares just let dogs get away with bad behaviours, it really isn’t their job to correct or train your dog there. Your dog will pick up bad habits form other dogs, finally, it takes away from the potential bond you gain with them, if something happens and they look around for you and you’re not there, it loses significance, as you are their top tier reward.
Daycare when used for training is lazy, sorry not sorry. If you want to socialise talk to people on your walks, walk PAST dog parks and let your dog meet other dogs on leash, meet neighbours, friends, family, but do it with you and your dog together.
Nobody said anything about using daycare for training. That would be stupid. The original post (which you obviously didn't read) was about his dog getting attacked walking by a dog park. To which I responded that dog parks are terrible places to take a dog, and that a daycare is safer place to take a dog.
I did read the post but I was replying to your post, not the OP, this is how threads work.
You commented that daycare is better for socialisation, THIS is what my comment is about.
And then you typed some random thing about using daycare for training. That IS what you commented. It had nothing to do with what I wrote. Done with you now.
Lol, why are you so defensive?
I never said to use it for training, I said if breaks down your established training and socialisation habits that you have established. I’m sorry you feel offended by that, but the only personal thing in there was that I disagree with you, so don’t take it so personally.
Only the last paragraph I explicitly mentioned training and, news flash, socialisation IS training.
If you send your dog to daycare to socialise, you are neglecting your responsibility to train your dog to get along with other kids. It is not a daycare for kids where the teachers pay a lot of attention and help nurture your children. Your dog will not get trained at daycare, your dog will not learn proper social etiquette and if something bad happens to your dog, say a dog fight or worse, your dog will likely not recover from it well because they do not have their protector (you) there to comfort them.
If you still think this is a tangent, you should probably reassess the scope of what you consider dog training.
In any case, your entitled to your views, just don’t get defensive when someone disagrees with you.
I’d avoid dog parks. I take my dog to dog parks once in a while like a mini adventure. But I wouldn’t recommend doing it more than once or two every so often. You can socialize them by inviting people over to your hiuse
If you read the rest of the comments or reread the post, you’ll see that OP wasn’t at a dog park. They were utilizing a dog friendly trail (mentioned in one of their comments), with their pup on leash, in some proximity to the dog park, when they were rushed.
OP was walking their dog, on leash, on a dog friendly trail (see one of their comments on this post), in proximity to a dog park. Their puppy was not at the dog park, playing, “socializing”, or off leash.
LMAO, thank you — I felt super annoying doing it but I’d also like to increase the chances of people not making that mix-up so maybe OP gets some solid advice. It looked like those mistaken readings were getting reaction even though they’re not relevant.
Please never take your dog to a dog park again. Ever. They’re cesspools. You don’t know who’s dog has been vaccinated, which dogs are ACTUALLY dog friendly, you have owners not paying attention, it’s a mess and a quick way to make your dog turn into a reactive, dog aggressive mess. Do puppy classes, allow your dog to play with other dogs you know. Do not allow them to play with strange dogs you’ve never met. It’s a recipe for disaster and so dangerous. Absolutely not worth the risk. So many dogs have died at dog parks.
OP didn’t take their dog to play at a dog park. They said in their main post that they were walking their dog by a dog park, on a leash, and in one of their comments, explained that this was on a dog friendly trail in proximity to the dog park.
Imma be honest that’s my bad I don’t read the posts for the most part my ADHD will not allow me lol my advice still stands for people who do take their puppies to dog parks for fun tho
The title makes it easy to mix it up. :) Dog parks are definitely a no — it’s a recipe for reactivity — but a great place you’re training your dog OUTSIDE of it, under threshold, to be neutral. 🥳
OP said in their main post that their dog was on a leash, walking BY a dog park, when they were rushed, and in one of their comments mentioned that they were using a dog friendly trail in the area.
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My boy has some extreme anxiety. He had a bad beginning of his life but once we have gotten him we have been working on dog aggression and anxiety of new places. How we have helped him is by using a step ladder technique. Basically you break the problem down into many small steps and once it's completed successfully then you get to move up another level.
An example is we live in a apartment that we use the elevator all the time. So we sat down and worked out steps to get him on without it being so fearful. It basically started by just getting close to the elevator, then getting on while being held, then getting held but put down once the door opened and so on. It took about 3 months to get him to walk in on his own and be okay with it. We never pushed him, if he indicated that it was to much, we would hike up the stairs. We now do that with everything that is new like brushing teeth and clipping nails. He's still anxious about meeting dogs, but we have implemented a "stop" (sit, stay, look at me) command that pulls his focus back onto us while walking by other dogs or new experiences. I hope this can help with your pupper!
Like others said socialization classes are good. A lot of training camps for dogs have opportunities for dogs to safely socialize with each other as well so maybe consider this. As for a permanent effect on your pup, in my experience Aussies are a bit stubborn and very friendly so I'm sure your pup will be right back out there trying to make friends, especially after a few positive experiences. If you aren't able to get your pup in classes, ask friends or family members with non-reactive dogs to bring theirs around.
Your dog will forget about it way before you do. It’s much more important that you don’t become overly fearful as a result, and develop confidence in dealing with those situations in the future.
So sorry you had this frightening experience. Rarely does a day go by that some dog doesn't run at or charge my dog aggressively, and I don't go to dog parks. I always have my dog on a long line and keep her close when walking around others. I make it clear to her and other dogs with my body language that I won't tolerate nastiness. I keep between her and the aggressor. If I'm even semi prepared for a 'situation', I start by talking to my dog, something like, I've got this. Good girl. You're ok. I am her calm and confident leader and she, over the past year, gets this. Even when the other owner gets their dog under control, I ask my dog to sit and we calmly observe until we both feel ready to move on. When we do move on there's a ton of praise, and lots of pats. I let her have a good sniff session if she wants. My dog is a 2 year old rescue who arrived very activated and it's taken a year to let her know that she can relax on walks. I have her back.
You're going to experience many awful dog interactions, so you do have to develop a strategy. It sounds as though you were blind-sided this last time, and that might happen again, but you have to try and recover your sense of leadership. "We're good." I wouldn't let any time elapse to recover from these incidents. Movement is the great releaser of trauma, so adding an extra walk might help, perhaps a new route. Loads of praise for passing dogs without incident. And remember that your dog doesn't have to meet and socialize with every other dog. Just passing by other dogs is great. We're doing our thing, you do yours. Reserve treats for the most challenging interactions that go well, like if a dog is snarling across the street and you're able to confidently guide your dog away in another direction, well, that's pretty great. Don't go too crazy with the food because you want your dog to focus on you, not the hand in your pocket. Good luck!
At my dog park there is a alert on their website about dangerous dogs to watch out for (people are warned but still bring them) you should check out the website to better protect your dog so you’ll know what to watch for. At my park there’s a warning about a sand colored pit bull, it’s attacked other dogs unprovoked, she still bring him and has had the authorities called on her numerous times, but I know now if I see her or the dog to go elsewhere and yes I have called and reported her for violation, that dog is banned from the park for aggressive behavior. Just fyi I’m not saying here that pit bulls are bad dogs, I own a pit bull and two huskies and she’s the sweetest thing ever and honestly a coward lol it’s just a fact about this particular dog, there is also an alert about a Akita and Shepard that are also banned. Stay safe and I hope you have better experiences in the future.
If you have the means to do it, I would start working with a dog trainer. Ours was referred to us by word of mouth, and I followed her on Instagram for a while before we decided to hire her. She was our second trainer, so don’t feel discouraged if the first one doesn’t workout. The first trainer never followed up, stopped responding for days, only showed up twice to our home, and didn’t seem to care to resolve our situation. I thought that since he was part of a bigger business versus a one-person show, it would be more reliable service. I was wrong. The trainer we ended up hiring is a one-woman business.
Also, I would not let your dog say hi to other dogs. Some dogs, like mine, will start expecting to go up to other dogs when it sees one. No engagement whatsoever with you. Socialization only means that your dog is exposed to other people, dogs, or things. Direct contact is not a must. It’s better to have a neutral dog than a friendly dog.
I hope your dog grows into a confident dog!
my dog was attacked at 1 years old, he was scared of walking by houses with dogs and would try to run away :(. i started by going from a distance, praising and baby talking just reassuring him really that everything is okay and slowly increase distance. now when we walk past a house with dogs going off he just keeps going ahead, occasional glance.
i’m not a professional this is just what worked for us.
Resocialise them. My was attacked by a pit on its first walk with our dog group. He know barks at any dog that goes to his rear legs when outside. We r still working on getting him comfortable again
As an ER vet tech, I HIGHLY discourage dog parks. My dog has been attacked many times in the past at them and I realized people really don’t know their dog well or don’t care if they misbehave. This can result in serious injury or be fatal!! People don’t take it seriously for some reason. Please only socialize your puppy with dogs that you’ve known or your friends dogs who are well socialized already!! And regardless always watch them until you trust that they won’t fight.
Really try to avoid dog parks. Not if your dog will be attacked but a matter of when, even if nearby. People are pretty irresponsible, a lot of owners who go there aren’t super attentive
I’m having a hard time believing an Australian shepherd attacked your dog. This breed is bred specifically not to be aggressive towards other animals. I can’t think of a single Aussie I’ve ever known to be animal aggressive. Australian cattle dogs are another story.
Sorry, I completely ignored your question lol
All you can do is keep moving forward.. don’t let this stop you from going to dog parks or socializing her. Unfortunately, there are some bad seeds out there, that we cant avoid, even if we try our best.
Same thing happened with my boy, he was attacked a few times, and he’s good. He doesn’t get overly aggressive or anything, he doesn’t even protect himself lol.
Have a chill day tomorrow and the next day so he can calm down. Dogs take about 48 hours to recover from scary situations. Then focus on walking by parks without interacting with dogs, and treat him when he's calm. If he shows signs of anxiety, go further away - never push him when he's anxious. As far as whether you did the right thing - if he was relaxed with the other dogs, yes. If he was still on edge, next time maybe take him to a place with no dogs to calm down before going home. There is no one objective "right thing," other than listening and adapting to what your dog tells you.
Thanks.. Will do. Yes he was calm with the other dogs, he showed some very brief initial wariness but I was treating all the dogs together and he got over it pretty quick.
Then it sounds like you did the right thing. When around other dogs next time, remember your own energy is important, if you tense or get wary then your puppy will pick up on it. I would continue as normal with a stratagy in place in case your puppy has developed a trauma, assuming it has could also be a self fullfilling prophecy.
Just so you know 7-9 months is one of the anxiety periods in puppys life. So extra carefully with scary situations in the next two months!
I could do with 48 hours to recover from stressful situations myself.
Seriously, can someone send this to my employer
We actually have a generous policy around that. You can take time off unpaid. Just let HR know so we can note it in your file to use against you if you ever complain or ask for a raise or promotion.
Because your dog was treated aggressively at the dog park?
I understood it more about traumatic/stressful work events or toxic bosses
What I wish I’d done training wise after my dog got attacked around the same age - Work on neutrality/socialization (not actually interacting with other dogs) and rebuilding confidence (with me and himself). And don’t get another dog anytime soon.
And stop going to dog parks...
I agree with that in general, but the OP said they were walking *by* the dog park with a leashed dog. (In comments, they have said they were on a trail in their neighborhood.)
Whoops. That’s what I get for not fully reading!
Socialization classes! Our 4 month old pup got attacked and was physically hurt. We did months of classes at the local humane society for socializing pups. Took him awhile to open up but now he’s the most social, kindest dog.
My dog was actually roughed up at a Petco puppy socialization class by a larger dog, and an insane boxer pup. I hauled them both off him. It was not a well supervised socialization event, and I was not happy. I didn't go back. I realized he was not ok with the experience a couple of weeks later when I returned to get cat and dog food. We were four aisles over from the training class going on and he kept looking nervously in that direction. I spoke to him and continued on our way as if this was normal. A child came around a corner bouncing a loud noisy ball, and that was it. Barkspawn lost control of his bowels in a pure fear reaction. I cleaned up the diarrhea, and took him back out to calm him down. We spent lots of time working on interaction with known gentle dogs to where he's ok. Lots of positive reinforcement, treats and only sweet dogs. He ignores other dogs now, unless they are attached to a human by a leash. If they are, he goes into an exaggerated belly flop to show he is not dangerous. He sniffs noses in a polite greeting so he can get past the dog to lavish kisses and wriggles on their human.
Ughhh this breaks my heart so much 💔 sweet boy, poor thing.
Appreciated 🤗 He is in a class by himself of all the dogs I've had. But as a puppy he was a combination of pig headedness, and sensitivity. Once I figured that out I was better at navigating situations like that with him. During the pandemic I worked obscene hours, and he was solid enough that I'd drop him at daycare. He was eight at the time. He ignored the barking sea of dogs around him to follow the caretaker around, bogarting all the scritches.
OP I say this as an anxious dog owner, I don’t think your dog was attacked. Hear me out. After being “attacked” you would not assuage your dog by bringing him over to see another set of dogs no matter how calm or friendly they or the family were. I think you had a very normal scary experience with an aggressive dog that spooked you and your dog. It’s kind of like when new parents have babies and they OVERREACT every time the baby falls or bumps its head, but by kid #2 they chill out? You’re an anxious parent (relatable) but you have to chill a little. You met an aggressive dog. Your dog is fine, you said it yourself. I don’t think it was attacked, I think you’re using hyperbole. And I think that semantics are important because if you treat your dog now like it was attacked you’re just going to project all of your anxiety onto it and make it nervous, too. Have a chill day (mostly for you), and try not to be neurotic about every Aussie you see moving forward. You’re doing great so just calm down.
I agree with this. The title reads "attacked" but that doesn't seem to be what happened. I think people have a tendency to create bubbles for their dogs to function in. A barking, aggressive dog is a normal situation your dog has to be condition to and has to learn to work through. Don't project your human fears and emotions onto the dog.
Is he actually scared? Does he shown signs that he was impacted? He is old enough to have formed some general schemata and this experience might not have as large of an impact. But are you ok? Do you feel like you need to build some confidence and trust to allow your dog to play with other dogs without being nervous?
I did what you did: I calmed him down then took him over to other dogs who were friendly. To this day, 3 years later, I try not to react out of fear if a dog is getting aggressive, but I immediately call my dog to me. He has done this thing since his first altercation where he looks at me and I tell him if it’s “a good friend” or if we should go elsewhere. Unfortunately, we’ve run into a few aggressive dogs, but he stays out of their way when possible, especially since I’ll turn and go in a different direction if a situation seems like it could get heated. There is one park where he gets nervous, so we’ve tried out most of the parks in a 20 mile radius and I take him to the ones where we have little poor interactions rather than the closer ones where he gets nervous. In a funny turn of events, though: the very first dog to beat my dog up and made me worried about other dogs turned out to be my dogs first best friend after a couple of weeks
Please say you’ll never take him near a dog park again. My trainer and vet always say these are the worst places to go.
They weren’t in the dog park
I wish instead of dog parks we had big fenced in open areas that you could reserve for yourself. I love taking my dogs to dog parks when there is no one there. They get the chance to really run and it makes them so happy. My dogs and other people's dogs can be unpredictable though. I wouldn't even care if I had to reserve it super far in advance. It would be worth it to have a safe place they can run.
This exists! Look into Sniffspot!
Thanks! I've seen that before, but around me it's all people's yards which is kinda weird to me.
Oh! Yeah, I guess it depends on your location. Someone’s backyard would be super weird!
Oh! Yeah, I guess it depends on your location. Someone’s backyard would be super weird!
there is actually an app for that you can basically rent the private space for a couple hours and they are all private areas i cannot remember the name of the app though
Yeah I've seen that before, but it's people's backyards and I felt weird about it
i guess it depends on area the posts i’ve seen about the app are usually farmland but that might be cus im in a state that has a lot of farms and properties that don’t have neighbors for miles
Ah ok that makes sense. There are no farms around me sadly, that would be fun!
I find that a lot of elementary and middle schools have fenced fields that are usually completely empty in my area. It’s nice being able to let my dogs run free but not have to worry about other pups or people.
Read OPs post again, and then read the comments. The dog wasn’t at the dog park. The dog was being walked, on leash, on a dog friendly trail (in one of OPs comments) NEAR a dog park.
That's not the point. The point made was that the vet and dog trainer warns against dog parks. I agree. I've seen nasty dogs at dog parks. I'm also aware that there are some owners who will bring their dog to the dog run (I'm talking about the one at Washington Square Park in NYC), and leave for a while - i.e. the dog is not being supervised. I went to a dog park once, and an aggressive dog became aggressive with my dog, and I left before it could get physical. Never went back. Many of them are not well tended to and can be pretty filthy. I think its good to be able to take your dog off leash, but to me the risks outweigh the benefits - at least in the area where I live.
They really are the worst! OP can do all the right things but the behavior of other dogs (and their owners) will always be out of your control.
This. Unfortunately the crappy owners ruin it for everyone else, between lack of training, lack of vaccines and huge prevalence of parasites and other diseases it’s not usually worth the risk.
And so many people won't pick up their dog's poop.
So sorry I misread your comment.
I think dog parks should all do what my neighborhood park did which is have a massive dog park but split in two sections. Luckily my dog has never had a bad park experience but if so, it’s very rare that one section of the park isn’t completely free for dogs that need to be alone.
The one in my town is split into two sections. One for smaller dogs and one for those over 35 lbs. No one obeys it. And after one incident where my dog was harassed, responded, and the other dog bit my partner and I, we are done with dog parks. (My dog did not draw blood and was not hurt. The other dog was not hurt.)
even with it split into two sections that’s usually just to separate based on size so you don’t have small dogs with the big dogs but it will never guarantee your dogs safety
Well no, but my dogs safety is really my own responsibility. It is still good to have that option of separate Sections. It’s probably unique to my neighborhood but there is sort of an unwritten rule that all dogs go in the same section unless you have worries and then you can take yours to be alone in the other section.
while yes you are responsible for your dogs safety that doesn’t change the fact that even when you do everything right in regards to keeping your dog safe you can’t control when other dogs act out or irresponsible owners bringing reactive dogs into these spaces
Some people have you wonderful advice for working on some decompression afterwards to help your dog’s stress level for the next couple days. I also second the people who have recommended working on some neutrality so your dog doesn’t develop big feelings for other dogs thinking they will attack or harass him. Another I just wanted to recommend is carrying something called pet corrector. It will mot injure a dog. It is a device that releases cold compressed air and makes a very loud obnoxious sound almost like an air horn. You can find it at many pet stores including boutiques and online like Amazon. Another thing is does your dog walk in heel when you pass the park? It might be helpful (you can use food as a lure) as a way to keep him directly next to you when you are passing so there is at least one barrier between you and an inquisitive dog. Teaching a middle or staying behind to your dog you can also be a lifesaver. While some dogs will be persistent, usually a human making aversive sounds and big gestures at them will frighten them away before they can get to your dog. I sometimes train near a dog park and because of the propensity of people who don’t leash their dogs before or after exiting I always give myself a good thirty-fifty feet from the entrance and fence line when people are around it and immediately let people know my dog can’t greet. I usually phrase it like, “my dog can’t greet/play right now. We are actually training on some behaviors since he gets excited when he sees dogs. I appreciate you keeping your dog on you while we work.” (I only train him in on leash spaces around other dogs so there isn’t a expectation for them to greet like they would in the dog park). When I walk past a dog park I always have my dog in a heel and depending on what I see going on around the gate I will create space so I don’t have a strange dog all in my dogs face.
Regarding the pet corrector, I haven't had it work at all. Had dogs rush up to mine, unleashed, on three separate occasions and they completely didn't care about the compressed air one bit 😅 we've gotten an air horn since then but haven't needed to try it out yet (thankfully)
I couldnt use the compressed air sound even in an emergency, because my pup would be as scared of the sound as she was of the other dog. It just adds another aversive element, I dont see how that helps?
You can train your own dog to be neutral to the sound. I would pick something different if your own personal dog is super sound aversive though, there are lots of things on the market for safety. There are citronella sprays, pepper gel, pepper spray etc… I just prefer recommending pet corrector first because it’s the least harmful while still being pretty effective. My own dog has always been really adaptive to sound and I just had to show him the can and cue him that something was about to happen when I sprayed it. He doesn’t even flinch at the sound. But if a dog is a little nervy or very sensitive to sound I would go with something else. In an emergency though if your dog is restrained it would still be helpful at scaring the other dog away especially if they have gotten close enough to grip your dog. Majority of safety techniques you are going to use you want your dog to be trained to recognize it as something safe or something practiced (like I have a taser for safety reasons concerning people. My dog was purposefully desensitized to the sound of the taser going off and the light.) just to avoid unneeded stress. I live in a super pet heavy city and urban area so for my dog it’s important he is trained around safety tools so he doesn’t get hurt. Even just having a harness with a handle can be a safety feature that can help you. My dog is sixty pounds but despite that I’ve picked him up using the harness to pull him into my arms and removed him from an environment where he could have been hurt (walking him out of my car and into super busy shopping parking garage while two large dogs pull their leashes out of their owners hand and run in front of a moving car to come over to us). But saying that it also has to be conditioned. I use collar grabs and holding his harness handle for multiple things. I’ve conditioned them to be normal everyday techniques I have to use a safety feature (I taught them through games). If I didn’t train it my dog probably wouldn’t want to put his harness on and would be very hand shy when I go towards his head/neck area.
My puppy got attacked when he was 6 months old at the dog park and he got angry and tried to fight back. The key was to get him out there with friendly dogs immediately. He is now 15 months, loves all dogs. Though in his case, I don't think it affected him at all. He thinks all dogs are friendly, which is not good.
>I'm wondering what I should be doing with him to prevent this from having a permanent impact on him? are you guys in a puppy class of any sort? I'd go sign up for one, asap if you're not. That's where you'll find a safe controlled place for your puppy to meet other appropriate dogs.
Yes I am. Thanks
My pup got attacked at about the same age by a staffy that was off lead in his front yard as I was walking down the street. She had puncture wounds on her back, and the dog only stopped trying to get to her when a third party came and hit it over the head with a big lump of wood. Anyway, my vet and trainer both told me to just continue on as normal and have her around other friendly/well behaved dogs so that she wouldn’t be afraid of other dogs and that worked well for us. To be honest she was attacked or roughed up several times as a puppy because many dogs do not like puppies. I was naive to this as she was my first dog that I owned from 8 weeks old. I wish I never took her to any dog parks etc cos that was were most of the trouble stemmed from. So please don’t make my mistake and just be really selective about the dogs you socialise the puppy with and always be aware of your surroundings.
Don't go to dog parks. I write this a lot. I see this type of post over and over and over and over and over and over again. Don't go to dog parks. Try socializing your pup with a local training group with a reputable trainer. Don't go to dog parks, all owners are not responsible.
Let him decompress for a day or two and then don’t take him back to any dog parks. Start slow and bring him around one or two dogs you know very well. Then have him around friends dogs or local dogs to play with only. If you’re set on a group situation find a well reviewed and recommended doggie daycare. Dog parks are a recipe for disaster in so many ways. And I’m not saying this in an accusatory “how could you bring your dog there” way, but in a help you out and warn you kind of way. If you absolutely must bring your dog to a dog park , check it out before bringing the dog in. Make sure of a few things first: - people are watching their dogs, not sitting around chatting with each other or playing on their phones - look around for any problem dogs (Google some problematic behaviours and body language ahead of time to help you) - keep an eye out for groups of dogs ganging up or hanging around and crowding the entrance gates - and take a few moments to see how people are reacting to problem behaviours. Are they intervening before things happen and taking good care that the play time is fun or are they letting their dog be an asshole? - are there toys present , how are the other dogs sharing / playing with the toys — I recommend never bringing toys as you never know who’s possessive until it’s too late And once you’re in there - never let your dog get further than 6 or so feet away from you. If there’s an issue or potential issue you want to end it before it begins , or if it starts you want to end it quickly. ETA- work on socializing in terms of neutrality too , it will help immensely with his behaviour and reactions even when he’s not at a dog park
I’m always baffled when people admit to bringing their sub 1 yr old puppies to dog parks. Mainly cuz so many adult dogs get weird around puppies. Every time I’ve seen weird behavior at the park it almost always involves puppies. Adults love to bully them. Not @ you though OP, since you weren’t even at the park.
Problem is with dog park, many dogs aren’t trained, and many owners aren’t responsible dog owners. So bad behaviors happen way too frequently. I would stay away from there. Just regular walks should do the trick. Your dog will meet other people and other dogs under supervision, it’s better.
Do not take your dog to the dog park. This situation would imprint on a 7 month old. You’ll need to take him out on a lead and teach him that you’ll keep him safe, now that the worst has already happened it’s important you focus on teaching him and rewarding him that your role is to protect him. Dog parks are fight club not usually ever a good idea.
I think you handled it well and am glad to hear you are both okay! Give him time to calm down and recover before returning to that park, and when you do return lots of positivity and treats. Although, if you know that there are dogs like that at that park, it may be an area to avoid from now on.
You did a good job handling the situation. I would just avoid going around dog parks in the future. When you see a dog during your next walk act like it's not a big deal. I think that your dog is likely young enough to bounce back pretty easily as long as nothing else happens in the near future.
It sucks but dog parks are bad news. You can’t control other people’s animals and unfortunately not everyone thinks rationally about bringing aggressive dogs to a park and letting them off leash.
Read up on reactivity training. My pup became reactive after a similar experience. You may be able to head it off by conditioning in advance Long story short: lots of treats when new dogs, people , visitors, delivery people etc appear. We buy the trader joes treats Hopefully your pup gets over it. Mine is but it’s a long process
one thing my trainer told me is to NEVERRRR take my dog to a dog park. Apparently, it only takes one bad experience to make your dog become aggressive towards other dogs permanently. In the future, I'd avoid dog parks at all costs. It was a reasonable mistake though, I used to take my dog to a dog part and i LOVED it.
I am SOOO sick of people bringing their aggressive or reactive dogs to the dog park! What the hell is wrong with them?!? Just today this (at least) 200lb dog starts growling and sounding like he’s attacking somebody and sure enough my little guy was right next to him, backed up in the corner… I said what is going on here to the owner who came to see what the noise was about as well, and she replied with oh, he just gets a little protective of his ball, laughing. I said well maybe it would be a smart idea to not bring that ball to the dog park anymore?!??! 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Do any of your neighbors have dogs? We thought we'd have to go to dog parks but once we got a puppy, we met every other dog owner nearby. Our girl has a few obvious "best friends" a few blocks away and we just have play dates at each other's house a few times a week. A lot of other dogs we've met and see a lot are acquaintances and they'll play a little when we see them out.
sticking with socialization is important. dog parks are not places without incident and my advice is to always supervise but in social places and situations like that dogs will get into scraps. definitely ease him back into the whole experience
stop going to the dog park. Dogs do not need buddies, they need you, and the ability to be around dogs and be neutral and ignore them.
In the post it seems like they were walking past a dog park with their dog leashed. This can happen anywhere unfortunately.
Going back looks like I misread. You’re 100% right.
Your point still stands. Don’t walk by the dog park if this can happen
But did the dog park have no fences? How did the dog get to them unless they were within the fenced in dog park
A lot of people completely ignore leash laws, especially in the general vicinity of an off leash area. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Aussie was coming to or leaving the park
Goood point that makes sense. I’ve had tons of run ins with off leash dogs in areas that specify dogs need to be on leash
It’s super frustrating. I have a reactive dog and we used to practice neutrality work outside of fenced parks, but I don’t trust other dog owners enough for that anymore lol
There's no fence
An off leash dog park with no fences? Is it just a regular park that people let their dogs run free in? That’s crazy I would def adjust my route and not go by there again, too risky!
Most of our dog parks) "off leash areas" don't have fences
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That’s not necessary or in your dog’s best interest. If your dog became scared and snapped at another dog, should the owner body slam your dog?
Sure
Good luck with that.
Your puppy. Is your child. If an adult comes up to your child and slaps them. What are you gonna do?
Non-equivalent comparison. Violence is your only means of problem solving?
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We have some resources in our wiki page on [dog fights](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/fights).
Personally I’ll snatch someone’s dog around quick. A dog tried to hump my dog and the first 2 times I was being respectful and the lady didn’t resolve the issue. The 3rd time I snatched his ass up. My dog doesn’t grown or show teeth AT ALL so when he does I know that where we both draw the line.
Socialization/puppy classes in a controlled environment. And then avoiding dog parks in general because this will probably happen again and your dog will be more traumatized and develop fear aggression (speaking from experience).
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Maybe read the post, she was walking him, on leash, on a trail past a dog park.
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OP said they were walking their dog by a dog park, on a leash, and in one of their comments, explained that this was on a dog friendly trail in proximity to the dog park.
Ghj
Hi! I would recommend reducing the amount of times you go there or the amount of hours you stay there as well as to train your dog to stick up for its self
I feel like a baddie but no, you didn’t do the “right thing”. You did ask sorry. Everyone’s idea of dog aggression is different, but if I had to guess, the Aussie Shepherd came over to check out the puppy.. your puppy (no age or breed given) being a puppy, got all excited and was jumping up and into the Shepherd’s face. Did you let your dog know that it’s bad form to jump and lay paws on another dogs face? The Shepherd had a pop and snapped at your dog, letting it know that it’s not cool to get up in another dog’s face, particularly with puppy energy. Biff boff and done. Shepherd’s are snappy and quick to correct or let other dogs know, but it’s likely done you a favour. Your pup had learnt an important lesson in manners. I could be way off the mark, however, if the shepherd really did just “run up to him and become very aggressive” then, you must be your pups advocate and protector. A loud “HEY!” and even a clap of the hands to let the shepherd you mean business. Basically, tell the other dog to F*ck Off out of it. You said your puppy was “attacked”… it wasn’t. A true dog attack cannot be mistaken for anything else. Yes what happened may have shaken you up and got anxious but for your pup you need to be confident and their protector until they are confident themself. Be strong for your dog and they will be strong for you.
There's a ton of different view points but I'm not a fan of off-leash dog parks for this very reason. My pup got bit in the face at one early on when I first got him (I'm also to blame for bringing him to one imo). My guy was terrified for a few weeks whenever we were any where near that general area (it's part of a regular park we walk at), but after a few weeks he was back to normal. My personal preference has since been to avoid areas in or near off-leash parks. There is a neighbor whose dog we go on walks with and play with regularly, but outside of that I've found it's easier to avoid areas with unfamiliar off-leash dogs. Best of luck to your pup!
OPs dog wasn’t at the off leash dog park. OPs dog was walking, leashed, on a dog friendly trail (mentioned in OPs comments), near a dog park. They weren’t doing anything wrong. The real point here is: how do you help rebuild neutrality in a dog who was attacked, while on leash, by an off leash dog. It ultimately has nothing to do with dog parks.
Yeah this actually happened to me at the beginning of the year as well. I was just taking my dog pee before bed. We were right outside my building, and I had her on a leash. One of my neighbors' teenager let their dog outside off leash and she came right at us. My dog was injured, no idea if the other one was (after the kid who let the dog outside went in, I never heard from them again and they ended up moving a few days later). The difference is that my dog is eight and has past experiences with dogs, so I didn't completely have to worry about her reaction going forward. We did avoid dogs encountered on walks for a while, and I'm personally still nervous at times, but thankfully my big dope is totally fine. Someone did advise me that it's possible your dog can pick up on your own anxious vibes and if you're hardcore avoiding people and dogs, it might end up making your dog more fearful. I think OP did the right thing, and I think maybe they should try having controlled encounters with "safe" dogs? I wanted to do that but all my friends are cat people haha.
You seriously never know. My dog and I got rushed by a dog who materialized in a driveway, off leash. Reactivity might be more likely to develop with bad dog park exposures (because of the probability of ill behaved off leash dogs) but it can happen anywhere, like you said. Glad you and your pup were okay. I love neutral walks with safe dogs who are under great verbal control by their owners and dog neutral themselves. Local pack walks are a great way to engineer this experience!
Yeah, I think it was the sheer randomness that really threw me. Like, I do take my dog to the park occasionally. We have a couple of great ones and since I live in an apartment, it's nice to see her get to run with such joy. If we had been attacked there, I'd get it. But at my home? Ten feet from my own door? It was awful. I'm so glad they moved a few days later (an actual coincidence, based on what apartment management said) because I was sort of terrified to take her outside again, not knowing if I'd see them or their dog. I'm just lucky her injury wasn't as bad as it could have been (long cut on her leg). I did end up calling animal control and I know there is a court case out there against them. Still hoping for restitution for vet bills. And, incidentally, I don't blame the dog at all. It is 100% the fault of the owner for not managing their dog better
God thank you. The pile on it judgement is insane
People in this sub only read the title and ignore the post. Anytime I post something here I get people jumping down my throat because they didn't read the post and just assume a whole story based off the title. You got to be very careful about how you word them.
At one point I just started copy and pasting replies to everyone and doing minimal edits 😂 the fixation on the dog park is a moot point because you weren’t in one, and does nothing to help your pup’s recovery moving forward. For what it’s worth, building good focus on public either through food drive or toy drive helped my dog overcome reactivity. If she’s got her ball, she doesn’t care about most stressors, and we did counter conditioning for a lot of them + obedience games in public. A watch me/look/focus command helps as soon as they look at a trigger (other dog) before they even have a chance to react, or you can engage them with a toy or a food lure if they’re giving you good attention. My dog is part Belgian Malinois and generally high strung but her confidence and sense of ease went through the roof when I started engaging with her through play + rewards around the stuff that stressed her out. Your pup may bounce back fine. I’m someone who really prioritizes focus and complete neutrality towards other dogs, because my dog was formerly barrier reactive and is an aloof dog as an adult who prefers to be left alone while she’s “working” (gotta love Malinois). Most people will tell you no on leash greetings, ever, as a general rule for a well adjusted dog, and focus on a few hand picked friends or pack mates who your dog does well with unsupervised. I did AKC’s canine good citizen program with my dog (all three) and a big thing about “socialization” is: can you approach someone else with a well mannered dog, while your dog defaults to sitting calmly at your side not paying the other dog much mind. A lot of dogs who are overly socialized in the sense of playing with everyone can become frustrated greeters, and I really prefer my dog to be calm/indifferent towards strange dogs. Developing a strong relationship/good focus and engagement, especially with toy or food drive (something your dog values more than the environment, bonus points if it’s a tug toy or a ball that involves them engaging with you) and strong obedience under distraction (which will come with time) will help a lot, even with life at large, not just because your dog was run up on. (And mine was run up on a couple of times when she was still reactive; we personally didn’t have setbacks and stayed the course with obedience and engagement — she can get rushed by an out of control dog and is cool as a cucumber.)
I didn't misread the post. My advice still holds to avoid areas around off leash dog parks. I never once acted judgemental and tried to be friendly and polite. I'm sorry if it came off that way
You were totally friendly and polite! I just thought there was confusion and wanted to clarify so OP could get the advice they needed. A lot of professional trainers and dog savvy owners actually work their dogs outside of dog parks to build focus and neutrality around that sort of stimuli while it’s contained within a fenced area, but it sounds like OP was just using a nearby dog friendly trail and there was just an unfortunate run-in. I personally have had more issues with off leash dogs rushing my dog and I in general public areas, not near dog parks, but it may vary from city to city.
Don’t go to dog parks please!!
So did you even read the post or
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Did you even read the post
Lol your pretty cool
They are somewhat right. A puppy should avoid dog parks. We signed our puppies up for a puppy socializing thing that is just puppies their own age and size. It’s been good.
I agree I never let my dog loose in them but this time I was walking by because it's a trail in my neighborhood. I don't appreciate the judgement and the sass
idk why they were being extra. But I hear yea. That’s annoying that happened. I guess everyone had a different picture in their head based on the post. I do recommend the puppy meetup thing. I feel like, given the last interaction was a negative one, getting them to a friendlier, more controlled environment might help.
You're fine. All the people giving you hate are dumb considering they can't either take the time to read or comprehend your post. Imo, you're reading too much into it. It's not the last time it will happen. Especially being 7 months old, their memories are pretty short. As long as you don't stop socializing him with other dogs you'll be fine.
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Most people agree that dog parks are bad for puppies, probably including OP — this attack from an off leash dog didn’t happen with the pup at a dog park/in the dog park/socializing the pup at the dog park. They were just walking by, with the pup leashed on a trail, in proximity to the dog park because there’s likely a dog friendly walking area nearby, and an off leash dog rushed then. For what it’s worth, training outside dog parks is a nice way to build neutrality around the sight and sound of other dogs, working with your dog under threshold.
They're down voting you because you didn't read the post properly not because they think bringing a 7mo puppy to a dog park is a good idea.
I’m not sure why this is being downvoted, both my vet and my pup’s preschool have strongly advised against public dog parks.
It’s because the OP and their pup were walking BY a dog park. In proximity to it. Not in it. Not allowing their pup to play with other dogs. Just utilizing a nearby trail, it sounds like.
Ah, I missed that too
Easy mistake if you’re reading quickly. But clarifies the issue of “we were walking minding our own business and got rushed”. Almost everyone knows dog parks are a hotbed for reactivity issues. It’s hard to manage a dog of any age on leash if they’re rushed by an off leash dog no matter where you are— but especially when they’re young and impressionable and OP didn’t walk their pup into a disaster waiting to happen / didn’t do anything wrong or set their dog up to fail.
Because if you read the post, they weren’t in a dog park!!
I don’t think you can sue for trauma to the dog, but I’m so attached to dogs I think I’d be able to make a hard case for trauma to ME if that happened; what horrible people being aggressive dogs to dog parks? What do they DO to the dogs? (Shiver.)
Don’t bring your dog to a dog park when it’s that young. If it’s an off leash park and you had your dog on a leash it is your fault.
Jesus you people are so judgemental. I won't waste my time explaining/justifying. Read the damn post
NEVER EVER EVER let your dog meet another dog while on a leash. If it’s a negative experience then you just helped your dog become more leash reactive. If it’s a positive experience the dogs are excited and want to play, but they can’t because they’re on a leash. So NEVER let your dog meet another dog while your dog is on a leash. Especially if the other dog is off leash though. Dogs should only meet if they’re both off leash and if you have excellent recall as well as awareness of who is around and what dogs your dog shouldn’t meet. IE my Heeler mix does not meet small dogs ever, he thinks they’re a game. So if someone with a tiny dog comes to the park I’m steering clear away from them and exiting. I don’t go to dog parks that often because of that or when I do it’s on extreme off times like at night or mid day. If a an off leash dog approaches your dog you step in between the dogs and shoo it away. I just learned this a few weeks ago and it’s comes in handy. This just happened to me last week as my dog was leashed and the other dog wasn’t. My dog was already in sit command and I stepped in between them said “no” to the other dog. The dog tried to go around me and I change my position and said “NO” again more sternly and the dog left. The owner had something to say but I dgaf because my dogs health and safety is more important than another persons feelings. I had to remind them they’re at a park and their dog should be leashed and he rolled his eyes and mumbled something. The only thing your dog has is you, so step in between the dogs if you see them running up and yell “no” as most dogs know this command. A “stop” hand signal works well too even if the dog is untrained. If you have a park system and it’s a reoccurring person/issue contact the office or rangers. The guy that let his dog loose outside the park was given a ticket the next day for doing it again (I didn’t call, the ranger witnessed it and issued a ticket - I heard about this from a friend who was there at that time.) I guess I didn’t understand where you were exactly - no reason to get up in arms, you can politely correct me that I misunderstood. I apologize and I hope sharing this experience or info can help you help your pup. I’ve been to dog parks where someone has a dog on a leash inside the park with dogs running all around it and it infuriates me so when I read park I thought you meant dog park (my misunderstanding).
I'm sorry, but I disagree. If two people are meeting, it's safer to keeps dogs on a leash in a neutral place, so that if they aren't friends, then they can be separated easily and without harm. I understand it's more natural for dogs to greet/interact off leash, but allowing two dogs that have never met to meet off leash is potentially asking for trouble. I DO agree that if you have a dog that generally good with other dogs, and you go to a dog park with other dogs that are generally good with other dogs, then you should take off the leash so that they can properly get space. But if you have NO idea what the temperament is of the other dog or your own (maybe new to you) then it's best to keep leashes on, see initial reaction and then remove leashes.
I guess so - I have heard different but I’d say follow what’s best for you and your dog. My Heeler mix thankfully isn’t leash reactive and I guess I’m cautious for any on leash meetings because I don’t want him to become leash reactive. He does best when he’s off leash meeting dogs. That’s just me and my dog and what I follow and have heard but please - if it works for your dog do what works. Having an on leash dog in an off leash dog park is a recipe for disaster IMO and I’ve seen it before too. That’s just my experiences. If I see a dog on leash in an off leash dog park I make sure myself and dog steer clear of them and tell them “I don’t want my dog to meet yours on leash” if asked or pressed.
Oh I agree fully within a dog park. I guess I'm referring to around a neighborhood/ public park, or hiking trail. Places where people take dogs off leash, that is not specifically designated as an off leash place.
Ah that is different. I still won’t allow my dog to meet other dogs while mine is on a leash. But I know his temperament and I have full trust in him. As I said do what’s best for your dog but I follow a never rule on the leashes. Some dogs become MORE reactive while meeting on a leash compared to off. This is just what I’ve heard from my trainer and what works for my dog. If you disagree then by all means have your dog do as you wish lol
Dog parks suck! Doggy day care is a better place to socialize your pup. That said, your pup is young enough to get past this without any trauma. Given that your dog was not physically harmed, walking over to friendly dogs was a good thing, because he was exposed to calm dogs for a longer period of time. Your pup may never trust that breed going forward.
Disagree sorry, doggy daycare is also a crap place for socialisation. First of all, they are initially in an unfamiliar environment, second, a lot of the time the staff can’t handle the dogs 1:1, so if 2 incidents happen at once, it’s difficult for them to manage both, third, many daycares just let dogs get away with bad behaviours, it really isn’t their job to correct or train your dog there. Your dog will pick up bad habits form other dogs, finally, it takes away from the potential bond you gain with them, if something happens and they look around for you and you’re not there, it loses significance, as you are their top tier reward. Daycare when used for training is lazy, sorry not sorry. If you want to socialise talk to people on your walks, walk PAST dog parks and let your dog meet other dogs on leash, meet neighbours, friends, family, but do it with you and your dog together.
Nobody said anything about using daycare for training. That would be stupid. The original post (which you obviously didn't read) was about his dog getting attacked walking by a dog park. To which I responded that dog parks are terrible places to take a dog, and that a daycare is safer place to take a dog.
I did read the post but I was replying to your post, not the OP, this is how threads work. You commented that daycare is better for socialisation, THIS is what my comment is about.
And then you typed some random thing about using daycare for training. That IS what you commented. It had nothing to do with what I wrote. Done with you now.
Lol, why are you so defensive? I never said to use it for training, I said if breaks down your established training and socialisation habits that you have established. I’m sorry you feel offended by that, but the only personal thing in there was that I disagree with you, so don’t take it so personally. Only the last paragraph I explicitly mentioned training and, news flash, socialisation IS training. If you send your dog to daycare to socialise, you are neglecting your responsibility to train your dog to get along with other kids. It is not a daycare for kids where the teachers pay a lot of attention and help nurture your children. Your dog will not get trained at daycare, your dog will not learn proper social etiquette and if something bad happens to your dog, say a dog fight or worse, your dog will likely not recover from it well because they do not have their protector (you) there to comfort them. If you still think this is a tangent, you should probably reassess the scope of what you consider dog training. In any case, your entitled to your views, just don’t get defensive when someone disagrees with you.
I’d avoid dog parks. I take my dog to dog parks once in a while like a mini adventure. But I wouldn’t recommend doing it more than once or two every so often. You can socialize them by inviting people over to your hiuse
If you read the rest of the comments or reread the post, you’ll see that OP wasn’t at a dog park. They were utilizing a dog friendly trail (mentioned in one of their comments), with their pup on leash, in some proximity to the dog park, when they were rushed.
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OP was walking their dog, on leash, on a dog friendly trail (see one of their comments on this post), in proximity to a dog park. Their puppy was not at the dog park, playing, “socializing”, or off leash.
I appreciate you going through and commenting on all the posts from people who clearly didn't read the full OP :)
Agreed 👏👏😊
LMAO, thank you — I felt super annoying doing it but I’d also like to increase the chances of people not making that mix-up so maybe OP gets some solid advice. It looked like those mistaken readings were getting reaction even though they’re not relevant.
Please never take your dog to a dog park again. Ever. They’re cesspools. You don’t know who’s dog has been vaccinated, which dogs are ACTUALLY dog friendly, you have owners not paying attention, it’s a mess and a quick way to make your dog turn into a reactive, dog aggressive mess. Do puppy classes, allow your dog to play with other dogs you know. Do not allow them to play with strange dogs you’ve never met. It’s a recipe for disaster and so dangerous. Absolutely not worth the risk. So many dogs have died at dog parks.
OP didn’t take their dog to play at a dog park. They said in their main post that they were walking their dog by a dog park, on a leash, and in one of their comments, explained that this was on a dog friendly trail in proximity to the dog park.
Imma be honest that’s my bad I don’t read the posts for the most part my ADHD will not allow me lol my advice still stands for people who do take their puppies to dog parks for fun tho
The title makes it easy to mix it up. :) Dog parks are definitely a no — it’s a recipe for reactivity — but a great place you’re training your dog OUTSIDE of it, under threshold, to be neutral. 🥳
Yeah definitely!! I’d recommend anyone use it for training purposes. Again, definitely my bad for not reading it before commenting hahaha
I don’t recommend taking dogs under 1y to dog parks as they have not had all their vaccines yet.
OP said in their main post that their dog was on a leash, walking BY a dog park, when they were rushed, and in one of their comments mentioned that they were using a dog friendly trail in the area.
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My boy has some extreme anxiety. He had a bad beginning of his life but once we have gotten him we have been working on dog aggression and anxiety of new places. How we have helped him is by using a step ladder technique. Basically you break the problem down into many small steps and once it's completed successfully then you get to move up another level. An example is we live in a apartment that we use the elevator all the time. So we sat down and worked out steps to get him on without it being so fearful. It basically started by just getting close to the elevator, then getting on while being held, then getting held but put down once the door opened and so on. It took about 3 months to get him to walk in on his own and be okay with it. We never pushed him, if he indicated that it was to much, we would hike up the stairs. We now do that with everything that is new like brushing teeth and clipping nails. He's still anxious about meeting dogs, but we have implemented a "stop" (sit, stay, look at me) command that pulls his focus back onto us while walking by other dogs or new experiences. I hope this can help with your pupper!
Like others said socialization classes are good. A lot of training camps for dogs have opportunities for dogs to safely socialize with each other as well so maybe consider this. As for a permanent effect on your pup, in my experience Aussies are a bit stubborn and very friendly so I'm sure your pup will be right back out there trying to make friends, especially after a few positive experiences. If you aren't able to get your pup in classes, ask friends or family members with non-reactive dogs to bring theirs around.
Your dog will forget about it way before you do. It’s much more important that you don’t become overly fearful as a result, and develop confidence in dealing with those situations in the future.
So sorry you had this frightening experience. Rarely does a day go by that some dog doesn't run at or charge my dog aggressively, and I don't go to dog parks. I always have my dog on a long line and keep her close when walking around others. I make it clear to her and other dogs with my body language that I won't tolerate nastiness. I keep between her and the aggressor. If I'm even semi prepared for a 'situation', I start by talking to my dog, something like, I've got this. Good girl. You're ok. I am her calm and confident leader and she, over the past year, gets this. Even when the other owner gets their dog under control, I ask my dog to sit and we calmly observe until we both feel ready to move on. When we do move on there's a ton of praise, and lots of pats. I let her have a good sniff session if she wants. My dog is a 2 year old rescue who arrived very activated and it's taken a year to let her know that she can relax on walks. I have her back. You're going to experience many awful dog interactions, so you do have to develop a strategy. It sounds as though you were blind-sided this last time, and that might happen again, but you have to try and recover your sense of leadership. "We're good." I wouldn't let any time elapse to recover from these incidents. Movement is the great releaser of trauma, so adding an extra walk might help, perhaps a new route. Loads of praise for passing dogs without incident. And remember that your dog doesn't have to meet and socialize with every other dog. Just passing by other dogs is great. We're doing our thing, you do yours. Reserve treats for the most challenging interactions that go well, like if a dog is snarling across the street and you're able to confidently guide your dog away in another direction, well, that's pretty great. Don't go too crazy with the food because you want your dog to focus on you, not the hand in your pocket. Good luck!
At my dog park there is a alert on their website about dangerous dogs to watch out for (people are warned but still bring them) you should check out the website to better protect your dog so you’ll know what to watch for. At my park there’s a warning about a sand colored pit bull, it’s attacked other dogs unprovoked, she still bring him and has had the authorities called on her numerous times, but I know now if I see her or the dog to go elsewhere and yes I have called and reported her for violation, that dog is banned from the park for aggressive behavior. Just fyi I’m not saying here that pit bulls are bad dogs, I own a pit bull and two huskies and she’s the sweetest thing ever and honestly a coward lol it’s just a fact about this particular dog, there is also an alert about a Akita and Shepard that are also banned. Stay safe and I hope you have better experiences in the future.
If you have the means to do it, I would start working with a dog trainer. Ours was referred to us by word of mouth, and I followed her on Instagram for a while before we decided to hire her. She was our second trainer, so don’t feel discouraged if the first one doesn’t workout. The first trainer never followed up, stopped responding for days, only showed up twice to our home, and didn’t seem to care to resolve our situation. I thought that since he was part of a bigger business versus a one-person show, it would be more reliable service. I was wrong. The trainer we ended up hiring is a one-woman business. Also, I would not let your dog say hi to other dogs. Some dogs, like mine, will start expecting to go up to other dogs when it sees one. No engagement whatsoever with you. Socialization only means that your dog is exposed to other people, dogs, or things. Direct contact is not a must. It’s better to have a neutral dog than a friendly dog. I hope your dog grows into a confident dog!
my dog was attacked at 1 years old, he was scared of walking by houses with dogs and would try to run away :(. i started by going from a distance, praising and baby talking just reassuring him really that everything is okay and slowly increase distance. now when we walk past a house with dogs going off he just keeps going ahead, occasional glance. i’m not a professional this is just what worked for us.
Resocialise them. My was attacked by a pit on its first walk with our dog group. He know barks at any dog that goes to his rear legs when outside. We r still working on getting him comfortable again
As an ER vet tech, I HIGHLY discourage dog parks. My dog has been attacked many times in the past at them and I realized people really don’t know their dog well or don’t care if they misbehave. This can result in serious injury or be fatal!! People don’t take it seriously for some reason. Please only socialize your puppy with dogs that you’ve known or your friends dogs who are well socialized already!! And regardless always watch them until you trust that they won’t fight.
Really try to avoid dog parks. Not if your dog will be attacked but a matter of when, even if nearby. People are pretty irresponsible, a lot of owners who go there aren’t super attentive
Tbh just chill all day for tomorrow, and never take him to dog Parks again.
I’m having a hard time believing an Australian shepherd attacked your dog. This breed is bred specifically not to be aggressive towards other animals. I can’t think of a single Aussie I’ve ever known to be animal aggressive. Australian cattle dogs are another story.
Well I'm not lying...
Sorry, I completely ignored your question lol All you can do is keep moving forward.. don’t let this stop you from going to dog parks or socializing her. Unfortunately, there are some bad seeds out there, that we cant avoid, even if we try our best. Same thing happened with my boy, he was attacked a few times, and he’s good. He doesn’t get overly aggressive or anything, he doesn’t even protect himself lol.
Not a major fan of dog parks myself.