I’d like some advice on what to do when walking my dog on a lead and an off-lead dog comes over to play. The owner had absolutely no control over their dog; they called him back, but he wouldn't listen. To be fair, he wasn't being aggressive and just wanted to say hello and play, but I wasn't sure how to handle it. My girl was startled and a bit frightened, but she let the other big dog sniff her. How should I react in a case like this? At the time, I just stood still (I was a bit shocked too) and tried to position myself between the two of them, but the other dog was quite persistent. Anyway, for some reason, I loosened the lead and waited for the owner, who was struggling to get over because he had another Rottweiler to hold back. I could tell the dog wasn't being nasty, but I just don't know the best way to reassure my own dog. Do you have any tips?
Translated from French
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I know that if another dog runs straight up to Gigi, even if they're being friendly, she’ll put them in their place straight away because she just doesn't like it. Her hackles go up, she bares her teeth and growls. She even gives a little snap or a sharp nudge if they get too close.
It’s true that small dogs often aren’t socialised properly. My girl has been barked at by small dogs much more often than by big ones. You really notice that they’re rarely off-lead when you pass them.
We once bumped into an elderly Golden Retriever with his owner who told us not to get too close. She was worried our Shih Tzu might attack him following a bad experience she’d recently had with another small dog.
Now, when I take her out on the lead, I feel more confident and I’m not worried about coming across other dogs, no matter their size. I tell her to "leave it" so she stays by my side rather than trying to go over to every dog we see. I think we have to respect other dogs; it's all part of the training.
@Audreylug, Odin doesn't always just sit there; if another dog is aggressive, he often pulls. But if the dog we’re meeting is calm, he’s fine.
My boy is a bit under-socialised; we’re making progress, but it’s tricky when we don’t run into many other dogs...
Mind you, in my town, I get the feeling people are "anti-dog contact". Their first instinct is to turn back when they see us coming. Hardly anyone ever tries to just walk past us—it’s such a pain! And it really doesn't help me socialise him.
The other day, I came face-to-face with this woman and her dog. Her dog started barking its head off at mine, and Odin looked like he was about to lunge. So I knelt down to clip his head collar on. In that time, the lady just turned around. I thought she was just going to step to the side so we could pass each other and carry on with our walks. But no! She turned back and kept going! As luck would have it, she took the exact same route as me lol. It was quite funny; she must have been thinking, "this woman's a nightmare, following me around!" 😅 Still, it was a good exercise for Odin—walking to heel and ignoring the other dog.
But even if it’s funny sometimes, it’s usually just a drag to see people turn back as soon as they spot us (well, I say us, but it’s mostly Odin who’s the scary one lol).
The funny thing is, the mums and nannies I see regularly have no problem letting the kids come up to him. He’s the mascot of the local playground.
When I had my Dachshund, I never had that instinct to scoop him up whenever we came across a big dog, even despite a few tense encounters!
(Especially that one time a big dog flipped mine onto his back after grabbing him by the legs. I didn't know what else to do but tug on the lead to try and get mine away – his head actually slipped right out of his collar! Luckily, the big dog’s owner finally turned up. The dog wasn't responding to commands or even being hit with a stick; his owner had to grab him by the collar to drag him back home.)
It’s crazy how many people are scared of Odin even though he isn’t doing anything! 🤪 I know he’s massive, but honestly... (unless he’s as tall as a human 😉)
@Kainate, you're right that it definitely makes things worse and puts you at risk when you hold your dog up in the air. But in the case of a real "big dog vs small dog" attack, you just do whatever it takes to save your dog.
Of course, it’s not about playing yo-yo and scooping the dog up the second a big one approaches. I see that happening all the time when I’m out walking mine.
The last time I came across a tiny, hyper-aggressive dog, I stopped and got Odin to sit to let them pass. I suppose the owners were scared (even though Odin was just sitting at my heel) and they picked the little one up to walk past... That little dog is bound to end up with behavioural issues, at the very least when it comes to other dogs.
@Siri85: it's great that you don't pick her up all the time and that you're making sure to socialise her properly, even with big dogs. Not many small dog owners make that effort.
@Mel1
Regarding picking up your dog if there's an attack... I had to do it once (I used to have a small dog who was reactive towards other males) when faced with a Rottie that wanted to tear him apart (another male, so he was reacting to mine's aggression). There wasn't an owner in sight... well, I wasn't exactly feeling brave with that big Rottie jumping at me, baring its teeth...
Mind you, what else could I do? I honestly don't know.
But at the time, I was well aware that my reaction had made things worse (my dog was yapping even more once I’d picked him up, and seeing him held up high just wound the Rottie up further) and I’d put myself in danger... at the same time, it might have stopped him from literally getting mauled in front of me (though whether he’d actually have been killed or just properly put in his place by the Rottie, it’s hard to say). I was just a kid back then, I didn't think, it was just a gut reflex.
In the end, I heard someone whistle from behind a block of flats (I was in a green space at the bottom of a large council estate), and the Rottie ran off, but I never saw the owner.
It’s funny, but that’s actually the only memory I have of a bad interaction between an off-lead big dog and my small one. Mind you, he hadn't been socialised properly so dog interactions were always really high risk with him. I think in the end I just used to change my route whenever I saw another dog coming so I didn't have to deal with it 😳
Personally, I have a little female Bichon who's quite timid, yet I’ve almost never picked her up when we pass other dogs. There was only one time, when we came across a Staffy that some teenagers were struggling to control and was barking its head off at the end of its lead... On the other hand, back when I had my Tervueren, who was always hyper and seemingly looking for a scrap (according to the dog trainer we were seeing), he advised me to let him off (or drop the lead) if the other dog was off-lead. I agree with @Kainate: a dog shouldn't feel trapped or restricted by the lead and needs to stay as calm as possible (which isn't always easy, obviously)...
My dog is very sociable and we’ve already been out on walks with big dogs. She was a bit hesitant at first but tried to keep up, even though the big ones wouldn't play with her 😁 but the walk went really well.
I don't pick my dog up unless she’s getting in or out of the car. Even though she’s small, she’s an animal, not a soft toy. I’ve got friends who are always picking their dogs up and it really winds me up. We save our cuddle time for the evening when we’re watching telly together. To be honest, she just sleeps while I watch the TV lol.
I’m taking note of all the advice for different situations, but usually when it actually happens, you forget everything because your emotions get the better of you.
Thanks for the advice, now I just need to put it into practice.
@Kainate that’s exactly why I was saying that picking up a small dog often makes the situation worse. The other dog just thinks it’s a game of “catch the prize”...
Take Odin—he doesn’t take any notice of the dachshunds at my parents’ place, but if one gets picked up, it becomes a moving target.
But when you’ve got a small dog being attacked by a big one, if you can’t manage to scare the big dog off, picking the little one up seems like the only way to keep them "safe".
I reckon that’s what I’d do, but I can’t exactly lift my dog up in the air...
Mind you, I’m only saying this for cases of extreme emergency, where there’s imminent danger.
First off, you need to watch and quickly decode how the other dog is approaching.
If it looks like they’re coming over for a friendly greeting, just do what you’ve been doing.
You can say something like "Hello doggy!" — your dog will pick up on your tone and realise the situation is friendly. If they were feeling a bit nervous, they’ll trust your judgement.
If you see they’re coming to harass or attack, step in front of your dog and stamp your foot or use any other gesture to back up a firm "NO! GET LOST!".
In either case, you should stop walking, of course. Whether it’s for a bit of canine etiquette or for your defensive stance, it’s always better to handle things while stationary rather than on the move.
(In a defensive stance, you’ll probably have to pivot on the spot as the other dog tries to circle around your line of defence. Your dog will understand they’re safe behind you and will move with you. If you’re on your own, don’t pick your dog up — it’s far too risky if the other dog is being aggressive.)
