[nagdu] loose dogs

[Danielle Sykora]

Loose dogs are one of the major annoyances in my life. My dog is
ordinarily very friendly and tolerant of other dogs when he is not
working or when the other dogs are under control I.E. on a leash with
the owner present. There were several instances where dogs were loose
and uncontrolled in a 2-3 week period a few months ago. Most were
friendly but a few were not. Because of this, Thai has become
suspicious around any uncontrolled dogs while working. I have to
handle this on a situational basis because Thai usually notices the
other dog before I do and I don't know if it is friendly or not. When
there is an offleash dog, I generally try to get Thai's attention and
keep him calm. I know he feels some anxiety because he doesn't know
the dogs intentions, but he also is such a friendly dog and probably
feels some genuine excitement at seeing a fellow canine. I usually
tell him to sit and allow him to sniff the other dog. I give him
treats if he's calm and interested in food (if he doesn't want food
it's rather concerning). If I don't keep him relaxed, he will pull
toward the other dog and possibly bark or growl. What has helped the
most though is working on ignoring other dogs and staying calm when we
walk past dogs on long leashes or behind invisible fences. Obviously,
I can't always tell the difference but it gives my dog the feeling of
having an offleash dog nearby and gives me the time and space for
training without another dog in his face. I've gotten him to the point
where he will look back at me and make his happy-groan kind of sound
which means he is anticipating a treat; seeing another dog equals
food. Hopefully, he doesn't have any more bad experiences.

Danielle and Thai


On 6/15/15, Aleeha Dudley via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Personally, I would be calling animal control. If they were leash laws in
> your community, then they need to be enforced.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Jun 14, 2015, at 11:46 PM, The Pawpower Pack via nagdu
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> I know we've talked about this before, but I'd like some ideas.
>> Recently there have been several loose dogs in my neighborhood.  Normally
>> this is not an issue, but for some reason— maybe because it's nice out,
>> and people are out themselves, there have been several loose dog
>> encounters while Soleil and I are out.  In all cases, the owner has been
>> outside, doing things like gardening or whatever and had their dog with
>> them.  The dog sees Soleil and is off like a shot.  The owner calls them
>> and the dog is not going to listen and just keeps coming.
>> I'm Deafblind, with some pretty severe balance and physical mobility
>> issues.  I can see a little, and in a couple of the cases, I could see the
>> dog coming, once it got close because it was a dark dog on the light
>> colored sidewalk.
>> There is no working passed these dogs because they are literally up in
>> Soleil's face or circling in front of her.  Soleil is a great dog
>> communicator and is very friendly.
>> I have found that the best technique is to stop, let the leash out, and
>> let her greet the other dog.  This allows me to plant my feet and get my
>> balance so the other dog doesn't knock me over.  It allows the idiot owner
>> time to get their dog who is now occupied with mine, and has stopped
>> running away.
>> Is there a better way I could handle this?  I can't get between Soleil and
>> the other dog because literally we are on an open sidewalk, and also if
>> the dog knocks me down we will be in trouble.   I'm open to any
>> suggestions.
>> I have had to retire a dog because of attacks before, and while things
>> have been friendly up to now, in the back of my mind is the knowledge that
>> the next one could be the bad one.  I have worked really hard with this
>> dog and want to be her partner for the next 50 years, even if she is a
>> weird lab with weird lab food issues!
>> Thanks for any ideas!
>>
>> Rox and the kitchen Bitches:
>> Mill'E, Laveau, Soleil
>> Pawpower4me at gmail.com
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/blindcowgirl1993%40gmail.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/dsykora29%40gmail.com
>