I had a situation while walking Willie today.
An off-leash pup came running full-speed at us from about 20-25 YARDS away.
What would you do?
If you would freak/tense-up/get anxious, you would fit in with probably 90% of dog owners – & thats ok, it’s normal human response. But if you’re a dog owner, walking your dog ON-LEASH, it’s the worst thing to do! So, for your dog’s sake, do it but get over it QUICK!
Here’s what I did …
First – I looked at Willie to see how he felt. Unlike probably most people’s dogs, Willie has met A LOT of dogs in A LOT of different situations (although not many until he was about 4yrs old). The one constant is that I have ALWAYS been in control of the situation. The other owners, not always. The other dog, not always. Sometimes Willie, not always. Me, ALWAYS.
Then – as I was sure he felt trust in me in the situation, I watched the dog approaching & made eye contact w/her owner. She was running full-speed head-on (an intimidating position for a tethered dog!). Her head looked to be at a normal position – not low to ground like maybe in hunt mode. Her tail seemed normal – not raised. Her ears were slightly back – if she wasn’t running, I would’ve considered this a little bit more. She appeared to be smiling – although running at full speed, could have just been because of force of action. And mind you, this was all just in a couple seconds.
When she got within a couple feet, I dropped Willie’s leash.
Why? I wanted to ensure I didn’t add tension/anxiety. I was 98% sure everything was cool, but if it went south in that 2% chance I wasn’t going to mess up the trust we have in each other. If that dog turned into an aggressor, I was going to be ready to step in for my dog.
First (if it was going to go south), I was ready to block the dog’s attack with my right foot to it’s shoulder/neck (to redirect her energy-not really kick at her-energy builds so adding energy isn’t good). I do not recommend this to the average dog owner, but I’m a little crazy.
As I said before, a dog running full-speed head-on is intimidating to a dog; being tethered (human holding leash) is another handicap for a dog.
My next move would’ve been to stomp foot/clap hands &/or given a single “hey!”/”aught” to get the dog to pause & focus on me.
Not once did I tense up or freak out. Therefore, not once did Willie tense up or freak out. Also, not once did her owner yell out “it’s ok…” which also would’ve only added energy to the situation, & really doesn’t make others feel any safer when faced with this situation.
When she got to about 3ft away, she stopped running, looked up at me then back to Willie, play-bowed & ran around in circles to get Willie playing. It was great! And they played for a while!
Talked to the owners for awhile & found out they’ve had problems meeting other dogs in the area. Part of the reason is cuz of the way they allow her to greet. The other part is she’s a 1yr old pit. People have preconceived notions of breeds, but also owners of these breeds don’t consider this. We all need to be smarter.
Our dog’s are a mirror of us.
Be human & freak out if you need to, but do it quickly & be cool. For the best for your pup.
