First of all, learn to read dog signals. Watch some videos, read books, visit an experienced trainer. It is crucial for you to understand these signals.
As a dog trainer, I usually meet clients with dogs that have communication issues, often leading to aggression against other dogs or worse, the owner.
As a proud owner of 20 kilos of furry challenge, I have experienced many attacks against my dog, just because he didn’t want to be friends with everyone. With every attack, I got more stressed and anxious up to the point where I didn’t want to walk my dog at all. Then Santa brought me a stun gun. I taught my dog to not react in case it caused conflict and I have to say, since that day, there have been no further attacks. I did everything to protect my kelpie.
Here is what I recommend.
If a strange dog is approaching you showing signs of aggression or you want to prevent it from interacting with your pet:
- Stay calm, stand straight, breathe deeply in, expand your chest, hold your head up high (make yourself as big as possible) – you can practise this pose on dogs that are not threatening you but you might not want them to interact with your dog. Just remember, this is a communication between you and the strange dog – though the same rule applies in dealing with irresponsible owners.
- CONFIDENCE is the key. Be conscious but not desperate. This is deep within our nature when you are protecting your pack against other predators. Do not panic. Concentrate on your breathing. Transmit the thought of a strong warrior that does not know defeat.
- Stand between your dog and the challenger. It ́s always good to practise that. My dog hides behind me when commanded to, it makes the situation much easier as you are only dealing with the other dog(s). It is good to find an object you can use to prevent the attacker from going behind you, for example a car, a street lamp, a tree, bush etc.
- Hold your hands up towards the attacker as in a “stop” gesture and lean forward a little like you wanted to make a step. Stare at the dog, use your energy to make it leave. It works really well, try it with your own dog.
- You can use your voice but be careful with what you say. Once again, confidence and strength must be present in your commands. Tell the dog to leave (cz-vypadni), go home (cz-jdi domů) or whatever else comes to mind.
- Now, there are several scenarios on what happens next. The dog leaves. The owner comesand gets the dog. Very little dogs really want to fight you. Most dogs want to bully other dogs. If they do want to fight, you can ́t stop them, you need to fight back.
So, we are in a situation where you don’t have much time, an aggressive dog is approaching and you know it is going to attack.
- Stun gun. It is legal to sell and use in defence (what is and isn’t considered appropriate defence is a very difficult subject in the Czech Republic). Most owners do not want to spend tens of thousands of crowns on a professional device or carry a huge and heavy gun on their walks. It mainly works by scaring the attacker off. I once accidentally stunned(tasered) myself in my breast when the gun went off in my pocket and it only hurts. So, it is a wonderful protection tool used by more and more owners and I highly recommend having one just for the sake of feeling safe.
Now, you either didn’t have time to stop the attacker or you didn’t manage to and the dogs are now fighting. It is good to have your dog on a leash but never hold your dog tight, let it deal with the situation once it can’t be avoided but don’t let the leash go, otherwise the dogs could run away, get hit by a car or just kill each other somewhere undisturbed.
- Always manage the attacking dog, whether it is yours or not. Grab its collar, shout “stop it” or make a surprising noise like a high pitched sound or so on. Kick.
The last important bit of advice is on how to release your dog from a bite (it doesn’t have to be yours, many owners do not know how to stop their dog or they may even be afraid of it). There is never a guarantee you won’t get bitten too, just bear that in mind.
- Throw a backpack between the fighting animals
- Shove your jacket on the attacker’s head
- Grab the back legs of the attacker and lift it up. If you don’t have enough strength, only grab one leg and pull it to the side so the dog loses balance, then kneel on the chest of the dog until it’s calm or the owner can hold it
- Grab the attacking dog ́s collar (use a leash if it doesn’t have one), move it as close to the jaw bone as possible and from there, pull the dog up into the air. Yes, you are actually strangling the dog but the crucial moment is when it starts to lack oxygen. Once it lets go of the other dog, release the attacker from the hanging position but do not let go. It sounds easier than done.
ONLY USE THE LAST TECHNIQUE IF YOU ARE SURE THE DOGS ARE FIGHTING, NOT PLAYING!!!
It is extremely important for you to understand your own dog and it is very very handy if you know the signals they use to communicate. There is a book from Turid Rugaas called “Calming Signals” that I recommend.
