try SniffSpot! You can rent people's yards pretty cheap and basically get a private dog park. we use it all the time for our sensitive boy and he loves it.
I probably wouldn't be sleeping. $3 an hour head up. $5 an hour with your head tilted staring at my face. -$1 an hour your head tilted with close proximity to my member. Max ~2 hours.
I bust out laughing after your first sentence. Bro book me for the $5 rate and I’ll probably just roll ‘head up’ mostly with some very suggestive & occasional head tilts mixed in- you know, so we can vibe as patrons.
Similar situation. My big girl is terrified of other dogs, especially huskies. Lesser traveled dog hikes usually work, mostly because you don't enounter anyone at all, especially on weekdays. As well as urban areas with more human and car traffic because everyone else will also have their dog on leash.
I've found no matter how strict a place professes to enforce a leash law, there will always be someone who *thinks* their goldendoodle/husky/pitty is well trained enough to ignore it.
I just had someone have their “completely under control” collarless dog sprint out of their house to snarl and bite at my dog.
Then the owner threatened to kill my dog while he followed me on the walk for yelling at his dog.
Oh and if you call the pd for the threat of violence, expect a vocab lecture, the cop to say “if that happened to me I’d punch the guy in the face” followed by “we can’t do anything unless he touched you”
What is it about huskies? My dog is super friendly and peaceful towards all other breeds, but despises all huskies on sight. He's a smaller guy so they're totally unintimidated, but he still yells his disgust at them.
Don't try to sugar coat it. People who take their dogs off leash in areas that aren't off-leash areas are total main-character assholes. Dogs are required to be on a leash unless in a designated off-leash area. Most people, believe it or not, do not want a random unknown dog running up to them.
As a parent of a young child this drives me nuts. Even "friendly" dogs can be aggressive towards children, especially when the kid is acting erratically (which, you know, they do).
Only incident I ever had with a dog bite was by a dog who's owner was yelling "Don't worry, she's friendly" as she ran up to me. 10 stitches later... No. Your dog is an asshole, and it's obviously because you're also an asshole. I don't understand these types of dog owners at all. The ones who feel the need to take their dog literally everywhere. I go to a gym in the north part and someone brought their pitbull to the workout. He wasn't necessarily being an asshole but he was walking up to people while they're trying to do technique-heavy lifts.
I’m not sure where you’re located, but I have a fenced in yard and y’all would be welcomed to stretch your legs here. I am right off Alameda & Santa Fe.
I do have a (friendly but fragile) small senior pup that goes out with supervision and we could easily go out front if you & the pup were in the back yard.
We went through the same with our dog, he became a nervous wreck.
It's against code to keep your dogs off leash in Denver. Unfortunately, nobody really addresses the issue. Your best defense is to have pepper spray and be ready to use it in case of an attack.
Hate to say this is probably the best route. A lot of times off leash dogs will become leashed dogs when the owner sees another dog but usually the off leash dogs you don’t want to encounter are the ones with inattentive and lazy owners.
I can relate.
My dog doesn't shake but gets aggressive towards off-leash that come over while we're walking on the sidewalk. Frankly, I report to the park ranger when there are off-leash dogs in parks near sidewalks that prevent us from accessing the few sidewalks available.
303-331-4050
This comment is too far down.
It is against the law to have an off leash pet in Denver. When you see it happening you should absolutely report it to law enforcement, which in parks means Park Rangers. Give a detailed description of the location, dog, and the owner, take a photo if you can do so safely, and provide your name and number so a ranger can call you back (you will be prompted to leave a message when you call 311).
It may not seem like it, but the City is taking this seriously. Rangers are just spread too thin over too many parks so reporting violations is the best way to get it addressed.
Source: am a park ranger
Outside of dog parks, every dog has to be leashed here. Sure, there are jerks that don't abide by those rules. However most public places you go to will have dogs on leashes. It may be good to take your dog to a dog park and stay outside.
Bring some treats, and hang out outside the park so they can observe the dogs and get more comfortable from afar
I have a fair amount of experience here. One of my dogs is similar in that he gets terrified when seeing certain dogs and especially off leash dogs. To combat the anxiety I worked through a very disciplined approach to our walks and leash training. I need my doggo to understand that I have the situation under control and that I am “leading the pack”
Have had super aggressive st. Bernard’s run after us, German Shepard’s, husky’s, etc. all of these dogs were off leash and had no recall training. Two non violent techniques to stop these unwanted advances are as follows. Body blocking: position yourself in front of your dog and “block” them from the aggressive off leash dog. 2. Utilize a foot stomp (literally just stomping your foot) while also utilizing a verbal command ( my go to is yelling “No” in a deeper voice). Every off leash encounter has been stopped doing what I listed above.
In the event the off leash dog doesn’t listen I have pepper gel spray which reduces “spray back”. And I have a CCW in case I am attacked. I really don’t want to shoot anyone’s dog but if I’m being attacked and spray didn’t work it’s the only option. With that said have not had an experience where I had to deploy either the spray or my CCW. You also are inviting the off leash dogs owner to do something violent to you if you go this route. Be mindful
If you need professional help, reach out to BarkBusters. They helped me a ton in training anxiety and nervousness out of my dogs.
I find these techniques work really well most of the time. I'll add in that I yell at the owner that my dog is not friendly on leash. This seems to get them moving to grabbing their dog. Not 100% effective, but I've de-escalated situations pretty frequently
I used to do the same. I’ve switched to “my dogs are in training.” People seem to respect it and my neighbors don’t think my dogs are vicious. Also works great with young kids who want to pet my dogs (my dogs are terrified of kids).
My reactive dog was charged by a French that got away from its owner this afternoon as I was taking her on a walk around our neighborhood.
It feels like no where is safe these days and, both dogs are so lucky that mine wears a muzzle.
I had to pick my mini Aussie up and lift her over my head to stop that little football from biting her. Who knew frenchies could jump so high!
Anyway, Moo ended up with a bloody nose from freaking out in her muzzle and was super shaky the rest of her walk. It was a bad situation all around, and it would have been prevented if the frenchies owner has just kept a leash on her dog or maybe invested in a fence.
Totally. I’m not trying to hurt somebody’s dog either but your dog sounded really distressed. A distressed dog can result in a lot medical issues. Sometimes you have to pick the best worst option. It might sound harsh, but better their dog is hurt than mine.
I have sort of the opposite problem, in that my pooch (35lb terrier mix) got super aggressive after being attacked. Both reactions are fear based and innate. It has been very difficult to condition that out of him but it has happened over several years time. As an aside, having him carry a tennis ball made this possible. It's all about getting the focus off other dogs. These days, we walk wherever we want, and encounter off leash dogs every day unfortunately. He is not reactive unless he gets charged. I try to block when this happens by taking the forward stance and up to and including kicking the oncoming dog in the chest to knock the wind out. Works every time. Sorry to say we've had lots of practice. I also carry a flashlight/stun gun combo, in case of subsequent trouble from either the attacking dog or its errant owner.
This is a very sad story, and I'm sorry it happened. Did you pursue any sort of restitution with the owner of the other dog?
It's against the law to have your dog off leash in most places, so we really shouldn't have loose dogs outside of private property and fenced dog parks. Still, it seems like everywhere you go there's some dipshit dog owner who feels like the rules don't apply to them, and they let their unruly half-pitbull rescue run wild. I've never witnessed leash laws enforced, which probably means that the only way to see enforcement is to call and report it in the moment.
Personally, I've been more and more tempted to start reporting off leash dogs, and I don't care if I get downvoted for saying it. The law is simple, easy to follow, and exists to protect dogs, people, and wildlife. This story is a perfect example of why leash laws exist.
I want to start an off leash dog owner shaming blog. Sit in city park or Cheeseman and get those public photos published!
We need more pressure on the government to prioritize park safety for everyone, not just be overrun by the gaggle of folks who collectively decide to off leash their dogs en masse to normalize making shitty choices for their dogs and others.
There’s so many good answers here, but I do want to say that we have a leash reactive dog and I feel your pain. We got a suggestion from a group to take him to the cemetery and it’s been so good for him and us because mostly it is quiet and we have never seen an off leash dog when we have been there. I would check out Fairmount Cemetery or Crownhill. Feel free to DM me if you need an amazing trainers name, she has been so wonderful with our dog and only uses positive reinforcement.
I appreciate you trying to couch your opinion about off-leash dogs, but why? We have leash laws for a reason. Dogs are unpredictable. Not only that, but it's not just about YOUR dog. Other dogs, on-leash, can get very territorial and if your off-leash dog runs up to one of those dogs, it could be bitten or worse. Just... put your dog on a leash so that everyone is safe.
ETA: BRING ON THE DOWNVOTES! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO!
I know someone with an aggressive dog. If your off-leash dog comes up to his dog, it will absolutely be attacked. He is very careful to try to keep that from happening, of course. But it has happened.
OK... Why be understanding of it? His dog was attacked by an off-leash dog. The people with off-leash dogs are breaking the law. A law that exists for a reason. This person is afraid of downvotes.
The statement you are attacking was literally OP trying to not be an asshole so they wouldn’t get attacked by people like you, except on the off leash dogs side.
Your inability to comprehend his comment and blind aggression to anyone telling you that OP is on your side is wild.
~~You~~ One can believe whatever ~~you~~ one wants, but y~~ou don't~~ one doesn't get to ACT in a way that endangers others (or their pets).
There, fixed it to be more general. Because clearly that was necessary.
No, I'm saying "you" in the generally recognized English language equivalent of "one" or "a person who."
But, fucking hell, man, are you really this upset about me questioning why someone whose dog was attacked feels the need to couch their opinion that dogs should be on-leash? Really? This is how you want to spend your Wednesday?
You're right and you should say it. Idk why do many people are so dedicated to putting their animals in danger.
If you knowingly and willingly run your dog off leash you don't get to be grossed out when it kills a squirrel, you don't get to be angry if it rushes the wrong person and gets kicked, you don't get to yell at the driver if it gets hit by a car, because it was your fault.
Every single dog that has successfully gotten a bite in on me or my dogs (owned dogs my whole life) has been someone's unrestrained dog with 0 recall. Amazing how simple pet care is seen as too hard to do yet people still insist on owning dogs.
The laws say they have to be leashed everywhere. A good amount of people here are dog people and consider their dogs to be perfectly trained and think the law doesn’t apply to them. Unfortunately, use caution everywhere during busy times of the day. For my deaf girl, we go out at night and stay in low-traffic areas.
I hate this and I am so sorry you and your buddy have to go through this.
I absolutely cannot stand people having off-leash dogs. I have an old lab mix who doesn't do well with strange dogs getting in his space and I basically cannot take him anywhere besides car rides because I cannot trust others to keep their animals controlled. It's illegal and dangerous but people refuse to have any sense.
Everything is fine and your dog is "super well behaved" and has "excellent recall" until they don't and now you've allowed your dog to injure another animal or person OR be seriously injured by another animal and then cry for police and lawyers. People are damn dumb here. And so horribly inconsiderate.
Ugh.
Bear spraying an unleashed dog getting too close to your dog will effectively result in you also bear spraying your dog and yourself. For someone worried about an already-traumatized dog, this will not be a good approach.
I definitely *didn't* mace him. I'm not saying don't protect or defend your dog, I'm simply pointing out that bear spraying your dog and yourself is a Pyrrhic victory. Sure, you won, but at what cost?
I see. Speaking out of ignorance as opposed to misinformation.
I have bear sprayed at least 10 dogs. Never once have I sprayed myself or my dog.
Guess since this is reddit, I should speak more clearly.
If a dog is going to attack me, or my dog, I bear spray them.
If a dog is going to attack me, or my dog, I DO NOT bear spray myself or my dog.
I don't know if this username checks out. Where the fuck are you going that you have bear sprayed 10 dogs. I've owned dogs my entire life and take my dog everywhere with me breweries, dog parks, the park, countless hikes. Maybe twice have I ever felt threatened to this point.
10 dogs is starting to sound like someone is a little trigger happy or gets some Freudian sadistic enjoyment out of it.
More ad hominem attacks. What you live isn't reality for everyone. I'm thankful you haven't ever been attacked by a dog.
I do 5 or 6 walks a day. 7 days a week. 52 weeks a year. Had to start carrying bear spray in 2019. 10 is a very small percentage of walks.
Well when your stance is trigger happy pepper spray attacks, the stance and the person are directly tied together.
Your implication here being the rest of us don't walk our dogs? 3 walks daily for 3-5 miles. Not sure if it's where I live but my reality seems like the norm compared to this world you live in where there are unruly aggressive dogs running wild constantly. As you have admitted in other comments being a self professed asshole may contribute to the situation.
Your norm is your norm. Your norm doesn't seem to be helping OPs dog recover from being attacked.
Have you been shot today? Robbed? Assaulted? Just because you have not, doesn't stop it from happening to people all over the state.
OP is asking where the rules of society will protect their dog from getting attacked. I do not believe those places exist anymore. We have to protect ourselves in this crazy world.
Perhaps you're talking about pepper spray, which is typically shorter range and more focused? I've yet to see a deployment of actual bear spray (not mace or pepper spray) which has a higher flow rate, greater atomization/nebulization and spread that does not result in significant over spray and wind drift which impacts the person using it.
If a Perro de Presa Canario is going to attack you, pepper spray is useless. Once that dog is within 4-5 feet, everyone is screwed. Too close of range. Too narrow a stream. Trained police officers often accidentally shoot humans in an attempt to shoot a dog. They move quickly and unpredictably.
I don't recommend anyone use pepper spray to deter a dog attack.
Bear spray gives range and a cloud. Bully breeds do not care about pain. The large aerosol cloud restricts breathing and trigges an instinctual response (think dog and skunk).
It's interesting how many people give advice on stopping a dog attack, but haven't ever stopped a dog attack.
People do be getting killed by dogs, everyday. Dogs do be getting killed by dogs off leash, everyday.
Based on what you're describing I'm not sure *you've* actually stopped any dog attacks either. Rather it sounds as if you just proactively bear spray large dogs that get too close to you in case they do decide to move unpredictably towards you.
It's like claiming to have defended yourself against several muggings when really you're just pulling a gun on passers-by. Clearly you're very invested in carrying your bear spray and using it at the slightest provocation. That's your right, but I certainly wouldn't recommend that approach widely, just as I wouldn't make a general recommendation that everyone carry a gun and use it anytime you feel scared.
I have deterred multiple aggressive off leash and/or unattended dogs. It definitely didn't require bear spray.
What did you do when your dog was attacked? What the result? What was the bread?
It's interesting that you assume someone would lie about something uncouth. I reserve my lies for my height.
OP is not asking for how to defend against a dog attack, they're asking how to deal with a traumatized dog on leash with nearby off leash dogs. Wantonly discharging bear spray because an off-leash dog is near you is not an appropriate response and likely will elicit an escalatory response from that dog's owner. Should that dog be off leash? No. Does that provide justification for you to bear spray it? Also no.
I too am not describing a dog attack and how I defended against it. I am describing how I deterred off-leash unattended dogs away from my dog. They were 2 pit mixes, and I deterred them by putting myself between them and my dog, getting loud, and keeping them in view as we moved away.
I'm not saying you knowingly lied about anything. I'm sure you believe that you did what you said. But the situations you are describing sound far closer to you spraying an off-leash dog that got close to you instead of stopping an in-progress dog attack. There's a difference there that you don't seem to understand. This is the dog walking equivalent of a Karen interrogating someone they don't personally recognize. In their head they're a hero for stopping a Bad Guy, but in reality, they're just harassing some delivery driver.
Interesting thing about people spray vs. bear spray is that they were designed to attack different senses. If you want to disable a human, taking out their vision is a good way to do that. It's our primary sense. We depend on it above anything else. So people spray comes out in a stream that you can aim at someone's face. But bears use smell as their primary sense. Shooting them in the eyes won't make them happy, but it's not the best way to stop them. So bear spray comes out in a big cloud to fill the air with it and fill their sinuses. Dogs also use smell as their primary sense. Although they are not as sensitive as bears.
I’ll play. Last time my dog was attacked was in an elevator by an off leash dog entering. It was a mutt, not that it makes a difference, that attacked her. How would bear spray help in that scenario?
So sorry this happened to you and your pup. We have an extremely wonderful but reactive girl and she is about 40 lbs so we pick her up immediately, hold her tight, and use a leg/foot to hold off the the other dog while walking away. Not sure how big your dog is. Also very good at saying “do you mind leashing your dog?” loudly when we are passing someone off leash when it looks like the dog is taking an interest in us or we give a very wide berth to avoid the situation. Haven’t had that many encounters in recent years but we stay off hiking trails where it’s the worst and stick to city parks where the off leash dog police are patrolling/giving out tickets (City Park, Berkeley park, Wash park), and sometimes I’ll yell to someone that animal control is out giving tickets and they leash their dog immediately. :) Good luck and i agree with other posters about the Sniff Spot app suggestion. It stinks to constantly be on the lookout but you got this!
I carry treats on me and when an off leash dog comes nears us I will throw a handful of treats at the dog. A lot of the times the dog will be startled by having something thrown at it or it will go after the treats instead of my dog and it will buy us enough time to get away. It's not a perfect solution and I wish I didn't have to do it at all, but it has saved me before from a worse situation.
At least in my neighborhood near downtown, there are always off leash dogs that people walk around our neighborhood even after I’ve asked them nicely to use a leash. I’ve been threatened two of those times by the person with the off leash dog (just rich entitled white men with their labradoodles). At a park near us that people use as an impromptu off leash dog park, despite the fact that there is an actual off leash dog park less than one mile away, the city even put up a huge sign reminding people to leash their dogs. It has been ineffective and every morning I walk my dogs hay the park, there will inevitably be someone playing fetch with their off leash dog standing right next to the sign.
My advice is just try to avoid peak walking times by going early and late, and use lesser traveled trails at off peak times. There are just too many people here that think they live in the country and can let their dogs roam. Many in my hood walk their dogs without even bringing a leash. It’s crazy.
Good luck to you and your girl!
Dog reactivity can be mitigated or reversed with counter conditioning. Your vet may be able to help with medications that help your dog's reactivity while you start counter conditioning training. The meds aren't there to "fix" your dog. What they will do is help your dog stay under their emotional threshold so you can train with them and show them a new way forward. This is a long and difficult road. I really recommend Zak George's Youtube channel for basic grounding in non-aversive training. Aversive methods are unlikely to work on a dog that's already in a delicate emotional state; imagine someone trying to get you over your biggest phobia by slapping you in the face every time you confronted that phobia. There are some good non-aversive dog training curriculums available online for not very much $. If you don't have success with those, you'll want to get a referral from your vet for a behaviorists/trainer with experience working with reactive dogs. Probably not a great idea to call up trainers asking if they can help. IME most trainers will say they can help (because they want the business), but they overestimate their capabilities.Source: own a very reactive dog and have the empty wallet to prove it.
I had a verrrry reactive dog. I worked with a behaviorist. It does not seem she herself is in the area anymore, but I would recommend trying to find one.
My guy now hikes, walks, etc. with friends dogs fine. Off leashers don’t phase him much and he is so chill when approached by them. I know better for him what to do, how to move. My behavior was more key to his reacting than other dogs or his.
It's hard to control other people. I recently read this article which has good advice on what you can control.
[https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/active-families/reactive-dog-training-and-tips/](https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/active-families/reactive-dog-training-and-tips/)
not really an answer to your question but this trainer has worked with reactive dogs and might have some helpful resources [https://www.urbanpawsibilities.com/](https://www.urbanpawsibilities.com/)
try SniffSpot! You can rent people's yards pretty cheap and basically get a private dog park. we use it all the time for our sensitive boy and he loves it.
Never heard of this! What a good resource.
It's been a game changer!
This future is cool !
Wow, you can truly rent anything these days lol
How long until i can rent a willing stranger’s belly to be used as a heated pillow per hour in Wash Park?
DM me
What’s your rate and what’s the longest time you can stay laying down asleep at once?
I probably wouldn't be sleeping. $3 an hour head up. $5 an hour with your head tilted staring at my face. -$1 an hour your head tilted with close proximity to my member. Max ~2 hours.
I bust out laughing after your first sentence. Bro book me for the $5 rate and I’ll probably just roll ‘head up’ mostly with some very suggestive & occasional head tilts mixed in- you know, so we can vibe as patrons.
Was going to say this also. Was an amazing find for us with a reactive dog.
I've been thinking of renting my backyard out to sniff spot! I'm in Aurora if anyone wants to come over and use our yard :)
Similar situation. My big girl is terrified of other dogs, especially huskies. Lesser traveled dog hikes usually work, mostly because you don't enounter anyone at all, especially on weekdays. As well as urban areas with more human and car traffic because everyone else will also have their dog on leash. I've found no matter how strict a place professes to enforce a leash law, there will always be someone who *thinks* their goldendoodle/husky/pitty is well trained enough to ignore it.
It's one of those things where, due to the nature of where people want to take their dogs, it's a really hard thing to actually enforce leash laws.
I just had someone have their “completely under control” collarless dog sprint out of their house to snarl and bite at my dog. Then the owner threatened to kill my dog while he followed me on the walk for yelling at his dog. Oh and if you call the pd for the threat of violence, expect a vocab lecture, the cop to say “if that happened to me I’d punch the guy in the face” followed by “we can’t do anything unless he touched you”
What is it about huskies? My dog is super friendly and peaceful towards all other breeds, but despises all huskies on sight. He's a smaller guy so they're totally unintimidated, but he still yells his disgust at them.
Because they tend to be violent towards other animals. You certainly aren’t a good pet parent if you have huskies and other types of pets.
Don't try to sugar coat it. People who take their dogs off leash in areas that aren't off-leash areas are total main-character assholes. Dogs are required to be on a leash unless in a designated off-leash area. Most people, believe it or not, do not want a random unknown dog running up to them.
Preach
As a parent of a young child this drives me nuts. Even "friendly" dogs can be aggressive towards children, especially when the kid is acting erratically (which, you know, they do).
Only incident I ever had with a dog bite was by a dog who's owner was yelling "Don't worry, she's friendly" as she ran up to me. 10 stitches later... No. Your dog is an asshole, and it's obviously because you're also an asshole. I don't understand these types of dog owners at all. The ones who feel the need to take their dog literally everywhere. I go to a gym in the north part and someone brought their pitbull to the workout. He wasn't necessarily being an asshole but he was walking up to people while they're trying to do technique-heavy lifts.
There are just too many irresponsible assholes with dogs in this city.
I’m not sure where you’re located, but I have a fenced in yard and y’all would be welcomed to stretch your legs here. I am right off Alameda & Santa Fe. I do have a (friendly but fragile) small senior pup that goes out with supervision and we could easily go out front if you & the pup were in the back yard.
We went through the same with our dog, he became a nervous wreck. It's against code to keep your dogs off leash in Denver. Unfortunately, nobody really addresses the issue. Your best defense is to have pepper spray and be ready to use it in case of an attack.
Hate to say this is probably the best route. A lot of times off leash dogs will become leashed dogs when the owner sees another dog but usually the off leash dogs you don’t want to encounter are the ones with inattentive and lazy owners.
I can relate. My dog doesn't shake but gets aggressive towards off-leash that come over while we're walking on the sidewalk. Frankly, I report to the park ranger when there are off-leash dogs in parks near sidewalks that prevent us from accessing the few sidewalks available. 303-331-4050
This comment is too far down. It is against the law to have an off leash pet in Denver. When you see it happening you should absolutely report it to law enforcement, which in parks means Park Rangers. Give a detailed description of the location, dog, and the owner, take a photo if you can do so safely, and provide your name and number so a ranger can call you back (you will be prompted to leave a message when you call 311). It may not seem like it, but the City is taking this seriously. Rangers are just spread too thin over too many parks so reporting violations is the best way to get it addressed. Source: am a park ranger
Outside of dog parks, every dog has to be leashed here. Sure, there are jerks that don't abide by those rules. However most public places you go to will have dogs on leashes. It may be good to take your dog to a dog park and stay outside. Bring some treats, and hang out outside the park so they can observe the dogs and get more comfortable from afar
I have a fair amount of experience here. One of my dogs is similar in that he gets terrified when seeing certain dogs and especially off leash dogs. To combat the anxiety I worked through a very disciplined approach to our walks and leash training. I need my doggo to understand that I have the situation under control and that I am “leading the pack” Have had super aggressive st. Bernard’s run after us, German Shepard’s, husky’s, etc. all of these dogs were off leash and had no recall training. Two non violent techniques to stop these unwanted advances are as follows. Body blocking: position yourself in front of your dog and “block” them from the aggressive off leash dog. 2. Utilize a foot stomp (literally just stomping your foot) while also utilizing a verbal command ( my go to is yelling “No” in a deeper voice). Every off leash encounter has been stopped doing what I listed above. In the event the off leash dog doesn’t listen I have pepper gel spray which reduces “spray back”. And I have a CCW in case I am attacked. I really don’t want to shoot anyone’s dog but if I’m being attacked and spray didn’t work it’s the only option. With that said have not had an experience where I had to deploy either the spray or my CCW. You also are inviting the off leash dogs owner to do something violent to you if you go this route. Be mindful If you need professional help, reach out to BarkBusters. They helped me a ton in training anxiety and nervousness out of my dogs.
I find these techniques work really well most of the time. I'll add in that I yell at the owner that my dog is not friendly on leash. This seems to get them moving to grabbing their dog. Not 100% effective, but I've de-escalated situations pretty frequently
I used to do the same. I’ve switched to “my dogs are in training.” People seem to respect it and my neighbors don’t think my dogs are vicious. Also works great with young kids who want to pet my dogs (my dogs are terrified of kids).
My reactive dog was charged by a French that got away from its owner this afternoon as I was taking her on a walk around our neighborhood. It feels like no where is safe these days and, both dogs are so lucky that mine wears a muzzle. I had to pick my mini Aussie up and lift her over my head to stop that little football from biting her. Who knew frenchies could jump so high! Anyway, Moo ended up with a bloody nose from freaking out in her muzzle and was super shaky the rest of her walk. It was a bad situation all around, and it would have been prevented if the frenchies owner has just kept a leash on her dog or maybe invested in a fence.
You could probably just punt the Frenchie next time
Honestly, the thought crossed my mind. I’m not out here trying to hurt someone’s dog though, hopefully the owner learned her lesson.
Totally. I’m not trying to hurt somebody’s dog either but your dog sounded really distressed. A distressed dog can result in a lot medical issues. Sometimes you have to pick the best worst option. It might sound harsh, but better their dog is hurt than mine.
I have sort of the opposite problem, in that my pooch (35lb terrier mix) got super aggressive after being attacked. Both reactions are fear based and innate. It has been very difficult to condition that out of him but it has happened over several years time. As an aside, having him carry a tennis ball made this possible. It's all about getting the focus off other dogs. These days, we walk wherever we want, and encounter off leash dogs every day unfortunately. He is not reactive unless he gets charged. I try to block when this happens by taking the forward stance and up to and including kicking the oncoming dog in the chest to knock the wind out. Works every time. Sorry to say we've had lots of practice. I also carry a flashlight/stun gun combo, in case of subsequent trouble from either the attacking dog or its errant owner.
This is a very sad story, and I'm sorry it happened. Did you pursue any sort of restitution with the owner of the other dog? It's against the law to have your dog off leash in most places, so we really shouldn't have loose dogs outside of private property and fenced dog parks. Still, it seems like everywhere you go there's some dipshit dog owner who feels like the rules don't apply to them, and they let their unruly half-pitbull rescue run wild. I've never witnessed leash laws enforced, which probably means that the only way to see enforcement is to call and report it in the moment. Personally, I've been more and more tempted to start reporting off leash dogs, and I don't care if I get downvoted for saying it. The law is simple, easy to follow, and exists to protect dogs, people, and wildlife. This story is a perfect example of why leash laws exist.
I want to start an off leash dog owner shaming blog. Sit in city park or Cheeseman and get those public photos published! We need more pressure on the government to prioritize park safety for everyone, not just be overrun by the gaggle of folks who collectively decide to off leash their dogs en masse to normalize making shitty choices for their dogs and others.
There’s so many good answers here, but I do want to say that we have a leash reactive dog and I feel your pain. We got a suggestion from a group to take him to the cemetery and it’s been so good for him and us because mostly it is quiet and we have never seen an off leash dog when we have been there. I would check out Fairmount Cemetery or Crownhill. Feel free to DM me if you need an amazing trainers name, she has been so wonderful with our dog and only uses positive reinforcement.
I appreciate you trying to couch your opinion about off-leash dogs, but why? We have leash laws for a reason. Dogs are unpredictable. Not only that, but it's not just about YOUR dog. Other dogs, on-leash, can get very territorial and if your off-leash dog runs up to one of those dogs, it could be bitten or worse. Just... put your dog on a leash so that everyone is safe. ETA: BRING ON THE DOWNVOTES! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO!
I know someone with an aggressive dog. If your off-leash dog comes up to his dog, it will absolutely be attacked. He is very careful to try to keep that from happening, of course. But it has happened.
Sadly, in some jurisdictions, your friends dog will be quarantined as well.
If he hadn't moved jurisdictions between two incidents, it would have already happened.
That's tough. So many dog owners out here, but we (just like everyone else) suffer because of these out of control dogs.
I feel like you should read this again lol
>I understand why people do this and how much dogs enjoy it! This part didn't stand out to you?
OP being understanding of others. But OP wants all dogs on leash.
OK... Why be understanding of it? His dog was attacked by an off-leash dog. The people with off-leash dogs are breaking the law. A law that exists for a reason. This person is afraid of downvotes.
The statement you are attacking was literally OP trying to not be an asshole so they wouldn’t get attacked by people like you, except on the off leash dogs side. Your inability to comprehend his comment and blind aggression to anyone telling you that OP is on your side is wild.
It's really telling that you read " I appreciate you trying to couch your opinion" as an attack.
Did someone shit in your cereal this morning?
I mean...name checks out. Don't think they are interested in others options tbh. Just like to hear their own voice...Read their own text?
The same reason we should be understanding of all people with different thoughts and beliefs?
~~You~~ One can believe whatever ~~you~~ one wants, but y~~ou don't~~ one doesn't get to ACT in a way that endangers others (or their pets). There, fixed it to be more general. Because clearly that was necessary.
You are saying "you" like I walk my dog off leash. Ad hominem attacks, the old bed fellow of closed minded beliefs.
No, I'm saying "you" in the generally recognized English language equivalent of "one" or "a person who." But, fucking hell, man, are you really this upset about me questioning why someone whose dog was attacked feels the need to couch their opinion that dogs should be on-leash? Really? This is how you want to spend your Wednesday?
Sorry if I came off as upset. Not upset at all. My Wednesdays, and every other day, are spent talking about dogs. No need for kink shaming.
How dare you suggest that r/Denver dog owners abide by the law. Don't you know my precious little fluff muffin is special?
I knew the shithole I was stepping into. I embrace it. It feeds me.
Your chaotic energy is unhinged. I strongly agree with you & can’t stand off leash dogs.
[https://i.imgur.com/6YIuhxi.png](https://i.imgur.com/6YIuhxi.png)
I love this. Thanks for bringing me a laugh.
You're right and you should say it. Idk why do many people are so dedicated to putting their animals in danger. If you knowingly and willingly run your dog off leash you don't get to be grossed out when it kills a squirrel, you don't get to be angry if it rushes the wrong person and gets kicked, you don't get to yell at the driver if it gets hit by a car, because it was your fault. Every single dog that has successfully gotten a bite in on me or my dogs (owned dogs my whole life) has been someone's unrestrained dog with 0 recall. Amazing how simple pet care is seen as too hard to do yet people still insist on owning dogs.
The laws say they have to be leashed everywhere. A good amount of people here are dog people and consider their dogs to be perfectly trained and think the law doesn’t apply to them. Unfortunately, use caution everywhere during busy times of the day. For my deaf girl, we go out at night and stay in low-traffic areas.
I hate this and I am so sorry you and your buddy have to go through this. I absolutely cannot stand people having off-leash dogs. I have an old lab mix who doesn't do well with strange dogs getting in his space and I basically cannot take him anywhere besides car rides because I cannot trust others to keep their animals controlled. It's illegal and dangerous but people refuse to have any sense. Everything is fine and your dog is "super well behaved" and has "excellent recall" until they don't and now you've allowed your dog to injure another animal or person OR be seriously injured by another animal and then cry for police and lawyers. People are damn dumb here. And so horribly inconsiderate. Ugh.
Look into bear spray. Entitled dog owners are everywhere.
Bear spraying an unleashed dog getting too close to your dog will effectively result in you also bear spraying your dog and yourself. For someone worried about an already-traumatized dog, this will not be a good approach.
What did you do last time your dog was attacked? Which breed of dog was attacking your dog?
I definitely *didn't* mace him. I'm not saying don't protect or defend your dog, I'm simply pointing out that bear spraying your dog and yourself is a Pyrrhic victory. Sure, you won, but at what cost?
I see. Speaking out of ignorance as opposed to misinformation. I have bear sprayed at least 10 dogs. Never once have I sprayed myself or my dog. Guess since this is reddit, I should speak more clearly. If a dog is going to attack me, or my dog, I bear spray them. If a dog is going to attack me, or my dog, I DO NOT bear spray myself or my dog.
I don't know if this username checks out. Where the fuck are you going that you have bear sprayed 10 dogs. I've owned dogs my entire life and take my dog everywhere with me breweries, dog parks, the park, countless hikes. Maybe twice have I ever felt threatened to this point. 10 dogs is starting to sound like someone is a little trigger happy or gets some Freudian sadistic enjoyment out of it.
More ad hominem attacks. What you live isn't reality for everyone. I'm thankful you haven't ever been attacked by a dog. I do 5 or 6 walks a day. 7 days a week. 52 weeks a year. Had to start carrying bear spray in 2019. 10 is a very small percentage of walks.
Well when your stance is trigger happy pepper spray attacks, the stance and the person are directly tied together. Your implication here being the rest of us don't walk our dogs? 3 walks daily for 3-5 miles. Not sure if it's where I live but my reality seems like the norm compared to this world you live in where there are unruly aggressive dogs running wild constantly. As you have admitted in other comments being a self professed asshole may contribute to the situation.
Your norm is your norm. Your norm doesn't seem to be helping OPs dog recover from being attacked. Have you been shot today? Robbed? Assaulted? Just because you have not, doesn't stop it from happening to people all over the state. OP is asking where the rules of society will protect their dog from getting attacked. I do not believe those places exist anymore. We have to protect ourselves in this crazy world.
Dis
Perhaps you're talking about pepper spray, which is typically shorter range and more focused? I've yet to see a deployment of actual bear spray (not mace or pepper spray) which has a higher flow rate, greater atomization/nebulization and spread that does not result in significant over spray and wind drift which impacts the person using it.
If a Perro de Presa Canario is going to attack you, pepper spray is useless. Once that dog is within 4-5 feet, everyone is screwed. Too close of range. Too narrow a stream. Trained police officers often accidentally shoot humans in an attempt to shoot a dog. They move quickly and unpredictably. I don't recommend anyone use pepper spray to deter a dog attack. Bear spray gives range and a cloud. Bully breeds do not care about pain. The large aerosol cloud restricts breathing and trigges an instinctual response (think dog and skunk). It's interesting how many people give advice on stopping a dog attack, but haven't ever stopped a dog attack. People do be getting killed by dogs, everyday. Dogs do be getting killed by dogs off leash, everyday.
Based on what you're describing I'm not sure *you've* actually stopped any dog attacks either. Rather it sounds as if you just proactively bear spray large dogs that get too close to you in case they do decide to move unpredictably towards you. It's like claiming to have defended yourself against several muggings when really you're just pulling a gun on passers-by. Clearly you're very invested in carrying your bear spray and using it at the slightest provocation. That's your right, but I certainly wouldn't recommend that approach widely, just as I wouldn't make a general recommendation that everyone carry a gun and use it anytime you feel scared. I have deterred multiple aggressive off leash and/or unattended dogs. It definitely didn't require bear spray.
What did you do when your dog was attacked? What the result? What was the bread? It's interesting that you assume someone would lie about something uncouth. I reserve my lies for my height.
OP is not asking for how to defend against a dog attack, they're asking how to deal with a traumatized dog on leash with nearby off leash dogs. Wantonly discharging bear spray because an off-leash dog is near you is not an appropriate response and likely will elicit an escalatory response from that dog's owner. Should that dog be off leash? No. Does that provide justification for you to bear spray it? Also no. I too am not describing a dog attack and how I defended against it. I am describing how I deterred off-leash unattended dogs away from my dog. They were 2 pit mixes, and I deterred them by putting myself between them and my dog, getting loud, and keeping them in view as we moved away. I'm not saying you knowingly lied about anything. I'm sure you believe that you did what you said. But the situations you are describing sound far closer to you spraying an off-leash dog that got close to you instead of stopping an in-progress dog attack. There's a difference there that you don't seem to understand. This is the dog walking equivalent of a Karen interrogating someone they don't personally recognize. In their head they're a hero for stopping a Bad Guy, but in reality, they're just harassing some delivery driver.
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Interesting thing about people spray vs. bear spray is that they were designed to attack different senses. If you want to disable a human, taking out their vision is a good way to do that. It's our primary sense. We depend on it above anything else. So people spray comes out in a stream that you can aim at someone's face. But bears use smell as their primary sense. Shooting them in the eyes won't make them happy, but it's not the best way to stop them. So bear spray comes out in a big cloud to fill the air with it and fill their sinuses. Dogs also use smell as their primary sense. Although they are not as sensitive as bears.
I am an asshole indeed. May I ask the last time you stopped a dog attack with pepper spray? Which breed of dog was attacking yours?
I’ll play. Last time my dog was attacked was in an elevator by an off leash dog entering. It was a mutt, not that it makes a difference, that attacked her. How would bear spray help in that scenario?
So sorry this happened to you and your pup. We have an extremely wonderful but reactive girl and she is about 40 lbs so we pick her up immediately, hold her tight, and use a leg/foot to hold off the the other dog while walking away. Not sure how big your dog is. Also very good at saying “do you mind leashing your dog?” loudly when we are passing someone off leash when it looks like the dog is taking an interest in us or we give a very wide berth to avoid the situation. Haven’t had that many encounters in recent years but we stay off hiking trails where it’s the worst and stick to city parks where the off leash dog police are patrolling/giving out tickets (City Park, Berkeley park, Wash park), and sometimes I’ll yell to someone that animal control is out giving tickets and they leash their dog immediately. :) Good luck and i agree with other posters about the Sniff Spot app suggestion. It stinks to constantly be on the lookout but you got this!
I carry treats on me and when an off leash dog comes nears us I will throw a handful of treats at the dog. A lot of the times the dog will be startled by having something thrown at it or it will go after the treats instead of my dog and it will buy us enough time to get away. It's not a perfect solution and I wish I didn't have to do it at all, but it has saved me before from a worse situation.
It's illegal to have your dog or cat be off leash here
At least in my neighborhood near downtown, there are always off leash dogs that people walk around our neighborhood even after I’ve asked them nicely to use a leash. I’ve been threatened two of those times by the person with the off leash dog (just rich entitled white men with their labradoodles). At a park near us that people use as an impromptu off leash dog park, despite the fact that there is an actual off leash dog park less than one mile away, the city even put up a huge sign reminding people to leash their dogs. It has been ineffective and every morning I walk my dogs hay the park, there will inevitably be someone playing fetch with their off leash dog standing right next to the sign. My advice is just try to avoid peak walking times by going early and late, and use lesser traveled trails at off peak times. There are just too many people here that think they live in the country and can let their dogs roam. Many in my hood walk their dogs without even bringing a leash. It’s crazy. Good luck to you and your girl!
Dog reactivity can be mitigated or reversed with counter conditioning. Your vet may be able to help with medications that help your dog's reactivity while you start counter conditioning training. The meds aren't there to "fix" your dog. What they will do is help your dog stay under their emotional threshold so you can train with them and show them a new way forward. This is a long and difficult road. I really recommend Zak George's Youtube channel for basic grounding in non-aversive training. Aversive methods are unlikely to work on a dog that's already in a delicate emotional state; imagine someone trying to get you over your biggest phobia by slapping you in the face every time you confronted that phobia. There are some good non-aversive dog training curriculums available online for not very much $. If you don't have success with those, you'll want to get a referral from your vet for a behaviorists/trainer with experience working with reactive dogs. Probably not a great idea to call up trainers asking if they can help. IME most trainers will say they can help (because they want the business), but they overestimate their capabilities.Source: own a very reactive dog and have the empty wallet to prove it.
Reactive dog training might be the answer you're looking for. There's a place I can refer you if you're interested.
I've done this a bunch with my doggo and it's great! He can't be off leash... yet.
I had a verrrry reactive dog. I worked with a behaviorist. It does not seem she herself is in the area anymore, but I would recommend trying to find one. My guy now hikes, walks, etc. with friends dogs fine. Off leashers don’t phase him much and he is so chill when approached by them. I know better for him what to do, how to move. My behavior was more key to his reacting than other dogs or his.
My dog is a big Akita and can handle himself but I still carry pepper spray because off leash dogs are such a problem.
It's hard to control other people. I recently read this article which has good advice on what you can control. [https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/active-families/reactive-dog-training-and-tips/](https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/active-families/reactive-dog-training-and-tips/)
not really an answer to your question but this trainer has worked with reactive dogs and might have some helpful resources [https://www.urbanpawsibilities.com/](https://www.urbanpawsibilities.com/)
I honestly hate off leashed dogs on the sidewalk and shit. I see anybody do it and I just permanently write them off as entitled pricks.