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thats totally true. your neighbor's shepherd story wasn't all that bad becuase the dog was doing no harm and wasn't bothering anybody. but that person with the black pit bull isn't fit at all. if thier dog is so aggresive that he just can't stand to see somebody walk by with out attacking them, then they need to either 1) keep the dog on a lead when outside or 2) give it away. keeping it inside wouldn't maek any sense after all.....

Oh I know...I can't stand it. It amkes them look dumb....(the owners.)

Situations like that are always scary for the person the dog is "having a go at" and (should be) frustrating and upsetting for the owners.

I know our collie can be a right pain in the neck, he will ONLY listen to my mum and sometimes me if I shout loud enough. I don't know who to stop him half the time. He's far too clever for his own good and knows I can't get to him to grab him in time if he starts barking.
Sadly I don't trust him at all. Put him on a lead whenever people are around. Which I think many dog owners should do.
I get it when some say "I don't know how to stop them!" but that's no excuse for not doing anything at all. You can prevent the situation by putting the dog on a lead, making sure your garden/yard has a secure fence etc.

Not all trainers work either, we've contacted quite a few but they've not provided a solution.
The German Shepherd is fine though. She sometimes acts up if the collie goes off but it only takes me to shout at her and she'll come back.

I hate it when owners KNOW their dog can get out and that it runs around scaring people but they don't do anything about it, just shrug it off.

Well, not everything has a reason for it. There ARE some owners who just don't care. They can't be bothered with anything they're not interested in.

It's like a lazy owner having a dog that barks constantly. The barks may annoy them, but they are too lazy to do anything about it. So, that dog is allowed to continue with no consequence. Thus leading the dog to believe that barking is okay.

I think the reason the dog may have attacked you without any provoking would be because it was extremely territorial. When he saw you coming, he saw you as an intruder. Like an unfamiliar wolf treading in the area of a pack that has marked their territory.

I agree. However, I have to be the voice of reason. You know that quote, "dogs can smell fear"? Also, making eye conact with any dog is a threatening gesture; perhaps they thought you were challeging them, or in "their" territory.

It's not so much the owners as it is the hierarchy. Dogs, like wolves, have to have a leader. If the owner is a push-over to their dog, than more than likely it's going to be very unruly, and potentially dangerous. People have a soft spot for their pets -- especially people who live alone or whose kids have moved out/died/whatever. These pets become their "babies" and they can't stand to discipline them outside of "No," and then going on their way.

Of course, it doesn't take a beating down to get a dog to establish the hierarchy, with the human(s) as the alpha. Eating first, standing taller, and being confident make a difference. Of course, you killing that dog would not have made anything better -- especially considering it charged you. It's barely excusable when someone harms an animal in self-defense, let alone when the human attacked with a charging dog.

ADVICE:
If a dog is charging you, with obvious intent of an attack, make a lot of noise and make yourself seem as large as possible. Like many animals, the creature will become deturred when it realizes that you aren't prey.

If that doesn't stop it, prepare yourself for the worst. Put your hands over your head and don't reach down to pet the dog (or let it sniff you -- I found that out the hard way when I was bitten). Don't run away! Like all predators, dog have a hunting instinct -- "Chase the prey." If you run, you look like prey -- so the dog's natural instinct says "chase it, bite it, kill it." Dogs are genetically "programmed" that way.

If it's still not working, stand still -- as stiff as a board. By not moving or making noise, you're making youself uninteresting to the animal. When it figures out you're not a problem, it should go away.

Protect your face, hands, and neck. Dogs will naturally (again) go for the throat -- and your appendages are easy targets, too.

Don't swing at, kick, throw things, or hit the dog, because then you're even more of a threat to the animal, and it will fight harder. If you can, reach into the dogs mouth, grab its jowls ("cheek"), and twist as hard as you can. This is a sensitive area, and will make the dog notice that you aren't prey. DO NOT GRAB ITS EARS, TAIL, OR LEGS! The dog will reach around and bite you, again, harder than before.

If you can, try to roll the dog on it's back. Grab either directly behind the head (standing over the dog), or on the bottom of the jaw. Hold on tight, because there's going to be one hell of a struggle.

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All in all, harming the animal(s) won't make it better. If you must, considering this is a reoccurance, go to a city meeting and bring up this issue. If the dogs are charging people, they are potentially hazardous, and should be dealt with by the law -- not you.

Mmm, yea. That works too. . .

I gotta admit, that last post was alot more informative. I've never had to deal with a dog problem. The city i live in is relatively calm and, although almost everyone has a dog or pet of some sort around here, they are all behaved. Some bark occasionally, but that's unavoidable with dogs.

Good on you Kirada. Dogs have the mind of a wolf (because they basically are, even Chihuahua's and Dachshunds) you've said the facts and the GOOD advice. To train a dog and to look after one, you need to ensure that your dog sees you and other house members as 'pack leaders'. It's pointless and unworkable if the dog thinks that it's alpha.

But I think part of this may have been referring to how some owners leave have dogs that are untrained, aggressive and in houses without gates.



Nicely said, Lowin. At a Youth Summit that our town had (selecting responsible school students to form ideas on how to improve the town) I strongly suggested the idea of Pet Licenses. It makes total sense. Things like what type of pet you're getting and if you have all the requirements in your home, that you have sufficient time to spend with your pet, enough money for vet bills and adequate knowledge of the species you will own.

All in all, I agree with the following statement entirely and I"m sure many of you have heard it before. "No bad dogs, just bad owners."