# What do you do when a strange dog....



## ChattyCathy (Nov 22, 2008)

comes up to you and the hair on his back is raised. Last summer my grandson and I were walking our two dogs. One was a large breed and the other a small breed who was a puppy at the time. This dog came out of nowhere (looked like a german shepherd) and came running and barking at us w/the hair on his back raised. Then the hair on the back of my large dog was raised as well. Luckily we weren't far from the house and I called to my son who came running out. At first, my grandson tried to run to the house to get his dad, but the dog looked like he was going to follow him so I told him just to stay put (by me) and don't move quickly. However, my two dogs were barking as well and trying to get to the dog. It was scary for a couple of minutes until my son got the dog to leave. What do I do if this happens in the future? Which leads me to the next question... what to do if a dog attacks your dog or another person???


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## PeanutsMommy (Dec 7, 2008)

I think thats tough becuase when my dog gets excited (happy) his hair from middle of his neck to mid tail comes up like that and hes happy tail wagging excited and usually wants to play. People that don't know my dog can misinterpret it and be scared since he is an APBT (pitbull).

I think if you come across a dog with its hair is up always proceed with caution until you can tell that dogs intent. One dog may be showing signs of aggression with the hair up and another maybe just excited. 

I think that you did right by not running. Either way happy or aggressive I think that the dog would see it as either a game or "prey" and with your grandson especially you dont want to take any chances to find out which.

Your second question if your dog gets attacked DO NOT use your hands to break them up as you are putting yourself down to their level and they may mistake you for the other dog. I think that you should find a large object to seperate them or have a breakstick near by or even carry one of those OC (pepper sprays) that they sell at the petsmart. Just try to keep yourself OUT of the fight you don't want to get yourself hurt either.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

Personally I ALWAYS carry something that can be used as a weapon with me. A large stick (I'm talking like 4 ft tall walking stick kind of stick/pole), pepper spray, stun gun, something that would work on a person as well as an animal for safety purposes. I'd have no problem stunning, spraying, or beating a dog or human that was trying to harm me or my family.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Yeah, my dog likes to raise her hackles anytime she meets anyone or anything new, I think it's her way of being excited because she's always friendly when meeting new people. However with strange dogs, always proceed with caution. Don't be afraid, make yourself look as tall and confident and alpha as possible. Try to talk to the dog in a nice voice so it isn't immediately on its guard with you. If it makes you uncomfortable, use a commanding voice and tell the dog to go home (or stay, so you can walk away). I've also had to chase dogs away or flat out ignore them until they leave me alone. 

Today, I was walking my neighbor's dog and a strange, older-looking golden retriever mix approached us when we were almost done. He was just fine with the dog I was walking and looked friendly enough, but when I talked to him nicely and tried to put my hand out for him to sniff (so I could get his trust long enough to read his tag) he started growling. I immediately switched to stern mode and told the dog to go home. After that all he did was ignore me and follow the dog I was walking. He left eventually though, stupid people letting their dogs run loose. 

I love walking my old Kati dog. She's a german shepherd lab mix who has rottweiler markings and is easily my tallest and most intimidating looking dog (even though she's 11 and crippled). I found out she has a protective streak because I was walking her one day and these neighborhood dogs came running at me (man, what is wrong with my neighborhood?). She immediately turned around, hackles raised, and just looked at them. They stopped dead in their tracks. She issued a low growl and I've never seen dogs run so fast in their lives! It was like a cartoon, little dog-shaped puffs of smoke and them running away a hundred yards down the road.


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## TippysMom (Oct 3, 2008)

You know, we've been walking our dogs more since the weather is cool enough now (summers here are a killer!).....I would hate to have to harm another being, but I always walk with a walking stick (the 4 ft kind that you can beat an attacker with). I think pepper spray or a taser are a good idea too. Just be careful, if there's a breeze, the pepper spray could do more harm than good!


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