Taexalia

wild.life

Dealing With a Dog Attack

Loagn investigates the bath

I have long felt that dogs are dogs and bad dogs are simply the result of bad dog owners. I have often indulged in a bit of judgemental talk and voiced ideas along the lines of it takes a person to teach a dog to be aggressive. I still agree with that idea, but I'm not so sure that all aggressive dogs become that way because their owners want them to - rather that they just allow their dogs to get away with it or unknowingly encourage it.

I've never really had to think too much about dog ownership, other than to curse about the massive numbers of people who pave the streets with shit and fail to pick it up. Now that I've got a dog in the house I'm riding the learning curve of dogs, dog behaviour and responsible dog ownership. Of course I pick the poo up* but there's more to it than that, isn't there?

While I'm learning to speak dog I'm paying attention to what other dogs and their owners are doing and noting the things I might try and the things I want to avoid. I'm also observing Logan as he meets and interacts with other dogs and noticing which dogs he is happy to meet and which dogs he is not so taken with.

I'm of the opinion that an awful lot of dog owners are absolutely clueless about dog etiquette. Dogs are, after all, around 99% wolf despite thousands of years of breeding and domestication. If you pay attention to any of the documentaries about wolves in the wild you are going to see something much different from the behaviours of many of the dogs running around in your local park.

It's really very bad manners for a dog to come careering out of nowhere and explode all over your dog and, having been walking with the Pack** for a few weeks now, I have seen the difference in dynamics between the dogs without boundaries and the dogs who are calm-submissive and know how to meet other dogs. I'm guessing I don't have to point out which meetings are the more pleasant and successful...

Yesterday Logan and I were out on a long walk that I purposefully chose because he had never been there before. I had only been so far along that particular path and so we stepped out into the unknown together after an hour or so of walking.

We found ourselves on a farm track, having followed the direction of the way-marker. I could see the track was leading towards a house and I was wondering if I had missed a turning for the path. Just at the right moment I saw a man coming towards me and I smiled at the great timing. Then he started shouting and my first instinct was that he was shouting at me and that I had missed the path and he was doing a get orf my land thing. Then I realised he was shouting at a dog.

The dog, a stocky collie cross, appeared round the bend in the road at a hare's pace and as soon as she saw Logan she started barking. The man kept shouting and screaming at her. I rather think that alone encouraged her although I'm sure he didn't mean to.

Logan began to dance on the end of his lead like a prize thoroughbred horse faced with a crisp packet on a windy day (trust me, I know...) and I could see his response was flight. Thankfully I have my greyhound attached to the lead with both a halti and a collar - their build means they are apt to slip their collars at moments like these and the halti gives a much gentler way to lead.

The crazed dog sensed his fear and launched herself at his side. It was an attack but more with paws than with teeth. I had a momentary flashback to the crazed Akita that bit Gemma a few months ago, and instinct somehow got me in between the collie and Logan. Once he was behind me I didn't feel him trying to dance although my main focus was on this mad dog in front of me.

All week I have been trying to get Logan to respond to my hand signal for stay and the best way I can frame it is that he hasn't figured it out yet However I was acting with instinct, as well as this calm-assertive energy I had been faking since we left the house so, having gotten in between crazy collie cross and Logan I found myself holding my hand out to signal this dog to stop and stay. I found myself focusing my whole being on telling this dog she could not pass go and could not collect her pound of Logan.

She sat down.

As her owner ran up all a fluster shouting this way and that, I stood there with his dog totally under my control whilst my mind was doing the "how are you doing this?" dance. The owner grabbed his dog and, out of the four of us, he was the one who was visibly shaken. He was very apologetic and explained they never see anyone up that way and his dog isn't used to other dogs. For some reason, perhaps because I was still somewhat stunned by my own success at controlling the situation, I did not get all huffity at him about how he should have his dog under control. Instead I was the picture of calm as I assured him Logan was fine and enquired about directions. It turns out I was on the right path and, after I had given his dog a sniff of my hand, we set off and found a really lovely overgrown path with wonderful trees and the sense that very few people pass by.

Later we turned back and re-traced our steps and I was aware that we might have another encounter with the collie but I felt confident that I would be able to assert myself with her. The way I look at it, if your dog comes into my space it's in my pack territory and I am the one who decides how that turns out.

Had we met her, Logan would have yet another message that I am the leader who protects her pack. I think he is figuring it out