Being prepared for a variety of outcomes is the best advice if an off-leash dog approaches you and your dog. Since there is no way to predict what will happen if you see a strange dog approaching, being informed is vital. There are legitimate reasons that you want to learn these extra tips since this is part of healthy dog training.
In most cases, it comes down to learning about dog behavior to see the intention of an off-leashed dog. Most of the time, dogs simply are excited to see another dog and have no bad intentions.
We will discuss in this guide the exact methods that help prepare you for nearly every situation. Knowing what to do when encountering off-leash dogs is for the protection of your dog and to prevent a bad experience. With these helpful tips, you’ll be able to handle all situations that are within, or out of your control.
Choose The Right Walking Area
As a dog owner, you already know the neighborhood that you live in. But when it comes to walking your dog, it’s a route that most likely includes a running field or open area. There are some places you should avoid for pretty obvious reasons.
Bad parts of the neighborhood or areas that are known for crime will often have protective dogs that are off-leashed. But if you happen to be in a city park where other dog owners also bring their dogs, you have to be just as careful. The best way to avoid problems beforehand is to walk a route every day for a week or so without your dog.
This way you can get a better grasp of the dangers to your dog along a chosen route and in open areas that have fewer loose dog threats. Even if you can avoid contact with other dogs, places where they are kept on a leash will be best.
Implement Good Dog Walking Training
Putting in the time to train your dog as much as possible is paramount. It takes a fair share of work to get your dog to follow basic walking skills. Training your dog at home, in the beginning, is easy because there’s no interaction with other dogs.
You will have a harder time doing this at the park or walking on the street. But this is an important step, as this further teaches your dog to ignore cars and other distracting objects. These are skills that your dog will benefit from if an off-leash dog approaches you.
There are specific steps that you can take to control their actions. So when you start training your little dog, use as many training steps when taking them for a walk as possible.
Learn The Signs a Dog Gives Off
Dogs can tell you a whole slew of emotions through how they are acting. It’s a sign language that all dogs will be able to communicate with you. Most people only know a couple of these signs but responsible dog owners should learn several of them.
As a new dog owner, you should become familiar with the language that they speak – from how their tails are posed to how they are standing. They all have different meanings and you will be able to see this in other dogs as well.
So if you see a strange unleashed dog approaching, you can get an idea of what kind of body language they’re giving off. This will give you enough time to take action whether a strange dog is a threat or not.
See also: The 20 easiest dog breeds to train
What To Do When a Dog Approaches
1. Stay calm
The best thing you should do is slowly walk away from a dog that’s getting too close. Normally, most dogs will be curious and probably want to sniff your dog. If you’re watching their body language, a friendly dog will keep their distance if they’re trained.
If an unknown dog is not well trained, it may be too pesky and threatening to your dog. Assess your situation and find ways to keep a safe distance as much as you can. It’s important to remain calm and notice everything around you if you do need to take action.
2. Use command words
You can also use the same kinds of command words that you use for your dog. The most important ones are Stop’, Stay’, and No’ since these are used so often. Even poorly trained dogs know at least two of these words.
You need to use a stern and authoritative voice that is not shouting but is loud. You need to convey to an approaching dog that you’re in charge. All dogs will learn that they rely on people, so there’s a good chance they’ll listen to you.
If they don’t, you should never start shouting or yelling since this can only aggravate a strange dog further. Use your wits to evaluate your next move, so you always stay in control.
3. Create a barrier
Dogs have terrible depth perception and they can’t tell whether an object is flat or not. This is why you can use an umbrella or fold-out reflector to trick their senses. What they can’t see is enough to discourage them further from approaching.
Fold-out reflectors are often used by photographers to reflect light. These devices twist into themselves using a flexible wire loop. It can open in seconds and are typically 1-2 meters in diameter. Just like a spring-loaded umbrella, these objects can confuse and scare away any loose dog that is approaching.
You can hide your dog behind these barriers long enough to get away. Flashing and quickly opening and closing an umbrella can also scare away dogs that get too close.
4. Use treats as a deterrent
Taking your dog for a walk is generally going to include bringing snacks. This is mostly for their ongoing training and the reward system that helps your dog learn faster. One more reason is to have a backup plan that uses these snacks as a deterrent.
Most dogs will respond to snacks tossed over to them and these can be a good way to make them keep their distance. It can also give you the extra amount of time to get out of that area without any problem. If the strange dog likes your snacks, you can throw them at long distances so they are further away from you.
Bring these snacks in a Ziplock bag so they will hold the moisture in better and be more attractive to other dogs. Only use this method if you can see that an unleashed dog isn’t charging at you and is wandering or creeping toward you.
5. Protecting yourself and your dog
These days, you need to be politically correct and more cruelty-free when it comes to anti-dog sprays. It used to be common to use very effective pepper spray, but the problem can be from strong winds that blow back these sprays onto you or your dog. It’s much better to use citronella or anti-dog spray that won’t harm yourself or a strange dog.
Another highly effective method is the use of an air horn to startle stray dogs. Just make sure that your air horn can be directed so the noise doesn’t startle your dog.
Make sure that your dog is behind you, and your air horn is pointed in front of you toward the approaching unknown dog.
How to Have the Upper Hand
Always expect the unexpected
You have to consider that anything that can go wrong should be part of your belief system. The truth is that you don’t know what a dog is going to do unless you understand its body language. But then again, don’t second guess the situation until carefully look for tell-tale signs that things are not going to be friendly.
It’s hard to imagine you have to keep your guard up and be aware of threatening dangers around you. If you walk your dog in a bad area of the city, there will be threats every step of the way. This is coming from the recent trend of muscle dogs that are typically used for house protection.
These dogs are extremely dangerous if they escape from their fence because they are so powerful. In bigger cities, certain city parks can attract all types of dog owners. And most of them have untrained dogs.
Don’t become a target for attack
Just like an urban survivalist, you have to think ahead since there are so many unknown dog dangers. Especially if you have a smaller dog, your pet can ultimately become a target for attack, so you should bring supplies with you to keep poorly trained dogs away from you.
The number of incidents that happen because of dangerous breeds becoming popular is a sign of the times. You need to stay ahead of these dangers by protecting your pet as much as you can. Even if you live in a rural area, there is always a problem with stray dogs being around.
Expect negative reactions from the other dog’s owner
What can happen is that the owner of a loose dog can be downright annoying and even accuse you that you’re at fault. In the worst case, a bad dog owner will threaten to call the police on you.
Protect yourself with smartphone recordings if a dog’s owner is threatening or bullish, especially so in cases where their dog is off the leash or is trying to attack your dog. Every city is going to have different laws for animal rights, so getting the police involved is tricky.
Have a plan for getting to a pet doctor
You should know where the nearest pet doctor or emergency veterinarian can help you. If your dog is injured, you need to act fast to save the life of your dog. All dog fights can be pretty bad depending on the unleashed dog that’s attacking your dog.
When looking for a dog walking route, it doesn’t hurt to be close to home or near an emergency pet clinic. Put their number in your smartphone so you can let them know you’re on your way. Don’t risk your dog’s health, you should have them treated and inspected if they’ve been in a dog fight.
Read also: How Do You Teach a Dog to Come When Called?
FAQs
If you felt these tips were highly informative, we’re putting together more helpful articles for dog owners.
What to do if your dog goes off-leash?
Some dogs are very creative at slipping off their leash since they can be adept escape artists. You don’t have to worry about your dog if you put them in a harness that will keep them from getting away from you. But still, there will be those moments that will happen just by accident.
This guide will help you to understand what your dog is doing and why they’re doing it. You can also train them so they will always stay at your side. I’ll share with you the secrets you need to know in this article.
Read: Best (and Worst) Methods to Retrieve and Off-Leash Dog
How do I get my dog to ignore other dogs on a walk?
Let’s face it- dogs will be dogs when it comes to interaction with each other. They’re hard-wired to be curious and will want to meet with other dogs if they have the chance. It’s a hard habit to change but not completely impossible to curb this built-in habit.
If you’re afraid that some dogs can react negatively toward your dog, here are some excellent pieces of advice. There will also be added training tricks that can influence your dog to stay at your side at all times. Whether they’re on the leash or not, this guide can break a common habit.
Read: How Do I Stop My Dog Barking at Other Dogs?