# walk in the park gone wrong



## Annabellam (Nov 3, 2015)

The holidays are here and i had been looking forward to spending more time with Sammy. I had a great time at the park with him yesterday. But on our way back we met another dog and everything went crazy. The two started growling at each other and before we could separate them they were all out at each other. Never froze like that. Had no idea what to do. Sammy had been leashed but it did not seem to help. What would your reaction be?


----------



## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Was either dog hurt? Were they both on leash? 

Dogs meeting on leash are much more tense as they can not move away from either other or act naturally so I make any on leash greetings very quick before asking them to come away. If things escalate then seperate as quickly as possible.

Off leash things are much more natural, I don't expect my dogs to love all other dogs (I don't love all people  ) and very occasionally there is a slight spat which is usually all posturing but can escalate into a scrap which is generally all noise and no harm done. 

Not sure what your usual walks are like - mine are generally large open spaces and most dogs off leash with the opportunity to say hello or just pass by each other when we come across others. If I am unsure about a dog coming towards us or it is on leash I will call mine to me and keep them away and likewise if they are saying hello and it looks tense I will call mine away but the vast majority of walks are incident free


----------



## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

When mine are on leash I look to see the type of leash they have and give enough space so that they don't actually meet on the walk. Sometimes I will cross the street if it's a walk in my neighborhood. Or I will put my dogs at a sit by my side while the other dog passes. I will also put myself between my two and the other dog as Beemer isn't always a fan. Beemer will always give a warning sound that he doesn't like the other dog. I listen to it and act accordingly (more separation, have him focus on me even more). We don't socialize on leash walks. That's not the point of leash walking for us. They get plenty of that at daycare and the dog park. I notice some dogs are better at speaking dog than others. My two are pretty good as I think it helps having each other and all the time they spent at daycare and the dog parks. Knowing the cues, I can keep at least my dog from escalating by changing what I'm doing when he or she tells me it's not okay. On the occasion that dogs run up to them when I have them on a leash, I will often drop my leashes while they are meeting so they have freedom to move about (this will happen on our way to the dog park entrance). 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Annabellam (Nov 3, 2015)

None of them was hurt but it was pretty intense watching them growl at each other. They were both on leash but i just decided to get a new one as the other was getting a bit slippery. Thank you for the useful advice, should always keep some distance.


----------

