I'm interested in some feedback/advice from anyone who lives in a neighborhood like mine! Some background- I live in a small urban neighborhood in the process of "coming back"; the majority of pet owners keep their animals fenced in the back yard. We do have a small population of strays, several of which roam together in a pack. We also have lots of stray cats. There are two dogs in my family-- one GSD and one GSD mix, both male, est. age just under two years. I've had them for about a month; I adopted them through a GSD rescue from which they were offered as a pair- all or none deal. They were raised together by a family. Unfortunately the family had to give them up because of a combination of medical problems and a divorce. On the positive side, they'd already had some training, they've always lived with their family (I picked them up directly from their house and got to meet them), and they have been well cared for.

I know I need to be taking them for regular walks. I've been able to walk them together a handfull of times, but honestly I never realized how scary it seems to walk a dog in my neighborhood!!! Not only do all of the dogs behind fences bark at you as you walk past, but occasionally we run in to one of the strays. Luckily I've never encountered the stray pack. They love going for walks- their previous owner's medical issues didn't allow for her to walk them for the last few months (previously they were walked on a regular basis from what I understand). When I take them out (both on prong collars) it takes ten minutes or so for them to settle down and then they're pretty happy to walk along and explore. When we pass a house with a barking dog, they get excited, but it passes when we're a house or two away. My problem is I'm the one who's afraid! Sometimes it's hard to tell whether or not these dogs will stay behind their fences... and I'm not just talking tiny dogs; a house down the street has a HUGE rott. Last Friday I took them out, and we passed a house with two pit bulls behind the fence, and another two chained to the front porch!! Needless to say we hurried past that one. I've taken to walking them as close to the street as I can to try and avoid instigating a lot of barking. Occasionally when they get really excited they'll take a snap at one another until I give them a healthy correction and keep them moving. I've read a few posts that suggest carrying pepper spray, but would that work against more than one dog (I guess it depends on how good of a shot I am, lol)? I'm working on picking a route with the fewest dogs or those who could care less that we're walking by. Until then, any suggestions on how to handle all of this? Right now the boys are loose in my fenced in back yard (around 50'x70') during the morning (7:30-noon), then I come home for lunch and put them inside until 6ish when I get home. When I'm home they're wherever I am (I'm learning not to step on dog tails & feet!), and in the afternoon they stay loose inside because I don't want them to a) bark at the school kids walking home and b) don't want the school kids to pester them! They get a moderate amount of exercise in the morning and from playing fetch, but I really want to walk them every day. Not only would I enjoy the walk but they have tons of energy and I know they need it more often than we go-- Like I said I've only had them for a month so we still have some settling in to do, but I want to make this part of their regular routine.

Thanks for any suggestions!

p.s. sorry so long!

I have been walking my boy since he was about nine weeks old. Of course they started very short but I wanted the noisy world to be routine to him. I think I have the same neighbors given your experiances.At first Elvis was leery and most attentive as we passed these yards with the monsters in them. Now he is nine months old and he is still attentive-of coarse he's a Doberman, but for the most part he ignores them as a threat.He trusts me as his pack leader to take care of him. If you have strays that may threaten your dogs I like Ed's advise. Carry mace or a big stick-get between your dogs and the the strays and protect yours. If someone calls the cops-tell them you where being threatened or attacked, this will always be a good defence. unfortunately a piece of crap dog with a Napolian complex kept trying to run up on us one night following us for a block and a half. Every time we turned the piece of crap ran away.Turn to go forward and it ran at us again. The moral of this story is that my three month old had a bad experiance, but not one that I believe he will forget for a while. He trusts me, and that I believe is key.

Well, for one thing you sound completely cool . Sounds like you have everything you need except a good, safe route!

Kudos, by the way, for adopting them. I'm sure it's not easy.

I am one of those that carry weapons no matter how nice or scary a neighborhood is. To me, mace isn't enough. I don't feel safe with just mace. I always carry a metal walking stick. If I had to walk past a house w/4 pits (2 of which are chained) I'd be carrying a very, very strong metal walking stick. I also carry a knife in case I get attacked by some unleashed mongrel and, of course, the mace.

I don't know where you live but there are people on this board who can legally carry a stun baton. Google it and you'll find a good description and where they are legal.

I'm wondering out loud if, for the immediate future, you walk each dog by itself?? Don't know if this is feasible or not but maybe until you find your best route, it might be easier to handle one dog at a time, especially if you've never done it before. I think it's an acquired skill under the best of circumstances. Given the stress that you must endure on your walks due to the loose strays and such, I'd say it might be easier to walk one at a time.

Anyway, good luck to you! It sounds like those 2 dogs are in the right home .

Carolyn, welcome to the club! I too, live in a neighborhood full of dogs. Seems like every damn house in this neighborhood as a dog or two! When my dog and I walk by houses, all we hear are vicious barks and growls. I walk my dog twice, daily, and when you walk your dog that often, it's only a matter of when you'll have to ward off an aggressive dog.

So far this year, I've had encounters with 7 off-leash/stray dogs. Out of those 7 dogs, 3 were aggressive. Stand your ground with aggressive dogs, and be prepared to empty out your mace. In a neighborhood such as yours and mine, you HAVE to at least carry mace, and buy a good one (10% formula). Fox Labs, First Defense and Sabre are good brands. If you're concerned about accuracy, get yourself a mace with a cone spray pattern (label will indicate type of spray pattern. However, if its windy, a cone spray pattern will put you at a disadvantage. Stream pattern is another option (spray pattern similar to a squirt gun).

As you walk, do not pay attention to all the barks and growls. Walk as if you're on a mission to get somewhere, keep moving. I know the feeling though...you think that the barking dog might force its way out of the fence to get you, and your dogs.

If you do bump into this stray pack that you described, you're in deep trouble. This is where a pepper spray with a cone spray pattern will come in handy. You want to practice the whole movement of taking out your can of mace at least once/twice a week, for just a minute or two. ALWAYS carry it on the same spot. If you don't practice, you'll totally forget about the mace when a bad situation arises, and you're going to remember about the mace when it will be already too late.

Personally, I carry a can of pepper spray for smaller dogs, and a compact stun gun for big dogs. Ed says that cattle prods work pretty well. I know that if I carry a cattle prod around town, cops will be stopping me constantly, asking what the hell I'm doing with a cattle prod.

When you encounter a stray dog, whether friendly or aggressive, stand between your dog and the stray and yell at it. If it doesn't leave, make one quick, forward step/stomp towards the stray as you verbally tell it to leave. Most passive dogs will just leave, some will continue barking but will back off at a significant distance from you. The more aggressive dogs will not leave, and will attempt to circle around you. DO NOT expose your back to these dogs! Once you've attempted all of the above, and the stray won't leave, it's time to get down to business.

Also, another thing I do is avoid houses that have dogs on their porch/yard. If these dogs spot you, and happen to be off-leash, you better be ready to kick some butt. Since you're on their "territory", they'll attempt to ward you off, and almost all of them will charge at you. Some will simply viciously bark/growl at you, and others will bite. As soon as you start walking away from that particular house, they'll stop following, and will stay within their territory, and won't go passed the sidewalk. I have encountered off-leash dogs from across the street that are kept in porches/front lawn. Most of these dogs will bark at you from the porch or their side of the sidewalk, but won't cross the street to get to you. If they do cross the street and attempt to get to you, scare it off, and if it doesn't leave, kick its butt.

Another thing, if the owner calls the cops because you kicked his/her dog's butt, tell the cops you did it because you really scared for your personal safety (not your dogs) and thought the dog was going to bite you. Phew.....my 2 cents!

Hi Carolyn!

One of the very best things you can do for these dogs (and you) while on walks through your neighborhood is to figure out a way to BE CALM and confident. Your nervousness and fear WILl travel travel to your dogs and as a result you will be more likely to have this:

 Quote: Carolyn Pike

When we pass a house with a barking dog, they get excited

and this:

 Quote: Carolyn Pike

when they get really excited they'll take a snap at one another

Believe it or not, when you're amped up...you're giving them a cue as to how to act. And you can't really blame them since you're feeling the same level of excitement.

You really need to project the confidence that a good pack leader does at all times, but especially when you have new dogs in your house. How you act on these walks, and when confronted with new or difficult situations, will speak volumes to your dogs about YOU.

It is true that each dog is different, but it's also true that the owner plays a huge role in how their dogs behave.

In my opinon, you need to have confidence in your dogs and they need to have confidence in you. Since these dogs are new to you, I would suggest that you skip the walks in such an unpredictable area. It's hard to focus on your dogs if you're constantly looking over your shoulder. Even if you carry something that may protect you, you're still going to be dividing your attention between your dogs and potential threats.

I would drive to a better area, and start your walks there. Once you have them walking as you like, and once you know each dog a little better, then you can consider taking them out into your neighborhood.

Until that time, my suggestion would be for you to take walks around your neighborhood, alone, without any dogs. That way you can get a better feel for what the dogs in the area are like. You'll be able to more closely examine how big of a threat they really are (how secure their fences are, etc.) Bring whatever you need to feel confident that you can protect yourself, even if it's a crowbar! Once YOU feel confident then you can more reasonable determine if that's a good place to bring your dogs. The unknown is always scary and maybe you'll feel better once you're more familiar with the things you'll encounter on walks.

Also, I agree with Judy that it's not a bad idea to take the dogs seperately sometimes. I think you'll be able to get to know your dogs better that way. Often times dogs act very differently flying solo than they would when they're together.

Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. There is nothing wrong with taking a drive to get to a new place to walk. I do it all the time!

Good luck to you, and welcome to the forum!

This link to another thread offers an excellent discussion on dealing with stray and potentially dangerous dogs.....

http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/128883/page/0/fpart/1

Hi Carolyn,

I have the pleasure of living in an urban area with some bad dogs off leash and in their yards too. Over the years of being a dog owner I have learned what areas to be weary of. I know some person lets a chow go off leash without supervision about a block from me so I am very careful/alert when I go near that block or turn that corner. I know where an old couple keeps their little nasty dogs off leash under a bench in front of their home. My neighbors to the back have two wild dogs that could possibly scale the fence if they tried hard enough. And recently while walking home with a metal cart and a 35 lb. bag of dog kibble I had the pleasure of meeting a rot that wanted to attack me or my cart and it's mutt friend. Someone approached me as I was throwing sample bags of dog food for the dog to get it away from me since they knew them. What I'm trying to get at is just try to know your neighborhood so you can avoid as many bad situations as possible.

With dogs barking at my gsd I just keep her moving along and ignore them, with strays or off leash dogs I stop and put her in a sit till they pass or get under control by their owners. I know to totally avoid where the rot lives because they get out of their yard and wander into other peoples yards and the wooden fence is falling apart. I will be buying mace soon for both my protection and my dogs. Living in a city with I believe the highest murders to date this year (108) you can never be too careful.

Kimberly

Amber made a good point. Drive elsewhere for walks. In fact, I got so tired of random encounters with stray neighborhood dogs, that this is what I've been doing lately. Another thing to point out is that walking two dogs in such an area would prove difficult.

I also agree w/Amber. I would just drive to the nearest park or trail and take your dogs for a long walk. I like the idea of walking them together since that builds a team mentality, but I would also walk them separately in your neighborhood, AFTER you take a few walks on your own and learn the route and surroundings.

Thanks for the responses everyone! I thought perhaps I was causing as much trouble by being afraid as the other dogs were by barking at us. I admit it's very intimidating to me. I'll try taking them to a neighborhood closeby that has a different makeup for a while. I see other people walking their dogs in my neighborhood, if they can do it surely I can figure it out, lol. For three years I lived in a tiny apartment right in the middle of downtown. I got used to carrying pepper spray everywhere, especially walking to and from work. I guess I didn't think I'd need it once I moved out! I have walked them separately; at first I was afraid they might yank me off my feet if given the opportunity. I had my boyfriend walk with me a couple of times for backup until I was sure I could hold them. When I take them out together they seem to settle better; when alone they're either anxious to get back to the other or antsy because they got left behind! I realize this is something that needs to be ironed out though. They can't ALWAYS be together. Anyway- thanks again for all of the advice! I'll give it a shot tonight.