Hi Ive been an avid reader of this forum for some time, but have never posted.

I just wanted to clarrify something regarding nuisance dogs when out walking and handler behaviour...

We have a lot of farm land around us which we have access to and walk our dog (he's a bordeaux see him here http://www.flickr.com/photos/barkleydogue). Occasionally you get other dog owners walking on this land. Our dog is still really a puppy at 12 months and is very well socialised with people and other dogs. I tend to let him off if no other dogs or people can be seen and there is a huge line of sight. If i see other people/dogs he goes straight back on lead. He always stays close to me.

A number of dogs recently have been aggressive towards him. This past saturday a collie which the owner refused to put back on lead charged him growling. I gave it a very loud and rough voiced "NO" which drove it away, then when i heard it approaching from behind a second time i turned around and gave it a "ARRRGGGH" and it fled (along with its owner). I have in the past given some of these less well trained dogs a swift kick which also drives them away..similair to the advice i have read from Ed.
The basis of most training and pack behaviour call for a Calm assertive attitude. This morning i read the news letter and Cindy discourages someone from shouting "No" at their dog who is growling at them.

My question is will driving nuiscance dogs away in a clam aggressive fashion have any impact on our dogs behaviour. he tends to just stand behind me with a grin on his face once the other dog has been chased off. What i dont want though is for him to get a serious attack which makes him dog aggressive. My partner is much smaller than me and there would be no way she could walk him if he got like that (hes already over 100lbs at 12 months).

Thanks for your time

Matt

Hi Matt and welcome. It sounds like what you are doing works well for you; from what you describe, your dog is clearly seeing you as pack leader. Can your girlfriend accomplish the same thing using the same method? As long as she can, I don't think there's any problem with yelling at a loose dog to get him to back off.

I don't think what Cindy was discussing in the newsletter (your own dog growling at you) applies in your circumstance.

Another thing you or your girlfriend may want to consider is carrying a walking stick. You can remain in better control vs having to kick an approaching dog...

ps your link doesn' work. I think this is it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barkleydogue

Beautiful dog!

Hi Lynne thanks for the reply. I think my link accidentally included a ")".

My girlfriend is my wife now..keep forgetting.

She uses the same technique too albeit minus the kicking. She also carries a can of compressed air which we have desensitized our dog to. The main problem is that we're in the UK and you have to be very careful about what "potential" weapons you carry. No pepper spray etc. Ive seen other uk people mention it on here before. I save the swift kick as a last resort : )

Its crazy but the law here generally favours the law breaker.

Sounds like you two are on the same page. Welcome again; nice to see more folks from the UK here...

Hi Matt, good to see another UK member joining up!

We've has similar problems with off-leash dogs in the countryside. You driving nuisance dogs away in a calm ASSERTIVE manner will have an affect on your dogs behaviour - a positive one!

Your dog will recognise that you (or the wife) drives away stray dogs, reinforcing your position as pack leader - which means they dont have to do it. Your dog will become comfortable that you can handle the situations, so it will feel less of a need to 'protect the pack'.

As for your wife not being able to walk a large dog - don't worry. We had exactly the same aituation with Teagan. Two things sorted it - better pack structure and a prong collar!
She can now walk a Doberman and Rottweiler on her own with ease.

Oh - and the expandable lightweight walking sticks from Blacks/Millets are rather handy too

Enjoy the forum - the people here are great and it's a goldmine of info.

Rob