I have a 5 month old mountain feist that weighs probably a bit less than 15 lbs and had a close call today while walking him.

Long story short - I was in the park with my dog on a long line letting him sniff for critters in the field. A much larger dog starts coming towards us. I'm guessing 60-70#, some sort of mutt. His owner was chasing him trying to call him back. The dog continued to trot towards us and didn't make a sound. The hair along his spine was up. Dog's owner says, "Be careful; he's mean." I put my dog into a sit and he holds the sit pretty well until the other dog is about 10' away and I step between the two dogs. Now my dog is up and trying to get at the other dog to say "hello." I tell the strange dog to beat it while holding my dog back behind me with the leash. The other dog is not backing away, and is trying to get around me, so I kicked it in the chest pretty firmly. This seemed like it just excited him more so I figured kicking it was a bad idea and I picked my dog up out of reach. Strange dog starts circling me as I continue to tell him to get lost and block him with my foot/leg from getting too close to me. Finally the owner waddles up and the dog runs away from her so she can't leash him.

Anyways, as a rule, I don't let my dog interact with other dogs. The problem is that he's very friendly and wants to go up to other dogs and most strangers. Lately I have been taking him on daily walks to the park and correcting him for pulling after strange dogs, as well as marking/food rewarding when he turns away from the strange dogs. He's been making progress and pulls much less than he used to and can even ignore many dogs that he wouldn't have a few weeks ago.

I still have problems with my dog whenever a dog that is off leash approaches us. I can think of 6 instances where strange dogs either came up to us because the owners didn't have control over them, or the owner thought it would be a good idea to let their dog sniff mine and allowed their dog to come near us. This usually results in me standing between the dogs and holding mine back behind me as he pulls and tugs on the leash to get to the other dog. Any ideas on how to train him quickly on this? Until today I thought of it as a nuisance that we can work with over time, but as I was leaving he park today I over heard the owner of the strange dog telling her friend, "Did you see him go up to that little dog? He would have killed that thing!"

I'll be carrying pepper spray and a 4' dowel from now on, but don't relish the idea of confronting an aggressive dog while simultaneously holding my dog back to prevent him from "greeting" him.

I'd like to hear any suggestions on how to prepare for these incidents in the future.

I have known a few people use cattle prods on stray dogs. I have never used one on a dog. sounds like you might need a real way to keep your dog and yourself safe. Do you not have another place to take your dog?

I don't know what I would do if a dog was running up to me and the owner said be careful he's mean! I take it you did not say anything to the owner after you overheard her comment on your way out!

 Quote: Dillon Bowman

I don't know what I would do if a dog was running up to me and the owner said be careful he's mean! I take it you did not say anything to the owner after you overheard her comment on your way out!

I've found that drawing my handgun and saying "So am I" gets the point across to irresponsible pet owners that let their dangerous animals run free.

I'm glad you can do that where you live but around here I don't think I could do that without someone calling the police.

 Quote: Dillon Bowman

I'm glad you can do that where you live but around here I don't think I could do that without someone calling the police.

Ahhh, that's why I chose to live in a State that allows its citizens to protect themselves.

I can carry a firearm and I can use it to protect myself. At the end of the day it would be more harm then good around here. Like I said I'm sure someone if not everyone that was around would call the police and I do not feel like dealing with that mess

I can here but same thing w/ the police BUT if I was carrying a handgun the day when that huge ABD/pit cross (whatever it was) attacked...I would have used it. There is nothing wrong with self defense yet its illegal in many places.

I have had to kick several dogs to keep them away from mine, only 2 owners got pissed but I don't care because one of them got the point, the other's dogs both disappeared and I'm guessing they were run over, he has a new dog (now leashed). And really, by doing that you could get bit so a stick would be better.

If my dog was small I would just pick him up...but some dogs will leap up and try and grab them. If they are fixated and have a lot of drive or aggression, they will. You have to read the dog.

Wouldn't it be great if people were just responsible? So much easier than having to kick, hit or shoot their dog if they just used a simple device called a leash or lead. They're inexpensive and easy to use but are best if paired with a sturdy collar that is properly adjusted. So easy, a caveman can do it.

It's too funny to hear all of the different takes different areas have on the possession and use of firearms, especially as it relates to animals.
In the parish that I live in, it is legal to possess and/or carry a handgun. Now you can have a concealed weapon in your vehicle (new legislation). You can purchase a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
HOWEVER (ROTFLMFAO), you cannot brandish or discharge same weapon without breaking the law. AND, if you shoot a dog, cat, or nutria, unless you are law enforcement (who get away with it all the time), you suffer heavier consequences (jail, public humiliation, etc,etc) than someone who shoots a person.

 Quote: Tresa Hendrix

So easy, a caveman can do it.

Guess I won't be seeing you at the pancake social!!