Olivia I think you are probably over-estimating Vader's inclination to bite people. He seems too smart and too intelligent to just bite someone out in public like that...especially since you have a child at home and he has learned to watch his strength.

As far as how to avoid people...I don't stop. I keep moving and I ignore the people.

I tell Roger "leave it" and I don't make any extended eye contact with them or anything. You are probably inviting a bit of this by over-eyeing people and making sure they know it's not OK.

If he ignores people, he's doing what he needs to be doing...good service dogs are aloof, not aggressive and mouthy, amirite?

Olivia, something tells me you are still being very nice, and it isn't working. I understand, because I have a very, very hard time being rude to people on the street who want to see Falcon.

Practice at home so that it comes more easily in public. Get louder, but don't yell. Hold up your other hand in front of you as they start approaching and say "NO - STOP RIGHT THERE". NO explanations needed.

Get mean, girlfriend!

We are ultimately the ones responsible for any situation our dogs find themselves in.

We’re the ones with their leash in our hand, we make the rules and our intentions need to be clear. There’s a lot to what Randy said. Just saying “NO” with a firm tone can be a tough thing for some folks. Call it bringing out that inner bitch or just plain assertiveness, but in order to be fair to your pup and the public in general, we need to take on that responsibility – not expect a vest to do it for us.

Many people can’t or don’t read. A bright vest can be an attraction, like a cute little outfit. I use bright streamers to ensure hunters DO see my dogs and take a second look before shooting.

And I think we really need to watch our wording too. I often hear … I took my dog there to “socialize” him. This means something very different to 90% of the public than it does to you or me. Most people equate it to petting and interaction. I associate it to distraction and desensitization with an attentive dog in social situations being an outcome. I never use this word in public. If I must engage a person, I’m very clear that my dog is being desensitized to people distractions. You get the strangest looks but they walk away.

If I were to walk my dogs through a prison or a pack of wolves, I would have a plan in place for their protection. If I wasn’t able to come up with something suitable or didn’t feel confident in my ability to ensure the safety of all involved, I wouldn’t do it.

When I was having problems with strange dogs running at us from nowhere, I taught my dog a "get behind" command that essentially means get behind me and sit quietly while I deal with this.

I've found that it works quite well when approached by off-leash, out of control people as well as dogs. Even so, it is a rare day when someone approaches after I've told them not to. I suspect I'm much scarier than my dog.

Own your space bubble

 Quote: randy allen

J_u_s_t s_a_y NO.

No chit-chat, no t-shirt, no discussion, no explanation.

"Sorry, in training" is my no-eye-contact comment as I keep on walking.

And yes, if I am briefly trapped (maybe a doorway?), I will stand in front of the dogs. But my M.O. is to walk away and NOT to discuss, explain, debate, or even stick around.

Aside from everything else, a debate will end in the other human either disgusted or angry (otherwise why were they ignoring your wishes) and I will ALWAYS avoid triggering anger towards my dog.

Just say no. And walk away. Even a mechanical smile to be polite as you walk away is ok! See, here's one:


PS
I'm thinking about a bumper sticker on my butt, though: "Watch out. My other dog is a Pug."

Edited by Connie Sutherland (01/02/2011 11:11 AM)
Edit reason: ps

I have learned to be really unfriendly without being overtly rude while out with my dogs. We usually just keep walking and don't even acknowledge the other people we see.

If I see someone headed our way, especially being dragged my a large out of control dog, I have learned to step in front of Loki and in my least emotional but big girl voice say "Stop! he WILL bite your dog."

I also get a fair amount of attention with Faroh, because I live in such a small town, and he's a dark sable. Most people have never seen a GSD his colour, and sometimes at the park I look up from training to see we have an audience (which only makes his focus that much more impressive!). Anyhow, when obnoxious people do that - "I'm walking towards your dog to pet him without even acknowledging you" thing, I do 2 things.
First, it's good training, because Faroh still jumps up a lot on strangers, so it's a perfect set up. So, I make it seem like I'm cranking on his leash a lot harder than I am, and tell him leave it (instantly making the person feel bad for approaching). But, even if your dog knows to 'leave it', you can still act a bit tough. Just give a great reward after the show! I find that it i a much more effective tactic than the "my dog might injure you" bit, because let's face it, people think they are either invincible, or the dog whisperer.
Second, I tell them "Sorry, he's a working dog in training", and break eye contact, tell Faroh to "fuss" and walk away.
People seem to be satisfied with my answer, put off, and confused at the same time, because I'm usually wearing scrubs (on my lunch), which I bet leaves them wondering what kind of working dog he's in training to be!
I've had a couple people give me dirty looks, but whatever. NOT THEIR DOG.

Here's why I never say "He will bite." I never want to have publicly declared that I am knowingly exposing the public to a "known" biter. And again, I never want to trigger anger toward my dog. I'd way rather take Phaedra's route, I think.

"He's dog reactive" sounds doable too, as long as I am NOT stopping to discuss/debate and DO keep right on moving.

Good Point Connie.

I used to say he is afraid of other dogs, but then they would try to tell me how sweet their dog is and how he couldn't possibly be afraid.

I like dog reactive, it is both ambiguous and true.

I was kidding about the dog t-shirt..just thought it was funny.

Secondly, I highly doubt that Vader would bite anyone, but I wouldn't put it past him. He's an animal, he has a mind of his own, and he's not fond of strangers. I also don't want him knocking down some kid and getting sued when the kid gets hurt. We live in a sue happy society...I'm being sued right now over a car wreck that wasn't my fault so I'm experiencing this first hand. I am firm with people and once I say something, it's usally enough to make them back off. I guess I'm just tired of the constant parade of people coming up when I'm in the middle of trying to train him. I've tried to go to less populated areas, but they are overun with stray dogs which brings on a whole new set of issues. I guess it's the lack of respect for me and my dog that is bothering me the most.