I recently went through almost being attacked with my boy. I tried everything from clapping, shouting go away, and to literally picking up my almost 50lb boy (my arms are sore now) And nothing worked. Thank god we made it out ok, N I made my order yesterday for pepper spray and I'm thinking about ordering a stun gun. I live in a neighborhood where pit bulls and rotties are off leash all the time

__________________

This was my previous one, and it wasn't very powerful-powered by a 9 volt battery. The Zap light is much more powerful. It basically just startled him and got him out of the red zone enough so he focused on me. Since I'd befriended him earlier in his wanderings by giving him treats he liked me so I was able divert his attention away from my neighbor and her dog. I doubt this would have worked out so well with an unfamiliar dog, though it would have startled the dog. The noise was a good deterrent though on a few occasions. I tried it myself and it wasn't too bad. That's why I didn't think it would work well against a more aggressive breed of dog.

__________________


Meet Yogi! http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...tion-yogi.html

....and yet if your dog managed to escape your yard and was shot by your neighbor you would deride him as a psychopath kiilling innocent animals. I would not do to another animal which I would not see done to my own.

I had to respond to this post because, I, too, would like to know what to do.

Last Friday I was walking Renny, on leash, towards home on the sidewalk on one side of the street. I see a young woman with a Rottie mix (on the smaller side, but strong) on the other side of the street.

Renny lets out one of his "I see you!" barks, and immediately the Rottie mix gets SUPER excited AND aggressive. He pulled the leash out of the girl's hand and makes a beeline to Renny. This all happened within 2 seconds.

The 2 of them started fighting, then the Rottie mix got a hold of Renny's ear. Renny was literally screaming. It was awful. The girl was finally able to open her dog's mouth while I pulled up on his choke collar. I had let go of Renny's leash, and he was able to walk away.

I had never had Renny off leash on the street before (have only had him a couple of months), so was concerned that he'd run. Thank god he didn't. He just stood there watching me and the girl get a handle on her dog.

The girl was in a bit of shock, and I was certainly shaken, but I managed to explain to her to wrap her dogs leash around her hand, because she just wasn't getting a firm hold of him.

Then, while she was about 10 feet away, and getting her wits about her, I told her to call my trainer and get lessons in how to train her dog.

I also took her name & number. She volunteered to pay for any vet bills.

I didn't see any blood on Renny, but I rushed him to the vet anyway. Luckily only a couple of scrapes on his ear skin, and he was running a slight fever. Vet gave him a week's worth of antibiotic & anti-inflammatory. And, I'm adding turmeric to his food.

Anyway, I called the girl back. She was in tears. Again volunteered to pay the vet bill, but I declined saying the best way to thank me is to please call the trainer. And, she said she did! Oh, she also "explained" that they had rescued him back in June.

She said her boyfriend jogs with the dog every day. When she said that I realized I've seen her BF jogging with the dog, and the dog has always seemed fine.

I also explained to her to please stop feeling guilty and sorry for the dog being a rescue. Yes, this fight happened, but let it go, get yourself a trainer and work with your dog to make sure this doesn't happen again.
Meanwhile, I'm calling my trainer and asking him what I should do when I see a dog charging towards me and Renny. I know I froze. It all just happened so fast!

I'm also wondering if using a Zaplight on an attacking dog, if the charge goes thru the dog and is felt by your own dog. Does anyone know??

ETA: I just googled "what to do when a dog attacks your dog", and found this: "You want to grab things that are as far away from the toothy ends as possible, so you don't get bit (by the dog you're grabbing or the other dog). The conventional wisdom among the dog crowd is to grab one or more back legs or the base of the tail, and lift up and back."

__________________
Wendy

Now the proud Mom of Renny, gotcha-day 10/19/2012.



My beautiful Lacey, always loved, never forgotten.
- Gotcha Day April 28, 2008 at @3 years old
- Crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, at the age of @8 years old, on Sunday, August 5, 2012

I've got to stop responding to these threads as I ended up using my Zap Light (discharged in the air) to scare off a loose German Shepherd mix who surprised us early yesterday morning on a walk. I was so angry and got my inner masculine anger voice up to scream at it at the top of my lungs and discharge the zapper. It ran across the street, came back and I did it again. We finally got enough distance to get out of his/her territory. I hope I woke his/her owners up because I suspect the dog got out of a fence or something. Scary, but we are fine.

__________________


Meet Yogi! http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...tion-yogi.html

Since I don't live in the city the rules are different.

If my dog escaped my property, it would more than likely be shot. There is very little tolerance for domestic animals running at large creating a nuisance.

__________________
"You own what you condone." ~ Mike Lardy

I cannot imagine shooting a Golden without getting angry. I know cultures are different (I've seen packs of dogs in the town I was born in that had to be culled for safety). I have no issue killing aggressive animals as a last resort and would go to war with any animal should it try to hurt my two.

Fortunately for me, I live in a very civilized place where the vast majority of people leash their dogs where they're supposed to, and the vast majority who walk the legal places where dogs can be off leash have friendly dogs. So, I don't carry a gun, a stick, a stun gun (and that is no slur on anyone who feels they need to, as I would, too) or any other deterrent. My angel Cody got attacked on open space (legal off leash as long as they're under voice and sight control) by a pitbull he had known and walked with for FOUR YEARS! She came barreling across a field about 1/4 mile while we were playing fetch. I knew as soon as I saw her that she wasn't running over to steal the ball from Cody. She latched on to his neck and wouldn't let go. She meant to kill him. Her idiot owner was strolling over the 1/4 mile like she was on her way to a tea party, so I picked up the dog's hind legs and tried to get her off that way. Having no luck and listening to Cody screaming, I hauled my right foot back and kicked that dog to shatter a kidney. THEN, her idiot owner starts running, screaming at me not to hurt her dog. I cannot repeat what I told her on a public forum, but the general gist was that if I ever saw her anywhere without a muzzle on that dog, animal control would be euthanizing the dog. I didn't even wait to get her information to send the vet bills, just rushed him to my vet. Fortunately, because he had a nice thick coat on his throat, no real damage except a puncture wound requiring antibiotics and cleaning. I still won't carry a loose dog deterrent, but I sure as heck wouldn't hesitate to clock a dog with my foot where it would do the most damage if I thought Finn was going to be injured by a loose dog.

__________________
Golden retrievers think life is a party thrown especially for them

Wow, what a horrible nightmare! So glad Finn was okay. You kept your wits and handled the situation without panicking. I always hope that I will be able to handle an unexpected situation in the same way.
Part of what I gain from reading the experiences of other people on this forum !!!

I love Colorado. Boulder, Fort Collins both seem to be nice dog-friendly places to live.

__________________
..... have a Golden day