Arrgh, I know! Over the local playing fields is a woman with 2 crossbreeds & 2 newfoundlands. I don't walk the grumpy one there just the pup. On first meeting them the woman approached with newfoundlands saying to them in a baby voice 'ahh say hello to the baby, be gentle' i.e my tiny pup! As I want him to be ok with other dogs I let this happen- twice. The 2nd time the same thing happened, but the female Newfoundland really growled at the pup. The woman tried to tell me she was only playing! There was nothing about this dog's growl or body language that was playful, & the womans baby voice I think was her way of masking her uncertainty of how her dogs were going to react . Why do people do it? I am constantly shocked at the number of dogs you see that owners cannot recall or even grab! The well trained dog seems to be a rare thing, especially in my neck of the woods.

By far the most effective i have ever found is the stick & a very nasty tone to the voice telling the other dog/ s to clear off in no uncertain terms. A spare lead used in a swinging motion can be a deterrant. I most always take a walking stick.

Fortunately ours always look bemused when on
Lead & approached by other loose dogs

Yes, I agree. It wouldn't stop mine jumping on other dogs (which is one of the things he did) & I think he'd feel the need to defend himself even more so.

I have a spare lead for swinging . I've never said anything to the off lead dog as I thought it might wind up the grumpy one & make him think he needs to get involved?

Lucky you , I wish mine was like that, it's no fun walking a dog on a lead

So, you switch leads? Can you not just shorten the grip on the lead to make the long lead short? Or is that what you were trying to say anyway and it's just that I've ran out of coffee this morning?

I think it depends on the level of agression, the amount of control you have over it and the situation you are in. Some walks I go in i never meet other walkers, some I always do and some only sometimes.

IMO the muzzle prevents success in biting and can, for some dogs, like Lady, demonstrate that agression will be not will result in success.

When Lady first showed da a couple of years ago (following her being attacked by another dog - one of the numpty owners we're talking about who insists on allowing his da dog to be always off lead) I used a muzzle whe she was off lead. I was in a field on my own with her about 6am and an out of control spaniel bolted over to her from 100 yards away and jumped on her. Had she not been wearing the muzzle I have no doubt the spaniel would have ended up in the vet. Whilst I would have not been in the wrong because Lady was under control and the spaniel was not, I already knew how lady could react, so the muzzle is about taking responsibility. After that day, however, I was able to gain much better control of lady around other dogs and she has improved more than I could have ever imagined. I guess she realised that there were other options for her. Must also say that the muzzle was recommended by an APBT (is that the right acronym?) that I consulted with; so it may just have been unique to my situation. Sounds like it may be a moot point anyway as I had thought the OP had their dog off lead and they did not.

Amen to that. I fully sympathise with the original poster on this thread as I've had an 'incident' with one such dog this morning.

Huge lanky great thing - to say it was 'over boisterous' would be putting it VERY mildly indeed. I was sitting on a low wall while Bella mooched about with 2 of her pals when it BOUNDED over and, well, basically went bananas! Bella squealed and ran to sit behind my legs (owner was a good 50 yards away and shouting nonsense like 'he won't hurt you') when she got close enough it was pretty obvious she had no control over it at all. Although it didn't actually run away from her she couldn't get it to stay still long enough to put the lead on it. I stood up and was going to carry Bella away before it stamped down on her, when it switched round lightning fast and its bony hip connected HARD and LOUD with my kneecap from the side. OUCH!

I am now sat here with Brufen Gel rubbed into it and an elastic knee support and just hoping it goes down by Thurs when I fly out to the UK.

I want one of these hiking sticks! Although it is hard to describe it properly but this dog was behaving so maniacally that it would have been difficult to connect with it with anything. It was like a whirling dervish if you know what I mean - all over the place but all the same small space?

There is a waterway bordered by the wall and a field with high thorny edges the other side of this, maybe 10 ft wide path.

By the time she managed to grab him and drag him off muttering how she was sorry he hurt my knee and whatever - we other two dog owners were just sort of stood there in a daze! In fact the other owner, who is an experienced long time dog owner (his two were there - and his male dog does get a bit DA towards other male dogs at times if he is with all the girls) didn't say a word throughout - when she'd gone he looked at me and and just raised his arms in a famous Cypriot 'shrug'.

I've just been out again for a short walk with Bella and my knee is hurting like hell. Dagnammit.

No - dogs don't have to bite to injure people or even other smaller or more timid dogs. And it was quite obvious to me anyway that this dog was not aggressive or dangerous or going to savage us or our dogs. But I've honestly never seen such an overexcited, out of control dog before.

Coco doesn't like other dogs rushing up to him, so completely sympathise. Its really annoying when all the work i've been doing to get Coco to walk past other dogs in the street (both on lead) is undermined by people who just let their dogs rush up, when i would think it'd pretty clear I don't want them to - clues like me telling Coco to 'leave it' in a firm voice, and telling the other dog to go away.

A friend gave me a tip for times when other owners just won't listen; she apparently used it with a silly owner whose terrier kept rushing up to her GSD who was DA. After asking the other owner if they could put their dog on the lead/ make them go away several times, and getting variations of the usual 'oh my dog's just being friendly', she said 'have you got a carrier bag on you?', to which the other owner said 'no, why?'. Response was 'well if you don't move your dog away, you're going to need a carrier bag to pick up the pieces of your dog when my DA dog has had a go at him'

Not the nicest way of getting the point across, but in the end was the only way to get the other owner to listen!

I walk them on extended leads, so they get reeled in when other dogs are about.

Ha ha, carrier bag- that's a good one. They guy yesterday said if his dog got a telling off so be it, to which I replied it would get a lot more than a telling off!

I just want to reply to the owners who say 'he's friendly/only a puppy/wants to play' Don't try & read my mind, just do as I ask you & keep your flippin dogs away from mine

its interesting to see people get there leashes out when the y see my dogs,im ok with that.!people will snach up there children.go to the other side of the road.the owners of loose ones,are thank full my dogs are ok,confident.it makes for good conversation ,about leash issues.my dogs help educate the human!!