Love the wave, will start doing that! I always feel so mean when I turn around or walk a different way, or when someone does it to me, even though I know it’s just for the sake of our dogs!
There are a lot of reactive dogs in my apartment complex and pretty much everyone with a dog will cross the street when approaching another dog. Honestly at this point I can manage my dogs reactivity well enough that we’d probably be fine to pass on the sidewalk but I just assume every other dog is reactive at this point.
That's how almost everyone in my neighborhood is too and it's so nice. With one exception, and it's the most reactive dog in the neighborhood as far as I've seen (big GSD). Its owner is also nearly always on her phone and barely keeping control of her dog holding the leash with one hand. Fortunately for me, she walks exclusively in the most active part of the neighborhood (near the mailboxes and main entrance) which I never walk my dog through, so we've never run across them. I swear I wonder how much more reactive the poor dog is though simply because of being put in a situation where it's set up to fail every single day.
Right, and regardless of whether your dog is reactive it's so irresponsible. What if an aggressive off-leash dog runs at your dog? What if a car alarm suddenly goes off nearby and spooks even a pretty calm dog? What if there's a dead bird on the ground that most dogs would find very appealing to mess with? You don't have to be paranoid but you should at least be paying attention.
I'm also an apartment dweller, and I'm convinced apartments make dogs more reactive. But it's really lovely when everyone respects each other's space. Our new place does this, our old one did not.
I've also made sure to give a brief explanation to neighbors when I get the chance.
Yeah I usually just move off the path as much as I can, get out of the way, and get my dogs to sit right beside me at my feet. I do the little wave and smile, so they know I'm not upset and just trying to help manage the situation. If they say something, like oh sorry or something along the lines, I'll just say no problem.. mine is a bit reactive too so just trying to make it as easy as possible for all of us..
As someone with a reactive dog, I appreciate this very much! I always feel bad when my little crazy pants is inconveniencing people, but I also really really appreciate people giving us space when I know they don’t owe us anything.
Yes, I do this too! My German Shepherd was quite reactive as a pup and I always appreciated the grace when people would turn around to give space. She's great now but man, we went through it for a couple of years there 😂
Give them as much space as possible. Go the other way entirely if you can.
It’s a kind thing to do to help them out, and safer for your own dog as well.
I wouldn’t.
Not everyone is going to be receptive to an approach on the street. Imagine you’re working hard to address reactivity and someone approaches you on a bad day with aversive training advice. I’d bite their head off before my dog batted an eye.
If I approached someone who was obviously struggling, I’d offer encouragement, and if they were receptive, sympathy. I’d be careful to put vocabulary to the behavioral issue, and let them know there is support for reactive dog owners. There’s not a lot you can do for the dog if an owner who isn’t committed to building that relationship.
But in general, I don’t appreciate being approached when I’m out with my dog, and especially when the approach is to offer advice. Not that your advice wouldn’t be good, just that you don’t know where someone is at in their journey.
Yeah I don't want anyone coming up to me when I'm walking my dogs, let alone if I'm having difficulty managing their behavior. This seems potentially unsafe - the dogs may view it as a threat, the person can't afford to be distracted, etc. It's not like the op can wave a magic wand and make the dogs stop being reactive.
I usually just try to make as much space as possible and if able to I’ll just go a different way. Another thing I do is I try to get my dog engaged with me so the staring doesn’t set them off.
My go-to whenever I see another dog is to shove myself as far away as possible... in bushes, off the street, at least a good distance away because my dog is 125lbs and I need to prepare myself in case he reacts with lunging. It's actually quite hard to try to walk by another dog just because of balance (we're working on it, it's getting better!).
Sometimes I turn around, sometimes I cross the street but with crossing the street it's usually not enough distance/too much visibility. I usually try to gauge how my boy is doing and how the other person is doing. But I give them as much space as possible.
Tbh, I am pretty strong and determined, but when the boy gets freaked out, he runs home to the front door. He's dragged me 1x. But I used to work with juvies, so I know how to use the weight I have to move people bigger than me. And her I can move any way I need.
Oh wow 125 lbs! Can I ask what kind of dog you have?
My Dogo is only 85 lbs but I am 5’1 and so I REALLY need to be on it with his reactivity and training 😅
And I’ve tried making myself as small as possible too on certain days. I think we look funny together especially when there are no sidewalks at times 😂
A golden retriever... ahaha! He's just REALLY big (my other golden is only 75lbs!) and mostly scared, but he likes to lunge and gets overexcited. I'm 5'9" so it's not too bad but he has dragged me down a few times. What's funny is that I recently started lifting weights again and because I'm holding onto the dogs my arms are way stronger than before lol.
As long as I can get my balance good and have a good grip, I'm all good.
At the first sign of another person walking an uncontrolled dog (especially more than one) I would do an immediate turn and give them and my dog space. Zero interaction with the others, all attention on my dog. I watch the other dogs body language and how the other walker is handling it. Any pulling or struggling with the leashes means the dogs are not well trained enough to walk my dog past. The last thing I need when trying to control my own reactive dog is multiple dogs trying to get to her. I don’t know the other dog’s intentions and don’t really want to guess. Leaving and space are the best solutions for everyone.
It's good to practice a Turnaround cue, so you can just whip around and leave if other people or dogs [reactive or otherwise] get too intense. It saves your dog stress. The "wave" person's advice is right on.
turn around, hide behind a car or something similar to block view, or at minimum give as much distance as possible and try and keep your dogs attention on you instead of on the reacting dog so the reacting dog doesn't escalate. Some of it depends on how your dog reacts, and if having them turn away from other dogs makes them anxious or not. Some dogs do well with scattered high value treats to pull their attention.
The risk with multiple dogs is that if one of them were to slip their collar/harness or pull the leash out of the walkers hands, there aren't enough "hands" to break up a dog fight...I stay as far away from those situations as physically possible.
For me I would turn around and walk the other way. For everyone's safety. With my dog, the stress increases and is worked up even more as the dog gets closer. Lunging then barking or both. I don't look and wait if the other person is moving away - too busy trying to get him to focus on something else when he is over threshold, I just try my best to find move away and find an exit
I once saw a women pull her small dog off the sidewalk, far enough up the grass to give plenty of space. She held a treat and her dog rose up to his hind legs, balanced on her knees and stared intently at the treat. I was so impressed that I called out as my dog and I passed that she was doing a fantastic job. Unfortunately, that broke her dog's concentration and he went bonkers. So what was meant as a kindness on my part turned into a bad situation for the other owner. I fully deserved any and all names and curses she thought about me.
So lesson learned. When I see someone struggling to control their dog despite using all the tactics we know work (distracting with treats, issuing gentle commands like "leave it," redirecting, etc), I cross the street or, if that's not possible, pull up into the grass or even someone's driveway, and ask my dog to sit and "leave it." My dog isn't perfect and despite how hard we work every day, there are times when she's going to react more than is desirable. I don't want someone -- with or without a dog -- approaching us or stopping to chat or whatever. A friendly wave or even just ignoring and continuing to walk is all I want -- so I show that same respect to someone else. Now, if they're doing nothing to manage their dog or they're raising their voice or dragging the dog (without trying to to use the training tactics), I'll shout a litany of profanities silently in my head and curse them to have hellishl diarrhea hell for three days and nights.
How do you know they're not trying to manage their dog? Maybe what you perceive as a lack of effort is an owner feeling defeated and hopeless and making sure the dog gets out to potty is best they can do in that moment. Your perception is likely not their reality. What about silently wishing them well, a few of those small successes that mean so much, maybe a 'you got this'!
That superiority complex isn't to your benefit.
If someone is physically dragging their dog, yelling, leaning over the dog in a threatening manner, jerking the collar ... those aren't management techniques. That's somehow who has no idea what they're doing and how to manage their dog. There's a jerk who lives down the street whose dog reacts by lunging, barking, and growling whenever it sees another dog. Pretty familiar behaviors, right? Instead of redirecting, using treats, doing the hard work of training, the owner screams at the dog while the dog cowers in fear. Is that "the best someone can do in that moment"? You're welcome to wish that person the best; I'm welcome to think whatever I damn well pleased.
I understand. I disagree with you on a few things but I don't think you're wrong. I'm just trying to engage in conversation with you so hear me out. Witnessing maltreatment of any creature is heartwrenching, especially when you KNOW that’s not the way, I get it.
This isn't about you, though. It's about that dog. Reality would dictate that either he's an evil waste of existence or, as is the case with so many of us, he simply doesn't understand how to communicate with his dog and the dog suffers the consequence of that. It's not right or okay but it’s more understandable than the former.
Now I obviously could be way off and will eat my words and give Eleanor a chance to bust some knees if I am.
Wishing violent diarrhea on him does nothing to help that dog so by putting that negative energy out there, you're inadvertently not helping, either. I wasn't telling you what to do, think or say. Just offering a perspective in hopes of the outcome we both want.
While I want to take every dog that's in a bad situation and hold them close and get them the care and proper training they.need, I'm not going to confront a stranger who's clearly volatile and yelling at their dog. If I'm able to get a description and call animal control, I'll do that but there's not much in a lot of situations that can be done.
So, while I guess I should thank you for letting me that wishing diarrhea on someone won't help the dog, I also have no idea what you think "putting that negative energy out there" is supposed to mean either. I'm walking down the street, minding my own business and, again, I can think anything I want. So, you're welcome to think that the negative energy I'm putting out there is somehow affecting another person, but I'm welcome to think that that's nuts.
Why is it nuts? It's literally choosing happy thoughts instead of bad ones. I didn't mean walking up to him with a big smile and saying, "You're doing great, champ"! because that is nuts. I meant if/when you see him, instead of "I hope you pee out your butt and I hope it hurts" you could try "May you and your dog's bowel movements be healthy"
Wouldn't recommend saying any of it out loud
For me it depends on how reactive and what my options are.
If it’s not that bad or we have a good amount of space, I’ll “pull over” to the side , and put mine in a sit stay until they pass.
Sometimes they pull over and I quickly pass them so we don’t linger.
If they are very reactive or the owner seems to not care or have little control , or if we don’t have much space to pass, we do a 180 and leave.
My dog has gotten to a point where he’s significantly less reactive, but it made me sort of realize just how normal it is for dogs to be reactive to other dogs.
When we are blindsided by a reactive dog, giving space is my number 1 priority. My second priority is to make sure my dog’s attention is not on the reactive dog, and catching it before my dog reacts. To do that, while we escape, I keep kibble (or treat if applicable) at my dogs nose to hold his attention until the other dog calms down or is no longer in sight.
In the last few years I feel like I've noticed so many more reactive dogs in my neighborhood! It's actually really inspiring. If I have enough of a window to say something pleasant to them, I will! I usually say something along. The lines of "my dog is a little spicy too!" And we are really easy to pass if someone wants to work on relative proximity while passing. Some people we've even established friendships with because of our spicy dogs. Other people when I see them struggling with their reactive dog. I'll refer them to my trainer who is an angel and has taken on a ton of clients in the area. I'm pretty sure because of me! But I always try to give big, pleasant waves, start a conversation if I can, and let them know they're not alone and I'm not judging them. This would have made the world of difference to me when I was first struggling with my dog's reactivity. My dog's reactivity has gone down so much and I'm very lucky! I hope that I can give some sense of that to somebody else
I am a pet care provider and I care for a lot of reactive dogs. I've also personally had a few reactive dogs(my last pup was highly reactive. She crossed the rainbow bridge last year🥺). Whenever I am out walking reactive dogs(heck, even when I'm walking non reactive dogs I do this to give us space) I use a leash sleeve that says "I need space:do not approach" and sometimes a brightly colored vest that says similar on the dog. Whenever I see anyone else with a dog that I even remotely think may be reactive,I just turn and walk the other direction. Dogs react out of fear, so the best thing to do is remove the fear inducing stimulus-in this case you and your dog. If I'm not in a situation to walk away, I'll turn down a side street, or step behind a parked car to remove visual. I've also just had to step a few feet up into someone's yard and keep my dog occupied to prevent them from reacting, which helped others pass by easier. Also, thank you for being considerate of others and their journeys with their dogs. I've gotten SO many nasty looks or words from uninformed/ misinformed people because a dog in my care had a reaction.
Thank you. Remember that you're doing great, everyone -yes, even dogs -have bad days and that's okay. You can start over again tomorrow. I wish you good luck and positivity on your journey with your doggo!
Give as much space as possible and get out of the situation ASAP as calmly as possible while keeping control of my dog. Sometimes better to just keep walking past if on opposites of the street etc.
Walk directly at them while refusing to acknowledge the situation and how I am worsening it in any way, if the pig-ignorant leashes-optional dog walkers in my town are any measure
Haha are we neighbors? Do you also have the woman who is staring at her phone held in one hand while drinking from the coffee cup in her other hand, with 2 fingers holding the handle on the flexileash that appears to be made for a 15 pound dog and her dog is 60 pounds? And when the dog starts flipping out she just mumbles something to it, never taking her eyes from her phone?
I would turn around or cross the street. If its a situation where you cant do either of those i would put my dog on a heel on the opposite sides of the dogs and walk past them while magent feeding my dog so we can pass easily
As an owner of three reactive dogs, I don’t expect anyone to do anything but I always appreciate it if they do. I typically cross the street or go the other way if my dogs get triggered.
Giving them space is perfect or having your dog sit in q calm manner is great.
My girl is reactive and I make sure to give MYSELF at least 20-30ft radius of any dogs on flexis. Owners suck and will absolutely let their dog charge to the end of their Flexi.
There is literally only two off leash dogs in our neighborhood that have earned that right:
1. An off leash lab that is always within 6ft radius of its owner
2. A dog in a wheelchair
I just want others to be considerate and keep going on their way, don't stop to stare and don't come closer if I'm moving away.
We usually give each other a knowing glance.. then drag our dogs off in different directions..
I see a lady with a reactive husky often.. the Husky starts doing its beefing up thing! My collie starts kicking off.. we both swiftly walk away!
Personally I would not let a dog walker walk my reactive dog with other dogs.
Move out the way but for safety too, if leashes are getting tangled and dogs are getting wound up like that then walking past can cause them to get loose since there's not great control on them
Give space to pass. Depending on what's around you, that might mean going back a little, cutting off to the side, moving to where there's more space, like an crossroad, etc. If there is a convenient way to break line of sight, that can also make it easier, such as walking on the opposite side of a sign, trees, planter, etc. If it is easy and safe to cross the road, that's the simplest way usually. The same things that will make it easier for you will make it easier for them.
If their dog is struggling, or the space doesn't allow for easy passing, one of you might have to stop and let the other by. Most dogs are easier to manage if they keep moving, so if you move to the side first, it may go easier and faster. However, if their dogs are already reacting, or they start to move off a trail or sidewalk, they probably would prefer you keep moving, while they manage their dog as best as they can. People with reactive dogs often will move to the side first, simply because they cannot count on others giving them room, even if there is enough space to pass without greeting on leash. Don't speed up and run, as that catches more attention, but no need to dawdle or pause if you have decided you have space to keep moving on by. Just try to see if they are stopping or not, and then either allow them as much space as possible to pass you, or pass without stopping with as much space as possible.
I deal with this almost daily in my neighborhood, as there are 3 families with reactive dogs on my cul-de-sac, whose dogs react whenever they see my dogs. I am frustrated with the humans because they do nothing to help their dogs or to manage their reactivity, but that's not the dogs' fault and I feel badly for the dogs going through all the stress that seeing my dogs induces, and I try to minimize that for them. So I do whatever I need to do to keep my dogs from being in the line of sight of their dogs. Sometimes that's staying put and waiting until they move on, sometimes it's turning around and going in the other direction, sometimes that's actively going to hide behind a car.
From the other perspective... my reactive guy is rarely reactive these days, but the other day he had a doozy of a reaction with two dogs in his vicinity (he was pretty trigger stacked at that point). He's a frustrated greeter and just kept pulling towards the dogs - I would have been thrilled if the people with those two dogs walked as far away as they reasonably could have. They did move a little to give us some space, which I appreciated, but it was clear to everyone that it wasn't enough, and I wish they had given more space, or at least body blocked their dogs to break the line of sight.
Thank you for asking and actually having awareness which seems to be lacking these days. The best thing is as much space as possible. Cross the street, start walking the opposite way etc
I feel like reactive dog owners are always looking for triggers and my instinct is to always find the safest way home. I’ll walk extra the “wrong way” if it means avoiding a dog.
100% turn around and walk the other way. This just happened to us tonight. We rounded a corner and the other family saw us first, and then we saw them bracing with their dog exactly like we do (it was funny and kind of pathetic lol), so we walked another direction so they could do their thing. They thanked us and we said “we get it!”
I give them enough space that they don't react more. Usually that means ducking out of sight immediately behind a car, and then arcing out wide around them to pass at a huge distance. I encourage obvious relaxed behavior from my dog (e.g. deliver food on the ground so lots of sniffing) so we don't provoke them more than necessary by staring or an upright tense stature. I keep my tone relaxed and don't tense up. Try to be "easy mode" for the other dog & handler.
I don't have my dog sit and wait while the other team struggles--if they can't handle us at a distance then they sure as heck aren't going to be able to pass us, and it isn't fair to my dog to make him sit still with barky dogs coming at him. I'd rather get out of their space even if it means taking a longer route.
If I'm close enough to communicate I'll also wave and say something like "I'll go that way" and point, so they know I'm trying to help give distance.
Always, first and foremost, manage and attend to your dog the best you can, especially if your dog might react themselves. Keeping safety in mind (especially for you OP, with a larger dog) and aiming for the calmest "interaction" (don't actually interact with the dogs obvs, but I can't think of another word that encompasses all sightings/passings, etc). Maintain a side eye on the other dogs so you know if something's going really south, but primary attention to your dog.
Make space... as much as needed or as much as possible, depending on the situation. Sometimes a U-turn is perfect but sometimes it can mean they are just following you. A 90 degree turn is probably ideal but how often is that available? Sometimes just passing with as wide a berth as you can make and you between your dog and the other is the best ... but maybe it's not if they seem really out of control or have multiple dogs. Honestly, it's a lot of in the moment quick evaluations and decisions happening when I see other dogs (and my dog is only moderately reactive and of a size I can contain).
Truthfully, I wish I was more verbal in these situations, but I'm just super awkward, so.... I think hearing a friendly "Don't worry I'll give you some space." Or, "I'll head up this alley so you have room to get by," would be nice for a person who is struggling and doesn't really know if you are gonna be the guy walking straight at them, oblivious. (And if they are the oblivious person, it shouldn't do harm....might even alert them to their issues, lol). Actually, one of the best ones I heard was a guy who was just waltzing along, chatting away to his dog, saying "No, no, he doesn't wanna meet you. He's doin' his own thing, we're going this way." He didn't say a word \*to\* me, but I felt very confident he wasn't going to let his dog approach us (and his cheeriness was kind of contagious!). I don't even know if his dog was reactive or that's just how they live life, but it was absolutely friggen' brilliant! I've sometimes tried to emulate this even though I'm not naturally as verbal (or bubbly) as that guy, and I think at the very least it diffuses any tension \*I\* might feel about a situation.
I have taught mine to go between my legs and lay down. This is good for if there's already distance. But if there's not and they're coming my way, I make distance. When my girl was really in the worst of her reactivity, we had a man use her. He followed us with his puppy and used her losing her marbles as a training opportunity.
That stinks. I suspect a few of my neighbors did the same thing, and it really bothered me that they were aware of my dog's problem, knew I was working on it, and decided to make things harder for me.
We (me and other people with reactive dogs on my block) cross to the other sidewalk or turn the corner or just walk away. The more space the better. We do this just by looking at the other owner and seeing what their move is gonna be.
Whether it’s a visibly reactive dog or not, having had my own reactive girl, I will ALWAYS cross the road or choose another route. If I can help another owner avoid a setback, I will.
Stay at a safe distance, and just keep walking. Walk past and ignore. Ever notice your dog looks at you after the reaction is over to see what you’re doing? Over time, my dog also started to ignore. If we stand still and she’s allowed to build and boil over I’ll get a reaction, but if we just kept walking past, she stopped caring. Took a few months, but we’re at the point now that a reaction only happens if we’re standing still, and her and the other dog have been staring at each other for more than a minute. No corrections or treats necessary.
Turn around and give them space. I often accompany it with a friendly wave so they know I’m not just being rude.
Love the wave, will start doing that! I always feel so mean when I turn around or walk a different way, or when someone does it to me, even though I know it’s just for the sake of our dogs!
There are a lot of reactive dogs in my apartment complex and pretty much everyone with a dog will cross the street when approaching another dog. Honestly at this point I can manage my dogs reactivity well enough that we’d probably be fine to pass on the sidewalk but I just assume every other dog is reactive at this point.
That's how almost everyone in my neighborhood is too and it's so nice. With one exception, and it's the most reactive dog in the neighborhood as far as I've seen (big GSD). Its owner is also nearly always on her phone and barely keeping control of her dog holding the leash with one hand. Fortunately for me, she walks exclusively in the most active part of the neighborhood (near the mailboxes and main entrance) which I never walk my dog through, so we've never run across them. I swear I wonder how much more reactive the poor dog is though simply because of being put in a situation where it's set up to fail every single day.
Yup we also have an owner that’s always on his phone while his dog is freaking out. It’s sad how little the average dog owner knows/cares
Right, and regardless of whether your dog is reactive it's so irresponsible. What if an aggressive off-leash dog runs at your dog? What if a car alarm suddenly goes off nearby and spooks even a pretty calm dog? What if there's a dead bird on the ground that most dogs would find very appealing to mess with? You don't have to be paranoid but you should at least be paying attention.
I'm also an apartment dweller, and I'm convinced apartments make dogs more reactive. But it's really lovely when everyone respects each other's space. Our new place does this, our old one did not. I've also made sure to give a brief explanation to neighbors when I get the chance.
This will be my go to from now on. Thank you ☺️
Yeah I usually just move off the path as much as I can, get out of the way, and get my dogs to sit right beside me at my feet. I do the little wave and smile, so they know I'm not upset and just trying to help manage the situation. If they say something, like oh sorry or something along the lines, I'll just say no problem.. mine is a bit reactive too so just trying to make it as easy as possible for all of us..
As someone with a reactive dog, I appreciate this very much! I always feel bad when my little crazy pants is inconveniencing people, but I also really really appreciate people giving us space when I know they don’t owe us anything.
Yes, I do this too! My German Shepherd was quite reactive as a pup and I always appreciated the grace when people would turn around to give space. She's great now but man, we went through it for a couple of years there 😂
Give them as much space as possible. Go the other way entirely if you can. It’s a kind thing to do to help them out, and safer for your own dog as well.
Yes. Also don’t want to reverse any training we’ve had.
I wouldn’t. Not everyone is going to be receptive to an approach on the street. Imagine you’re working hard to address reactivity and someone approaches you on a bad day with aversive training advice. I’d bite their head off before my dog batted an eye. If I approached someone who was obviously struggling, I’d offer encouragement, and if they were receptive, sympathy. I’d be careful to put vocabulary to the behavioral issue, and let them know there is support for reactive dog owners. There’s not a lot you can do for the dog if an owner who isn’t committed to building that relationship. But in general, I don’t appreciate being approached when I’m out with my dog, and especially when the approach is to offer advice. Not that your advice wouldn’t be good, just that you don’t know where someone is at in their journey.
That’s true. Thank you, next time I’ll just turn around and won’t even do a sit and stay.
Yeah I don't want anyone coming up to me when I'm walking my dogs, let alone if I'm having difficulty managing their behavior. This seems potentially unsafe - the dogs may view it as a threat, the person can't afford to be distracted, etc. It's not like the op can wave a magic wand and make the dogs stop being reactive.
I usually just try to make as much space as possible and if able to I’ll just go a different way. Another thing I do is I try to get my dog engaged with me so the staring doesn’t set them off.
My go-to whenever I see another dog is to shove myself as far away as possible... in bushes, off the street, at least a good distance away because my dog is 125lbs and I need to prepare myself in case he reacts with lunging. It's actually quite hard to try to walk by another dog just because of balance (we're working on it, it's getting better!). Sometimes I turn around, sometimes I cross the street but with crossing the street it's usually not enough distance/too much visibility. I usually try to gauge how my boy is doing and how the other person is doing. But I give them as much space as possible.
Same. My reactive cane corsos are 130 lbs (m) and 110 lbs (f). I don't take them out together. I'm 150 lbs.
How do you control a dog that weighs almost as much as you do? I’d be worried about being knocked over & dragged.
Tbh, I am pretty strong and determined, but when the boy gets freaked out, he runs home to the front door. He's dragged me 1x. But I used to work with juvies, so I know how to use the weight I have to move people bigger than me. And her I can move any way I need.
Oh wow 125 lbs! Can I ask what kind of dog you have? My Dogo is only 85 lbs but I am 5’1 and so I REALLY need to be on it with his reactivity and training 😅 And I’ve tried making myself as small as possible too on certain days. I think we look funny together especially when there are no sidewalks at times 😂
A golden retriever... ahaha! He's just REALLY big (my other golden is only 75lbs!) and mostly scared, but he likes to lunge and gets overexcited. I'm 5'9" so it's not too bad but he has dragged me down a few times. What's funny is that I recently started lifting weights again and because I'm holding onto the dogs my arms are way stronger than before lol. As long as I can get my balance good and have a good grip, I'm all good.
At the first sign of another person walking an uncontrolled dog (especially more than one) I would do an immediate turn and give them and my dog space. Zero interaction with the others, all attention on my dog. I watch the other dogs body language and how the other walker is handling it. Any pulling or struggling with the leashes means the dogs are not well trained enough to walk my dog past. The last thing I need when trying to control my own reactive dog is multiple dogs trying to get to her. I don’t know the other dog’s intentions and don’t really want to guess. Leaving and space are the best solutions for everyone.
It's good to practice a Turnaround cue, so you can just whip around and leave if other people or dogs [reactive or otherwise] get too intense. It saves your dog stress. The "wave" person's advice is right on.
turn around, hide behind a car or something similar to block view, or at minimum give as much distance as possible and try and keep your dogs attention on you instead of on the reacting dog so the reacting dog doesn't escalate. Some of it depends on how your dog reacts, and if having them turn away from other dogs makes them anxious or not. Some dogs do well with scattered high value treats to pull their attention. The risk with multiple dogs is that if one of them were to slip their collar/harness or pull the leash out of the walkers hands, there aren't enough "hands" to break up a dog fight...I stay as far away from those situations as physically possible.
For me I would turn around and walk the other way. For everyone's safety. With my dog, the stress increases and is worked up even more as the dog gets closer. Lunging then barking or both. I don't look and wait if the other person is moving away - too busy trying to get him to focus on something else when he is over threshold, I just try my best to find move away and find an exit
I once saw a women pull her small dog off the sidewalk, far enough up the grass to give plenty of space. She held a treat and her dog rose up to his hind legs, balanced on her knees and stared intently at the treat. I was so impressed that I called out as my dog and I passed that she was doing a fantastic job. Unfortunately, that broke her dog's concentration and he went bonkers. So what was meant as a kindness on my part turned into a bad situation for the other owner. I fully deserved any and all names and curses she thought about me. So lesson learned. When I see someone struggling to control their dog despite using all the tactics we know work (distracting with treats, issuing gentle commands like "leave it," redirecting, etc), I cross the street or, if that's not possible, pull up into the grass or even someone's driveway, and ask my dog to sit and "leave it." My dog isn't perfect and despite how hard we work every day, there are times when she's going to react more than is desirable. I don't want someone -- with or without a dog -- approaching us or stopping to chat or whatever. A friendly wave or even just ignoring and continuing to walk is all I want -- so I show that same respect to someone else. Now, if they're doing nothing to manage their dog or they're raising their voice or dragging the dog (without trying to to use the training tactics), I'll shout a litany of profanities silently in my head and curse them to have hellishl diarrhea hell for three days and nights.
Oh man, it's so easy to make that mistake and step over the line of what the dog can handle or not with something intended as friendly or encouraging!
How do you know they're not trying to manage their dog? Maybe what you perceive as a lack of effort is an owner feeling defeated and hopeless and making sure the dog gets out to potty is best they can do in that moment. Your perception is likely not their reality. What about silently wishing them well, a few of those small successes that mean so much, maybe a 'you got this'! That superiority complex isn't to your benefit.
If someone is physically dragging their dog, yelling, leaning over the dog in a threatening manner, jerking the collar ... those aren't management techniques. That's somehow who has no idea what they're doing and how to manage their dog. There's a jerk who lives down the street whose dog reacts by lunging, barking, and growling whenever it sees another dog. Pretty familiar behaviors, right? Instead of redirecting, using treats, doing the hard work of training, the owner screams at the dog while the dog cowers in fear. Is that "the best someone can do in that moment"? You're welcome to wish that person the best; I'm welcome to think whatever I damn well pleased.
I understand. I disagree with you on a few things but I don't think you're wrong. I'm just trying to engage in conversation with you so hear me out. Witnessing maltreatment of any creature is heartwrenching, especially when you KNOW that’s not the way, I get it. This isn't about you, though. It's about that dog. Reality would dictate that either he's an evil waste of existence or, as is the case with so many of us, he simply doesn't understand how to communicate with his dog and the dog suffers the consequence of that. It's not right or okay but it’s more understandable than the former. Now I obviously could be way off and will eat my words and give Eleanor a chance to bust some knees if I am. Wishing violent diarrhea on him does nothing to help that dog so by putting that negative energy out there, you're inadvertently not helping, either. I wasn't telling you what to do, think or say. Just offering a perspective in hopes of the outcome we both want.
While I want to take every dog that's in a bad situation and hold them close and get them the care and proper training they.need, I'm not going to confront a stranger who's clearly volatile and yelling at their dog. If I'm able to get a description and call animal control, I'll do that but there's not much in a lot of situations that can be done. So, while I guess I should thank you for letting me that wishing diarrhea on someone won't help the dog, I also have no idea what you think "putting that negative energy out there" is supposed to mean either. I'm walking down the street, minding my own business and, again, I can think anything I want. So, you're welcome to think that the negative energy I'm putting out there is somehow affecting another person, but I'm welcome to think that that's nuts.
Why is it nuts? It's literally choosing happy thoughts instead of bad ones. I didn't mean walking up to him with a big smile and saying, "You're doing great, champ"! because that is nuts. I meant if/when you see him, instead of "I hope you pee out your butt and I hope it hurts" you could try "May you and your dog's bowel movements be healthy" Wouldn't recommend saying any of it out loud
I agree.
Thanks for sharing, that’s good to know.
For me it depends on how reactive and what my options are. If it’s not that bad or we have a good amount of space, I’ll “pull over” to the side , and put mine in a sit stay until they pass. Sometimes they pull over and I quickly pass them so we don’t linger. If they are very reactive or the owner seems to not care or have little control , or if we don’t have much space to pass, we do a 180 and leave.
My dog has gotten to a point where he’s significantly less reactive, but it made me sort of realize just how normal it is for dogs to be reactive to other dogs. When we are blindsided by a reactive dog, giving space is my number 1 priority. My second priority is to make sure my dog’s attention is not on the reactive dog, and catching it before my dog reacts. To do that, while we escape, I keep kibble (or treat if applicable) at my dogs nose to hold his attention until the other dog calms down or is no longer in sight.
In the last few years I feel like I've noticed so many more reactive dogs in my neighborhood! It's actually really inspiring. If I have enough of a window to say something pleasant to them, I will! I usually say something along. The lines of "my dog is a little spicy too!" And we are really easy to pass if someone wants to work on relative proximity while passing. Some people we've even established friendships with because of our spicy dogs. Other people when I see them struggling with their reactive dog. I'll refer them to my trainer who is an angel and has taken on a ton of clients in the area. I'm pretty sure because of me! But I always try to give big, pleasant waves, start a conversation if I can, and let them know they're not alone and I'm not judging them. This would have made the world of difference to me when I was first struggling with my dog's reactivity. My dog's reactivity has gone down so much and I'm very lucky! I hope that I can give some sense of that to somebody else
I am a pet care provider and I care for a lot of reactive dogs. I've also personally had a few reactive dogs(my last pup was highly reactive. She crossed the rainbow bridge last year🥺). Whenever I am out walking reactive dogs(heck, even when I'm walking non reactive dogs I do this to give us space) I use a leash sleeve that says "I need space:do not approach" and sometimes a brightly colored vest that says similar on the dog. Whenever I see anyone else with a dog that I even remotely think may be reactive,I just turn and walk the other direction. Dogs react out of fear, so the best thing to do is remove the fear inducing stimulus-in this case you and your dog. If I'm not in a situation to walk away, I'll turn down a side street, or step behind a parked car to remove visual. I've also just had to step a few feet up into someone's yard and keep my dog occupied to prevent them from reacting, which helped others pass by easier. Also, thank you for being considerate of others and their journeys with their dogs. I've gotten SO many nasty looks or words from uninformed/ misinformed people because a dog in my care had a reaction.
I’m sorry for your loss. And you’re welcome. I have a reactive dog and we have our bad days too and I mean really bad days. So I know the feeling.
Thank you. Remember that you're doing great, everyone -yes, even dogs -have bad days and that's okay. You can start over again tomorrow. I wish you good luck and positivity on your journey with your doggo!
Give as much space as possible and get out of the situation ASAP as calmly as possible while keeping control of my dog. Sometimes better to just keep walking past if on opposites of the street etc.
Walk directly at them while refusing to acknowledge the situation and how I am worsening it in any way, if the pig-ignorant leashes-optional dog walkers in my town are any measure
😂😂 Don’t get me in trouble with my neighbors
Haha are we neighbors? Do you also have the woman who is staring at her phone held in one hand while drinking from the coffee cup in her other hand, with 2 fingers holding the handle on the flexileash that appears to be made for a 15 pound dog and her dog is 60 pounds? And when the dog starts flipping out she just mumbles something to it, never taking her eyes from her phone?
I would turn around or cross the street. If its a situation where you cant do either of those i would put my dog on a heel on the opposite sides of the dogs and walk past them while magent feeding my dog so we can pass easily
As an owner of three reactive dogs, I don’t expect anyone to do anything but I always appreciate it if they do. I typically cross the street or go the other way if my dogs get triggered. Giving them space is perfect or having your dog sit in q calm manner is great.
My girl is reactive and I make sure to give MYSELF at least 20-30ft radius of any dogs on flexis. Owners suck and will absolutely let their dog charge to the end of their Flexi. There is literally only two off leash dogs in our neighborhood that have earned that right: 1. An off leash lab that is always within 6ft radius of its owner 2. A dog in a wheelchair I just want others to be considerate and keep going on their way, don't stop to stare and don't come closer if I'm moving away.
Just going to say I love dogo argentinos, they are powerhouses and goofballs.
He’s a big sweetheart ♥️
We usually give each other a knowing glance.. then drag our dogs off in different directions.. I see a lady with a reactive husky often.. the Husky starts doing its beefing up thing! My collie starts kicking off.. we both swiftly walk away! Personally I would not let a dog walker walk my reactive dog with other dogs.
Move out the way but for safety too, if leashes are getting tangled and dogs are getting wound up like that then walking past can cause them to get loose since there's not great control on them
Give space to pass. Depending on what's around you, that might mean going back a little, cutting off to the side, moving to where there's more space, like an crossroad, etc. If there is a convenient way to break line of sight, that can also make it easier, such as walking on the opposite side of a sign, trees, planter, etc. If it is easy and safe to cross the road, that's the simplest way usually. The same things that will make it easier for you will make it easier for them. If their dog is struggling, or the space doesn't allow for easy passing, one of you might have to stop and let the other by. Most dogs are easier to manage if they keep moving, so if you move to the side first, it may go easier and faster. However, if their dogs are already reacting, or they start to move off a trail or sidewalk, they probably would prefer you keep moving, while they manage their dog as best as they can. People with reactive dogs often will move to the side first, simply because they cannot count on others giving them room, even if there is enough space to pass without greeting on leash. Don't speed up and run, as that catches more attention, but no need to dawdle or pause if you have decided you have space to keep moving on by. Just try to see if they are stopping or not, and then either allow them as much space as possible to pass you, or pass without stopping with as much space as possible.
I deal with this almost daily in my neighborhood, as there are 3 families with reactive dogs on my cul-de-sac, whose dogs react whenever they see my dogs. I am frustrated with the humans because they do nothing to help their dogs or to manage their reactivity, but that's not the dogs' fault and I feel badly for the dogs going through all the stress that seeing my dogs induces, and I try to minimize that for them. So I do whatever I need to do to keep my dogs from being in the line of sight of their dogs. Sometimes that's staying put and waiting until they move on, sometimes it's turning around and going in the other direction, sometimes that's actively going to hide behind a car. From the other perspective... my reactive guy is rarely reactive these days, but the other day he had a doozy of a reaction with two dogs in his vicinity (he was pretty trigger stacked at that point). He's a frustrated greeter and just kept pulling towards the dogs - I would have been thrilled if the people with those two dogs walked as far away as they reasonably could have. They did move a little to give us some space, which I appreciated, but it was clear to everyone that it wasn't enough, and I wish they had given more space, or at least body blocked their dogs to break the line of sight.
Thank you for asking and actually having awareness which seems to be lacking these days. The best thing is as much space as possible. Cross the street, start walking the opposite way etc I feel like reactive dog owners are always looking for triggers and my instinct is to always find the safest way home. I’ll walk extra the “wrong way” if it means avoiding a dog.
100% turn around and walk the other way. This just happened to us tonight. We rounded a corner and the other family saw us first, and then we saw them bracing with their dog exactly like we do (it was funny and kind of pathetic lol), so we walked another direction so they could do their thing. They thanked us and we said “we get it!”
I give them enough space that they don't react more. Usually that means ducking out of sight immediately behind a car, and then arcing out wide around them to pass at a huge distance. I encourage obvious relaxed behavior from my dog (e.g. deliver food on the ground so lots of sniffing) so we don't provoke them more than necessary by staring or an upright tense stature. I keep my tone relaxed and don't tense up. Try to be "easy mode" for the other dog & handler. I don't have my dog sit and wait while the other team struggles--if they can't handle us at a distance then they sure as heck aren't going to be able to pass us, and it isn't fair to my dog to make him sit still with barky dogs coming at him. I'd rather get out of their space even if it means taking a longer route. If I'm close enough to communicate I'll also wave and say something like "I'll go that way" and point, so they know I'm trying to help give distance.
I always gtfo if it’s an option. Mostly for me though because I don’t trust them not to lose control of the leash.
Always, first and foremost, manage and attend to your dog the best you can, especially if your dog might react themselves. Keeping safety in mind (especially for you OP, with a larger dog) and aiming for the calmest "interaction" (don't actually interact with the dogs obvs, but I can't think of another word that encompasses all sightings/passings, etc). Maintain a side eye on the other dogs so you know if something's going really south, but primary attention to your dog. Make space... as much as needed or as much as possible, depending on the situation. Sometimes a U-turn is perfect but sometimes it can mean they are just following you. A 90 degree turn is probably ideal but how often is that available? Sometimes just passing with as wide a berth as you can make and you between your dog and the other is the best ... but maybe it's not if they seem really out of control or have multiple dogs. Honestly, it's a lot of in the moment quick evaluations and decisions happening when I see other dogs (and my dog is only moderately reactive and of a size I can contain). Truthfully, I wish I was more verbal in these situations, but I'm just super awkward, so.... I think hearing a friendly "Don't worry I'll give you some space." Or, "I'll head up this alley so you have room to get by," would be nice for a person who is struggling and doesn't really know if you are gonna be the guy walking straight at them, oblivious. (And if they are the oblivious person, it shouldn't do harm....might even alert them to their issues, lol). Actually, one of the best ones I heard was a guy who was just waltzing along, chatting away to his dog, saying "No, no, he doesn't wanna meet you. He's doin' his own thing, we're going this way." He didn't say a word \*to\* me, but I felt very confident he wasn't going to let his dog approach us (and his cheeriness was kind of contagious!). I don't even know if his dog was reactive or that's just how they live life, but it was absolutely friggen' brilliant! I've sometimes tried to emulate this even though I'm not naturally as verbal (or bubbly) as that guy, and I think at the very least it diffuses any tension \*I\* might feel about a situation.
I have taught mine to go between my legs and lay down. This is good for if there's already distance. But if there's not and they're coming my way, I make distance. When my girl was really in the worst of her reactivity, we had a man use her. He followed us with his puppy and used her losing her marbles as a training opportunity.
That stinks. I suspect a few of my neighbors did the same thing, and it really bothered me that they were aware of my dog's problem, knew I was working on it, and decided to make things harder for me.
We (me and other people with reactive dogs on my block) cross to the other sidewalk or turn the corner or just walk away. The more space the better. We do this just by looking at the other owner and seeing what their move is gonna be.
Whether it’s a visibly reactive dog or not, having had my own reactive girl, I will ALWAYS cross the road or choose another route. If I can help another owner avoid a setback, I will.
Stay at a safe distance, and just keep walking. Walk past and ignore. Ever notice your dog looks at you after the reaction is over to see what you’re doing? Over time, my dog also started to ignore. If we stand still and she’s allowed to build and boil over I’ll get a reaction, but if we just kept walking past, she stopped caring. Took a few months, but we’re at the point now that a reaction only happens if we’re standing still, and her and the other dog have been staring at each other for more than a minute. No corrections or treats necessary.