What Do You Do If An Off-Leash Dog Approaches You While You Are Walking A Dog?
It can be quite entertaining to take your dog out for a walk. He will get a chance to stretch and run for a while and you will get some fresh air. It can quickly turn into a frightening experience if an off-leash dog approaches you and your pooch.
What should you do in such a situation? Should you use an object to scare that off-leash dog or allow your pet to interact with the unexpected wanderer? You have to assess the situation better to prevent a mishap. Continue reading to learn what to do if an off-leash dog approaches you while you are walking a dog!
Stay alert when walking a dog
You may encounter several strays when walking on the road. Most of them do not trouble people because they have learned to live around humans. Things get a bit different when you are walking with your pooch.
An off-leash dog can get curious when it spots your pet. You can be well-prepared to deal with the situation if you are aware of your surroundings. You will spot the off-leash dog before it comes closer to your pet and makes the right move.
Suppose you do not trust the approaching dog, you can scare it away. You can also change the direction when the approaching dog seems aggressive. Be alert and spot other animals as quickly as possible to avoid problematic encounters.
Assess the approaching dog’s body language
It should not be tough for you to assess the body language of an unknown dog if you got a pet. Most dogs behave similarly and you can focus on their action to find their intentions.
Some people might find it daunting to assess what an off-leash dog wants if they didn’t spend much time with pets. Do not get scared if it’s the case with you. Be calm so that your dog does not get aggressive or scared.
Suppose the approaching dog is playful, its body will appear pretty loose and bouncy. You can say that the dog is happy to be around you and your pet. Suppose you are still not sure, then check whether the dog is wagging its tail or not. If it is wagging the tail faster, it just wants to be around you and play with your dog.
You should not let your pet greet the off-leash dog, even if it seems friendly and playful. Things can turn bad pretty quickly and then it will be problematic to handle the situation. A scared dog will only bark from a safe distance and it won’t approach you.
If the off-leash dog spots your pet and approaches you with exhibiting body language, like forward ears, tight tail, and closed mouth, it’s not a friendly one. That animal wants to show its dominance and it can get hyper within a few seconds. Such dogs can hurt your pet and also cause serious injuries to the owner. So, use some startle techniques to block aggressive dogs and keep your pet safe.
Never hide behind your pet!
You should never take the risk of encountering an off-leash dog if you are walking your pet. Change your walking direction and move away from aggressive drifters. Give some treats to your pet to distract him and thus you can avoid inappropriate contact.
You may not get time to change the direction if you didn’t spot the off-leash dog. Do not get scared in this situation because that dog is approaching your pet. It may seem aggressive, but it won’t hurt you. Call for help if there are people around you.
Stand between your pet and the approaching dog to prevent a fight. Startle the aggressive pooch with the help of a leash or something else to have a safe escape route. Suppose you hide behind your pet, that aggressive dog can injure your pet. Dog fights can get ugly pretty quickly and other strays can also attack your pet. So, stand there for your pet and shoo away the approaching animal.
Try to block the approaching dog
If you want to block an off-leash dog in its track, the following tips will help you!
- Ask the approaching dog to stop or sit in a firm and loud voice to scare him. If the dog had previous encounters with humans, it will simply stop and run away.
- Take a few aggressive steps towards the approaching dog and shout stop. You can use your hand to scare the animal. Suppose the off-leash dog was approaching aggressively, it will slow down. Stay between your pet and the aggressive dog to show you are protecting your pet. It will give the off-leash dog an indication that it can get hurt by approaching your dog.
- If you cannot scare an angry off-leash dog, you should always carry some dog treats in your pocket. Throw these treats towards approaching dogs. This action will surprise that pooch and it will probably munch on those treats instead of showing aggression. You can also make that unknown dog friendly by sharing your dog’s treat.
- Carry a small stick or umbrella with you whenever walking your dog. Use it to block and startle off-leash animals. It always works and you won’t even need to carry treats for strays to keep your dog safe.
How to control your dog when an off-leash dog is approaching?
It is not always an off-leash dog that makes the situation worse. Your pet can also get aggressive towards other animals. You should follow the below-given tips to control your pet’s actions when it spots an off-leash dog.
Train your pet to be obedient
The situation will never go out of control if you train your pet to stay calm and follow your commands. A well-trained pooch always seeks the owner’s permission to play, run, and encounter others. Start training your pet for basic things, such as stay, sit, walk, etc. These training sessions will help you control the pet’s behavior.
Use treats
Always carry your pet’s favorite treats in the pocket when you take the pooch outside. The pet will stay focused on those treats and follow you instead of approaching other individuals. Suppose the dog gets aggressive towards other off-leash dogs, startle those dogs and then use treats to control your dog.
You can make your pet do anything if there are treats in your hand. You will have to forcefully handle the pet before serving those treats, but it will prevent a dirty encounter.
Get a dog harness
A dog harness is much better than an ordinary dog collar. It allows you to forcefully control the pet’s actions and make him walk in the right direction. Get one for your pooch and pull it whenever other techniques do not work!
Final thoughts
Unprepared pet owners find it pretty scary when their pet has an encounter with an aggressive off-leash dog. It is an avoidable situation and there are ways to handle such situations.
We have explained how to prepare yourself for such encounters. Get the required supplies to ensure your dog doesn’t get closer to off-leash dogs. Follow the methods explained in this post to block the approaching dog to keep the pet and yourself safe.
