Tips for handling an off-leash dog approaching

In this episode, we're talking about what you can do when an off-leash dog approaches your dog.

If you've ever been out walking and had an off-leash dog come up to your pup, you know how stressful it can be. You have a few options: You can either try to get away from the situation as quickly as possible, or you can address it head-on with some helpful techniques.

I share some of my favourite tricks to deter an off leash "it's okay he's friendly" doggo!

Transcript

 Welcome to Ask Ali with multi award-winning dog trainer, Ali Smith. Answering real dog questions from real dog parents asked if I have any tips for handling an off-leash dog approaching. Your dog? Yes, I have lots. First we've got the obvious shout at their owner,  and shout at their owner.

And I don't hold back in these instances because these things should not ever happen. Okay. So recall your dog now. Or if you're not feeling quite so confrontational and you're not used to doing things like this, something that's really nice.  way of avoiding conflict is my dog is contagious. Okay.

That's like my superpower in these instances because you would be shocked at how quick the, oh, it's okay. He's friendly. Dog come, comes back to their owner. , when you are telling them that your dog is contagious, you don't, it's a white lie, but. It's one of those things that I'm happy to do. If you are not, that's fine.

Just you know, demand they recall their dog because that should be enough warning that you know something not necessarily great is about to happen, and they should hopefully recognize that. Next to that is an umbrella. If you wanna go walking with one of those big umbrellas that have the A trigger on 'em and just go poop up into their big.

I suppose umbrella shape. Sometimes I'm not the most loquacious person, so please forgive me. . So yeah, pop the umbrella up. It comes up into not only a shield for you and your dog, but the noise usually startles the other dog and makes them go, huh, what's going on? And then hopefully they leave.  Okay.

Yes, it's not necessarily the nicest thing to do to the other dog, but if it prevents things from getting worse, sometimes these things are necessary. On that note, something like carrying a stick, like a walking stick can help too because, and I'm not saying beat the dog, not saying. Don't anybody get this misconstrued.

So I'm saying use it to keep the dog at arm's length because that means you've got a longer arm's length. And it also means if the dog that's coming into you is not the, it's okay. He's friendly and they are a bit of a mean one. It means that they're gonna bite the stick and not you, which is a really nice thing too.

The other thing you can do is carry an extra leash. And this is. Some will say use a slip lead which you can, but you can also just wave, like whip the leash across in front of you. And just that visual sort of something moving in their, like in their vision might make them slow down, stop or retreat.

And that in itself can give you what you need to walk on, get away or the other person to come get their dog and go. Or if they really. Like hella coming for you. You can I should have actually bought a leash over with me, would've been a very intelligent idea. But hey, sometimes we're not intelligent.

You can always on anything that's in any leash that has a handle, if you pull the main bulk of the leash through the handle, you turn it into a slip lead. So in those sort of emergency situations, you can like literally just trap the. Collar them and hold them. And I'm, again, don't choke the life out of them.

Be as nice as you can. But physically holding the two dogs apart, so long as your dog isn't like a Tibetan massive and the other dog isn't like a Tibetan massive, I'm not, don't get in between two Tibetan ma, obviously you some sense here, please, but. If you can, that can help too, cuz then you can just keep the two away whilst the other owner comes and gets their dog.

Extra treats can also be a useful one because a handful of treats that are just thrown on the floor over there whilst you and your dog walk away really powerful because it's gonna stop that dog that usually, and the other dog's gonna go, oh, food  start snuffling around for their little bit of food and you've got time to leave.

Okay. You can also train something like a behind so like where you ask your dog to move behind you so you can physically shield them. That physical shield will put you in front of them and it will show that at least to the other dog parent that your dog is not gonna be in, forget up for play or in for whatever it is that their dog thinks that you should be.

Oh, and muzzle training always helps too. Not only is it a visual cue to the other owner that your dog should not be approached and hopefully will prevent this thing, if your dog is reactive towards other dogs or even feels you getting really tense, it just mitigates again, that bite that could happen.

And we don't want to do that.

 Do you want Allie to answer your questions? Email woof@ rebarkable.com and make sure to subscribe.