Bully got attacked!!! I'm not ok!

[DeeDee]

Tonight I took Busters for a walk. He was on a leash and we came upon a man with a big dog, also on a leash. We both stopped and the man moved to the edge of the narrow sidewalk for us to pass by. He didn't say anything so I started to walk past him. As we passed, Busters turned to sniff the other dog and the dog lunged out and attacked him. He bit him in the face and growled really meanly. My adrenaline kicked in and I pulled Busters so hard that he rolled three times and the man pulled his dog back. Busters was totally fine. No blood, scratches, or anything. It took him a second to get back up after he rolled but he was totally fine. During the whole thing he didnt bark, growl, bite, or whimper. We then just started to walk again. The man tried to come forward to see if he was ok, but he still had his dog so I just said "he's ok" and pretty much ran away! Busters is fine, but I am so freaked out and upset. I just keep thinking what could have happened and what I must have done wrong. He often sniffs other dogs on our walks and it is always fine. If the man had told me to keep away, I would have been more careful. Now I am so scared to walk him past other dogs or to take him to doggy day care of anything. Do you think he will become scared of other dogs or aggressive? Should I take him around other dogs right away? I am so worried -- what if next time something really bad happens. What can I do to prevent such a thing from happening again? I do admit, he is really strong and he really pulls on his leash when people/dogs come by because he wants to sniff them and see them. How can I get him to stop pulling? I don't want to hurt his neck and he won't walk with a harness. He just lays down.
All in all -- I am way worse off from the attack than Busters!

 

[Fontanafox]

I'm so sorry you've had such a scare. I can relate to your fears. I've had dogs from chihuahuas to pitbulls confront us on our walks. Avoiding them by completely crossing the street is my best choice. That is assuming they are on leash with an owner. Occasionally there are some dogs that either escape their homes or allowed to roam at night. I always carry a can of compressed air and it has worked a couple of times. I just spray into the air and the sound seems to put them off. Don't know if it works on all dogs but so far it has given me time to walk away from the situation. You will get over it but it may take time. I had two pitbulls follow me home when trying to walk my dogs. My stomach was in knots all the way home and I just collapsed in my husbands arms in shock and I couldn't stop crying. Took me two weeks to muster up the courage to walk with them again but I did not want to make my dogs suffer because of my own fears.

 

[LariP]

How frightening! I just don't know how I would react to something like that. And I hope I never have to find out.
Perhaps getting Buster enrolled in obedience school, so you can walk him without the straining and make it easier to control any encounters would be the best thing for both of you now.

 

[Lucy-licious]

[MENTION=1874]DeeDee[/MENTION] I'm so sorry you have had such a scary experience, and hope you have calmed now
I would suggest a couple of things.....try to gt Busty used to the harness they a less harsh should you need to correct him or pull him away again, Lucy hated hers at first too and would also lie down like Busty but treats helped and now she is fine with it. Get yourself and him down to the local dogpark ASAP I think Busty will be fine but you need a possitive experience after such a shock. Maybe whilst walking near home do as [MENTION=1922]cadillactaste[/MENTION] has suggested and cross the road to avoid other dogs. And most importantly make your favourite sweet sugary drink and sit down for a hug with Busty. Xxxx

 

[bulldog family]

Yes.. get him back around dogs that you know are friendly ASAP. You don't want him to be the "bad guy"and not like other dogs in the end!! The last thing he remembers with another dog is viciousness, is that what you want him to remember? Don't be scared, because Busters will sense that in you, just relax, enjoy your dog and enjoy the walks with him.

 

[cadillactaste]

I would definitely seek putting him in an obedience class. To socialize with other dogs...under supervision. And...for further walks. I tend to carry a big ol' walking stick. I "pitty" the fool sort of aspect.[And carry a big walking stick and am NOT afraid to use it if my fur babies ever were in danger of a stray or dog off lead] I never trust other peoples dogs with my own. NEVER! When we do hiking trails. I make sure that my dog is off the trail and have the other person pass by.

I know Sarge used to have issues with aggression toward other dogs. We worked through that with trainer. And he's great he won't even look at them. But once...when I did pull him off the trail. The owner of another dog came over and violated Sarge I felt. Smelling clean and lifted Sarge up off the ground. Sarge didn't retaliate which I'm greatful. But...I do tell ones...My dog has had aggression issues in the past...we worked through it. And...they pass without coming close. As Sarge looks the other way I'm sure they think I'm lying. But...I don't prefer a strange dog around any of my dogs. I hate when they take their dogs off leads. That's when I grab our walking sticks from the boys. And I "pity" the owner who can't keep their dog at bay. For I will use it. And have called out to remind them there is a leash law on the trails and to get their dang dog on one. And if they come by me...I will clobber them.

I'm glad your dog wasn't harmed. But definitely seek a class out where you'll have a trained professional there to handle any issues that may or may not come up.

 

[izstigspunks]

Oh my, so sorry you had to go through that frightening situtation. It's never happened to me, but the ladies above gave great advice I think. Does your doggy daycare screen their dogs beforehand? If so, Busters should be safe there. And at least he'll be in a familiar environment where he's with dogs he already knows. Plus they're always supervised with, hopefully, trained employees, so he should be in safe hands.

 

[Bella'sMom]

First off, I am surprised that the other owner (if his dog does this routinely) didn't step farther away. I know to keep Abby away from complete strangers (dogs). She has never attacked but barks like she is about too, I don't take the risk and either stop or move her farther away. I don't have any issues with Bella, she is not interested and Sophie is my very friendly dog, I have to ask if it is okay for her to sniff other dogs because she wants to so bad.
All my dogs have been socialized and mostly to the same degree. Of course Bella being younger and more agile gets out more to dog parks, but going for walks, us dog sitting, having friends over, there are times we have 9 dogs running in the back yard. Just be aware and cautious. I know it is upsetting the first time it happens. I hope by now you have calmed down, Buster has probably already forgotten.

 

[Mike Blaylock]

Weeeeeeeell, when I walk Duke.......and we approach another dog or human or whatever.......I go between Duke and the other. What that states is that I'm the alpha dog in this pack.......and I'm protecting Duke. You gotta deal with me first. The walking stick is a good idea......but don't swing it....for maximum message.......poke them hard with it. If you swing.......your opening up an attack path for your opponent to take advantage of.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

First off I am so sorry, I can TOTALLY relate! When Samson was young we went to the off leash dog parks all the time. Then when Samson was around 1.5-2 years old we were at the dog park and there was a male pitbull that was being a bully with the other dogs in the park. Instead of taking his dog out of the park the owner put him on a leash and stayed inside the park, leashed dogs in a dog park is a big no-no! Samson went up sniffed the owner, got love from him, then turned to the pit, sniffed him and the pit quickly latched onto Samson's head. I was watching this the whole time and I instantly started sprinting across the park. The owner pulled the pits leash which lifted him off his front legs so he was just standing on his back legs but the pit never let go of Samson so Samson was hanging from his mouth in the air!!! By the time I got to the other side of the park where he was the owner was able to get Samson free. Thankfully he was fine, he didn't cry, bleed or anything, the bullys have a strong head! BUT he still has a small bald spot on his head from one of the pits teeth. The owner told me sorry, he has his good days and his bad days! I was speechless and very upset at the time so I didn't say much but looking back I should have screamed in his face YOU DON'T BRING A DOG TO A DOG PARK THAT HAS BAD DAYS!!! I felt like I was SO lucky he wasn't injured and that the next time I wouldn't be so lucky so we've never gone back. I am just too scared. Now I don't think letting my fear get the better of me was necessarily the right decision. Stopping those dog park trips cut down Samson's socialization with other dogs besides my beagle to now being very minimal. Now he isn't good with male dogs anymore (still good with the ladies though ) That could very well be attributed to that incident and me almost completely cutting off his socialization. So this all that being said I agree 100& with bulldog family, don't let this scare you. Dogs being walked on the street aren't necessarily going to be friendly so I can understand if maybe you want to walk on the other side of the street now when you see people walking their dogs but maybe try doggy daycare. Doggy daycare places evaluate pups before allowing them in with the rest of the dogs there for temperment issues and playtime is completely supervised so the likelyhood of a incident at one of those facilities is minimal. Or do doggy playdates with friends that have other friendly dogs or join a local meet up group and find other owners in your area with friendly dogs.

 

[DeeDee]

Thank you everyone for all the advice and concern. I took Busters to the groomer today and he played nicely with her dog. That was a relief. I then dropped him off at doggy day care so he could play with some dogs and have a good experience. I told them what happened so they are watching closely to make sure that he isn't scared or aggressive. When I left he had a plastic toy in his mouth and was bouncing up and down and jumping on another dog. I think he's fine. I think I was more scared than him. I'm actually not sure if he even knew what was happening. He didn't bark, growl, whimper, or anything. I also bought him a new harness that he seems to like better. The leash attaches at the back rather than on his chest and he seemed more comfortable with it and I have better control with it than with the collar, as I am hesitant to pull too hard when it's around his neck! I will work on his pulling and listening. Thanks!

 

[Alice Kable]

It sounds like you have the situation under control! Socialization and training Bustys to walk well on a leash is extremely important. If Busty still pulls you around when he is in his harness you might want to get a pincher collar to use for training. Get enough links so it doesn't close up like a choke chain. It will give mild discomfort when he pulls. In an effort to keep my shoulders in their sockets, I have to use one on Mack. It is like having steering control. It makes a huge difference with Mack.

 

[froggz]

Pincher collars are very painful. Not to be mean, but I feel they are completely unnecessary, just like shock collars. A mendota slip lead works WONDERS for getting a puller to slow down. They DO however have to be used correctly. You can't let the lead slide all the way down the neck, bring it up just behind the jaw, holding the leash upwards so that there is just a bit of comfortable slack, but the dog doesn't have the opportunity to overstep you and lead. For an example look at how handlers lead dogs in the show ring. There are also other techniques to establish alpha over your dog on walk so that they walk respectfully next to you. When leaving, make sure they sit calmly to get ready to go. Make sure your exiting and entering the house first. When he starts to pull ahead of you, turn and go the other direction, every time he pulls, turn the other direction. You can also place your hand in a cupped C over his nose and muzzle, although thats not the easiest in bullies lol.

Something that I learned as a child that I value VERY much is dog body language signals. It allows me to literally see what a dog is thinking. They "talk" through body language in so many ways, from tail and ear posture, to the way they bend and facial expressions. It helps when introducing one of my dogs to another dog. I can not only assess how my dog is feeling, but also how the other dog is feeling.

 

[bulldog family]

I have to disagree with froggz. When used correctly, the pinch collar is not painful. I have used it in my past dog and it was wonderful. My past dog pulled once, felt the pinch and never pulled after that. They learn quick with it.

 

[kazzy220]

[MENTION=1874]DeeDee[/MENTION]

I'm so glad that Buster seems to be totally fine after this experience and I agree that a harness is so much easier ... although I thought all harnesses attatched the leash on the back. I'm not sure I've ever seen one where the leash is attached at the chest!?

Now your next move is to get him out there on a walk again ... I'm sure Buster is fine, but it will be you that will have difficulties relaxing when out on a walk. Buster will sense any tension and nervousness you feel ... so make sure you stay relaxed and in control!