Join Our Community of Dog Lovers!

Subscribe now so that you get email alerts about all new content and/or updates from Champion of My Heart!  +

FREE e-book "8 Things to Know About Veterinary Care"

July 22, 2008

I’ve ranted before about encounters with loose dogs (some friendly, some not) that Lilly and I have on our walks in our rural neighborhood. When we talked about these events during our behavior consult, the recommendation for carrying a spray with stopping power came up. Earlier this year, I bought the citronella kind to carry. But, I’ve yet to use it. Maybe I’m just being too nice.

Yesterday, we had another encounter with that loose Newphie who glommed onto us in early May. Since Lilly is NOT supposed to have contact with strange dogs, I did my best to avoid him and/or distract him, including hollering at him and dropping fistfuls of food on the ground, in hopes of him stopping to eat while we made our get-away and came home.

(A huge shoutout to his utterly irresponsible family for ruining our morning walk.)

But, he’s either completely NOT food motivated or just desperate for attention because nothing worked. Lilly full-on snapped and snarled at him, but he didn’t care, he still followed us home. Thankfully, as I’ve mentioned before, he cannot keep pace with us, so he ended up about 10 feet behind us as we hurried home.

And, I did my best to keep feeding Lilly. This dog honestly means no harm, and it’s clearly not his fault that he’s loose.

Still … It made me mondo crabby. With the heat, high gas prices, and Lilly’s new no-contact plan, I already feel pretty trapped at home. So, our morning walks are pretty important to our mental and physical health.

I guess my question is this:

If you had a dog like Lilly, where would you draw the spray-him line?

About the Author Roxanne Hawn

Trained as a traditional journalist and based in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA, I'm a full-time freelance writer for magazines, websites, and private clients. My areas of specialty include everything in the lifestyles arena, including health and home, personal finance and other consumer interests, relationships and trends, people and business profiles ... and, of course, all things pet related.

I don't just love dogs. I need them in my life. Seriously.

  1. I’m not sure if anyone else has said this or not (don’t have time at the moment to read them all)… but have you considered spraying near the dog?

    I carry Direct Stop and have had to use it frequently back when I used to do the neighborly walks. It’s come down to the point that I don’t really have a line… if a dog is a approaching and they don’t back off when I yell the first time I spray BY them. I’ve noticed that most dogs will back up at just the spray in their general direction. I’ve never actually had to spray a dog in the face, but I can tell you I would if it ignored the first one. I understand the want to be nice… but it can’t be good for Lily to have to feel pressured enough to snark at the other dog and one of these dogs could turn out to be a serious problem.

    For me… I gave up the niceties. If a dog approaches and I have the spray (-sighs- I need one that’s fully attached to my wrist), as long as it’s not running towards us it has one verbal gruff-toned warning and if it ignores the warning, the dog gets sprayed. If the dog is running I spray first. I can’t afford to be nice anymore… Toby and I have had a lot of dog encounters and very, very few of them have been friendly. And even the ones that are do nothing for his mental health. :-/ I have noticed though that Toby’s reactions got better once I did opt to spray after a first warning. I no longer have to pin him behind me so I can shout and sometimes physically block the dog from him (or worse, have him have to be smelled and knocked around by some overly-friendly dog) – instead he doesn’t have to deal with the contact and every dog I’ve had to spray has gotten the hint. It helps us keep the situations as un-emotional as possible and over as fast as possible.

    I’m guessing the spray you have is very similar to Direct Stop and pet friendly. So I’d try just spraying near the dog. For about 80% of the dogs we’ve met that’s been enough (the other 19% I’ve had to hold the spray down and move the stream closer to the dog’s body before they backed off). Outside of one dog fight I’ve never actually had to spray a dog directly (and even then it wasn’t directly in the face).

  2. I would be hesitant to use a stick or baton because its negative association might lead to other objects. If a dog approaches and you wave your stick or baton, then go home and pick up the broom to sweep the kitchen, the object might carry the same reaction. There’s really a multitude of possibilities…
    It’s really a challenge to compose yourself in those circumstances. My adrenaline spikes and I have to remind myself to take regular breaths, keep my voice calm (or don’t talk at all), etc. which is A LOT easier said than done. I found that using a gentle leader helps guide Jill better than a harness or collar.

  3. How about a hands free leash/waist belt? I’ve got one that’s elastic with a pack attached for treats & poop bags. Works great, esp. when I have 2 or 3 dogs at once.

    I think using a loud tone with the other dog is good, the trick is to make sure it’s loud & confident, not loud and fearful.

    I’m hesitant to offer too many suggestions though since you’re already working with a behaviorist on a specific treatment plan. Maybe it would be better to just spray the other dog and be done with it if your other reactions to the other dog might make Lilly more anxious. I read some reviews of the spray and people were saying they only got 15-20 seconds or so of spray per cannister so that’s why I’ve been saving mine for extreme situations.

    Another thought might be a collapsible baton. They’re popular with cyclists who have regular run-ins w/ dogs.

  4. My issue with having something in my hand (like a walking stick) is that I often need both hands to manage Lilly, deliver treats, etc. I’m just not that coordinated to manage much more than a leash and some food. Plus, it’s one thing to clip the spray in my belt. It’s another to feel like I’m headed out each day armed for battle. Maybe rather than throwing the food in the ground, I should have aimed for his head.

    Yes, my reactions are an issue. I try really hard to keep my voice even and all that, but it’s hard since I’m usually saying No, Stop, Go Home, which are not things I say to Lilly. I’m sure my tone doesn’t help, since I’m sure I speak louder than usual. I do use every body language trick I know to get the dog to back off, but some dogs have not a clue.

    I work really hard to keep Lilly behind me or at least to keep my body between her and the other dog, but if they get too close, she’s got a lunge with some rocket speed behind it.

    I never have sprayed the can. Maybe I should to make sure it works and to see how loud it is.

  5. I also carry citronella spray (when I remember) and so far haven’t had cause to use it but my dogs don’t have the same level of anxiety that Lilly has. If I was you I’d think about trying to repell the dog in the way that will impact Lilly the least. Can you walk with a large hiking stick and shoo the dog away with that? I’m not above throwing rocks either. I seldom hit the dog because my aim is terrible but sometimes the dog will run off to chase the rock.

    It’s important not to act nervous and let Lilly think you’re afraid of the other dog, that just adds to the problem. Often if I step up and deal with the other dog my dogs will step back and let me take care of it but you have to be firm & confident about it. I would use the spray if all other methods failed with a friendly dog mostly because the spray is expensive and I wouldn’t want to waste it if something else will work plus there’s the chance of it getting in Lilly’s face if the wind is blowing the wrong way. It’s also possible that the noise of the spray could freak her out. Have you tried spraying to see how she reacts to the noise? However if a nasty dog were charging at me I wouldn’t think twice, even if the owner was there, you’re between a rock and a hard place in that situation.

  6. Yes, the spray is sold to deter dogs, so I’d assume it’s “safe.”

    Lilly tends to be MORE reactive if I’m bending down or holding her (like in my lap), so even though I can pick her up (she only weighs about 35 pounds), that would likely make things worse.

    I know that others have talked to them about the Newphie, but I have not b/c they used to rent the house next to us, but now they live about a mile up the mountain. When they were next door, they blamed ME for their lab jumping the fence into my yard with something like, “she comes over here because she gets attention here.” I would just keep her safe until they got home and never got a single thanks.

    Once when I was trying to lift the lab back over the fence to the man, he just grabbed her by the collar and yanked her over, rather than taking her out of my arms. Add all that up, and it tells me all I need to know about these people. Honestly, I’m not sure why they even have dogs.

    FWIW, that lab and the other 2 dogs they had 12-18 months ago are gone, and now there’s this big black boy, who like the others seeks his adventures elsewhere because the new place has no fence at all, I believe.

  7. It might for some dogs. Newphies, however, are major water dogs, so he might think it’s a hoot.

  8. I completely understand where you’re coming from because I have encountered loose dogs before on my walks and it completely ruins our time. Even when, like the Newfie, they mean no harm, I always think of the negative interaction and potential back-pedal in training. My guess is that a water bottle wouldn’t work on most dogs;a Newfie probably wouldnt even be fazed and a Lab would probably love it! 🙂 I assume the citronella spray is “dog safe” (is it made specifically for dog repellant?).Personally, I would try to avoid using it unless I felt immediately threatened, or if there were several loose dogs.
    My lab mix does react sometimes to other dogs, so I have taken to walking my dogs seperately. Just the other day I resorted to picking her up when a neigbor let her small dog outside (loose!). There was no time to redirect or cross the street and I did not want a negative encounter, on either dog’s part.
    I agree that it is completely frustrating when people let their dogs run loose and have no control over them.
    Have you spoken with the owners and asked them to keep their dog on their property?

Comments are closed.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Free!

Stay Tuned for Something New!

big things in the works ... promise

Success message!
Warning message!
Error message!