advice about dealing with (other) off lead dogs

[mary1u]

Hello
I adopted a 3 year old male ex racer in July and he's the absolute light of my life! With humans he's calm, responsive and friendly - and walking him is a total joy. He was initially a bit nervy around other dogs (jumping 3 feet in the air whenever one tried to sniff his bum) but that seemed to settle pretty quickly and I stopped using the muzzle after a couple of months because he seemed to show no aggression. But as he's become more settled, his prey drive seems to have gone waaaaay up - especially around small fluffy dogs (so the muzzle's gone back on!) and he's recently become very growly with any dogs that are a bit in his face. Personally I think this is a fairly reasonable response to impolite and pushy dogs. He's not really at all interested in them and he's usually willing to tolerate a quick polite sniff. But he does get very cross with dogs that jump around trying to play with him or (the ultimate sin) who try to have a prolonged snuffle around his bits and pieces. And if they persist I know that without a muzzle he'd be snapping at them (initially it's just growling, then barking, then in the worst cases that escalates to snarling and lunging). Most of the time I can intervene and move him on fast and I've been working on rewarding him whenever there's a non-growly encounter so that meeting other dogs seems like a positive experience and to reinforce his more tolerant behaviour. BUT... My major problem is other dog owners. I'm starting to dread off lead dogs because so often the owner will shout something like 'don't worry, he's just being friendly' and leave me to cope with an animal that's trying to jump all over mine. Or worse - they'll tell me to 'let the dogs sort it out between themselves', so I'll be left trying to manoeuvre my increasingly furious dog away from theirs, feeling like they've just undermined everything I've been trying to do to create positive encounters.
From looking at other posts it seems like the wariness towards other dogs is a pretty normal thing and something that many greyhound owners have to work on. So my question is: how do other people deal with other dog owners? I'm starting to feel like I'm a bit of a freak for trying to control his encounters with other dogs. Should I just let him snarl? 
Any advice appreciated.  

[gvgeam]

Hi and welcome.

The problem of off lead dogs is a perennial problem sadly.

I'm assuming your boy is always on lead. It might be worth only walking him where there are no off lead dogs for a while i.e. on the street. This way he can keep calmer and you'll be less anxious. Any approaching dog will be on lead (apart from those irritating people who have their dogs off lead on the street!) You could use clicker training to reinforce a positive response to other dogs approaching. I would certainly praise for a positive response. Say 'leave' as you approach another dog and reward when he does. If he reacts keep him moving, but don't otherwise acknowledge the behaviour.
Owners who call "he's friendly" usually get "but they might not be" from me. In other words, call your dog away. Although mine are fine with other dogs, I pop them on lead around others because they are fast and can be rough (lurchers!)
I am interested in your noting how he behaves now a few months after coming to live with you. I personally think it takes a rescue dog at least 6 months to settle, so don't be surprised to still see some we behaviours emerging.
Please keep us updated.

[vickyb]

I'm not the best one to answer this really as I just shout 'yours may well be friendly but mine aren't' as I really aren't bothered about upsetting rude people and it tends to result in them recalling or getting their dog. I really don't care if I get a glare. I've only dropped to 2 from 4 relatively recently and so I wasn't best pleased at hanging onto 4 when we were rudely disturbed by dogs being a pain when I do my best to keep out of the way and we don't bother anyone else.

I look at it that if someone came up to me and got in my space and sniffed me I wouldn't be to pleased and just because they're dogs I don't think they should have to put up with it if they're not happy about it. I do make a point of thanking any owners who recall or put their dog on lead so it doesn't bother us and if I do chat to dog owners (from a distance) I explain that my dogs don't like their space invaded and I find most people are fine about it.

I think you're right to use a muzzle. I shout at any dog that's running at us and a lot do stop. If mine do ignore or don't react to a dog they get a treat and I do the distraction thing of getting them to concentrate on a treat which often works. I've had little dogs running under mine and without a muzzle it would have been so easy for them to bend their neck and bite the back of the dog's neck.

Rude thoughtless owners drive me crazy! They have been known to get the sharp side of my tongue.

[vickyb]

It's rude too as they don't know if a dog is ill or old and may really not want bothering by other dogs. Where I walk there was a lovely couple who had a young dog with a very bad heart. They coddled him, they know he hadn't long and he was happy but got too excited by other dogs so all the regular walkers would just wave and stay well away. I wish people would just think more, too many think dogs should be allowed to sniff each others butts   even my really friendly bridge girl who was fine with all other dogs would give a warning bark if they sniffed her. 

[mary1u]

Thank you gvgeam and vivkyb - feeling a lot better about this now! He's such a gentle giant most of the time that it's quite upsetting to see him snapping and snarling. I'm going to be careful about where I walk him for a bit, as another worry I have is that after the most recent dodgy experience (drunk owners laughing and refusing to call their large, friendly but pestering dog back while mine became more and more frustrated...) I might start to transfer some of my anxiety (and fury!) about encounters to him.

Hoping I'll be able to reinforce the more positive responses, even if it's a very gradual process. And it's fascinating how much his personality has changed in the short time since he came home with me. For the first couple of months I'd have insisted that he had a very low prey drive and wasn't fussed about food as there was absolutely no interest in local cats/squirrels etc. and he'd frequently leave part of his dinner. Now fluffy animals are the first thing he looks for when he leaves the house, dinners are always demolished immediately and he'll do pretty much anything for a treat. When I see photos from that early period it's very clear to me now that he was very stressed, but I didn't know him well enough to spot the signs.

Anyway thanks again both of you!
mx

[vickyb]

It's very common for the prey drive to surface once their confidence has grown. Someone once said that complacency is a very dangerous thing with sighthounds and it's so very true! Their sweetness can lull you into a false sense of security.

This summer I had a whippet run at us followed by the 'he's friendly' so I explained mine didn't like and off we both went. 30 seconds later the 'friendly' whippet ran up an onlead soppy beagle, lunged at it from behind, and locked onto it's neck. Poor beagle never even saw it coming. Whippets owner is screaming what shall I do, what shall I do, as her dog wouldn't stop attacking the beagle. We left as there were a couple of people there and there was nothing I could do with having mine.
So much for her 'friendly' dog. I'd seen the beagle regularly and it never bothered with other dogs and was always on a long lead, it in no way provoked the whippet as it didn't see it. Made me even more wary of off lead dogs now.

[sibs]

You are not alone. We have a couple of those 'friendly'owners currently operating in east London. Take heart.