PH Dog experts need some help re my dog being attacked.
Discussion
Just taken my year old dog for a walk and he has just been attacked by a collie, luckily he has a lot of lose skin around his neck so god knows how he sustained only a wee cut on his ear, the collie was really going for it and had to be kicked off Hector
Now got him home and tending to the cut and gave him lots of fuss now I expect him to be edgy as he is still young but I am really worried about are potential long term effects as he is a big dog so dont want a nervous aggressive 9 stone+ dog on my hands.
I was just wondering what signs I should be looking for apart from the norm and is there anything I should do to help him get over the shock and try to avert any long term social issues.
Now got him home and tending to the cut and gave him lots of fuss now I expect him to be edgy as he is still young but I am really worried about are potential long term effects as he is a big dog so dont want a nervous aggressive 9 stone+ dog on my hands.
I was just wondering what signs I should be looking for apart from the norm and is there anything I should do to help him get over the shock and try to avert any long term social issues.
Jasandjules said:
The test will be when he meets another dog.
Do you have friends who have happy and friendly dogs who you can socialise him with a bit at the moment so he knows right away that other dogs are friendly..
I take it you got the owners details? Has anyone else been attacked by the dog?
Yes I have a mate about a 5 minute walk away with a 8 month old female pup was thinking along those lines so will give that ago tomorrow. Do you have friends who have happy and friendly dogs who you can socialise him with a bit at the moment so he knows right away that other dogs are friendly..
I take it you got the owners details? Has anyone else been attacked by the dog?
Oh yes I got his details, claims his dog had never done that before and he come over very genuine and shocked by his dogs behaviour.
Cheers
Agree with the 'positive' socialisation recommended. Nice friendly dogs - introduce slowly for a while before the option of playing together is utilised.
I guess the other dog wasn't on a lead - where was its owner ?
We have a collie which would attack - in its younger days (now well over 15 and a bit slower - but still 'game') - appropriate use of a lead is essential.
We have had to start taking a different walk due to meeting an old lady who insists on walking off lead - adding the comment 'he only wants to play'. It started like that but it became aggressive - and with three dogs ourselves there are clear pack hierarchies from our side. She wouldn't listen and was shocked when we had to get other people to warn her we were looking at referring her to the Dog Warden.
I guess the other dog wasn't on a lead - where was its owner ?
We have a collie which would attack - in its younger days (now well over 15 and a bit slower - but still 'game') - appropriate use of a lead is essential.
We have had to start taking a different walk due to meeting an old lady who insists on walking off lead - adding the comment 'he only wants to play'. It started like that but it became aggressive - and with three dogs ourselves there are clear pack hierarchies from our side. She wouldn't listen and was shocked when we had to get other people to warn her we were looking at referring her to the Dog Warden.
Dr Phibes said:
Oh yes I got his details, claims his dog had never done that before and he come over very genuine and shocked by his dogs behaviour.
Cheers
Oh, one of my dogs got attacked by a dog a few months back, but unfortunately for the other dog my dog is more than able to take care of himself. The other dog needed a fair bit of vet attention for the damage done before we managed to get there and save the attacker (who had come over to us and attacked my dog whilst on lead). Cheers
Then we had the other dog owner claim that our dog must have started it because her dog has never done such a thing. A few questions around the village and it turns out her dog has attacked a Golden, two Jack Russels, and a something or other whose name escapes me right now before getting taught a lesson it won't forget in a hurry. So the "Never done that before" thing, I don't really believe it.
One thing I would say as well, a muzzle is a possible option. But it will be a thing to consider after you see how Hector reacts to another dog in the short term - he may just shrug off the attack - one of our dogs has been attacked a few times but she doesn't care at all and is still friendly to any other dog... It's a suck it and see thing I am afraid. If your dog growls at another dog in the first instance then I'd think of a muzzle on him and introducing him only to happy dogs (who you know won't fight even if he lunges at them or tries to bite them) for a while so that he learns that not all dogs will attack him.
Also, and I know this is difficult - but do be as calm as possible when introducing him to another new dog so it doesn't pick up on your fear and think it needs to fear the other dog and so attacks....
Was he on-lead or off lead when attacked? Because some dogs will then become nervous on-lead but still be fine off lead - because they know they can run if needs be... Sadly he has had a bad experience, but you can get him past it.
ClassicMercs said:
Agree with the 'positive' socialisation recommended. Nice friendly dogs - introduce slowly for a while before the option of playing together is utilised.
I guess the other dog wasn't on a lead - where was its owner ?
We have a collie which would attack - in its younger days (now well over 15 and a bit slower - but still 'game') - appropriate use of a lead is essential.
We have had to start taking a different walk due to meeting an old lady who insists on walking off lead - adding the comment 'he only wants to play'. It started like that but it became aggressive - and with three dogs ourselves there are clear pack hierarchies from our side. She wouldn't listen and was shocked when we had to get other people to warn her we were looking at referring her to the Dog Warden.
Righto sounds like that is the plan then, the Collie was off lead Hector was on his, the owner was coming over to say hello to Hector and up came his Collie and just snapped. I guess the other dog wasn't on a lead - where was its owner ?
We have a collie which would attack - in its younger days (now well over 15 and a bit slower - but still 'game') - appropriate use of a lead is essential.
We have had to start taking a different walk due to meeting an old lady who insists on walking off lead - adding the comment 'he only wants to play'. It started like that but it became aggressive - and with three dogs ourselves there are clear pack hierarchies from our side. She wouldn't listen and was shocked when we had to get other people to warn her we were looking at referring her to the Dog Warden.
Cheers
My old dog was also attacked by a Collie when he was a puppy. He took and absolute hiding off the f
ker and never forgot it. He grew into an absolutely great dog, would socialise with anything if it meant getting fuss and was truly man's best friend. Even though he died over 10 years ago now I still have a photo of him by my bed sunbathing with the neighbour's cat.
However, put him near a Collie and you had 40 kilos of Weimeraner on your hands that went from a dosile softy into a killing machine.
ker and never forgot it. He grew into an absolutely great dog, would socialise with anything if it meant getting fuss and was truly man's best friend. Even though he died over 10 years ago now I still have a photo of him by my bed sunbathing with the neighbour's cat. However, put him near a Collie and you had 40 kilos of Weimeraner on your hands that went from a dosile softy into a killing machine.
Our retriever got attacked by another dog when he was a year old, every time he went past the house where the dog lived his hackles would be up and he would growl. He's now 10 years old and hasn't had any problems with other dogs.
Today we were walking in the woods with our dogs and the puppy (retriever aged 6 months) decided he wanted to play with another black lab...resulting in 3 puncture wounds (very small) and a scratched lip - he's a hardy thing but we'll have to work on his recall to stop this happening again
Today we were walking in the woods with our dogs and the puppy (retriever aged 6 months) decided he wanted to play with another black lab...resulting in 3 puncture wounds (very small) and a scratched lip - he's a hardy thing but we'll have to work on his recall to stop this happening again
if there is another dog off its lead then you MUST take your off too- it can create all sorts of odd doggy psychology!
other than that - just keep socialising- it will happen from time to time and none of my dogs have really cared. barney just ignores them- its very odd to watch!
what sort of dog do you have and have you docked its tail?
other than that - just keep socialising- it will happen from time to time and none of my dogs have really cared. barney just ignores them- its very odd to watch!
what sort of dog do you have and have you docked its tail?
Do you know any one who has a friendly collie? If so he should eventually meet this dog but start off with other friendly breeds first.
My whippet was horrendously bitten by a dobermann 18 months ago. After he was nervous of playing with bigger dogs, one of my colleagues advised lots of reassurance if he got nervous showing that I was there to protect him (I initially went with the ignore his nervous behaviour, he'll get over it...oops) The reassurance tatic worked well, he's still wary now and won't be as confident as he once was but he improved loads.
He shared a dog pen at work with an older dobermann and was fine, however just a few months ago he came face to face with a very bouncy dobi and he freaked so I got him to meet other dobi's in a control basis and he did ok, I guess he has been scarred in more ways than one but hopefully we've managed to reduce the psychological damage.
My whippet was horrendously bitten by a dobermann 18 months ago. After he was nervous of playing with bigger dogs, one of my colleagues advised lots of reassurance if he got nervous showing that I was there to protect him (I initially went with the ignore his nervous behaviour, he'll get over it...oops) The reassurance tatic worked well, he's still wary now and won't be as confident as he once was but he improved loads.
He shared a dog pen at work with an older dobermann and was fine, however just a few months ago he came face to face with a very bouncy dobi and he freaked so I got him to meet other dobi's in a control basis and he did ok, I guess he has been scarred in more ways than one but hopefully we've managed to reduce the psychological damage.
pugwash4x4 said:
if there is another dog off its lead then you MUST take your off too- it can create all sorts of odd doggy psychology!
other than that - just keep socialising- it will happen from time to time and none of my dogs have really cared. barney just ignores them- its very odd to watch!
what sort of dog do you have and have you docked its tail?
I assume you are asking re: the tail in case it was a communication issue that caused the problem. other than that - just keep socialising- it will happen from time to time and none of my dogs have really cared. barney just ignores them- its very odd to watch!
what sort of dog do you have and have you docked its tail?
Some dogs are just aggressive to others no reason needed, it may be a learned behaviour but you can see it in pups as young as 10 weeks sometimes in puppy parties!
As said if one is on a lead, then things can escalate quickly.
My dog Rommel (cocker spaniel) has had his ass handed to him by a german shephard the size of a horse about six months ago. He is three years old and when I pulled them apart, it was the first time I heard the little fellow ever growl. Every time he see's a german shephard now he starts growling. Or even a big dog with the same colouring. I found that if I see one at the dog park at the same time as him and he is near by, I just flick my fingers in front of his eyes and that distracts him enough to be able to clip his lead on. If he runs off, I just have to rely on his recall. I am not shy in calling him back either. He will ignore me otherwise.
Best thing to do is if you see that dog again, get the owner to slowly bring his collie over off the lead and keep saying Hector's name to distract him long enough to see that the other dog isnt a threat. Hopefully the other owner will be the same.
Quick question... has he still got his plums? Rommel has his and I think that gets him into trouble. I do dog rescuing and any dog from the pound is desexed so Rommel is used to being top dog. Try telling that to the rotty at the park that is using Rommel as mouthwash. :-/
Good luck though!
My dog Rommel (cocker spaniel) has had his ass handed to him by a german shephard the size of a horse about six months ago. He is three years old and when I pulled them apart, it was the first time I heard the little fellow ever growl. Every time he see's a german shephard now he starts growling. Or even a big dog with the same colouring. I found that if I see one at the dog park at the same time as him and he is near by, I just flick my fingers in front of his eyes and that distracts him enough to be able to clip his lead on. If he runs off, I just have to rely on his recall. I am not shy in calling him back either. He will ignore me otherwise.
Best thing to do is if you see that dog again, get the owner to slowly bring his collie over off the lead and keep saying Hector's name to distract him long enough to see that the other dog isnt a threat. Hopefully the other owner will be the same.
Quick question... has he still got his plums? Rommel has his and I think that gets him into trouble. I do dog rescuing and any dog from the pound is desexed so Rommel is used to being top dog. Try telling that to the rotty at the park that is using Rommel as mouthwash. :-/
Good luck though!
pugwash4x4 said:
if there is another dog off its lead then you MUST take your off too- it can create all sorts of odd doggy psychology!
other than that - just keep socialising- it will happen from time to time and none of my dogs have really cared. barney just ignores them- its very odd to watch!
what sort of dog do you have and have you docked its tail?
Dogue de Bordeaux and yes he has his tail, never knew about the lead related issue will adhere to that one from now one, I put him on a lead now and again as he is a big dog (60kgs)and some people are a little intimidated by him.other than that - just keep socialising- it will happen from time to time and none of my dogs have really cared. barney just ignores them- its very odd to watch!
what sort of dog do you have and have you docked its tail?
Will get back on the socialisation today, so should I not take him for his morning walk and just do some one and one with our friends dog tonight?
Thanks for all the input, so far see no difference in him, still his normal lazy snoring self sure going outside the house will indicate any problems
Edited by Dr Phibes on Friday 16th July 08:34
My old boxer dog used to get attacked by collies on a regular basis, completely unprovoked. We put it down to
a) Douglas (my dog) still had his nuts
b) He didn't have a tail, so his profile didn't look friendly due to lack of wagging (although his little stump would be in a frenzy)
c) He was a pretty ugly dog and used to stare the other dog in the face waiting for a good response
95% of dogs were friendly back towards him, including 1 or 2 collies.
However, virtually ever collie we ever met, bar a small handful, would just go straight for him. It's not your dog, it's them.
Collies are not really pets, they are working dogs. They are more intelligent than other dogs and get very bored and extremely neurotic if you leave them at home or don't exercise their intelligence, which is what the majority of owners do. They are inbred to the same levels at king charles cavalier spaniels and bulldogs. People consider the physical manifestations of those breeds to be repulsive and cruel, but don't look at the psychotic tendencies that are being inbred into collies.
I'm not saying all collies are bds. They're not. I've met a few nice ones. But my dog was regularly attacked by collies, despite any lack of provocation from him.
I used to watch the body language when Douglas met other dogs. As soon as the other dog bared the teeth, I used to pull him away. If the other dog was off the leash, I would be prepared to put the boot in very very hard. A good kick in the groin would distract the other dog long enough for me to give the owner a bking too. "Oh, he never attacks other dogs." "Well, he does now. Get a muzzle on him. If he goes near my dog again, I will kill it." or "oh, he only doesn't seem to like boxers." "Well, why didn't you put him on the lead when you saw my boxer?"
Fecking owners.....
a) Douglas (my dog) still had his nuts
b) He didn't have a tail, so his profile didn't look friendly due to lack of wagging (although his little stump would be in a frenzy)
c) He was a pretty ugly dog and used to stare the other dog in the face waiting for a good response
95% of dogs were friendly back towards him, including 1 or 2 collies.
However, virtually ever collie we ever met, bar a small handful, would just go straight for him. It's not your dog, it's them.
Collies are not really pets, they are working dogs. They are more intelligent than other dogs and get very bored and extremely neurotic if you leave them at home or don't exercise their intelligence, which is what the majority of owners do. They are inbred to the same levels at king charles cavalier spaniels and bulldogs. People consider the physical manifestations of those breeds to be repulsive and cruel, but don't look at the psychotic tendencies that are being inbred into collies.
I'm not saying all collies are b
ds. They're not. I've met a few nice ones. But my dog was regularly attacked by collies, despite any lack of provocation from him.I used to watch the body language when Douglas met other dogs. As soon as the other dog bared the teeth, I used to pull him away. If the other dog was off the leash, I would be prepared to put the boot in very very hard. A good kick in the groin would distract the other dog long enough for me to give the owner a b
king too. "Oh, he never attacks other dogs." "Well, he does now. Get a muzzle on him. If he goes near my dog again, I will kill it." or "oh, he only doesn't seem to like boxers." "Well, why didn't you put him on the lead when you saw my boxer?"Fecking owners.....
dmulally said:
Quick question... has he still got his plums? Rommel has his and I think that gets him into trouble. I do dog rescuing and any dog from the pound is desexed so Rommel is used to being top dog.
This- its not so much that barney was agressive (he wasnt at all)- he justs kind of assumes that hes top dog which really winds other dogs up who often attacked for no discrenible reason!got much better once he'd been "done"
one thing to remember is that dogs are NOT humans and dont work the same way no matter how much we imagine they do- they willl fight, and growl and bite, but they dont feel pain as we do!
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