It’s a very worrying fact of ‘today’s times’ that more and more dogs plus owners are getting attacked by out of control aggressive dogs and irresponsible dog owners who neither care what harm the dog could do, or understand what they actually own on the end of the lead.
Part of my work involves assessment work on dogs that have been seized by the authorities and the
owners are now awaiting trial, while their dog is sitting in a compound awaiting its fate.
I guess you could say it’s the not so nice side of my job as a behaviourist.
Unless the law changes dramatically on dog ownership and off-lead laws, this problem is not going
to diminish with an ever-increasing dog population.
We have to think about the ‘here and now’ and how we can prevent ourselves and our dogs
becoming another statistic of another aggressive dog out of control.
So what can we do as dog owners to keep ourselves and dogs safe?
You often hear of dog owners with small dogs scooping them up and holding them up high to keep
the attacking and out of control dog away, but unfortunately this can agitate the aggressive dog
even more making them jump up at you while trying to get your dog, because you are inadvertently
giving the wrong hierarchy message to the aggressive dog and of course, it would be impossible to
do this with a medium or extra large breed.
You read about various techniques of lifting the hind legs of a dog up from the attacking dog, but
this advice can be very hit and miss and even result in the attacking dog spinning around and biting
YOU!
As with any dog handling and training, the dog’s timings are uppermost and when dogs are fighting,
or you are under attack, these timings are critical!
The timings in this sort of situation are all about breaking the contact that is about to be inflicted onto your dog or yourself as quick as you can possibly manage.
I’ve recently carried out some investigation on what the options we have that could possibly break this contact or shock the aggressive dog away from you and keep you safe.
I have recently trialled a deterrent spray which is formulated with natural oils that are not deemed to be noxious.
Potentially the spray could enable you to keep yourself and your dog safe by temporarily
overwhelming the approaching dogs sensitive senses and causing the dog to withdraw from a
situation and back off.
This spray could enable you to keep yourself and your dog safe and could easily be carried in your
pocket on your daily walks.
Be prepared, act quick . . . timings are very important in this situation.
FIRST STRIKE CANINE SPRAY
The handy 50ml First Strike K9 Spray Canister is a professional-grade deterrent spray designed to protect both you and your dog during encounters with aggressive canines. Perfect for dog owners wishing to have added peace of mind during their daily dog walking routines. The effects naturally dissipate within 10-20 minutes, ensuring no permanent impact on the animal.