Because I live on a rural street, with big curves and 55mph, and with horse drawn vehicles, four wheelers, motorcycles, cows, goats, and sheep in fields, and loose dogs, I do not walk my dog in my neighborhood. I pack a few in the back of my SUV, and drive into town where there are sidewalks.

I do not worry so much about fenced dogs. there are a few that are chained that make a rucus and since I usuall do this in the wee hours of the morning, I usually avoid those spots. What is a problem is invisible fences. THOSE dogs come running out and I have no idea if they have a fence, if the dogs respect it, where its boundaries are. I avoid those as well.

Your best bet to ensure your dog does not become dog-reactive is to take her to training classes where she will see other controlled dogs on leads. It is not a place for sniffing and visiting. I would start now and keep going with her for several sessions of classes.

 

she has been in classes since we first picked her up at 8 weeks, and she just finished up with 5 weeks of boarding/training (wow....what a huge difference!).

the problem with the fences in the neighborhood is that they are all very short, most are 4ft. so it really bothers me when i see a dog that can jump that when my kid is walking by....**** owners.

we do take her out and about as well. as her OB gets better and better she will start to go more places (beyond dog parks, hikes, and pet stores).

do you really think the best think is just to avoid those areas? dont get me wrong, if people smarter than me recommend that, i will....

 

Yes. Set your whole family up for success and safety that way. If there are better areas to walk, walk there.

 

that works...unfortunate, but it works. of course, if i can ever get home "early" maybe we could just go to the parks that are super close (i love CO...there are parks everywhere! roads may be bad, but at least we have nice parks....)

(oh, and i had intended to avoid the areas when the family was with me....just dont want ya'll to think im intentionally putting them at risk)

thanks for the advice!

 

We have fence barkers in our neighborhood, most fences are chain link and about 5ft tall. We just keep walking when a dog goes biserk. Anna ignores them completely. I just don't make a big deal out of it and keep going, we've done this since she was a pup so she pays no attention to fence barkers.

But if you don't feel safe, then find another place to walk.

 

It's not an issue of me, its my wife and kids I'm concerned with. So for their safety, we will walk else where. But when its just Mara and I, we will go wherever we darn well please.

 

I have a fence barker. He's not aggressive, just wants to play, but some people think he's aggressive because he barks at anything that walks by the fence. Most dogs are like this. (My fence is 4 feet and my dogs would not even think of jumping it.)

You don't need to actually avoid the houses as long as you keep your dog a comfortable distance. You dog is still young and understandably concerned about the dogs that bark. Also, if you need to walk closer to the fence, put your dog on the other side. That will help to show her that you are taking charge by putting yourself between her and her perceived danger.

There is a person in my neighborhood with a rescue dog who is obviously terrified of all other dogs. This person stops at my fence with my dogs barking and tries to desensitizer the dog (flooding). As soon as my dogs bark, I'm out there to bring them in, so thankfully she's stopped this practice of hers.

 

we have trained her to be on the left and i try to walk with peoples property on my right....i think its rude for my dogs (or kids for that matter) to walk in people's yards without permission. plus, when Mara does her business, people cant get all pissy because its in their yard.

i hope that im not sounding all bull headed...i just want to make sure that Mara feels safe, but has no fear....

 

i hope that im not sounding all bull headed...i just want to make sure that Mara feels safe, but has no fear....

One thing you need to really be aware of is how you are acting during these meetings. Because we can accidentally teach our puppies to be fearful and aggressive by how WE react. If I get mad (at the other dog, but still angry) my puppy picks that up, the anger but not necessarily the why. If I reel my puppy in, or jerk them in and give kind of terse commands to make sure they stay close (and do get irritated at them cause they are so distracted by the other dog), this will add to the agitation and may put fear/aggression into the situation.

I do like that you put your dog on the far side so your body is blocking the other dog. This is actually a 'calming signal' and a good thing. But I would add my joy and happiness at seeing the other nutjob dog. I'd act happy and delighted and give the 'what a crazy dog' in my most upbeat and happy tone.

Our dogs DO cue from us. And if we are doing our job properly as a leader (and can't avoid going past something scary) then our pups should look to us on how to react. If we can remove any mad or anger from the situation, then the puppy will easily be able to look to us and cue that the wackjob dog is being silly, just ignore it and come with me.

You having any irritation or anger at ANYTHING at this time will add to the aggression and fear for both dogs..... being happy and joyful and moving on will help.

 

Typically I try to ignore fence barkers, have Mara heel, and procede on. The only time I give any reaction is when I dont see the dogs behind the fence...that really p****s me off. It's those situations that I get worried for the safety of my kids and wife.

Let me ask you guys this, if you come across a person who is acting outside of the norm (i.e. drunk) how do you have your dog approach?

 

It's those situations that I get worried for the safety of my kids and wife.

Let me ask you guys this, if you come across a person who is acting outside of the norm (i.e. drunk) how do you have your dog approach?

Why are you worried for the safety of your family because of a fence running dog? You are on the other side of the fence. A wonderful and happy land!

Just because someone is drunk (handicapped? with a crutch? wheelchair? cane? mentally challenged?) doesn't mean anything. They are only a 'threat' well, if they actually threaten you. Until I am actually and really in the middle of a REAL threat, I realize that otherwise I'm just in the middle of LIFE.

And life is full of wonderful people, and strange people, but the number of actual and real threatening people.....................hm...............thinking...............................really thinking how many times I almost died or was injured..................still thinking.....................................(I'll get back to you).

 

I am in charge.

If I am concerned about someone's behavior toward my dog, why in the world would I allow or encourage my dog to approach them?

 

My concern for the family is based on the height of the fence (all the fences in the neighborhood are 4ft tall), my kid is still not 100% on asking permission to pet a dog, and the breed and knowledge that they could very easily clear that fence.

and for the people who are out of the ordinary, I'm guess the best way to phrase it is how do I make her comfortable when she sees something new like that? I guess the real answer is just take her everywhere for lots and lots of socialization....

 

My concern for the family is based on the height of the fence (all the fences in the neighborhood are 4ft tall), my kid is still not 100% on asking permission to pet a dog, and the breed and knowledge that they could very easily clear that fence.

and for the people who are out of the ordinary, I'm guess the best way to phrase it is how do I make her comfortable when she sees something new like that? I guess the real answer is just take her everywhere for lots and lots of socialization....

If you are worried about the dogs jumping the fence, that's a separate issue. I would NOT walk past them with my family if that could happen and you don't trust the dogs. Though GENERALLY if the dogs are barking at your dog, it's not an issue with humans at all.

The real answer IS take her everywhere for socialization so not only can she learn the real life is full of different types of people, and they are ALL ok until you are lying (laying?) on the ground getting the bejeezers beat out of you! Which I bet won't happen if you are walking a GSD, EVEN one that YOU know is friendly!

This socialization is also for the human at the other end of the leash. How to manage our dogs in crowds, or if they are upset. Being calm and happy ourselves (at least to the dog) so our dog remains in control and able to think it's way thru a new situation. KNOWING our dogs because of all the situations we've been in so feel confident they get along with everything.

 

i think the whole key is "knowing out dogs"...and on the flipside of that, our dogs knowing their people. that is probably our entire issue right there.

MRL, thank you for the advice, you are giving me lots to think about and ponder.

 

Actually, with a great many dogs, just going forward confidently in every situation will translate to your dog that you have everything under control and he need not worry.

I agree with lots of socialization and lots of training classes, sure. But with all the socialization in the world and all the training, if we approach a situation timidly, worried how the dog will react, we can have a problem.

So stand up straight, keep the leash loose, and move right into new situations with confidence. Unless the dog has seriously weak nerves, it will trot right along at your side. Be aware of your dog's cues that indicate stress and do not back up, but rather shift a little to reduce the likelihood of stress but keep going.

Dog's body language is sometimes hard to read. You do not want to wait until your dog is growling, hair sticking up, or barking like an idiot to adjust the situation. There are other cues before he reaches that point, like yawning, change in breathing.

 

Nah...Mara did well. It was when I stopped to tell the wife to grab the 2 year old is when she stopped and stared. I was able to get her going again with no issue though. The second fence is when the dogs were hidden behind a bush (i saw them before they started barking) and we proceeded to cross the street is when Mara wanted to stop/stare and bark. Fortunatly a couple swift pops on the leash and were were going again.

How about a slight twist on the situation, my neighbors have 3 basset hounds who are insane fence barkers (its funny to watch the owners trying to control these dogs....oh wait, there is none!). Do you think it would be benificial to try and condition her on this fence since it is right here?

Of course, I'm probably focusing way to much on this....

 

do you really need a Glock for dogs
behind a fence barking and a drunk
that walks up to you?

socialize, socialize, socialize. use all
of your encounters as a training and
socializing moment.

 

Normally, I do not see a lot of out of control dogs or even dogs barking their fool heads off. In training classes, each dog has a person attached to it, and we get on them right away when they bark.

I would probably be as worried as you are right now if I hadn't started agility classes. MOST of the dogs are great. There is a nasty corgi and an obnoxious cattle dog, and well, they bark, loud and piercingly.

The good news is that Joy does not seem to be phased by their antics. She gets a little amped up when they go charging by, but she can remain peacable on a down even when they are barking and carrying on.

Occasionally, she gives them a puzzled look like, "my owner would KILL me if I made that kind of a ruckus" or more likely, "I am going to try that tomorrow."

Since 90% of her socialization comes from training classes, I suggest taking her to classes.

 

Actually the glock makes me feel better, I always carry (I fought for that right, I'm going to use it). As far as the drunk, I dont do well being touched by anyone, and if a strange dude tries to touch my kid (even a pat on the head) without my ok...well, that's another story.

And I agree about classes...very important. I am actually trying to get in touch with our pupply class instructor for some follow on classes. If I dont hear back from him soon, I am going to have to go out and find someone who can help get her started on her obedience and tracking..eventually I want to take her down the SCH path, but that is a bit down the road (I have to graduate first!).