[DarkEquine]

Poor little Zac...he had a big fright this afternoon.

We were on a little walk down the main street and Zac was having a GREAT time! He met some children and some small dogs and a gorgeous old couple who showered him with cuddles! We were just on the homeward bound when we spotted a middle-aged man a few metres in front with FOUR BOXERS on leashes. He was alone and the Boxers all had head collars and simple rope muzzles.

Zac - of course - assumed that the dogs wanted to meet him and strained against the leash with a wagging tail and a play-bow. I was a little nervous though that all those large dogs would be just "a bit much" and led him a good distance around the Boxers without looking at them.

The middle-aged man was not paying attention and almost let the leads go as...one of the Boxers gave Zac a hard stare and started snarling and lunging and barking like mad. This set the others off and all four dogs started snarling and lunging. The man was startled and started yanking on the leads - but it was clear to see that he was struggling with the strength these bad boys had in them.

Naturally, Zac started yelping and yiping and hid behind my legs as I tried to lead him across to the other side of the road - trying not to run even though I was REALLY nervous (bad idea, I know, because fear travels down the lead) but those dogs were snarling quite viciously!

EVENTUALLY he restrained them and we parted without speaking. NO apology, no nervous reassuring smile, NOTHING!

Zac was whining but perked up as a couple came up to us and gave him a pat. I perked up as well as they told me he was such a jerk. (I was feeling quite ashamed that I had been so nervous and that all our hard work with socialisation had been smashed to bit within about 10 seconds.)

I am hoping that Zac doesn't now assume that this interaction with happen with ALL dogs that he meets and that he doesn't turn into a nervous wreck from this! (He's only 14 weeks!)
Did I do the right thing with this horrible incident and will things be alright in the future?

 

[doggiedad]

i would have gown wide to avoid them also. i doubt that Zac will have any adverse reactions the next time he encounters a group of dogs. he might be leery of those dogs. i think dogs remember alot more than we think they do. so, it's Sunday morning here on the East coast of the USA. it's 8:45 am. so, is it tomorrow there or yesterday??

 

[DarkEquine]

When I posted the message, it was Sunday Night here in Aus. We arrived home from the walk around 5pm. It's now Mon morning around 8am.
Phew! I am glad that Zac won't be frightened of "all" dogs after that. He does LOVE meeting new ones!
I was rather peeved at the owner of those dogs though. I admit he had the right collar on and had the sense to put a simple muzzle on them, but FOUR of them? Pssh...people nowadays!

 

[lcht2]

at first i didnt quite understand why he was whineing and hideing but once i saw that he was only 14 weeks old i now understand. your best bet to stressfull situations like that is to show YOUR leadership. let that puppy know that your not going to let anything happen, stay calm, cool, and collected. there is still time for you to mould together a good dog

 

[DarkEquine]

Originally Posted By: lcht2at first i didnt quite understand why he was whineing and hideing but once i saw that he was only 14 weeks old i now understand. your best bet to stressfull situations like that is to show YOUR leadership. let that puppy know that your not going to let anything happen, stay calm, cool, and collected. there is still time for you to mould together a good dog

I know... Those dogs got me spooked and I communicated that fear down the lead to Zac.
He didn't seem worried this morning when Nan's Pomeranian came around and had a romp with him. He's a bossy little man and I think/hope his confidence is strong enough to bounce back.