Hi, I have a 9 month male husky.I walk him everyday and hes aways on leash.I have a long leash for when we are out. I can guarantee practically every walk we go on which is in different places a dog not on leash will run up to attack. I'm getting pretty fed up of it now as last night it was two off leash dogs. My dog is not displaying any aggressive behaviour nor does he seem bothered by it. The dogs that have had a go at him have ran at a distance to attack. It's been jack russells, terrier and a retriever up to now. My husky is neutered and not going anywhere near these dogs. Sometimes I'm out and a dog just makes a beeline over a field just to have a go. Does anyone else have this problem. I realise they are so many irresponsible people out there that should have their dog on a leash and thankfully my dog does not retaliate. He has not had an injury thankfully.

Are actual fights breaking out? Or are the dogs just charging but not any fighting really? Huskies natural posture is alert with tail up which unsocialized and poorly trained dogs can sometimes misread. Many dogs also just don't have any manners so they maybe coming over to inspect and meet and just don't know how to do so without it seeming like they are going to jump your dog. There is always questionable behavior when one dog is off leash in a position of power versus on leash in a position of non-power. usually the dogs on leash tend toward defensiveness first but not always. Little dogs though are just the worst for thinking they need to run up and challenge everything in the area. Wouldn't matter what kind of dog you were walking. If these dogs are fighting your dog you may want to invest in a walking stick and give the offending dog a reason to back off or get a squealer device that makes a horrible noise if you pull the pin, usually found with self defense stuff. the noise should drive most dogs off. Some have opted for dog spray, kinda like diluted mace, to use on aggressive dogs. I don't usually suggest them though because if you don't watch the wind you can get your own dog just as much as the dog coming in. As in any situation breathing exercises and try to stay calm so you don't project onto the situation if possible.

(just realized this is turning into a rant so I figured I'd add the official rant tags. )

[rantmode]

I have just about zero tolerance for off-leash/ out of control dogs.  It might sound harsh, but I don't want any dog near my dog... ever.  Every time I hear "Oh, little fluffy is so well behaved", I see little fluffy tear across the yard etc uncontrolled or go after someone's dog.  Then you hear the ubiquitous "He's never done THAT before".... "Fluffy... come HERE!!!".. as fluffy ignores them completely.

Most recently, a friend brought her dog over (we didn't know) and as she's coming in the house, the dog followed her in.  (We don't let our dogs stay in the house). I said, "Is little fluffy ok in the house?"  "Oh yes, she's the perfect house-dog".

15 minutes later, little fluffy crapped and pee'd on our carpet.... wait for it... Fluffy's mama proclaimed, "Oh, she's never done that in our house".

Thanks.  That's nice to know.  I'll send you the bill to get the dog urine out of the carpet.

I've started walking the dogs more and, just the other day, "Buddy", the boxer came out of someone's garage and over toward us.  I hear, "Honey... get buddy!".  Seemed friendly enough, but ^ see my rule.  I say "Hey buddy... what's going on? Hi buddy" in my best "what a good boy" voice.

I grab buddy's collar so I've got my dog's collar in one hand and Buddy's collar in another holding them apart sort of sitting in the middle of the dogs.  No aggressiveness, and I want to keep it that way, so I keep them apart.  Luckily, the wife came out and grabbed buddy.  

Now I carry this spray.  It's citronella based, so perhaps not as effective as regular pepper spray, but I don't want to harm a dog, just keep them away.

[/rantmode]

Is he posturing / acting dominant? ( Stiff straight legs, head up, tail up, direct stare, standing up on tip toes?) I notice that when my dog has had bad exchanges with other dogs, one or both of them usually has this behavior...if he is acting dominant, other dogs may be wanting to challenge.

Also, are you sure it is attacks? Some greetings look like an attack... dogs have charged mine and leapt on him ... but they were awkward over-excited dogs who did not know how to politely say Hi, or young dogs who want to play. Sometimes dogs just want to chase another dog out of their territory...then there might be some barking and a lunge or a push, but no bite. If your dog is not growling, maybe he understands that these are not true attacks? Our real attack was unmistakeable...the other dog snarled and grabbed my dog by the throat!

Sounds like you will have to start carrying a deterrent or protection for your walks!

Following:
We too have gone out of our way to socialize our girl. (Our puppy has been a lot less since we live in a more rural place now) Every time I would walk her morning and night I would come across a person or a person with their dog and ask if I could introduce my girl to them. Shila was a bit timid when she was young, before 6 months of age. As she got older she started to not care about the other dogs. We would go to a dog park too once she was fully vaccinated and that is when our first attack happened.
As you said @Lycan1 the dogs would go out of their way to dart across the field to come after Shila. Shila would be minding her business or playing with our other dogs and a random dog would sprint across, and take a bite at her and keep trying until she was able to make it behind me. This has happened a few times. The first time I felt awful I wasn't standing right next to her to guard her. Since then I try to stay close. The times after, I have been what has separated her from the dogs. Sadly I have to hold the collar of the other dog waiting on the owner to make their way over. Sometimes it happens on walks with dogs that are not leashed, behind a fence or on a fence system. Flying out of their driveway and across the way to rush up and then they to nip her in the face. It happened again last week and I am stuck between a 80lb dog and her. He tried to bite her face while she was standing there trying to ignore him and the owner (like always) said "she has never done that before." I hear it every time and then wonder why is your dog behaving this way and not contained? For the dogs at dog parks, some of them have tried more than once and I get mad and leave. That is on the owner who says in their sweet voice "no, we don't do that" but not actually giving the dog a correcting command. Another event these people brought their pitbulls. (nothing against this breed) The pitbulls were not walked in the park on leash to see how the energy was with the other dogs. Everyone leashed up their pups waiting for the second gate to open. The Male darted in and then the female followed, next I know I'm guarding and fighting back two pitbulls from shila and the owners are staring, doing nothing. Myself and everyone else left at this point.

I too would love to know what to do for this. Shila does not posture and wants to avoid the confrontation at all cost but, seems to have a bullseye on her. I have learned to just stay calm and not react other than to keep the other animal away while not leading that it's a bother to me. Keeping her calm and safe is my priority. Also trying to read the other animals queues before the situation leads to something worse and walking away before it happens. It is not always possible, you or I won't be able to calculate every situation or see them coming, the best you can do is stay vigilant. I have heard a bit of diluted listerine in a spray bottle works wonders as well as some essential oils with water to spray when an aggressive dog approaches or just to make the other animal step back. I hope over time this will stop for you and your baby. Good luck on future endeavors.

TwisterII wrote:

Are actual fights breaking out? Or are the dogs just charging but not any fighting really? Huskies natural posture is alert with tail up which unsocialized and poorly trained dogs can sometimes misread. Many dogs also just don't have any manners so they maybe coming over to inspect and meet and just don't know how to do so without it seeming like they are going to jump your dog. There is always questionable behavior when one dog is off leash in a position of power versus on leash in a position of non-power. usually the dogs on leash tend toward defensiveness first but not always. Little dogs though are just the worst for thinking they need to run up and challenge everything in the area. Wouldn't matter what kind of dog you were walking. If these dogs are fighting your dog you may want to invest in a walking stick and give the offending dog a reason to back off or get a squealer device that makes a horrible noise if you pull the pin, usually found with self defense stuff. the noise should drive most dogs off. Some have opted for dog spray, kinda like diluted mace, to use on aggressive dogs. I don't usually suggest them though because if you don't watch the wind you can get your own dog just as much as the dog coming in. As in any situation breathing exercises and try to stay calm so you don't project onto the situation if possible.

Hi,
Two of the dogs sunk their teeth into him. I'm lucky as my husky did not retaliate. I live in the UK so pepper spray is not allowed. I cant see anything my husky is doing to deserve it. He seems to be an attack magnet. I am considering taking a walking stick with me as the last dog was a big dog.

I don't think there is any way to accurately tell what a dog is or isn't doing to provoke an attack or when a dog is going to attack. And, even if there was, the "My Fluffy is the sweetest dog in the world" parents would never admit their dog should not be allowed around other dogs.

Are you allowed to have that Citronella spray I linked? Might be an option. What about one of those air horns in a can? I'm all for sticks too.

dvflyer wrote:

I don't think there is any way to accurately tell what a dog is or isn't doing to provoke an attack or when a dog is going to attack.  And, even if there was, the "My Fluffy is the sweetest dog in the world" parents would never admit their dog should not be allowed around other dogs.

Are you allowed to have that Citronella spray I linked?  Might be an option.  What about one of those air horns in a can?  I'm all for sticks too.

.

Citronella spray is allowed in the UK. He's been lucky up to now that he's had no real injuries but he's shedding his coat so he's not got a lot of fur to protect him if another dog has a go. He has such a laid back placid nature I don't want him to turn because of idiots who can't control their dogs.

Once again I find myself with two propositions, so I'm going to put them in human terms and go from there.  Note: I offer no solutions, just observations, so if you're looking for a solution, stop reading.

Do you remember when you were a kid and there was this one kid who always showed up at various events and everyone either ignored him or picked on him?  Why?  Did he smell different?  Did he wear odd clothes?  Often times there was no perceivable difference between him and his school mates / play ground mates - but he was always the odd man out.  This is the kid who had an invisible "kick me!" sign on his back. Some dogs seem to fit into this "group" but if they do then it's almost always the case, just as it seems to be with some kids.

Some kids and some dogs will go out of their way to make friends - - - and it just doesn't work. Why?  I have absolutely no idea.

My impressions of the dogs in peoples discussions above is that none of them is doing anything wrong.  But ... their dog is not showing submission (appeasement) to the aggressive dog.  To take it back into human terms, this is the kid who just walks off when a bully starts to pick on him - which only makes things worse.  These dogs (and kids) have never learned how to stand up for themselves so they don't know how or when to submit to someone who is bigger / stronger / more vocal than they are.  (While that may sound like it doesn't make much sense, it's a fact that knowing how to kowtow to an aggressive person will reduce or remove the stress.)

Again ... if you're walking down a street and some guy pops out of an alley, gun in hand, and demands your money you generally have three options.  Submit and hand over your cash and hope he takes it and leaves; prepare to fight for your life and hope you can do something about that gun before he pulls the trigger or lastly stand there and do nothing which is going to make the thief more than a little angry.  It's the last action that I see the dogs in this example taking.   For whatever reason this "well socialized" (read overly submissive) pup becomes the target of someone with bully feelings.  By retreating to safe territory your pups are inviting more aggression by the bully.  Most bullies, either human or canine, will back down when confronted with an equal resistance, if your dogs aren't allowed to respond then that just proves the bully's point.  I'm stronger, I can get away with it and do what I want.  Just as we can't protect our kids from every bully in the school yard, we have to teach our pups (human and canine) how to respond appropriately.

The flip side to all of the above is that the aggressor dog is not the well socialized dog that his owners want to think he is.  While few displays of dominance really result in any real damage, the owner has to decide when to let his dog stand his ground and when to back off.  But backing off repeatedly results in socially inept pup - he knows how to behave when everything's copacetic but has no idea how to behave when standing up for himself is the right thing to do.  Often the right thing for the human to do is - if appropriate - call the local constabulary (police or animal control.)

re Citronella Spray vs Stick - our obedience teacher recommended the citronella spray to us after Rumo got attacked. With a stick, I'm afraid I would hit too lightly or entirely miss, and just make the attacking dog madder!? I'm sure some more coordinated people could pull it off.

Something that worked for me a few times, was to stand in front of my dog and yell angrily, "Get Away!! Get Away!" (This works on dogs that are more respectful of humans, but a lot of them aren't).

Yea, canine body language is pretty complicated! For example, while we don't have issues with a lot of offleash attacks (we live in a small busy college town), we have a lot of lungers and barkers. When a dog is lunging and barking, I don't know if they are mean or just excited, but Rumo does. Every once in a while, his fur will stand up and he issues a growl. Then I realize, THAT dog meant business. But as a human, I'm no good at telling what's going on. There have been barking growling lunging dogs that scared me, but meanwhile Rumo is wagging his tail and straining to go sniff, so who knows?! I guess what I'm trying to say is, probably we will never be able to figure out why your dog is being targeted...but all you can do is, be ready, and learn how to fend off the attacks.

How awful to have to deal with this every time you're on a walk!!

Here we are able to report attacks to Animal Control, there is a report you can file...the owner will be fined. Gets more expensive with each offleash offense.

aljones wrote:

Once again I find myself with two propositions, so I'm going to put them in human terms and go from there.  Note: I offer no solutions, just observations, so if you're looking for a solution, stop reading.

Do you remember when you were a kid and there was this one kid who always showed up at various events and everyone either ignored him or picked on him?  Why?  Did he smell different?  Did he wear odd clothes?  Often times there was no perceivable difference between him and his school mates / play ground mates - but he was always the odd man out.  This is the kid who had an invisible "kick me!" sign on his back. Some dogs seem to fit into this "group" but if they do then it's almost always the case, just as it seems to be with some kids.

Some kids and some dogs will go out of their way to make friends - - - and it just doesn't work. Why?  I have absolutely no idea.

My impressions of the dogs in peoples discussions above is that none of them is doing anything wrong.  But ... their dog is not showing submission (appeasement) to the aggressive dog.  To take it back into human terms, this is the kid who just walks off when a bully starts to pick on him - which only makes things worse.  These dogs (and kids) have never learned how to stand up for themselves so they don't know how or when to submit to someone who is bigger / stronger / more vocal than they are.  (While that may sound like it doesn't make much sense, it's a fact that knowing how to kowtow to an aggressive person will reduce or remove the stress.)

Again ... if you're walking down a street and some guy pops out of an alley, gun in hand, and demands your money you generally have three options.  Submit and hand over your cash and hope he takes it and leaves; prepare to fight for your life and hope you can do something about that gun before he pulls the trigger or lastly stand there and do nothing which is going to make the thief more than a little angry.  It's the last action that I see the dogs in this example taking.   For whatever reason this "well socialized" (read overly submissive) pup becomes the target of someone with bully feelings.  By retreating to safe territory your pups are inviting more aggression by the bully.  Most bullies, either human or canine, will back down when confronted with an equal resistance, if your dogs aren't allowed to respond then that just proves the bully's point.  I'm stronger, I can get away with it and do what I want.  Just as we can't protect our kids from every bully in the school yard, we have to teach our pups (human and canine) how to respond appropriately.

The flip side to all of the above is that the aggressor dog is not the well socialized dog that his owners want to think he is.  While few displays of dominance really result in any real damage, the owner has to decide when to let his dog stand his ground and when to back off.  But backing off repeatedly results in socially inept pup - he knows how to behave when everything's copacetic but has no idea how to behave when standing up for himself is the right thing to do.  Often the right thing for the human to do is - if appropriate - call the local constabulary (police or animal control.)

I agree with you. Female dogs seem to like him males attack. My husky has been neutered and luckily enough these dogs come at him and he does not retaliate nor seem scared. I just don't want him to retaliate. I always have him on leash and walk him on a longer leash but if I see an off leash dog i bring him in. These owner's who's dogs are off leash are irresponsible. I put my foot in to keep one jack Russell off biting and was ready to roundhouse kick it across the field instead I picked it up off the floor by its collar and told the owner off. In the heat of the moment you don't think. I'm glad he is such a laid back placid dog.