By Fran Jewell
Last fall, I had a very disturbing incident happen to my puppy, Cloud, and me, at Ketchum Town Square. I had avoided taking Cloud to Ketchum to work on distractions with his obedience training because it was so busy and hot all summer. The timing seemed perfect, since it was quiet before our holiday visitors come. As a puppy, too many folks at one time could be overwhelming for Cloud.
I was sitting on one of the benches near Starbucks doing some “attention” work with Cloud and letting him hear and see the sounds of the town when a car pulled up and parked close to us. A dog came out of the car with a leash on but was not attached to its owner. Cloud barked once. I told him to sit next to me, which he did. The dog came flying over to Cloud and postured him, with his teeth bared and a very hard eye. The loose dog was within about 2 feet of my face and leaning over my knees to get closer to Cloud. Cloud continued to stay on my right. He never barked again, didn’t growl, but sat there motionless. In an attempt to stop the confrontation, I thought breaking the eye contact would be best, so I told Cloud to “down,” which he did without hesitation.
From the loose dog owner’s point of view, he could see nothing other than his dog had run up to Cloud. The other dog had a jacket on, so there was no way to see hackles. There was no way for the owner to see the face of this dog with his hard, aggressive eye or his teeth bared, nor could he hear the deep growl from his dog at that distance. I, on the other hand, had his dog’s face within inches of my face where I would be in the line of fire if his dog had decided to attack Cloud.
Cloud’s action diffused the situation when the eye contact was broken. Just at that moment, the loose dog’s owner called his dog and, fortunately, the dog responded by leaving.
While I understand the loose-dog owner’s point of view, I cannot excuse the fact that the dog was allowed to run over to Cloud in the first place. I am sure that from the owner’s point of view, he had no idea exactly how aggressive this incident was and the potential behind it. Cloud, being less than a year old, could have been emotionally scarred for life if he had been attacked. The first year for a dog is so critical. An event like this, if it happens during a fear period, could cause irreparable damage and set a puppy up to be afraid of other dogs forever.
When a dog runs loose, and you see an interaction from behind, it is common to not see all the body language to properly assess how your dog is responding to other dogs. What you may perceive as friendly may, in fact, be horribly aggressive for other dogs or even people.
Things to look for from behind are a wide stance from the rear legs; a tail held high, even if it is wagging, can also clue you in that your dog may be trying to posture the other dog. A stiff tail held high is even more of a clue as to the level of aggression. A ridged back is another clue. Dogs with their hackles up are certainly a good clue, but a dog with a coat on can lead you to false conclusions.
Regardless of how friendly you think your dog is, any dog can decide he doesn’t like another dog. Just like with people, not everyone is our best friend. We all have people we are close to, we have acquaintances, and we have those folks we just don’t like. Dogs are the same way. The best way to handle this is prevention. In public areas, keep your dog on a leash and attached to you. Let’s keep other dogs safe, especially puppies!
Fran Jewell is a dog behavior consultant, NADOI-certified instructor and vice president. She owns Positive Puppy Dog Training LLC and can be reached at (208) 721-7221.
