did I overreact? - Page 2

You certainly didn't overreact at all. This happened recently to my other half when out walking our SchH lll and 11 month old SchH 0.3.

Due to other owners not putting their dogs on leads has now resulted in them being taken out in public separately, as the last incident could have got nasty and actually hurt my other half as she was 'stone surfing', being dragged along by 2 dogs out to protect her from this ball of fur with a head that was coming towards her fast. 

The result was the aggressor got a bit taken out of his side, followed by a yelp and departure in the direction he appeared from. Not what anybody wants but it sorted the situation.

As she said too, it was such a quick occurrence that the only command was 'Whoooooaaaaa' as she headed off down a pebbled path on her heels. Not a command either dogs are familiar with! Plus, as she's not necessarily confrontational and was in shock from pulling bits of the other dog from our dogs mouth (Just fur ), she wanted to just get back to the vehicle fast. I'd have wanted to find the owner and let them know what I thought, but I appreciated her predicament.

Also, although not having any experience with Labradors and the like, a similar discussion on another board highlighted quite a few people saying that black labs in particular are the dogs causing most problems to their dogs, when out walking. Obviously this could be down to a few things, Lab popularity, so therefore the probability of meeting a Lab is higher, more Labs are off their leads because they are deemed friendly, or, because they simply are buggers!! 

I think you were pretty controlled to NOT say something smart mouthed to the person, and probably you should have reported him/her to the park dep.  The only thing I would say is when you remark that he had a look like, " if your dogs aren't up for socializing leave them at home..."  This is a judgement on your part of what he might have been thinking.  You dont need to be concerned about WHATEVER he was thinking.  He was completely in the wrong, you were completely in the right.  He may have been thinking, "I wish I had left my stupid dogs on their leashes like she did darnit." 

Dont' sweat it, you did fine and so did your dogs.  That just burns me that people do that, I'm sorry this happened to you and ruined a beautiful afternoon with your dogs.

Lisa

If you had been at a dog park and acted like that, that would have been an over reaction.  But you weren't at a dog park, you were on a hiking trail that is clearly marked with rules.  I don't care how friendly a dog is, if it is off leash in a public area when it is supposed to be on leash I react the same way.  Especially if I have my dogs with me.

Nope. didn't over-react at all. You were quite the diplomate. Here is my take and how I handle loose dogs....

If the dog is showing no signs of real aggression or is bluffing from a distance away, I give the owner 1 chance to quickly come get their dog. I say, "you better come get your dog" in a tone of voice that let's tnem know they better do it. If they don't or are very slow to do it, the dog gets a swift kick with force comparable to it's size and temperment. I know it is not the dogs fault, but I am not going to get bit and I am not going to have my dog get dog aggression issues because someone else won't control their dog.

If the dog really wants  to fight; I let my dog go, jump in, and we whoop that dog's ass. I expect my dog's to protect me in the event I am attacked by a human being. If I expect that from my dog, I feel I should do the same for them if they are attacked by another dog. I have only had to do this 2 times my entire life and both were many years ago. As I became a better handler I was able see potential problems and avoid them before they became problems.

I try to pound this into the heads of new handlers. Part of being a good dog handler is being aware of your surroundings and not puting your dog in a bad position. 90% of the time this will avoid these types of situations but there is always that other 10%. If you are out hiking in the woods and around the corner come two loose dogs; not much you can do about that.

Sounds like you handled it beautifully!

When Dante was about 9 months old I was walking him (on leash as per the rules) in a park near my home.  We were going through a wooded area when suddenly a young (5-7 months old) Golden came bounding around the corner no owner in sight.  Dante immediately play bowed and puppy barked to this young dog who sat down and started to cry.  The owner came huffing around the corner and told me angrily "You shouldn't bring your aggressive dog to the park" I laughed and asked her if she knew a play bow (Dante was still bowed down tail wagging furiously) when she saw because she obviously had no idea what a puppy bark was.  I of course also took a moment to also point out whose dog was on leash and whose wasn't. 

All said with a smile but she was not a happy woman.