In our recent podcast with expert trainer Tony Cruse (TC), we discussed what to do when a dog runs up to yours (on a lead) and how to handle it.
Presented by James Buzzel (JB).
What to do when a dog runs towards you
JB: Quite a common problem when people are out walking is how should we react when our dog is on the lead, but another dog runs up to you off-lead? Particularly if you’ve got a nervous dog. TC: Yes, this is a very much a common issue that I get approached about quite frequently. It is most annoying, especially when you are training your dog. To suddenly have a dog running directly up to your dog puts the training on the back foot. In the dog world, it’s considered extremely rude for a dog to run up to another dog. It’s considered even more rude if the owner allows it. The best advice I can give is if you see somebody with their dog on a lead, mirror what they’re doing. Pop your dog back on the lead. That way, you can get past them safely, or you can stop that approach from occurring.
JB: I’ve seen it happen myself when I had a small dog on the lead, and a larger dog is bounding up to us. My immediate reaction is to pick up my dog. I admit, there’s a fear reaction happening with myself, but then I don’t want to pass the fear on to the dog. Do you think that’s the right thing to do? What’s the best approach if the other owner doesn’t care about their dog running up? TC: Firstly, let’s discuss picking a small dog up. A lot of people would say that’s not a good idea. Personally, I think you should do anything to protect your own dog. Lifting a small dog up off the ground and helping your little dog shouldn’t be frowned upon.
It’s very difficult not to be angry because you want to tell the other dog owner that you aren’t happy. What you need to do is use your acting skills and put on a happy face. What I tend to do is step forward so my dog’s slightly behind me, and I greet the other dog as it runs up. I’ll say ‘oh, hello, what are you doing then?’. It’s not easy to do because you’re not particularly happy with the situation, but by doing that, you’re actually telling the dog approaching that there’s no issue here. You are pacifying the situation. You also let your own dog know that there’s not an issue here. So straight away, both dogs are a little bit more relaxed than they normally would be. Long-term, you’re not exactly helping the dog that runs up to you because it’s effectively a way of that dog getting attention, but at the same time, you’ve got to l
