Eastside Tails

How to stop another dog pestering you

Over-friendly or threatening. What to do if an unwelcome visitor suddenly joins you on your walk.

The scenario I am about to describe is a common one often discussed in social media, books and blogs. Let’s bring together some of the more effective coping strategies for a dog pestering you. You cannot replicate a genuinely unpleasant encounter in training. Nor should you try to because you are inviting stress and potential danger. And every scenario has subtle variations and shades. So the only way you are going to find out which, if any, work, is when you try them in real life!

The scenario is this. You are walking your dog in an open area and you are both startled at the sudden appearance of another dog off lead, owner far away, who wants to bother your dog. We will call the other the dog the stranger. Now, the stranger might be displaying aggressive body language or vocalisations that could escalate quickly into Fight mode. Or the stranger simply could be over-friendly, trying to engage in play that is not balanced – let’s call it bullying. Either way, this is dog pestering!

The common thread here is that the stranger is apparently not going anywhere, and your dog is not happy about this. Your dog is either going into defensive fear-aggression mode. Or displaying signs of stress and submission: “I want you to go away now please”. Or even wanting to escape entirely and bolt. Fight, Faint, or Flight.

In future posts I will be talking about dog body language. The signs and signals our dogs are so adept at displaying (and that we are often so poor at reading). And what uneven play looks like. But here I simply want to help with the question:-

“What do we do to make the other dog away?”

With the sparkier encounters, your own adrenaline will suddenly flood you as well. You are unlikely to have clear-thinking nor time on your side to diligently go through your checklist! So it’s worth rehearsing in your mind what you might try in these scenarios in future. That way, at least one might spring to mind in the heat of the moment. Or you may be able to try a series of them: one may not be enough. So, what do we do?

1. Be aware of your surroundings

The first thing is environment management. You will never avoid a conflict every time, but you can certainly reduce their frequency if you … look up! Walking the dog is supposed to be fun and relaxing, and we want to keep it that way. But just like being out and about with the kids, an enjoyable walk is not incompatible with simply being aware of your surroundings.

Your dog walk should be about them – it is for your dog’s benefit and you are responsible for their welfare. So you can help them be safe and make the right choices and respond to you by keeping potential trouble at a far enough distance. If you have doubts about the appearance of the stranger in the distance, proceed with caution. Or simply head off in another direction.

2. Put or keep your dog on a lead

This can be controversial, and is actually not a clear-cut mantra. If the situation warrants it and your dog wants and simply has to defend itself – rather than bolt – which it cannot do properly on a lead, there is an argument for letting them go. And when you are the stranger’s target.

But most times we are commonly talking about either playful bullying or “arms-length” sparring. And for this I would say keep your dog on a lead or if possible, put them on a lead. How you do the latter deserves a post in itself, as your dog is unlikely to be staying still or listening to you. But if you can, do it. You will be more effective as a single unit, linked with a lead. If you can’t or still have some distance to work with, use your powers of recall to get yourself and your dog moving away in the other direction (see below).

Try to keep yourself as calm but authoritative as you can.

Don’t give your dog a further reason to panic or be stressed. They read you like a book! So if they weren’t unduly worried to begin with, they soon will be.

3. Call out to the other owner

It could be you are dealing with a stray, of course. But if you can see the stranger’s owner, engage with them immediately. “Can you call your dog back please!”. We all know the most common reply: “Oh he’s just saying hello or wants to play!”. To which your answer is always: “Well my dog doesn’t!”. Or “There is a reason my dog is on a lead.”

One riposte I heard was “He just wants to sniff his bum! We are socialising him!”. So they are implying they are being responsible, and you aren’t, because you are stopping this admirable intention. Not okay! Your dog is not their training stooge. And above all:

Socialisation is about helping a dog learn what is acceptable behaviour in any environment, not being out of control in that environment.

Anyway, take whatever ridiculous excuse is thrown back at you in your stride! And insist politely, but repeatedly if necessary, that they call their dog back. In my experience, it is more likely the stranger will have poor or zero recall. The owner’s embarrassment at this will further escalate their attitude towards you. Don’t take it personally – keep laser-focused on you and your dog’s welfare. That is our sole purpose here. It’s all the matters.

4. Try to remove yourselves from the situation

Always your go-to priority. Do what you can to keep your dog moving with you in the other direction, quickly but calmly. But avoid excessive pulling and dragging. This will only add to your dog’s tension and naturally increase their tendency to push forward. You are both vulnerable with your backs turned. You will both be mindful anyway of what you are trying to leave behind. It’s only natural. But if it is possible,

increase the distance so you are no longer perceived by the stranger to be a threat or a play-thing worth bothering.

If your dog is a wriggler and there is potential to escape their harness or collar, you are going to have to stand your ground, however.

5. Try to put yourself between the stranger and your dog

You will already be thinking to yourself easier said than done. But you have to try. This will be easier if the stranger is six feet rather than two feet away, and is bully-playful rather than aggressive. But try putting your dog quickly in a Sit-Stay. Ideally behind if not beside you will help, if it is safe to do so. Immediately create a barrier between your dog and the stranger. They may circle which will break your dog’s Sit-Stay but you must pivot yourself to maintain this barrier.

6. Command the other dog

No matter how poorly trained, this will actually work more often than it doesn’t. Be confident, stand tall, raise your arm theatrically as you loudly command: “SIT!” or “STOP!”. Or Down. Or GO.AWAY. If Sit doesn’t work, then try the others. At the very least, the stranger should be genuinely surprised and this will buy you more time (is that the owner finally getting closer to us, I see?).

This may create a long enough pause for the other owner to get their dog on the lead. Or for you to keep repeating the command until they do. (Notice I am deliberately using the word “Command” here, as opposed to a Cue or an Ask. You are not being aggressive or abusive. But in this instance there should be no doubt that you are ordering the stranger to do as asked.) Keep your hand up in a Stop signal.

7. Try throwing treats behind the stranger

Scatter the kibble as they say – it’s raining treats! Just behind them so they have to turn their back. Then throw further away. This gives you more time to purposefully set off in the other direction. And hopefully for the owner to arrive on the scene. Treat motivation will be lower in an aroused dog, but again the element of surprise may work. This may be enough to stop the dog pestering you. But now the stranger is following us for the treats, I hear you say. If that happens, then we have something to work with! They are putty in your hands. You can now all march off, treat-scattering away to your side, to the embarrassed owner and meet in the middle.

Not recommended….

• Picking your dog up
• Trying to grab hold of the other dog

There are too many variations of dog pestering to cover all the bases in this one post, and whilst these two ideas may work in specific instances (tiny dogs, and an over-friendly stranger + consenting owner spring to mind), I would not recommend these are your Go-To strategies because they could get you into trouble.

A Perfect World

When you see another dog on a lead, there is a reason.

And frankly it shouldn’t matter to you why! The considerate dog walking code is to either put your dog on a lead. Or at least ask the other owner if they want you to. Or you can ensure your off-lead dog is well trained enough to not bother them. Let’s co-operate to lessen dog pestering.

One: It’s polite and considerate! We are helping another person and their dog. This is good!

Two: Your dog should never be off lead in the first place if it is not under control at all times. That, my friends, is now enshrined in Law.

I would welcome any comments on your own experiences and recommendations on this topic. Now, stop worrying and enjoy your walk!