Just got back from a walk with my DH and our large dog (leashed). While we were walking on the sidewalk in a quiet neighborhood, another large dog (unleashed) from a house across the street comes tearing across his yard, across the street and onto the sidewalk - barking at us. We held still and he sniffed our dog's side and his butt. Our dog held still until the other dog started snarling and snapping. Our dog growled but my DH got in front of him (DH was holding the leash) and between him and the unleashed dog. My DH squared his shoulders to the unleashed dog and yelled loudly at him. The unleashed dog backed off but kept barking/snarling at us and his hair was standing up all along his back. My DH held his arms out, yelled again and the dog ran back to his house. Throughout all of this, our dog remained calm and uninvolved. You CAN train your dog out of leash aggression even when faced with an aggressive dog. As Cesar says, it's never dog, it's the owner.

Anonymous wrote:http://www.cesarsway.com/training/thewalk/New-Study-on-Dog-Walking-Behaviors http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/dogs-who-are-reactive-leash http://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/leashed-dogs-aggressive-1423.html Here are articles that explain leashed dog aggression. My dog was attacked by an off leash dog and I was an idiot and tried to hold my dog back. All this did was upset my dog more and made him aggressive towards the off leash dog which in turn made the off leash dog aggressive towards my dog. If I had dropped the leash when the dog was coming towards us there probably would not have been a fight.

Did you notice that in every article the author gives ideas about how to train YOUR dog - the dog that's on the leash? Did any of these articles mention dropping your leash? If so, I missed it. What I take away from these articles is that owners need to train their dogs. Here's what Cesar says (quoting from the article you cited):

The Solution to Dog Aggression?
By creating a calm and assertive energy on the walk, your dog should be less inclined to be aggressive to other dogs you meet along the way. It’s important not to show any signs of anxiety or hostility that your dog might pick up on. Behave toward your fellow walkers and their dogs with friendly exchanges, whether verbal (a simple hello) or nonverbal (a smile or a nod), so your dog understands these intruders on your walk aren’t threats.

And even if the other dog is behaving threateningly or erratically, you can calmly and firmly control your dog, so the dog knows you’re in charge—the pack leader— and everything is under control and there is no need for either of you to get involved with the crazy dog and it’s okay to just ignore him and pass by and enjoy the rest of your walk.

You know what is worse than an unleashed dog? Speed freaks on bicycles. WTF??? Is it really necessary to chase a world record on the same paths that leisurely people going for a walk, LEASHED dog walkers, slow and steady joggers and pleasant Sunday strollers use? JERKS, I hate you all. and your stupid bells.

http://www.cesarsway.com/training/thewalk/New-Study-on-Dog-Walking-Behaviors http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/dogs-who-are-reactive-leash http://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/leashed-dogs-aggressive-1423.html Here are articles that explain leashed dog aggression. My dog was attacked by an off leash dog and I was an idiot and tried to hold my dog back. All this did was upset my dog more and made him aggressive towards the off leash dog which in turn made the off leash dog aggressive towards my dog. If I had dropped the leash when the dog was coming towards us there probably would not have been a fight.

I let my dog off leash all the time. I have a shock collar so I can assure you, he is never coming up to you. I never let him come near a dog who's leashed unless I ask the owner first. I also always leash my dog when I see little kids. My dog will just lick them, but the kid doesn't know that.

I run in the Rock Creek Park trails. I have a hound so it lets him stretch his legs. I usually leave the off leash treat for the woods. If I run early in the morning, I will take off his leash if I know people are not out.

I do understand that people don't like it. I really try to be aware of that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I unleash my dog as often as I can. My dog is a lover not a biter. You are all paranoid.

You must be that idiot you states that it's a fact that dogs get aggressive on a leash.

OMG. NP here. Leash aggression is REAL. The situation is where your dog is on leash and another dog approaches OFF LEASH. That is when it is better to drop the leash so your dog can maneuver. It pisses me off to no end when a person has there dog off leash in public space because my dog is always leashed and always becomes aggressive towards other dogs when she is on leash. At the dog park I got into a ridiculous row with a stupid bitch who insisted on walking her dog past the double fenced area on leash and then being surprised when a fight broke out with my dog. She went crazy and blamed my dog. It was insane--she was an idiot.

If you have properly trained and have control of your dog, it will NOT be aggressive on a leash. If your dog gets aggressive, it's because YOU allow your dog to become aggressive. It makes no difference whether the other dog is leashed or not. I'm sick to death of encountering people like you who blame others for the problems their dogs have. Who doesn't find unleashed dogs annoying? But, that's no excuse for allowing your dog to become aggressive. Show some responsibility.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but I would flip out if a dog started acting aggresive and the owner dropped the leash and walked away.

If it attacked or bit in that specific situation, I would call both the police and animal control, and go after both the dog and the owner to the fullest extent possible, due to such idiotic behavior.

Sorry, but that just sounds like a good way to get yourself sued and your dog put down.

+1 not to mention that if I dropped the leash, my dog would eat your unleashed dog for lunch. people need to be careful with their broad generalizations.

OMG. that's not what she's saying. Sometimes it would be better to drop the leash in certain settings and with certain breeds. Use common sense. But yes, generally the asshole who starts this by walking around with their dog off leash that is the main problem. Fortunately, it is rare to see this these days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I unleash my dog as often as I can. My dog is a lover not a biter. You are all paranoid.

You must be that idiot you states that it's a fact that dogs get aggressive on a leash.

OMG. NP here. Leash aggression is REAL. The situation is where your dog is on leash and another dog approaches OFF LEASH. That is when it is better to drop the leash so your dog can maneuver. It pisses me off to no end when a person has there dog off leash in public space because my dog is always leashed and always becomes aggressive towards other dogs when she is on leash. At the dog park I got into a ridiculous row with a stupid bitch who insisted on walking her dog past the double fenced area on leash and then being surprised when a fight broke out with my dog. She went crazy and blamed my dog. It was insane--she was an idiot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In this in stance if the dog was on a leash it wouldnt have made much difference. The child approached it, it gave a warning growl and then jumped at her face. Same thing could have happened if it was leashed.

My 4 year old was walking next to me on the sidewalk next to the school at dismissal. A man was standing there with a leashed medium sized dog, talking to a neighbor. My child smiled at the dog (no more, no less) and the dog snarled, jumped & lunged at his face. Owner had a tight, short hold on the leash and was able to pull him back.

I thank God that this man had the sense to leash him, or that dog would have absolutely bit my child in his face or worse.

What angered me most was that even if the dog was supposedly "gentle", why or why would anyone choose to walk their dog outside a school during dismissal, leashed or not. It is just asking for trouble.

Don't even get me started about the young couple who would walk their pitbull on a long leash by the school right at dismissal. Really? Simply irresponsible.

Yes!!! I don't walk my dogs on the street until 6pm...away from kids. My dogs are friendly but it's too much to have to pay attention to children and what my dog is doing. We are supposed to be on a leisure walk not won that is chaotic .

. What changes at 6pm???

Anonymous



Wait-- will animal control in the District do anything?!! I'll really be surprised to hear that they agree to come out at all for unleashed dogs, and even if they will, there won't be any kind of timely intervention, right? I called animal control once when there was a bat on the loose in my apartment building. They arrived three hours later (and we could no longer find the bat).

I'd be so thrilled to be able to appeal to some kind of enforcing authority to fix all of the dog problems in my neighborhood. Anyone actually had any luck with this in the District?

What kind of problems are you talking about? Unleashed dogs are, on the whole, a pretty minor issue. If you have a laundry list of similar " problems" you will not likely get much attention. Dogs are a fact of life. You live in the city, where there will be things you don't like. However, if there is a real danger in your neighborhood caused by a dog, you can probably get help with careful documentation of seriously dangerous behavior.

Wait-- will animal control in the District do anything?!! I'll really be surprised to hear that they agree to come out at all for unleashed dogs, and even if they will, there won't be any kind of timely intervention, right? I called animal control once when there was a bat on the loose in my apartment building. They arrived three hours later (and we could no longer find the bat).

I'd be so thrilled to be able to appeal to some kind of enforcing authority to fix all of the dog problems in my neighborhood. Anyone actually had any luck with this in the District?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In this instance if the dog was on a leash it wouldnt have made much difference. The child approached it, it gave a warning growl and then jumped at her face. Same thing could have happened if it was leashed.

My 4 year old was walking next to me on the sidewalk next to the school at dismissal. A man was standing there with a leashed medium sized dog, talking to a neighbor. My child smiled at the dog (no more, no less) and the dog snarled, jumped & lunged at his face. Owner had a tight, short hold on the leash and was able to pull him back.

I thank God that this man had the sense to leash him, or that dog would have absolutely bit my child in his face or worse.

What angered me most was that even if the dog was supposedly "gentle", why or why would anyone choose to walk their dog outside a school during dismissal, leashed or not. It is just asking for trouble.

Don't even get me started about the young couple who would walk their pitbull on a long leash by the school right at dismissal. Really? Simply irresponsible.

Yes!!! I don't walk my dogs on the street until 6pm...away from kids. My dogs are friendly but it's too much to have to pay attention to children and what my dog is doing. We are supposed to be on a leisure walk not won that is chaotic .

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but I would flip out if a dog started acting aggresive and the owner dropped the leash and walked away.

If it attacked or bit in that specific situation, I would call both the police and animal control, and go after both the dog and the owner to the fullest extent possible, due to such idiotic behavior.

Sorry, but that just sounds like a good way to get yourself sued and your dog put down.

+1 not to mention that if I dropped the leash, my dog would eat your unleashed dog for lunch. people need to be careful with their broad generalizations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

+1, well trained lab and golden retrievers are better off leash. It's a fact that dogs get aggressive when leashed. Use a rule of reason. You should know your dog or face the consequences.

Bullshit. If your dog is aggressive when leashed it's because YOU let it be aggressive. Doesn't matter what the breed is.

No. It's a fact, dogs feel when you tug on your leash and think there is a problem. Often the best thing to do is to drop your leash when you come upon another dog that is unleashed.

I believe from your strong reaction that you are probably not very thoughtful about this. But it's a fact.

Where I walk my dog on weekends it's a leash free country area and a lot of my friends and I agree that the worst thing is when someone comes along and sees your dog and leashes theirs.

Not all breeds of course are good off leash, but retrievers, spaniels, and s

Is that leash free country area your property or are you letting them loose in parks?

Anonymous wrote:I unleash my dog as often as I can. My dog is a lover not a biter. You are all paranoid.

You must be that idiot you states that it's a fact that dogs get aggressive on a leash.