Hi Zach. Strange dogs should never be allowed to run up to your girl. I don’t care if they are dressed in a clown outfit, smiling and walking on two feet. No, never, ever. You do not know if that approaching dog is friend or foe, and neither does your girl. It sounds like she tries to get away from them, and when she can’t she takes the defensive position-think if it this way..if you were chased by a stranger, who then cornered you in a dark alley, are you going to wait to be hit, or swing first assuming the person has ill intents? Me, I am going to go for the eyes : ) Your dog is no different when fearful and cornered. Flight(she can’t) or fight-only option left.
If you want to get her used to other dogs and reduce her fear response, get a friend with an easy going dog and go for a walk. Walk side by side with a safe distance between you-perhaps 20 ft. This is to get her used to another safe dog in close proximity pacing along at a safe distance. As she gets better, you reduce the distance between the dogs until they can walk side by side without distance. How long it takes to narrow the gap between dogs depends on her response.
Truly dog aggressive dogs attack from the get go, they do not first try to run. Quite frankly, I would not let a dog with such excessive fear issues off leash ever. All it takes is another loose dog, a car back firing etc, and she could bolt in front of a car and get killed or run off never to be found. She has a lot of over coming to do before that would ever be even remotely safe.
2 months, 2 weeks ago
