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What Do I Do If A Dog Attacks My Dog While Out Walking?

April 9, 2020 by Mary Telesz

Dogs greeting one another in field The majority of dog attacks happen during a dog-to-dog greeting. What causes one dog to become aggressive towards another is often unclear to us, and the reasons vary. Frequently, the attacking dog has a strong prey drive and views your dog as prey. This happens often when the aggressive dog attacks a smaller dog. Knowing what to do if a dog attacks your dog while walking can make a big difference in the situation.

The attack could also be due to fear or anxiety on the part of the aggressive dog. Usually, the fearful dog gives many warning signs before an attack. If the humans do not recognize the dog’s attempt to communicate its fear, the dog’s fight or flight instinct can take over. If the dog is on a leash, the fearful dog may perceive that its only option is to fight. In order to know what to do if a dog attacks your dog while walking, the following information will help you in the likelihood of an attack.

Minimize Likelihood of Attack

As a responsible owner, you should learn how to minimize the likelihood of an attack. Pay attention to your surroundings before you decide where to walk. A few things you can do to help ensure a polite greeting between your dog and an unknown dog are:

  • Do not allow your dog to race to the face of an unknown dog. This will many times cause the other dog to respond aggressively.
  • When approaching another dog, stop a reasonable distance from the other dog and redirect your dog’s attention. Have the dog sit. This should help to calm it down before meeting the other dog.
  • Recognize signs of fear in your own dog – looking away from the other dog, crouching, tail tucking, moving away from other dog or showing the whites of its eyes. When your dog shows this behavior, don’t force the dog to greet or interact with the other dog. Overstressing the dog can lead to aggression.
  • If your dog is interested in greeting the unknown dog, ask the other dog’s owner if it’s okay for them to meet. If so, do not let your dog go to the end of its leash for the greeting. You should shorten the leash so that the dog is directly in front of you, and insist the other dog meets your dog in front of you.
  • Allow the dogs to go nose to nose for a few seconds only. Then lead your dog away by turning toward your dog and keeping your body between the dogs.
  • If you notice any signs of aggression during the meeting, use your leg furthest from your dog to push them away from each other, putting your body between the two. Move quickly so that you avoid being bitten. Signs of aggression include growling (do not punish the dog for growling – this is the dog’s way of telling you something is wrong), baring teeth, stiff body posture, ear flattening, or hackles raised.
  • When exiting with your dog, always turn in the direction of your dog and keep the dogs in front of you, so that your body is between the two. This offers the maximum protection and avoids many unwanted attacks.

How To React

Dog attempting to attackIf things get out of control despite your best efforts and your dog is being attacked, here is what you should do:

Remain Calm

Staying calm and focused in the midst of an attack is important, though it might be the hardest thing to do.

Don’t Get in The Middle

You are likely to get hurt if you try to intervene while the dogs are engaged in a fight. Instead, try to distract them by making a loud noise – a sharp whistle, clapping your hands, squeaking a ball or toy or shaking a can of treats. Some trainers recommend carrying a dog whistle or a squeak toy with you to refocus the dog’s attention towards you and away from the other dog. You should know your dog well enough to know what object will get its attention in just about any circumstance.

Release the Leash

If your dog is on a leash, let it go. The dog needs to know that it has the unrestrained ability to defend itself and that flight is an option.

Report the Incident

Ask for the other dog owner’s contact information. Take a photo of the other dog and note any injuries your dog has sustained. You may also want the contact information of any witnesses. Report the attack to the police.

Go Directly to Your Veterinarian

Treat the attack as an emergency, even if the injuries seem minor. Dog bites can become infected. Also, the attack may have severely traumatized your dog. The trauma may mean your dog needs careful and professional training to psychologically recover from the incident.

Speak to the Dog Walking Experts

Dog holding leash in mouth Keep yourself and your pup safe from dog attack incidents. Get advice on the right way to walk your dog and what to do when greeting unknown dogs during your walks. The dog walking experts at Paw Pals are available to answer your questions about what to do if a dog attacks your dog while walking. Their services include regular dog walking services for dog owners who work full time and dog-sitting services when their owners are traveling and cannot take their dogs with them. Contact Paw Pals for more information about dog walking and all of the services they can provide.

Filed Under: Dog Walking

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
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