Hey guys, I am really feeling stumped by what just happened on our walk and need some guidance. Let me set up the situation for you...
We take our dogs (2 at a time), nightly to a park where dogs are allowed. We usually bring regular leashes and flexi leashes, since there are many wide open areas and lots of room to stay away from other people/dogs.
However, there are always dogs off leash which is against park rules, but apparently not enforced. Tonight for example there were 8 off leash dogs with their owners no where near them. It was very chaotic.
I had Emma (yorkie/jrt), and McKenzie (yorkie) out today at the park. I had McKenzie and Sean had Emma. Both were on flexi leashes.
We had JUST pulled up and were getting the pups out of the car when an older man with a pomeranian stopped to chat and his pom clearly did not want to play. She showed fearful behavior like backing up and pulling on the leash away, yet he kept dragging her near us.
Mckenzie stayed far away from the pom and was barking her head off (she's 5 months). I think it was out of a mix of fear and apprehension since she is still fairly shy( we are working on socialization).
Sean was talking to the gentleman and allowed Emma to sniff his dog. Then, Emma lunged forward and was growling and baring her teeth slightly while trying to get on top of the other dog.
She did not bite or harm the other dog, but it was a very scary situation for both of us seeing as it happened in a split second. The flexi leash was not locked as Emma was not at a far distance and Sean was allowing her to sniff.
Immediately, we switched to a regular leash, and will be continuing to use only regular leashes after this incident, although we've never had a problem with the flexis since we pay so much attention to the dogs.
I guess I'm looking for some guidance on why this might have happened or what I can do to correct this.
I don't know if it was the mix of excitement of being in the car/going to the park/as soon as getting out of the car seeing this dog.
I don't know if it was McKenzie barking and Emma feeling protective?
She has never shown this sort of behavior and has been around numerous dogs, doggy play dates, meet ups. She's always been nothing but sweet and playful.
I'm horribly embarrassed and I keep thinking "what if" it was a bite or a nip, or anything that would have harmed the other dog?
I would have been inconsolable if one of my dogs had harmed someone else's and I'm so thankful that this time it was nothing more than a growl... but it makes me very on edge and unsure of what to do next.
Can someone please help me?
We take our dogs (2 at a time), nightly to a park where dogs are allowed. We usually bring regular leashes and flexi leashes, since there are many wide open areas and lots of room to stay away from other people/dogs.
However, there are always dogs off leash which is against park rules, but apparently not enforced. Tonight for example there were 8 off leash dogs with their owners no where near them. It was very chaotic.
I had Emma (yorkie/jrt), and McKenzie (yorkie) out today at the park. I had McKenzie and Sean had Emma. Both were on flexi leashes.
We had JUST pulled up and were getting the pups out of the car when an older man with a pomeranian stopped to chat and his pom clearly did not want to play. She showed fearful behavior like backing up and pulling on the leash away, yet he kept dragging her near us.
Mckenzie stayed far away from the pom and was barking her head off (she's 5 months). I think it was out of a mix of fear and apprehension since she is still fairly shy( we are working on socialization).
Sean was talking to the gentleman and allowed Emma to sniff his dog. Then, Emma lunged forward and was growling and baring her teeth slightly while trying to get on top of the other dog.
She did not bite or harm the other dog, but it was a very scary situation for both of us seeing as it happened in a split second. The flexi leash was not locked as Emma was not at a far distance and Sean was allowing her to sniff.
Immediately, we switched to a regular leash, and will be continuing to use only regular leashes after this incident, although we've never had a problem with the flexis since we pay so much attention to the dogs.
I guess I'm looking for some guidance on why this might have happened or what I can do to correct this.
I don't know if it was the mix of excitement of being in the car/going to the park/as soon as getting out of the car seeing this dog.
I don't know if it was McKenzie barking and Emma feeling protective?
She has never shown this sort of behavior and has been around numerous dogs, doggy play dates, meet ups. She's always been nothing but sweet and playful.
I'm horribly embarrassed and I keep thinking "what if" it was a bite or a nip, or anything that would have harmed the other dog?
I would have been inconsolable if one of my dogs had harmed someone else's and I'm so thankful that this time it was nothing more than a growl... but it makes me very on edge and unsure of what to do next.
Can someone please help me?