I wish none of us never had to ask the following question: Another dog attacked my dog while walking, what should I do?
Unfortunately, there is a possibility many dog owners will experience this unpleasant situation. You might have a socialized and well-behaved dog, but this does not mean that all the other dogs out there will behave the same.
We can all witness many dogs walking freely without even having a collar and a leash. A responsible dog owner should never let his dog walk in public like this.
But, even the dogs that have not attacked other dogs before might show this kind of behavior at a certain moment.
You can never be sure if your dog will be attacked during a walk, so, it is better to be prepared if this happens.
Therefore, continue reading to find out how to handle this situation.
What To Do If Another Dog Attacks Your Dog While Walking?
Some dogs are known as aggressive dog breeds, but, let me explain something right at the beginning.
None dog is aggressive by its nature, and any dog can show aggression towards other dogs. There are many reasons for this to happen, like, lack of training, lack of socialization, or lack of activities.
So, if you see some dog approaching your dog, a dog that you couldn’t imagine to be an aggressive one, your dog can still get very hurt.
Any dog can hurt another dog, if he is furious, violent and bloodthirsty. Remember that all dogs have a prey drive, and might consider your dog as their prey, even if your dog is bigger from the dog that is attacking him.
What you should do is to let your dog off the leash – this way, your dog will have a chance to run away, or even to confront the other dog.
You can try to distract the other dog, by throwing a rock, a bottle, or any other object you have at hand near that dog, to distract him. You should not hit another dog, unless, of course, it is a matter of life or death for your dog.
You should take your dog to the vet’s, even if he only has superficial wounds or scratches. You don’t want to risk your dog’s health and well-being.
Another thing you should do is to report the attack. You should take the information from the owner of the dog that attacked your dog.
Maybe that dog has already been reported for attacking, and you should do the responsible thing, and maybe prevent this dog from attacking more dogs in the future.
Things You Should Not Do If Another Dog Attacks Your Dog
During an attack, you should definitely not try to grab your dog by the collar and drag him away from the attacker. If you do this, you might even get hurt yourself.
You should also not run away from the dog that is about to attack your dog. You should only do this if you spot it from a long distance and if you estimate that there is a safe place nearby where you can take shelter.
You should definitely not try to hit the other dog. Why? Because this might make him become even more aggressive.
This dog is fully concentrated on attacking your dog at these moments, and he will not be able to see that you actually hit him. Therefore, this hit might make him want to attack your dog even harder.
After The Attack…
Dogs that have been attacked by other dogs might have serious consequences, even the attack itself wasn’t so bad.
You might think that your dog did well, as he had only a few superficial wounds which healed in a few days. However, assault wounds can be much deeper and more complex.
A dog that has been attacked might become afraid of anything, even of something inside your house.
Some dogs will even run away from their owners – this is how serious the attack trauma can be for our furry companions.
So, if your dog has been attacked by another dog, there is a high chance that he will refuse to walk with you, especially in the period right after the attack.
You can try to change your walking route, but this might not help either. For starters, you should take your dog into the yard only, and wait for him to feel better.
Your dog will probably be very anxious, so you should not force him to socialize with other dogs, and go for walks, at least for some time.
If time passes and your dog does not seem to be getting any better, you should ask a veterinarian for some medications that will alleviate your dog’s anxiety.
You should not give any of these medications to your dog before consulting your veterinarian.
Is There A Way To Prevent Your Dog Being Attacked While Walking?
I am sure you know how important it is how often we walk our dogs. Walks are one of the most basic, but the most efficient ways for your dog to exercise, socialize, and investigate around.
So, we sure want our dogs to be capable of enjoying the wonderful walking experience without worrying about other dogs that might attack them.
To prevent this, you might want to consider carrying some additional equipment with you, especially if you are about to walk through some new, unknown areas.
For example, you can carry pepper spray, or a whistle in your bag. If another dog really attacks your dog, feel free to use the pepper spray to incapacitate the attacker.
Since dogs have far better hearing than we do, a loud whistle can really excite, confuse and startle them, so there’s a good chance the other dog will back off and leave your dog alone when he hears the whistle.
These steps might sound too radical, but, I think it is better to be safe than sorry, do you agree? After all, these items are so small you will not even notice them in your bag, but so efficient that they might help you save your furry companion from a dangerous dog.
Final Words
Another dog attacked my dog while walking – one of the biggest fears of all dog owners. Walks are probably a favorite way for you to spend time with your furry friend, but this can change if your dog experiences an attack from another dog during a walk.
An attack from another dog can be even life threatening for your dog. Even if it is not, and you stopped the disaster from happening, your dog can still be traumatized for life after the attack.
Such an experience can even cause a dog not to want to socialize with other dogs ever again. So, many dogs will become anxious and want to spend time alone. They might not even want to do any of the activities they used to enjoy.
Of course, we all want to avoid this from happening. I am sure you don’t want to imagine what to do if you experience something like this during a walk, but I think it is good for all dog owners to be prepared for this scenario.
You can never know what other dogs are like, and what could provoke them to become aggressive.
I hope some of my advice will be useful for you, and that you will be able to prevent your dog from being attacked by another dog.