My dog lunged at a jogger - What could I have done differently?

[lonnie159]

This happened yesterday evening and it’s been playing on my mind all night.

I have a 3.5 year old rescue GSD called Loki. She’s very anxious, reactive, and startles easily. To deal with this I’ve been walking her at 4am to avoid most people and dogs.

I’m spending a lot of money and time on training with a behaviourist and it’s making a notable difference already. One of the things she’s said to do is to walk her in the evenings around other people so she gets used to them - hence the incident last night.

We were walking and I saw a jogger coming towards us. Loki is usually okay with people at a distance, so I wanted to get as far out of the way as I could.
The pavement was very narrow with a hedgerow and no path on the other side so we didn’t really have anywhere to go. I saw a slightly wider section further up and sat Loki down in it. She sat down, and looked up at me. Just as I reached into the pouch to get treats to distract her, the jogger appeared and startled her so Loki lunged.
The jogger did the most exaggerated jump back - she literally did a full on star jump backwards. It’s a good job there were no cars coming!

I went to say sorry and explain we were training but before I could get a word out she started swearing at me saying to “control your f**king dog!!”. I said I was trying and again went to say we were in training and she just kept shouting at me “control your f••king dog for f••ks sake!” before walking off.

Loki and I carried on walking, but it really shook me up.

A few things to note:

1: Loki isn’t currently muzzled. She does have one but it’s too big. She’s got an awkward sized nose so is between sizes. The trainer is trying to help me find a muzzle that fits but so far I’ve bought 6 that have had to go back because they’re either too big or too small.
Our trainer has said there’s no point using it as she can pull it off anyway.

2: Loki has a harness on so I have full control of her. She’s attached to me so that she can’t get far.

3: I have a hi-vis vest on that says SPACE NEEDED and IN TRAINING.

What else could I have done? Loki seems completely unphased by the incident and as soon as the woman stormed off, she shook. But it’s really shaken me up and I feel like I’ve failed.

 

[chiesi]

@lonnie159 I understand why you’re upset but I see the jogger’s point of view too. She didn’t know if your dog was going to attack her or what and was pretty scared in the moment. I think trying to get out of the way and give treats is great, but also hold on to the collar/harness and don’t let your dog have room to lunge. I’d suggest avoiding going on any sidewalks or trails that are too narrow to move away from people

 

[helpmelord]

@chiesi My dog is also triggered by joggers and I purposely avoid trails and narrows paths because we need an escape route. She's doing excellent in her training, but I want to set her up for success and not put her in tricky situations.

 

[tfesler99]

@chiesi Yes, my dog has also lunged at joggers (especially if they come up behind me so I didn't realize they were there). Honestly, in situations you just can't get out of, I've physically knelt next to my dog and held her (she's ~40lbs). I'm not saying this as a training technique, I'm just saying if your only goal in that moment is to stop her from lunging (i.e. maybe I've run out of treats and I can't go in any direction to get away at the moment), then I'll squat down and pet her and hold her in a sit trying to keep her calm.

Again, wouldn't say that trains a dog for next time, but If you're truly in a pickle, that might be the only thing to do.

P.S. OP - you are a human and life incidents like this are going to happen despite how much we wish they wouldn't, please don't beat yourself up. My dog did this a few months ago (jogger came up behind me on a narrow trail, I didn't hear and my dog lunged at him - I was terrified and felt so guilty!). But honestly, what's done is done and we're all out here just trying our bests with these fearful dogs.

 

[godsonray]

@chiesi I thought exactly the same thing.

Op- you sound like an amazing dog owner.
However, the runner was probably petrified. I run and am nervous of dogs who do this. No harm done. But you need to be very careful to keep your dog on a short harness and be aware of your surroundings until she’s better trained. If this was a kid who startled your dog and the dog bit, this could have ended very badly

Sorry the runner was rude to you but they were probably terrified. Keep going with the training and caution and you’ll get there

 

[cataline]

@lonnie159 I have a lunger at people, especially if they're running because she's a herding breed.

A few things that have helped me:

Mine has a handle on her harness. If for some reason I think something is going to get too close and I have nothing else I can do, I hold her by the handle. Not even her traffic lead, that gives her too much lunging room. With the handle, she's not going forward unless I let her.

I will physically walk off a path. I put her in a sit as far away as possible from someone. I move her as far into what I know to be her threshold as possible. I've plopped my dog down in a forest before to get her off a hiking trail when I saw a stroller coming. It's the best way to keep her from going too far over threshold and setting our training backwards.

If you don't have a traffic lead for her, I'd consider one of those too to further your control in addition to your normal leash. I have a leash that's both a normal leash and has a loop near the end that's for doubling as a traffic lead. It's made a huge difference for us.

Lastly, if she lunged, she was phased. That meant she had a influx of stress hormones. I'm extra certain of that because of the shaking you mentioned she did after. So there was some stacking going on there. Your dog is people reactive which is fine, you're working on it but just keep in mind that walking around people is indeed stressful for her. It has to happen but make sure you pace her as well. Too much too fast can set her backwards.

 

[kristendesouza]

@lonnie159 Honestly, I get the jogger's reaction and I would have had the same. The jogger is jogging and minding their own business, you may have a vest on that says you need space, but if the jogger is just jogging on a public path and not purposely approaching you to pet your dog or get in your space, they should be free to keep going as they were and expect you to move if your dog needs more space.

If I were the jogger I would be upset that I'm just trying to jog and someone had their reactive dog close enough to lunge at me while I'm doing my thing. I've had someone else's reactive dog lunge at me outta nowhere while I was on a walk with my dog before and it really does scare the poop out of you.

Maybe next time turnaround and try to get back to a part of the path that is wider before the jogger approaches instead of proceeding further forward or stopping in place. Or don't walk in areas that have such a narrow path that don't allow you to get enough distance. Unfortunately the onus is on you to ensure that you can provide your dog with a safe and comfy distance from others and not put yourself into a position where you are forced to allow your reactive dog get so close to someone.

 

[levicoleman]

@kristendesouza

don't walk in areas that have such a narrow path

This is the key. If you have a reactive dog you need to be hyper aware of what CAN happen. If there's a narrow path, then you cannot take it. What if a small child came running up? Or an unleashed dog? Or whatever your dog's biggest trigger is? You need an escape route at all times. If there isn't one, then you need to find a different route to walk

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@levicoleman We don’t do narrow paths either. It’s a non-starter we just can’t take them. Unless there is a way we can get off. Bridges? No way.

 

[lonnie159]

@levicoleman The problem with living in the countryside is this isn’t always possible. Not all of us live in places that have wide open spaces that allow that. And I am always aware of what could happen, which is why she’s got 2 different leads on. She lunged but barely got off the ground. She went from sitting to standing. That was it.

 

[amhjunior]

@lonnie159 The countryside tends to be better than most places for wide open spaces. I know there are some routes that can be tricky, in woods etc, but it's worth finding the trails that aren't narrow. I try to take my reactive dog to the countryside, but I always walk to route by myself first to check if it is OK for her. If it isn't safe, we don't do that one. It's a shame, but it's better than the alternative.

 

[virtuous77]

@lonnie159 My mom drives to walking spots that are sure to not make her dog react since we dont have many good spot around here.

 

[lonnie159]

@virtuous77 I do that pretty much every morning - we drive to the beach which is Loki’s favourite place, but on the advice of my behaviourist I’m supposed to be walking her in higher traffic areas to get her used to them. I don’t walk her in these areas every day, so that she can calm down, but our aim is to work up to being able to sit in the bandstand in the centre.

 

[smiles917]

@lonnie159 I bet your behaviorist has mentioned using distance as a learning tool as well- you can go to places you know you’ll see people, but to start with make sure Loki’s distance bubble is comfortably big enough for her to be able to work on what she is supposed to work on. As she improves, the bubble can shrink, but until then, triggers up close means more scares like you had today.

Edit: some places I use for my dog to work on this: playgrounds, sporting events, construction or building sites- all at a large distance. They contain people in a fixed area at times I can predict, and we stay well back to have a watch and treats for looking!

 

[virtuous77]

@lonnie159 Then drive to a place with traffic but with wider path. Like that you make sure you wont have your dog lunging like this time.

 

[hawkeyeonme]

@lonnie159 This is the exact scenario that made me take my rescued lab to a behavioural specialist. 1. Shake it off. You surprised the jogger and she was scared and lashed out. No harm was done but she said her piece and you have to forgive yourself and your dog and let it go. I use a simple gentle leader on my dogs head that is tight fitting that the specialist gave us. When I’m cornered with my dog and no time or way to get off a path I usually just give a warning to whoever is coming that my dog might bark. I just shout “he may bark!!” And they usually slow down and give us room realizing we’re a bit trapped. People also generally give a wide berth when they see me having my dog sit and face me while on a walk. They know we’re in training. In some ways it’s harder with a lab because a lot of people assume he’s friendly and try to pet him or approach him even after i say no. You’ve got the disadvantage of a GSD breed barking; keep in mind your dog will be perceived as much scarier than mine will under the exact same circumstances.

 

[te15]

@lonnie159 I would avoid narrow paths and maybe moving along wouldn’t have been so hard on the dog. From her perspective a person moving rapidly toward you guys while in a “vulnerable” position was seen as a threat.

 

[lifeisablessing]

@lonnie159 OP, based on the post and your replies I’d take a beat and process everything before seeking help. The replies don’t show a lot of willingness to learn or implement changes. You did the best you knew how at the time, nobody got hurt, but the jogger did have the right to be frightened. I have a 3.5 year old reactive GSD and have spent over 6k on training and he’s still not perfect, it’s frustrating and scary at times so I give myself grace to my own feelings following any incidents or ups and downs. At the end of the day, I’m responsible for any and everything my dog does. Regroup, look the incident from every angle, and remember you’re doing your best.

 

[ursineguy]

@lonnie159 As a runner, it’s startling when a dog lunges at you. However, it’s also the job of the runner/walker/biker to pay attention and not get too close to dogs, especially when the owner is actively trying to get them out of the way. It’s a signal that this lunge could happen and the dog is in training to resolve it. Don’t take it too hard. Some people are just nasty when they are startled. Screaming at you solves nothing, only amplifies the situation. That’s on them, but you.

 

[ladyjaden]

@lonnie159 Has your trainer talked about how the reaction/reactivity can stack itself if exposed to the trigger over and over? My behaviorist specifically told me to stop putting my dog into situations where she reacts poorly because it is causing her anxiety and is stacking on itself each day. Dogs need DAYS to come down from a reaction, so doing a walk the next day just fuels the reactivity and makes it so much worse. It’s been a real game changer for us…maybe look into going back to the 4am walks if that is what is peaceful for your pup and you. Not all reactivity can be trained away and at some point the dogs quality of life is what matters most.