The first time I heard the phrase “leash aggression” was about a year ago as I was walking Mason at the park on a sunny day in St. Pete. Mason was eager to go say hi to another dog and the owner stated he did not think that was a good idea because his dog was “leash aggressive”. This owner then explained to me what leash aggression was, and it dawned on me in that moment, that Mason was leash aggressive too!!
Anytime we are walking and Mason sees another dog being walked on a leash too, he immediately lays down. Once he lays down, he will stalk the other dog not moving or taking his eye off them. Once the dog gets close, he then lunges trying to gain access to the other pup. What is crazy is this only happens sometimes, he doesn’t do this to every single dog that is on a leash when we are on a walk.
It is stressful experiencing this anticipation and anxiety that the leash aggression “could” happen, but it is even more stressful when it actually does happen. Mostly because I am afraid if the dog is too close, the dogs could start to fight each other or hurt one another. This horrific nightmare I envisioned became a reality this past Monday…
I was walking Mason and Fiona (my roommates’ 12lb dachshund) at our apartment complex earlier this week. We had already went to the dog park and were walking along a side walk between two of the apartment buildings headed home. All of a sudden, Mason lays down and I see a young women walking towards us with a stroller and her Yorkie. My anxiety immediately kicked in and I pulled Mason’s leash as tight as it would go, holding on with all of my might.
As the young lady and her pup get closer, I can see the Yorkie straining to get to Mason as he is laying watching her in the grass. Before I could even get a word out of my mouth, the lady lets her Yorkie walk right up to Mason’s face and he lunges at her trying to play and had accidentally scrapped or bit her nose and mouth. The poor pup was bleeding everywhere and I was in utter shock.
I was almost speechless. The only words I could get out were “I am so sorry” and “I promise he was just trying to play and has never done this before”. The young lady asked for my information as she rushed her pup home to examine her injuries. I literally run home with the two dogs and am panicking. Not knowing what to do, I grab the little doggie first-aid kit I have and sprint back over to the Yorkie’s apartment. I knock on their door and offer my help and apologizes again. Luckily, the young lady said the bleeding had already stopped and her pup seemed fine.
This was a VERY scary experience to say the least. I honestly wish I could end this post with a solution to leash aggression, but I have yet to find one. However, over this next week, I am going to try a few different strategies I have been reading about and will share the results with you all in next weeks post.
If anyone has any suggestions or tips, PLEASE do not hesitate to share them with me!
Dog Mom Tip #7: Always stay on your toes, you never know what obstacle is lurking around the corner.