Watson almost got attacked by a 100lb bouvier at agility last night. Ugh. The dog seems friendly with the other dogs in the class, but apparently decided that Watson was not ok. While he was off leash, he charged up to Watson. At first I just thought he wanted to sniff or maybe play, but then the sniffing got sort of aggressive, with circling and growling. He must have put his teeth on Watson's neck/shoulder because it was wet there. Watson went so far as to bark/growl at the other dog (after this went on for at least a minute or two), which I've never seen him do.
The worst part is the owner was saying "Just grab his collar" to me like it was no big deal. First, I couldn't even see a collar in all that fur. Second, how am I supposed to hold off your increasingly aggressive 100lb dog with one hand? Come and get him! When she made it over, she spent at least a minute or two trying to get him under control as she'd grab him and he would break free and come back. He's well trained in agility, but she has no control over him otherwise. I ended up picking Watson up (mostly) and just spinning to keep myself between him and the other dog.
I'm not sure if it was because Watson was new to the class, because he's intact, or because he returned eye contact briefly. Watson thinks eye contact is an invitation to play, but the bouv obviously took it as a challenge. Now I'm going to have to keep an eye out for that dog, because I don't trust that she can control him even on leash.
The worst part is the owner was saying "Just grab his collar" to me like it was no big deal. First, I couldn't even see a collar in all that fur. Second, how am I supposed to hold off your increasingly aggressive 100lb dog with one hand? Come and get him! When she made it over, she spent at least a minute or two trying to get him under control as she'd grab him and he would break free and come back. He's well trained in agility, but she has no control over him otherwise. I ended up picking Watson up (mostly) and just spinning to keep myself between him and the other dog.
I'm not sure if it was because Watson was new to the class, because he's intact, or because he returned eye contact briefly. Watson thinks eye contact is an invitation to play, but the bouv obviously took it as a challenge. Now I'm going to have to keep an eye out for that dog, because I don't trust that she can control him even on leash.
Taking two minutes to get a dog under control? I'd be having a word with the instructor... That's just.... not ok. Luckily it sounds like he wasn't out for blood.. I still would have been kicking the hell out of the dog though.
Are dogs not crated at your facility during other dogs' runs? Might be worth it to crate Watson while the Bouv is on the floor.
Vibes that Watson doesn't suffer from the incident!