Yeah, those guys are huge.


Alone they are okay i guess, but they will gang up when chilling together.
My father was fishing in winter on the river and they attacked him. He needed to protect himself with that thing what you use to make holes into the ice to be able to fish.

Yeah, i am a dog lover, and not afraid of any, probably because i was brought up all my life with different dogs in the house.

One thing though, is if you act, afraid, cautious around them they instinctively can become a little hostile. So, a good starter would be to welcome a dogs presence around you by simply acknowledging them with a little pat on the head, or a stroke on their back. Or a little whistle to them and get there attention.

You got to remember though, 90/95% of dogs you will encounter are not your NATURAL enemy.
I understand phobia's though, i scared of tarantula's.

Some good advice above, also, you could try some volunteering work at a dog rescue compound, that place will get you immune to them pretty quickly.

oh man, that's what one of my dogs would have looked like as a puppy. (got him when he was already 2)


ohhhh man reading this is like nails on a chalkboard.

1. The top of the head, the back and the stomach is the worst place to pat/caress a dog you do not know (and who implicitly does not yet trust you). This is because he can't see where your hand is, so he doesn't know what you're trying to do (the stomach is different, it's not a good place because it's a dog's most sensitive place so unless he rly trusts you he won't let you go for it). The place to go for is under his chin/on the front of his neck. That way he will feel less threatened/less likely to be taken by surprise.

2. You only do that once you've practiced no touch, no talk, no eye contact and the dog has come to you and sniffed you out and is still hanging around.


This is what i'm talking about, people can love dogs, have dogs but still not really know how to properly approach dogs. This is not a dig at you, murkmanz, I fully believe you have the best of intentions, but the unfortunate truth is most people who get pets don't go and read 2-3 books on the type of pet they have and the psychology thereof.

Since I'm past 7.5k posts and still have not made a pooh bah post, this thread has inspired me to write one on dogs. Will link it ITT when I get done with it (gonna take a while though there's so much to write about)

That's weird. I was always very scared of dogs as a kid, probably caused by getting attacked by a doberman when I was 6 or something. However, my parents got a dog when I was 16, an english cocker spaniel. After having a dog for a few years, I just realized I'm no more afraid of any dogs.

I'm not sure if it's real or just me imagining things, but it really seems like dogs can sense if you're nervous/scared of them and that probably makes them nervous too. At least I remember many more dogs being hostile towards me when I was scared of them. Not sure how knowing that helps anyone scared of dogs, though.

For me it's wasps. I used to be really scared of them as a kid, and still am a little, for some unknown reason. I know they'd rarely sting if you don't annoy them, and even if they do it doesn't really even hurt that much. Yet I'm afraid of them.

I'm not afraid at all of bees, bumble bees or any other similar animals though. It's just wasps.

Thats cool, no offence taken
I do however, approach all dogs i come across, and offer out my hand for them to sniff. Thats always a good one too, they seem to like this as its some kind of trust im offering?

Anyway, i look forward to your post mr soon to be poo bah

Firstly, let me say I very much appreciate your openness to discussion

Not really. you should let the dog approach you on his terms. Remember, you are many times its size. Imagine if a dinosaur approached you, would be pretty intimidating no?

I'm not saying it's not going to work with a lot of dogs, it most certainly will, but it's not the ideal method and tbh unless there's a very good reason, there's no need for you to approach unknown dogs. If they're friends dogs at their house or w/e, then let them approach you. If they don't approach you, that's fine, they get plenty of affection from their owner, they're not gonna miss much the one time; gradually, if you keep coming over and give the dog no reason to fear you, the dog will eventually "come meet you" himself.

If you're talking about rescuing strays, that's different, that would indeed constitute a very good reason to be the one approaching the dog, but even (or especially, b/c it's stray dogs) then I wouldn't do it the way you describe.
My preffered way is to crouch down, and slowly walk sideways towards the dog. backwards also works but offers you less visibility/awareness/control. then, if I get closer to the dog this way, I wait and the ideal move is to have a treat that you vaguely extend your hand to offer. Give him a minute, even two-five, let him approach you. Patience is good. If he still doesn't, and it's imperative that you approach him, then I'd try to throw the treat halfway between the two of you (you should be a few feet apart so half the distance is a huge step forward at this point). Give him a bit to see if he wants to come get the rest from you, otherwise halve the distance again. Repeat till one of you breaks.

A dog that doesn't approach you either wants nothing to do with you, so respect that, or has confidence/self esteem issues, which can often be linked to "aggressive" behaviour.

Either way, a more passive approach is likely to not only be easier on the dog, but let him gain some confidence wrt the relationship - you respected his space and you did not "come at him", which is a positive thing when dealing with a dog.


For what it's worth, I don't claim to know everything, and there are certainly as many different methods of dealing with dogs as there are dog specialists, but to the best of my knowledge, the advice I'm giving here is solid and on the safer side as well as being mindful and respectful of how a dog perceives actions towards him/her

To end, I'd have one question for you that has no hidden meaning, just to be taken at face value and if one were meditate/ponder on it a while, it would lead to more questions and one could reach interesting conclusions (If you like, I'll walk you through it): Why do you approach all dogs you come across?

Well, basically every time im out in town, or walking to the shops, in passing, i will stop and stroke a dog tied to a lampost. The rare occasion, i have found that, a few dogs, get a bit weary, and like you said start to watch were i am putting my hands, but most of them, welcome the little stroke, or the little 'click click' sound you make to get a dogs attention.

Also, if i come across dog walkers who are obviously proud of there dog and are friendly (as opposed to not wanting to acknowledge me in passing), ill show there dog some love. I guess, i just love dogs in general.

I have only been scared by a dog once in my life, and that was at a distant friends flat. He opened the door and as i entered, a big bull mastiff tried to pounce on me, but he was tied to the radiator (rough neighbourhood, probably for protection, i don't like that treatment of dogs myself) and for the duration of my stay there that dog could almost smell my fear and kept growling.

On a side note though, i was walking back from the shops the other week and i saw this huge black Labrador walking around on his own. I couldn't help but pull out my packet of ham and feed him slices one by one, gave him a little stroke on the head and then we parted ways.

Not saying you're wrong but some of the friendliest dogs I've encountered are ones that like to jump up at new people and make a fuss around them. Other than this they were well-behaved and certainly not what I would think of as abnormal, I have encountered mean dogs that definitely were. It sounds like you are ruining the dog's fun somewhat

Being with a dog is like being in prison, if you act like a bitch, you gonna get humped.

You're locked in an octagon with a hungry full sized pitbull. Do you really think you would lose? If yes, you're a pussy, if no then it's baby steps from there.

I agree.

I agree with most of Jah's statement, but I don't think "normal" is the correct word, as it is normal for dogs to jump on you, attempt to lick you etc.

It's poor training, it's (IMO) bad manners on the part of the handler to allow this to occur, but for most dogs, this is normal behavior as the handler is either too lazy to correct the behavior of unsure of how to correct it.

Most dogs it's quite easy to spot signs of aggression if you've familiarized yourself with dogs enough to know what you're looking for.

Example:






While this would be viewed as very poor manners on the part of the dog (although I don't blame the dog. Dogs live within the boundaries handlers create) it's not really dangerous, at least in terms of an attack. Clearly, aside from the poor manners of such behavior, such behavior should also be corrected because were that a small child or an elderly person, that could accidentally create injury.

Through experience and exposure, you can learn to read the tone of a bark in much the same way you can read anger or danger in the tone of a human voice, and also you will notice a distinct snarl to expose the teeth as well as the hair on the back of the neck standing. Also of note are shortened breathing patterns.

If a dog is running at you with his tongue out, you're very likely going to be just fine.

Furthermore, as I posted earlier, if the dog bites you, you're probably going to be just fine.

Its a healthy fear, dogs (of today atleast) behave according to how they are raised by people. And we can probably agree people are idiots. I once took care of an untrained adult Schaefer. Pretty sure he thought about killing me when I tried to stop him from chasing a smaller dog (I was mildly successful). He didnt kill me, but Im not really sure that wasnt just random luck.

Plus dont bother, they are all dogs anyway.

I dont really like dog people, those that take their moronic dogs out for a walk right in the middle of the city. Annoying babies are ok - we need people. Retarded dangerous dogs are not ok - we dont need dogs.

Why could a dog be super excited about new people, guests etc. and at the same time still know she's not allowed to jump on them and so on? My parent's dog goes absolutely crazy every time I go visit them, but she knows she's not allowed to jump on anybody or bark a lot. I don't think there's anything wrong on social dogs to be excited about people they meet, as long as they've trained well what they're allowed to do and what they aren't.

Also most service dogs seem very interested in people, despite usually being very well trained.

I like dogs and live where there are MANY dogs. I know probably 10% of the dogs i encounter on a daily basis (at least 75/week) but do not have one myself.

Ive never had an "incident" but i am curious what people's view on approaching a random (but seemingly friendly) dog with your hand out and your palm up while somewhat crouching to get on his eye level.

I thought that was chill because you let the dog come to you and smell your hand or whatever.

My buddy (who has a dog) told me that is bad because the dog will think i am offering a treat and may bite.

Should i continue holding my hand out with my palm up or am i just running good?