My small dog and I are often harassed by large dogs while walking. Animal control no help. What to do?

Question

My small dog and I are often harassed by large dogs while walking. Animal control no help. What to do?

Answer 1

I had to laugh because my large dogs are always harrassed by small dogs on walks.  I can't tell you how many times they get nipped at, barked obsessively at and they don't even pay attention to them.  

Animal Control won't help unless there is a real problem.  Are the dogs strays or are they owned?  Is there another area you can walk in?  I have a friend who lives in a bad area and has the same problem only her dog is large.  They don't get harrassed really, but they have a problem down every block with dogs darting in and out of yards.  She carries mace with her incase a fight breaks out.  However, she's very calm and not prone to overreacting.  You can get yourself in trouble with Animal Control if you just start spraying other dogs with mace or pepper spray.  I carry some myself incase I have to get any size dog off either of my dogs.  I have a friend who carries a walking stick to whack other dogs if they try to attack hers (I don't think this will be effective if anything really happens, but she won't listen to me).  

Have you trained your dog to ignore the other dogs that approach you?  Or is your dog reactive as well?  If you train him/her to focus only on you, you simply continue walking and ignoring the other dog.  If there isn't anything to draw their interest (like a reactive, yappy little dog), they will leave you alone.

You simply may have no other option if these are local strays than to walk your dog in a better area.

Answer 2

get some mase and if comes after you spray it in the face

Answer 3

We need more information.

Answer 4

You need to explain more.  Where are you harassed and how?  Are you on the sidewalk and the dog is on the property?   Is the dog just barking?  

Please give more details

Answer 5

How exactly are the large dogs, harassing you and your dog. Adding more details would be really helpful in answering your question!

Answer 6

Harassed how?  Are they running lose?  What exactly are they doing?

Answer 7

Try walking your dog at a time they are not around or drive somewhere far from the area before you walk the dog, if you do not drive get a ride. It is not the dogs to blame it is their owners who don't train them.