Originally Posted by matese (Post 4822505)

:thumbup: wise choice

Originally Posted by yavenay (Post 4822514)

That is what I did the one time a dog did go after Duchess. I picked up Duchess up and kept turning my back to the dog. It was hard because the dog was constanly trying to run in front of me to get to Duchess and I would lose sight of where they were but the dog couldn't get to Duchess. The dog's owner had a limp and took awhile to get up to where we were. I was spinning in circles for at least 20 seconds trying to keep the dog in back of me. Not sure how much longer I could of kept that up.

Originally Posted by yavenay (Post 4822467)

Sorry for the long post. I live in a small town but I live in the center of town. The house I live on is a corner lot and there is foot traffic as well as vehicle traffic during the day. Not a lot but there is some.

I have been taking Duchess for walks for 4 years with only one incident where a larger dog broke lose from their owner and came after Duchess. Fortunately I was able to scoop her up and she was okay.

Duchess and I knows where every dog in the neighborhood lives but recently we have been seeing more dogs in the neighborhood and I no longer feel comfortable walking Duchess. One neighbor told me a dog got lost and bit a young lady.

However, Duchess is extremely energetic and if she doesn't walk, she becomes depressed and just lays around not to mention she will start whining for me to take her out. It's not fair to her to keep her in the house when she loves being outside. I don't have a fenced in yard and the dog park is 21 miles away so that wouldn't be practical to take her every day. I was thinking maybe a removable fence but than I would have to stay with her outside because there is foot traffic but most people typically leave dogs alone but you never know. People love stealing yorkies.

I don't know what to do. I only have one area I feel comfortable walking her now and even that is at a park that is about 10 miles round trip from my house. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can make sure Duchess gets her outdoor exercise? I'm thinking fencing I can put up and remove myself off the patio door. That way I can let her out several times a day and still keep my eye on her.

Originally Posted by Bella7808 (Post 4822541)

I hope I can suggest this if it works for you. How about using a dog stroller for Duchess? We found using a stroller is very good protection and also we put a baseball bat stick in it just in case. You can start off by getting her use to it by putting her in the stroller until you reach a destination like the park if that's where you normally go and let her walk around for her exercise or where you feel comfortable, let her out. At the same time if you see any larger dogs or strange dogs in the distance or approaching you, put her back into the stroller and walk away quickly. Our Bella gestures to us by sitting down next to the stroller or stops walking when she wants to get back inside the stroller. Also it's good exercise for us to walk further when she can't and she loves the breeze blowing into her face and looking out just like a car ride, lol. Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by Jkpal (Post 4822522)

Originally Posted by Jkpal (Post 4822544)

Originally Posted by matese (Post 4822518)

That happened to me years back when I had 3 girls and was camping. This huge dog, like a Great Dane mix came charging up the road, I had enough time to grab up all 3 and these were not tiny girls lol. I didn't know if the dog was friendly, I did as you, kept turning and turning my back, screaming, someone get this dog.

Other campers came to get that dog away before the dogs owner who was in no rush to retrieve his dog. It was a horrifying experience. So I know how you felt with your tiny one. First reaction is to grab up your pup.

These days ppl are very careless with their dogs. They will say ohhhh he's friendly, my reply is, well mine is not. What should be a nice relaxing, enjoyable walk, these days it's a stressful walk with dogs always breaking loose.

Originally Posted by yavenay (Post 4822574)

Duchess doesn't like other dogs and would cause even the most friendliest of dogs to turn mean. She turns vicious. She does not like large dogs at all. I think there size intimidates her as she is not used to being around large dogs. That's why I wish more people with larger dogs would use hands free leashes instead. With a hands free leash, no matter how large the dog is, they can't get away from their owner. The owner might get dragged but they won't be able to break free. In my neighborhood, I've only see one owner who was using a hands free leash for their big dog. One woman has a gsd and a husky and I wish she would use a hands free leash. I keep hoping if she sees me with my hands free leash she would get a clue and think it's a great idea for her two dogs.

Originally Posted by yavenay (Post 4822573)

hmmmm........that may work but only after she gets tired. Duchess is super hyper active and loves walking (really running) and smelling everything. But as she gets older, she is slowing down. A stroller could definitely be a good option.

Originally Posted by matese (Post 4822580)

Cody being a rescue was not socialized as a puppy by prev. owner. When I adopted him our first walk a woman walking a Basset hound was walking towards us, I called out asking was her dog friendly she said yes, so I approached, Cody's tail was wagging but he had this stance that didn't look friendly to me, all I can see is the back of him, I hear a low growl, I ask the lady was that from my dog, she nodded yes, so I crossed the street. There were 2 more incidents where Cody showed signs that made me uncomfortable. So I took to obedience school, we worked with one dog only, I took two sessions, 6 visits per session. What Cody learned out of 12 visits was to now lunge at all dogs.

This is very dangerous for the safety of his life. It doesn't matter if one dog is friendly, when a friendly dog is being challenged by another dog it will take the challenge and Cody with not come out the winner. This is very upsetting for me because, I raised 5 yorkies from wee lil babies, they were well socialized with all types of animals. Now I have a fighter that I fear for his safety. We take our walks around my community, if no dogs are being walked, its a good walk, if a walked dog is spotted I stop, put him in a sit command then turn around walk in the opposite direction, then turn back, sometimes we get no further then 15 feet from my house, but I will not give up on training him.