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drsolly

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Charlie (our border collie) has been subjected to 4 totally unprovoked attacks by Staffies and as a result, I go to extraordinary lengths to avoid them. This is a shame because I’m sure that some of them are alright.

We have always made sure that Charlie’s time with us is loads of fun, so he completely ignores other dogs and humans. One of the very first things we taught him was that uninvited contact with humans was completely unacceptable and jumping up at someone would be an alien concept for him. It is possible to train your dog to be exceptionally well behaved and if you dedicate adequate time to this, it will result in a well adjusted animal that is a joy to own.

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Having unkowningly acquired a staffie cross collie (see previous post, he was so underweight he looked nothing like a staffie) we have tried to find out about their personality traits over the years, I am sure someone will disagree with me, but although they are indeed very good with people, they aren't as keen on other dogs, this is a natural breed trait as they were originally bred for bull baiting and dog fighting. Their ability to lockjaw makes it a very dangerous thing but as said so many times in this thread, its the owners, people need to know their dogs and their breed/s and train or adjust their behaviour accordingly.

 

We have seen it withour boy, we lived on a farm till he was 9 and so rarely socialised him with other dogs, mistake, once we moved although he was older and calmer he had regular contact with a friends collie, not a sociable dog in the least, not really interested in people other than its owners but so agressive with other dogs when with her dad on her lead! Totally a protection thing, we have slowly tried to train the dad :rolleyes: not to tense up when other dogs are about, but at times I have taken her lead when other dogs are about to prove to him what going on. As both dogs come with us to the local pub regularly this can cause some drama, if the collie goes for something our boy will invariably leap on her as if to say 'what do you think you are doing'.

 

Despite his age he still doesn't like it if any dog showns signs of aggression towards him even if only percieved like friendly barking and boisterousness but generally will give a box as a warning then a snap if that is ignored when being socialised, but dogs passing in the street are another matter. However the only dog I can recall him proper scrapping with is our friends collie, but that is purely because we have let our guards down. They still have a go about once a year just to remind us what they are! The other thing he does do though is shake when dogs are around, other staffie owners have said this is quite common, I can only put it down to that inbred trait, they don't want to fight but they will if provoked and so get into a state of anxiety.

 

On a side note we have just agreed to look after the collie for a couple of days next week while the owners are away. Not sure what we have let ourselves and our old man in for!

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Charlie (our border collie) has been subjected to 4 totally unprovoked attacks by Staffies and as a result, I go to extraordinary lengths to avoid them. This is a shame because I’m sure that some of them are alright.

We have always made sure that Charlie’s time with us is loads of fun, so he completely ignores other dogs and humans. One of the very first things we taught him was that uninvited contact with humans was completely unacceptable and jumping up at someone would be an alien concept for him. It is possible to train your dog to be exceptionally well behaved and if you dedicate adequate time to this, it will result in a well adjusted animal that is a joy to own.

 

One problem is that some humans ,not naming names here because he is not here to defend himself ,will fuss and play with dogs that come up to them uninvited .He in question does that less frequently since he was reprimanded by the owner of a young dog who was in the process of training their dog not to go bounding up to strangers and expect a nice fussing.

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Having unkowningly acquired a staffie cross collie (see previous post, he was so underweight he looked nothing like a staffie) we have tried to find out about their personality traits over the years, I am sure someone will disagree with me, but although they are indeed very good with people, they aren't as keen on other dogs, this is a natural breed trait as they were originally bred for bull baiting and dog fighting. Their ability to lockjaw makes it a very dangerous thing but as said so many times in this thread, its the owners, people need to know their dogs and their breed/s and train or adjust their behaviour accordingly.

 

We have seen it withour boy, we lived on a farm till he was 9 and so rarely socialised him with other dogs, mistake, once we moved although he was older and calmer he had regular contact with a friends collie, not a sociable dog in the least, not really interested in people other than its owners but so agressive with other dogs when with her dad on her lead! Totally a protection thing, we have slowly tried to train the dad :rolleyes: not to tense up when other dogs are about, but at times I have taken her lead when other dogs are about to prove to him what going on. As both dogs come with us to the local pub regularly this can cause some drama, if the collie goes for something our boy will invariably leap on her as if to say 'what do you think you are doing'.

 

Despite his age he still doesn't like it if any dog showns signs of aggression towards him even if only percieved like friendly barking and boisterousness but generally will give a box as a warning then a snap if that is ignored when being socialised, but dogs passing in the street are another matter. However the only dog I can recall him proper scrapping with is our friends collie, but that is purely because we have let our guards down. They still have a go about once a year just to remind us what they are! The other thing he does do though is shake when dogs are around, other staffie owners have said this is quite common, I can only put it down to that inbred trait, they don't want to fight but they will if provoked and so get into a state of anxiety.

 

On a side note we have just agreed to look after the collie for a couple of days next week while the owners are away. Not sure what we have let ourselves and our old man in for!

They will be okay as long as they know who the boss is - You.

I'm sure you have learned lots about your Staffie-cross over the years but I think the 'locked jaw' theory is an old wives tale. Without doubt, Staffies and other breeds of this type, have very powerful jaws but I don't think they are equipped to lock their jaws. I could be wrong, I was once!

Good luck with your visitor.

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It is possible to train your dog to be exceptionally well behaved and if you dedicate adequate time to this, it will result in a well adjusted animal that is a joy to own.

 

And a joy to meet!

I'm surprised you remember Charlie, thank you. Or may be you were talking generally?

 

I was asked for advice today, from another dog walker who was complaining that his dog was never interested in his own ball, only those belonging to other dogs. This resulted in his dog pestering other dogs and owners alike. I explained to him that if he wants his dog to be interested in his own ball, he (the owner) has to make the ball fun and an object of desire. Simply throwing it and saying 'fetch' isn't enough in the early stages. When Charlie was a puppy, I spent months chasing after the ball I had thrown for him. I would then run around with it and make him chase me for it. When you think about it, this is exactly what goes on with dogs who only want other dogs toys. Now, its a different story and Charlie's eyes pop out from his head at the mere mention of the 'B' word.

I told the owner he would have to work hard and it might take a long time but eventually, his dog would only focus on him because he was fun to be with. To my advice he replied, 'I haven't got time for all that, he just gets his 15 minutes and that's it'. He then preceded to spend the next 10 minutes trying to get his dog back on the lead so he could go home.

Well, all I will say is, you get out of a dog what you put in (and no, I don't just mean food).

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How to put it back on topic - my dog is rubbish at caching, he hates it, walks are for walking, not rummaging in bushes, if we stop and he is off the lead he legs it and as he's deaf we have to leg it after him, as a consequence he doesn't often come. I do go with a friend and her two terrier cross cross crosses who are a joy to watch speeding off into the undergrowth but we were wondering at the weekend, looking for a cache with a clue 'at ground level' why they haven't learnt to sniff caches out yet?

 

Does anyone have a dog that does?

 

Having said that the collie we are looking after has helped out once. Perhaps I could take a day off and go out with her?

 

Back off topic for a wee while..........

 

@ thehoomer, they definately know whos the boss, at its not their male owner or my husband! And the one you met thats the sort of owner who shouldn't have a dog, why they bother I don't know.

 

@ drsolly, I am with you there, what is it with the picking up of poo and then hanging it in a tree, surely its the act of picking it up thats the most objectionable bit, once its in the bag you're good to go? Or is that an alternative geocache idea?

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This is part of a log on one of my early caches :-

 

"We thought we would make use of our dog Biff to sniff out the final cache. But he’s a Bull-Mastiff and crap as a sniffer dog, still he enjoyed playing with the lads on their trial bikes."

 

I often wonder how the lads on their trial bikes felt about be 'played with' by a bull mastiff !! :blink:

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My dog 'Poppy' is very good at finding cacher trails and will often lead me straight to the cache location. But being a Collie she soon wants to move on and will make quite a noise to let me know. :) So I don't take her out if I need to be a bit stealthy. :cool:

 

I'd have thought that a dog would be ideal when you need a bit of stealth.

 

1) With a dog on a lead, it wouldn't look out of place to be searching for another dog, or a lost ball

2) A dog gives you a good excuse to kneel down and rummage , pretending to be doing something with the dog

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The thing is: All dogs need to be under control, no matter what the breed!

 

I agree.

 

And I'll tell you something - I'm not an expert on dog breeds, and although I can recognise "alsatian" by the shape and "poodle" by the haircut, I'm a bit vague about most others. So for me, dogs come in four kinds.

 

1) Well behaved. Ignores me, or maybe a quick sniff.

2) Rude. Runs up to me and starts barking threats.

3) Aggressive. Runs up to me and starts jumping on me and barking.

4) Biting.

 

And when a dog is jumping up at me and the owner tells me "He's only being friendly", it makes me want to jump on that owner and tell them "And so am I", but I merely say "Control your dog or I WILL defend myself."

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Agree with Dr Solly about the 4 types of dog. We carry a dog dazer which will scare off most dogs. Generally, point at the dog, stare at it and say DOWN in a commanding voice while pressing the dazer button hidden in your coat pocket and the dog will back off. Best to do while the dog is 10 yards away and then you can't be accused of hitting it. If they ask what happened either say you are a professional dog psychologist or you are from the planet Zarb and animals respond to your commands.

We were out after Christmas in two nice new jackets when a couple of muddy uncontrolled dogs just "being friendly" ran up and messed up £500 of clothes. The excuse that there being friendly is quite honestly pathetic.

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We were out after Christmas in two nice new jackets when a couple of muddy uncontrolled dogs just "being friendly" ran up and messed up £500 of clothes. The excuse that there being friendly is quite honestly pathetic.

 

My wife was scratched by a dog that we knew was friendly when it jumped up. That resulted in a visit to the ER and a bill for around $800. As it happens the dog owner (who was also a friend) covered the cost of it but it does make me less minded to tolerate dogs I don't know jumping up no matter how friendly they may seem.

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We were out after Christmas in two nice new jackets when a couple of muddy uncontrolled dogs just "being friendly" ran up and messed up £500 of clothes. The excuse that there being friendly is quite honestly pathetic.

 

My wife was scratched by a dog that we knew was friendly when it jumped up. That resulted in a visit to the ER and a bill for around $800. As it happens the dog owner (who was also a friend) covered the cost of it but it does make me less minded to tolerate dogs I don't know jumping up no matter how friendly they may seem.

 

I am *so* glad that if I sustain any injuries while out caching, the NHS will do their best for me at no cost to me at the point of treatment, and I'm happy to pay for the NHS out of my taxes (I've been reading about the situation in the US when you get ill or hurt). I have nothing but praise for the way they treated me after my dog bite, and if I'd also had to *pay* for the privilege of being bitten ... well ...

 

Ideally, I don't get injured while caching (apart from the inevitable nettle stings, bramble scratches and the like).

 

I do have a "Dog dazer", maybe I should start carrying it. I don't think it hurts the dog, it's just a high pitched sound.

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Had a horrible experience whilst out caching today with my own (well behaved, on her lead) dog. We were walking down a public footpath which passes beside a farmhouse and is also the driveway from said farmhouse down to the road. 3 dogs ran out and stood in our way barking furiously; one, a border collie was particular aggressive and I feared either myself or my dog was going to be bitten. We eventually managed to get past them but were both pretty shaken up.

 

I've just used Google street view to find out the name of the farm and was please to find that Derbyshire County council website has a very easy to use form to report problems with access to public footpaths. We'll see what they say. I've never felt the need to carry anything to deter dogs, being confident around them and usually becoming accompanied by a big hound anyway, but may have to rethink that after today's experience :angry:

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Well, another interesting thread!

 

I have a dog, well behaved, obedient, she doesn't even jump up. However, she still does things I don't expect...

On Monday, whilst out hunting for a cache we couldn't find the day before, she spotted a cat and decided that she wanted to play/eat/chase it and took after it. She didn't follow the green cross code and ran across the very quiet road I was on. Luckily the road only had one car on its 0.5km length, but unluckily it was on an intersecting course...

She went flying off sideways, rolled three times and slid to a stop 15m down the road, got up, had a shake, and went looking for the cat. The poor driver was shocked, as was I, but the dog didn't seem too phased.

I think because she was hit side on, by the middle of the car, it spread the impact across her whole body. A lucky, lucky escape for her.

 

Just goes to show though, you never know what your dog is going to do next. Perhaps her next trick will be jumping up with muddy paws on a passing geocacher with a big stick....

 

Still not got that cache. Next time.

Edited by maiawalli
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Banned from Sainsbury's

 

Didn't like shopping there anyway. Yesterday I was at my local

Sainsbury's store buying a large bag of Winalot dog food for my loyal

pet and was in the checkout queue when a woman behind me asked if I had

a dog.

 

What did she think I had an elephant? So, since I'm retired and have

little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was

starting the Winalot Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn’t,

because I ended up in hospital last time, but I'd lost 2 stone before I

woke up in intensive care with tubes coming out of most of my orifices

and IVs in both arms.

 

I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that

it works is to load your pockets with Winalot nuggets and simply eat one

or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so

it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here

that practically everyone in queue was now

enthralled with my story.)

 

Horrified, she asked me if I ended up in intensive care because the dog

food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off the kerb to sniff an

Irish Setter's arse and a car hit me.

 

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was

laughing so hard. I'm now banned from Sainsbury's.

 

Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the world to think of daft things to say.

 

(Sorry OT I know but it DID concern dogs ;) )

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Horrified, she asked me if I ended up in intensive care because the dog

food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off the kerb to sniff an

Irish Setter's arse and a car hit me.

 

Sorry, Peter.... you're not allowed to say 'arse'.... You'll probably get an email from the forum moderator as I did when I said 'toss'.

 

But I thought it was funny anyway......... :lol: :lol:

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I notice from the BBC that the government "may support compulsory microchipping of dogs to help encourage "responsible" ownership".

 

"We are close to finalising a package of measures to tackle irresponsible dog owners," said Lord Taylor.

 

 

I'm not sure how this would work - if I'm bitten by a dog again, how does it help me if that dog has a microchip? The last time this happened to me, I was able to identify the owner, she denied everything, and that seemed to be the end of it. How irresponsible does a dog owner have to be, before there's some sort of penalty?

 

I shall continue to defend myself if attacked, even if the attacking dog is microchipped.

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Dogs + caching is fine. Dogs + training + errant owners is, well, for a pet site.

 

This thread seems to have wandering off topic once again,

 

Please keep it on topic, or - you could use the wonderful "Off Topic forum"

 

TBH I think that's a ridiculous stance unless the OP complains that his post is being derailed then fair enough (but I doubt that would happen).

 

Even the two posts by Nick&Ali and The Hornet have been loosely dog related and were both welcome light hearted interjections IMHO.

Edited by MartyBartfast
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Dragging it back on topic... Whilst caching today, I had TWO not brilliant encounters with dogs.

 

The first was when I moved away from the footpath (co-incidentally closer to a few trees in a heavily wooded area) to avoid FOUR approaching dogs and their 2 owners. The dogs of course, were interested in me, and one by one came over to sniff me - which was fine - until the third one jumped up. I used my best and authoritative "DOWN" voice and the owner came up and dragged it off me. I heard her exclaim to her husband as I walked away "Well if she WILL lurk behind a tree, what can she expect...." Priceless. Now it's my fault for standing in a wooded area NEAR to a tree... (splutter, splutter)

 

The second was when I decided to reward myself for a sneaky find with a biscuit from a packet I had brought with me. No sooner had I taken one out, than a dog started running towards me and jumped up at me. At least the owner had the good grace to be embarrassed and apologise, explaining that the dog was "after my food". No kidding! Really? How about training your dog NOT to jump up at people trying to feed themselves with their own food while on a walk.

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The first was when I moved away from the footpath (co-incidentally closer to a few trees in a heavily wooded area) to avoid FOUR approaching dogs and their 2 owners. The dogs of course, were interested in me, and one by one came over to sniff me - which was fine - until the third one jumped up. I used my best and authoritative "DOWN" voice and the owner came up and dragged it off me. I heard her exclaim to her husband as I walked away "Well if she WILL lurk behind a tree, what can she expect...." Priceless. Now it's my fault for standing in a wooded area NEAR to a tree... (splutter, splutter)

 

I believe this is simply animal behaviour. I once moved off trail when a couple of horses were coming along the trail. I had my dog with me and I didn't want to spook the horses. One of the riders called out to me and asked me to come out of the woods because it was going to spook the horses. They said it was best to just stand aside on the trail and not go deeper into the woods. With dogs it's best not to make eye-contact, to continue walking -- no touch, no talk, no eye contact. Ignore and move on.

 

I've seen similar 'spook' reactions by dogs. I've gone off trail about 20 feet into the woods to take a geocache from view of hikers and have had their dogs bark alarm-barks at me letting their owners know there's some suspicious person lurking in the woods. Which personally, I think is cool, because that's what dogs do, besides companionship they help us feel safer by raising the alarm. As long as they don't bite me I'm cool. I've never had an off-leash dog bite me. I have been bitten by dogs that were on-lead. I'm very uncomfortable around dogs that are tied up to their property - they are more likely to be territorial and since they can't use flight as an escape they're only defense is bite.

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At the risk of not being on topic can I comment re last post which is kinda relevant to caching (just, if you happen to come across horses out on the trail) Those riders were right - with or without a dog if you're on a path with horses coming please don't tuck yourself off the path esp if behind a tree! So many people do this and I never know whether to say something when I'm riding cos while I appreciate the thought if you tuck yourself out of the way, esp if behind a tree, all that happens is the horse doesn't see you to the last minute and then spooks!!!!!!!! They are idiots after all ;) Personally I always try to get out of the walkers way but it's not always easy.....

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...their dogs bark alarm-barks at me letting their owners know there's some suspicious person lurking in the woods. ..

Barking - fine.

Coming up and sniffing me - Fine.

Jumping up at me NOT fine.

 

I think that's reasonable regardless of where I choose to stand in a public place. I don't think that anyone just standing in a public place should feel it's their fault when a dog jumps up at them. And dog owners who think that it's OK are just perpetrating this lack of social consideration. I think it's a matter of being considerate of your fellow open-space users.

 

I would usually try to walk on and ignore a dog, (and ALWAYS give horses a slow wide berth) but unfortunately this was very close to GZ and I was looking for a cache! and one of the points was that he whole area was wooded and it was in fact impossible to stand anywhere which wasn't near to, next to, behind, to the side of, or in front of a tree.

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At the risk of not being on topic can I comment re last post which is kinda relevant to caching (just, if you happen to come across horses out on the trail) Those riders were right - with or without a dog if you're on a path with horses coming please don't tuck yourself off the path esp if behind a tree! So many people do this and I never know whether to say something when I'm riding cos while I appreciate the thought if you tuck yourself out of the way, esp if behind a tree, all that happens is the horse doesn't see you to the last minute and then spooks!!!!!!!! They are idiots after all ;) Personally I always try to get out of the walkers way but it's not always easy.....

I had that exact problem at a cache last year when a couple of people riding horses approached. I only stood to the side of the path and the lead horse refused to walk past me, becoming quite nervous. I'm not sure what the best course of action is, as you don't want to stay on the path and risk being trampled, nor do you want to go and hide behind a tree (and probably alarm the rider more than the horse!). I think that all you can do is hope that the riders pull the horses to one side and let you pass.

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The manners of the dog owner match the manners of the dog.

Actually, more likely to be the other way round. The manners of the dog being governed by its training by the owner.

 

Which is why I often think it's a shame that a severely errant dog can't be retrained and rehomed while the errant owner is taken away and put down.

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I have an ex-racing greyhound. He is the most affectionate dog; he is called Romeo after all. He would spend all day being petted if you let him, though obviously lying down as they spend upto 20 hours a day asleep.

But.... he has been bred to race, so anything small and furry and he would instinctively run after it which then means when he catches it (which he will at 100metres in 6.5 seconds) it would get a pasting!

He does not like other dogs and gets very nervy around them, quite typical of greyhounds. However they are fantastic with their own breed. What needs to be remembered is these dogs are bred for business and sport and socialising is not high on the agenda of race owners.

So whenever he is out he has a harness as a long lead means a long recouperation from a shoulder dislocation - 45mph at top speed and 5 stone in weight. He is always muzzled and if any other dogs come past we move totally off track to allow them to pass.

 

What i find damned annoying is dogs that appear from nowhere, especially rabbit sized ones, that want to hassle us, as the owner casually wanders down the track some 50 metres back. I get very cross and often vent my spleen on the other owner. The conversation generally goes like this -

 

ME -(often shouted in the general direction I think the owner may appear from) " will you control your dog"

OWNER (who almost without excpetion says) "he is only trying to be friendly"

ME - "Well I'll unmuzzle mine, take off his lead and let them play together shall I?"

 

cue mutterings and a rapid removal of their dog from my vicinity.

 

We know our dog's faults, it's not the owner's fault in our case. He could never be trusted off a lead (he would be away in seconds and a very long way away at that, or unmuzzled around other dogs that want to "say hello."

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Yesterday, I went back to Wantage, where last June I got bitten by a dog. I did a circuit of 18 caches, with some steep hills and a very brutal stile, one that involved wading along a river, and then another circuit. Then "Just two more" I found myself back on a couple of caches that I'd failed last June on account of having a bad leg, wyhich made it painful to get down on the ground and then up again, the leg problem consisting of that canine bite. And I was extremely pleased to say that I managed to find both of the DNFs that I failed on last June.

 

During that day, I met only one dog, which was very well behaved; he trotted up to me, gave me a quick sniff, and then off somewhere else to do something dogged that I wot not of.

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Yesterday, I went back to Wantage, where last June I got bitten by a dog. I did a circuit of 18 caches, with some steep hills and a very brutal stile, one that involved wading along a river, and then another circuit. Then "Just two more" I found myself back on a couple of caches that I'd failed last June on account of having a bad leg, wyhich made it painful to get down on the ground and then up again, the leg problem consisting of that canine bite. And I was extremely pleased to say that I managed to find both of the DNFs that I failed on last June.

 

During that day, I met only one dog, which was very well behaved; he trotted up to me, gave me a quick sniff, and then off somewhere else to do something dogged that I wot not of.

 

Chapeau! :D (if there was a smiley if someone taking it's hat off to you, I'd post it!)

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My approach to loose dogs is be confident & make eye contact and show the flat of the hand if they get too close. But I'm a 6ft bloke & never suffered the real aggression reported by some here. The same works with cows and if they start to crowd a shout or arm wave will deter them. Again not sure I would try it with a real bull.

 

What does worry me is fields of horses and their habit of following right behind you which I find quite disconcerting.

 

But the incident that left me really wondering was what to do was when I came across a Llama on an enclosed footpath. Yes it was in the UK and had escaped from a nearby field. Llamas it seems are much bigger than I had imagined before meeting this one close up with a head well above mine. My understanding was also that are inclined to spit. Ignoring that reputation and with no alternative route and the path not being to narrow I took the confidant approach and and gave it a shove as I walked past it to make room. It started to follow me but at a distance which seemed OK as I left it behind.

 

I then realised I had been so busy looking over my shoulder that I has missed the side turning I needed and had to get past it again to go back. This time it started to follow me more closely so I turned to face it, wagged my finger up at its face and said in a stern voice "Don't you follow me". It seemed to work and it stayed where it was until I was 50 yards ahead and then heard thundering hooves behind me. I turned and raised my hand to its face at which it tried to stop but had too much momentum. Between us we avoided a collision and I was able to get to the side path without further ado.

 

I think I'd better say you shouldn't take what I did as a reccomendation what to do should you come upon a Llama while out caching. I supspect that it is going to be quite unlikely - unless I set a cache in the vicinity...

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My approach to loose dogs is be confident & make eye contact and show the flat of the hand if they get too close. But I'm a 6ft bloke & never suffered the real aggression reported by some here. The same works with cows and if they start to crowd a shout or arm wave will deter them. Again not sure I would try it with a real bull.

 

What does worry me is fields of horses and their habit of following right behind you which I find quite disconcerting.

 

But the incident that left me really wondering was what to do was when I came across a Llama on an enclosed footpath. Yes it was in the UK and had escaped from a nearby field. Llamas it seems are much bigger than I had imagined before meeting this one close up with a head well above mine. My understanding was also that are inclined to spit. Ignoring that reputation and with no alternative route and the path not being to narrow I took the confidant approach and and gave it a shove as I walked past it to make room. It started to follow me but at a distance which seemed OK as I left it behind.

 

I then realised I had been so busy looking over my shoulder that I has missed the side turning I needed and had to get past it again to go back. This time it started to follow me more closely so I turned to face it, wagged my finger up at its face and said in a stern voice "Don't you follow me". It seemed to work and it stayed where it was until I was 50 yards ahead and then heard thundering hooves behind me. I turned and raised my hand to its face at which it tried to stop but had too much momentum. Between us we avoided a collision and I was able to get to the side path without further ado.

 

I think I'd better say you shouldn't take what I did as a reccomendation what to do should you come upon a Llama while out caching. I supspect that it is going to be quite unlikely - unless I set a cache in the vicinity...

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Was out caching on Sunday at Tedburn st Mary when a labrador and what I thought was a Malamute came up. The bigger dog jumped up and put a muddy pawprint on my chest, not that I minded. Big happy friendly dogs.

 

Anyway, half a mile later on I meet up with a farmer who has a labrador with him. I ask him where the Malamute was. Turns out it's not a malamute, it's a Wolf-Cross his wife was walking.

 

So - not just dogs, there's wolves out there too...

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Was out caching on Sunday at Tedburn st Mary when a labrador and what I thought was a Malamute came up. The bigger dog jumped up and put a muddy pawprint on my chest, not that I minded. Big happy friendly dogs.

 

Anyway, half a mile later on I meet up with a farmer who has a labrador with him. I ask him where the Malamute was. Turns out it's not a malamute, it's a Wolf-Cross his wife was walking.

 

So - not just dogs, there's wolves out there too...

 

Uh - pardon my ignorance. Is a Wolf-Cross a cross between a dog and a wolf, which it what it sounds like to my uneducated ears?

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