Bulldogs and similar muscle dogs. How to handle certain situations?

[Ute Dub]

I’m out front shooting hoops with my 4 year old daughter. Amazingly, she likes to rebound the ball, take a couple dribbles and pass to me. Dude comes walking up the street with his massive muscle dog on a leesh. He’s in the sidewalk, which is his right. As he enters in front of my property his dog goes on point, kind of, then lurches forward like he’s going to run at my daughter. I tell her to go inside and begin walking her to the door. He says, “oh he won’t hurt you”, and motions like we could pet the dog or something if we wanted to. I don’t trust this guys strength nor the strength of the leesh and so I say, “nah, we’ll go inside.”

I know the probability of something happening is very low, but part of me deep down inside wanted me to tell this guy, hypothetically, “if you ever bring your dog in front of my house again while my kids are playing out front, you and I are going to have problems.” I resisted, but I’m sure my body language was commuicating this and I’m sure the guy thinks I’m a dick, already. I don’t want to create issues with neighbors, but damn, those dogs are bread kill, am I right or wrong?

[uteinzoobcounty]

I have an American bully he’s probably around 120, but it all comes down to is training.  My guy is a big baby and wants to play with everyone, but he knows when we have the leash on he can’t lung.  I’ve never had a big problem, my dog knows who the alpha is in the house.  The worst thing we have to worry about is him snatching my kids food off their plate.  But I spent quite a bit of money to train him right, you have a responsibility to train big dogs like that.  

 

[Torg]

I’ve got an american bully too.  My tank is about 95 lbs and loves people but everyone’s experience with dogs is different.  Exhibiting caution with kids is the smart thing to do. I’d go to the dog first and then let the kid approach too if you feel good about it.    It really is about training for the most part so you never know what youre going to get (from any breed really). 

[rUckUs]

I understand that you’re protecting your kid, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Pull her aside.

But assuming every “muscle dog” is bred to kill is ridiculous. The dog likely saw you playing and just wanted to join. He was trying to be nice and show that there wouldn’t be a problem, which you absolutely don’t have to accept, but that doesn’t make the dog aggressive. Just let it be. Especially if he’s just walking by. He’ll be gone in a second, just let him go.

Smaller dogs are statistically more likely to bite a kid than any other breed

[Ute Dub]

Let me put in this way. If I have an active Pitbull or American Bulldog and I’m walking down a quiet street with kids in the yard, I probably move to the street or opposite sidewalk when I pass by. 

Earlier in the summer I was out for a walk and some dog looking like a gray wolf came barking at me and circling 4-5 times. This was a big dog. It lunged at me several times like he was going to bite and I literally had to put some moves on to dodge it. The owner came rushing out and tried to corral him while yelling  and said that is how he plays. But how can I decipher play from lounging at me to bite? It’s tough to draw the line on this kind of stuff. I would never want to shoot a dog, and I don’t carry a gun on me ever, but it’s like, what else are your options in that situation?

 

[Central Coast Ute]

If a dog attacks you, give it your arm, preferably your weak arm. It’s better than your crotch or neck. Then, take your other arm and wrap it around the back of the dog’s head and squeeze your arms together. This will force your arm to back the of the dog’s mouth and it won’t be able to chew, bite or thrash around. If the dog won’t relent, keep squeezing until it does. Once the dog feels enough pain, it will run away and will be unlikely to attack another human.

[rUckUs]

They’re literally just walking by. There’s no real threat except the threat you’re making up in your mind

[Central Coast Ute]

Bulldogs bread to kill? I’m not sure you know what a bulldog is.

[Ute Dub]

Yeah, it’s an exagerations, but deaths do happen from bulldogs: https://www.newsweek.com/pet-bulldog-kills-baby-nebraska-1569390

 

[TxUte]

Better safe than sorry. in the Austin area, we have 2-3 people mauled each year and several were killed. I’ve known a couple of pit bulls that were very gentle, but I am not going to chance it.

[Ghost of the HEB]

Pitbulls are a cancer on society

[AZUTE]

Pitbulls are a cancer on society

This might be the dumbest and most ignorant thing I’ve ever read on this board.

First ALL dogs will bite.

From a teacup Chihuahua to a Great Dane
If they fell threatened or they are protecting a member of their pack.

THERE ARE NO BAD DOGS JUST BAD OWNERS WHO DON’T TRAIN THEIR DOGS PROPERLY.

Getting a male dog fixed as a pup will lower aggression. Remove their balls before their T levels get to high.

It’s the idiot owners (mostly young males) that give pits, German Shepard, boxers, Belgians (John Wick 3) and larger dog breed a bad name

The reaction of the original poster didn’t help. Dogs are incredibly intuitive they are reading body language and even from 30 feet away they can smell your attitude. All he did was teach his daughter to fear dogs. If there is a dog in your area you don’t like calmly walk in the other direction NEVER run.

Both the original poster and the dog owner share blame is this incident.

[Central Coast Ute]

Every Pit I’ve ever known has been a very sweet animal. They can be aggressive if they’re abused as a pup or trained that way. Of course even the nicest dogs can bite if they feel they need to.

[RoboUte]

100% true

[UteThunder]

Let me get this straight: The dog was on a leash, the owner was walking him on the public sidewalk, nothing actually happened, and your reaction is that if the owner ever walks his dog in front of your house again “you and [him] are going to have problems”? (Hypothetically, of course)

Do you hear yourself? I understand wanting to protect your daughter, but this guy has literally done nothing wrong. Your reaction would be appropriate if he had let his dog run loose in the neighborhood or was walking him without a leash, but not in the scenario you described.

My advice: If you’re this worried about it, either take your daughter to meet his dog in a controlled environment or fence in your front yard. People have the right to walk their leashed dog on the public sidewalk.

 

[Distantute]

What an odd and incredible overreaction.

[noneyadb]

On my 4th pit now and each have had their own personality. Like kids every dog is different, but not one was ever aggressive toward a child. Now the old lady with grey hair at the ball park, well she was gonna die anyway. Go to a dog park and watch each breed with an open mind, get over your own fears.

[RoboUte]

Pitbulls are danger trash dogs that attract trash people. And not a single one of these people will own up to the fact that they’re ignorant and their “nanny” mutt is a timebomb. Shelters overflow with this undesirable toddler-chomping breed. They should be outlawed. You had every right and you were right to avoid this dog, if it decided to attack your children it would had a hold of one of their faces in seconds and you’d have to kill it to get it to let go.

 

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Seethe more pit owners.

[UTE98]

Am I missing something??? NOBODY even mentions the fact that UteDub has his daughter rebounding for him.

Kids and dogs, they can be trained. Apparently his training of his daughter is above reproach but yet the dog owner’s training of his dog is questionable at best.

I own a bully breed, she was a rescue. A Boxer/American Staffordshire Terrier mix. She can look pretty mean to the untrained eye. Have we had problems with her? Yes, and why, that is the real question. When we first got her she had been in three previous families. And she had baggage. As near as I can tell she was attacked by another dog. She was aggressive toward other dogs while on a leash for the first year we had her. She a. didn’t trust other dogs and b. initially wanted to protect me. I understood this and made sure to keep her out of situations which made her fearful. She is great on walks now and has not been aggressive towards other dogs on a leash for three years now. And occasionally I even let her play with other dogs. But I know her body language and when she’s stressed.

And my 9 year old son got got nipped at a few times in that first year. Why? Because some young kid between the ages of 9-11 used to tease her. She was very uncomfortable when cornered. And I still to this day will not trust her around a group of kids. I don’t think it was one kid, I think he had friends. Now four years later she has not nipped at my son in almost two years. She is the sweetest dog, and just loves people and attention. But if I were on a walk my dog might lunge to go play with a kid, and that may look aggressive to some. I get that. I never tell people they need to pet my dog. If they ask I will put her in a sit, stand on the leash and let them come over. I make sure she sniffs them first and then they can pet her. But I don’t tell people my dog is friendly and force them or my dog into situations they aren’t comfortable with.

My mom got attacked by a pit bull in the 80s. Was it the dog’s fault? Probably not. The dog owner was a drunk who was not the alpha male in that pack. Dogs if not shown their place in the pack will become the alpha and try to protect the rest of the pack. I think this was the case with my dog as well. But now she knows, I won’t let anything harmful happen to her. 

I was being funny about the comment about your daughter, but I get both sides. And I would never ownersplain for my dog on a walk. I don’t need you to love her. She is who she is, accept her or not, I don’t care. A very very small number of dogs cannot be retrained, but those which can’t most likely were not shown their proper place and so are filling in a role they don’t see their owner taking.

I’m glad people don’t run away from me because I’m bald, a bit overweight, have a tattoo and used to sport a goatee and I used to ride a motorcycle. Now let me explain, I no longer have the goatee, or motorcycle and my tattoo is on my ankle. My wife and kids call it my pretty princess tattoo. But judge me some did.

Do what’s best for you and your daughter, but you did over react at the end. Just like his dog would if you went after it with a stick or threw rocks at it after a while.