Anyone have a Bullmastiff?

Just wondering if anyone else has the same problem as me when they are out walking their pooch. When I take my 9 month old bullmastiff out for a walk I always have my dog on a leash at all times, the problem I run into is people that have their dogs off leash that their owners say are fine and friendly until you get closer and their dog starts running at you barking and growling and I have to try keep my pup away from that dog because i don't want him to get bitten by this so called friendly dog. Then as the dogs owner walks by they look at me like I caused everything just because their dog either get scared of my dog or the owner is just ignorant and knows their dog can't handle dogs that are bigger than theirs.... I've had a few bad encounters so far, I do ask their owners as they approach if their dog is friendly, because they are off their leash, then the problem is as they get closer their pup starts barking at and acting aggressive towards my dog, even though my dog is soooo friendly. Walking my pup is just getting stressful.:frustrated:

I can relate..my guy is not a Bullmastiff but a big goofy lab....Because he is so friendly he always wants to meet other dogs but sometimes his strength is nuts! so now I just cross the street when I see them heading my way!

Your boy is sweet by the way!

Cindy

Thanks, aww I love labs, grew up with them, my parents owned a female and a huge male lab, don't really see to much labs that look like him, he was purebred and registered with CKC but he was huge and was built almost like a rottweiler, they are such great dogs always so happy, I take my pup along a horse trail for walks so it's hard to avoid the other dogs, I'm just going to have to find another route, but the path I take now is right by the water and he loves it that's why i keep taking him along there for his daily walks, but to save me stress I'm going to have to go elsewhere :(

We have a 10, almost 11 month bullmastiff. Her name is Bella. We don't have a lot of trouble while walking her. We do have to use a choker, but only for when she's truly being stubborn and decides she wants to go somewhere other than where we are telling her to go :) She is very stubborn when she wants to be. We've had other stubborn dogs in our lives (rotties) but she probably takes the cake :) I am going to try to post a pic of her eating, but not wanting to leave the couch while she eats...totally defeats my idea of putting her food up so she doesn't have to strain to eat, doesn't it?

Great pic, that's hilarious! I like to sit on my couch and eat, so can understand...

About walking the big dog, I know what you mean. I don't have a large dog but took care of a friend's anatolian/great pyrenees mix one time. He loved walks and was really good, however, many other dogs we came across seemed threatened by him (I assume because of his large size) and would act very aggressively towards him, barking and trying to get at him. Seems like it was more often than not, it was a small dog doing this. My friend's dog seemed amused but it didn't make walking very fun for me, having all these dogs barking all the time and running at us. Seems like the only thing to do is try and avoid the other dogs, cross the street if you see them coming, get to know where the yards are with dogs that run at you and don't go by those houses. Otherwise, not sure. Might be a good idea to carry some pepper spray or something in case the dogs get into a fight.

I've also found that those little horns, like the ones you would use on a boat, work very well. We had one for our boat, but brought it out to take to the dog park. It can break up a fight rather quickly!

First thing that came to my mind...where are you walking your dog? Is it an offleash park? Can you try offleash? Dogs that meet and greet offleash have a tendancy to react better towards each other. Or is it a leashed area and people let their dogs free?

So, you are saying your dog does absolutly nothing to create this situation? He walks with his head down, right by your side, no pulling, no excitment at all? No eye contact? Then the other dogs just charges him out of the blue?

One thing you can do it get your dog to sit, let the other dog approach you. Even tho your dog is friendly, what does he do when the other dog approcahes? What does he do right before the other dog starts running and barking? How does he look, what's his tail doing? His stance? Just interested in the projection your dog is sending. If you are not talking about just one dog, but all that you meet while walking, your dog could be sending unspoken warnings or signals that create the reaction from the other dogs. When offleash in a secured area, how does he play with other dogs, does he get to play off leash?

Have you ever let the barking dog approach? Do you know the other dog is not so friendly or are you saying that cuz of the barking? Is there snarling, teeth, raised hiar?

Do you pull the leash when you spot the other dog? Do you tense up, grip tight, anticipate a fight?

There is alot to be said on how YOU handle the situation that affects the dogs response. Check out this sight. http://www.flyingdogpress.com/

Thanks, aww I love labs, grew up with them, my parents owned a female and a huge male lab, don't really see to much labs that look like him, he was purebred and registered with CKC but he was huge and was built almost like a rottweiler, they are such great dogs always so happy, I take my pup along a horse trail for walks so it's hard to avoid the other dogs, I'm just going to have to find another route, but the path I take now is right by the water and he loves it that's why i keep taking him along there for his daily walks, but to save me stress I'm going to have to go elsewhere :(

Avoiding the situation will decrease his socialization and will only make it worse. Trust me. Don't give up. Start over looking at the behavior of 1. your dog 2. the approaching dog 3. you. Altho size does dictate the reaction from other dogs, it's not always to blame, so saying your dog is large and intimidating to other dogs isn't true, don't blame the size, body language and eye contact are more important then size. There are several small dogs with attitude that create this reaction too.

I deal with this with my golden, she's large and it's easy to assume she's friendly cuz she's a golden, but thats a sterotype, she's not always the nicest dog, she snarls and snaps and dominates, and the worse part is that she does this to puppies and other not so dominent dogs, there are several others on here with goldens and smaller breeds that deal with on and off leash aggression. It can be worked on and managed. Dont' avoid it cuz if you do, it will make it worse.

And the more stressed out you are on the end of the leash, the more he will react - and you might be thinking, it's not my dog, it's the approcahing dog - but it goes both ways.

Does your dog get any dog on dog socialzation? Day care, group play, off leash, play dates?

I understand your problem I am owned by an English Mastiff Buddy. I find it especially true that the smaller the dog the more aggressive they want to be with him I am sure it is about his size because he has never even growled at another dog no matter how aggressive they try to be he walks away. As long as you remain calm it will help to keep her calm.Usually once the dogs get a little closer they tend to back off especially if your dog does not react which is hard for a puppy but try and keep her focused on you. Don't change your dog walking route they will get used to her and don't forget she is going to get bigger. Most of the dogs around here know Bud and are not intimidated by him now. Get used to it people are just as bad, big dog must be mean and aggressive. Try and let people get to know her and realize what big babies they are. Bud's smallest friend is a JRT who used to want to attack him now he comes for walks with us