About 3 weeks ago I was walking my 1 yr old sheltie with a friend when we bumped into one of the new neighbours walking her dog also.

My boy as always was keen to say hello which I allowed, and everything seemed to be going okay, until suddenly he attacked my puppy. As the dog was a Doberman we struggled to get him off him. Luckily he was not hurt (all his fur appears ot have protected him) but he was very shaken and distressed.

I was careful over the next few weeks to ensure that my pup interacted with other dogs and he is back to his usual self, with no signs of aggression towards others.

Yesterday I was walking him again, when I saw the doberman approaching. He was off the lead as it was a field, and headed straight for my boy again. Once again he started growling and snarling, and we just managed to pick up our puppy in time, to prevent another attack.

So what do I do now?

My partner thinks that this is a territory thing as our gardens back on to each other, so obviously they hear each other barking, but I'm not so sure.

Also would you report it? or ask the owner to muzzle her dog?

Yes, I would definitely ask the owner to muzzle their dog AND keep it on a leash. If he's dog aggressive, they have no business letting it run loose. Dobermans are very often dog aggressive. So far, mine isn't as he's been very well socialized to other dogs, but that's not to say he may become more so as he matures. Is this Doberman a male and is he neutered? That certainly helps. Of course, you can't control that. But I'd be very careful to avoid this dog in the future.

Carrie

I don't think that large and small dogs mix necessarily very well in lots of circumstances; small dogs etc can be seen as potential prey by some larger dogs..................

I would have a quiet word with the owner regarding the necessity of having her dog under complete control or otherwise have it on a lead; everyone has the right to walk unmolested by other dogs.  Whether or not there is "intent" the "impact" on your dog is the same and could be avoided if this dog owner extended to others the courtesy they no doubt would expect for themselves.

During your chat you could say that whilst you appreciate that all dogs have "off" days and accidents do happen that if it happens again you will have no choice but to report her to the dog warden et al.

I agree, I think you need to let the owner know that you're not best pleased with her dog's behaviour.
It does annoy me that people allow their dogs to cause this kind of upset to other dogs and their owners.  Even when there's no physical harm done there are often long term repercussions.  Dogs who are attacked can become very nervous or may start initiating attacks themselves. Owners, too, can get very stressed and lose confidence, especially if they're getting on in years.

I know of someone who has an aggressive terrier but she refuses to keep him on the lead when there are other dogs around. I've lost count of the number of 'incidents' he's been involved in. Her only slight concern is whether he might come off worse.  I just think this is so irresponsible and borders on the arrogant.

Blimey -you had me racking my brains then lol -we've not long moved and our neighbour has shelties , Am I that dobe owner from hell ?? ............Nope not me ;)
Have a word with the owner - a strong word if needs be and if all else fails report her

when  you meet other dogs on your walk,have any of them had run ins with this dobie?

what did the dobie owner say to you following these incidents?

The first time it happened she came and knocked on the door to apologise, which was fine, but at the time I wasn't really in a calm enough mood to talk to her about it.

I'm not aware of any one else having problems with the dog, although as we all know word travels fast among owners, so for all I know people avoid them after that incident. I'm sure the Dobe is really nice normally- I know the friend who was with me saw him a couple of days after the attack, and he was very affectionate with her. So I just don't understand why he's attacking my dog.

When Abby was a puppy she was bitten by a king charles spaniel he really frightened her his owner didnt think it was a problem as he was small and Abby was huge now that she is older she hates them she is fine with every other kind of dog she has met.
When we see one when out we put her straight back on her lead. As the others said speak to the owner and good luck
Mary

Its quite possible that the dobe was attacked/scared by a sheltie when he was a pup and now has a problem with them.  My last dog was regularly attacked by a dobe before we got him aged 2 (he was owned but a street dog :rolleyes: )  He never could stand them and once he felt safe with us would attack any black dobe he saw and was iffy with some rotties too if they looked too much, to him, like a dobe (lightly built and narrower muzzle) interestlingly he wasn't bothered at all by brown dobes or any other dogs - only black dobes.  Only thing we could do about it was be vigilant and make sure he wasn't off lead if there was one around, there was no training him out of it, once the red mist came down he wasn't going to listen to anything.

I would speak to the owner too, this dobe could do some real damage if he really wanted, and a dobe not under proper control is not an attractive prospect.

Good Luck
Dill