Me and Floyd (or Floyd and I) have got a bit of a problem ... Out on our walks we have met a Staffie, and he and Floyd get along lovely, running and chasing and cavorting. The problem is that the people who own this staffie walk another one for a friend, and Floyd and this one have a right personality clash.
Not sure if its their ages - Floyds 7mths, this other one is 11 months, but the first time we met as a group, Floyd, the first staff and the second staff, were off lead. They played for a while, and then it got too much - both the staffies were "ganging up" on floyd and he was clearly unhappy. Before I could get him back on his lead, he and the 2nd dog had started to have a kind of fight, up on back legs, mouthing at each other etc. In the end the lady walking the 2nd staff had to blow her whistle to get them to separate, and we went in separate directions.
Over the weekend I saw them approaching again off lead. I put Floyd on his lead and hoped this lady would do the same, but she doesn't seem to have any control over the 2nd staff, and so was just shouting for it to come to her while it totally ignored her and came and started really bothering Floyd again. I know advice has been on here to let your dog go free if it needs to defend itself, but I could only see that escalating further. It got quite nasty with the 2nd staff trying to bite floyd and him clearly very unahppy, I was shaking like a leaf. The lady finally came and put it on its lead and we went off for our walk.
Now I just don't know how to handle this the next time we run into them. I don't want to upset anyone, its a small village and cause of this it is also very hard to miss people you don't want to see. Even out on the walks, there is often no room to disappear, if there are farmers fields etc around you. Varying the times doesn't seem to work.
So it would seem to me that I can either let Floyd run free (but he seems to want to defend himself, not run)
Or I can PICK HIM UP and carry him past the trouble (not sure on this - he is rather big now, and also I would be exposing his tummy to an adversary ..)
Or should I carry a spare lead, set Floyd free, and leach the staffie and return it to its not-in-control-not-an-owner?!?!
Please help, any thoughts welcome ....

One of the main things regarding problem behaviour is to never let the animal "practise" it.

So if you feel there is trouble brewing, and from what you've said it does sound like it, I'd say you have to take some kind of action. I'd maybe chat to the other woman and find out lots about her dog/s and whether the 2nd dog tends to be a bit bolshy -  apart from anything else, if he is used to walking in the same areas he may even see the area as his territory and want to put your dog in his place. It's really difficult to say as it would need a trainer or behaviourist good at reading body language to understand exactly what is going on. Are all the dogs involved entire as that could have some bearing?

If necessary, if you are unsure as to what to do and unsure about this other staffie, I'd probably take some kind of action which keeps your dog safe and unable to "practice" worsening behaviour/problems with this other dog. A friend with bullmastiffs suggests using a pop up umbrella to scare off other dogs, but do remember to make sure your dog is very happy with it first :)

Lindsay
x

Its always difficult assessing your young dog and its behaviour towards other dogs and vice versa, but unless dogs are allowed to meet, greet and walk on, you will never know. 
I used to be too on guard of a situation where my dog was off lead, and pre-emptied trouble that I was nervous about, which was mainly with meeting other dogs (I have a 16 months Doberman bitch) my fifth one, and need to know with this breed, the temperament thoroughly, and do not want to scare other dog owners as they are wary enough just by her being a Doberman.   I  now accept that my dog will meet dogs off lead and it is only by allowing this that I have grown to see that my dog is not aggressive towards other dogs but is sometimes too boisterous in expecting them to play with her.  A Doberman will rarely start the trouble but will finish it, and I have found this to be the case with all my dogs, she loves all dogs but if one does snap at her, she will retaliate and will win but as I say never shows aggressiveness but I always allow her to say hello to dogs we meet if they are off lead too, so hopefully any aggressive dogs I may meet will be on a lead.
Basically my view is that if you see a dog that is off lead with an owner around, it is a fair assumption that the owner knows their dog is not a trouble maker, I let my dog meet dogs they have a quick run round, maybe a bark, I walk on call her and she comes, but we go every week to a good Trainer and her Meet and Greet sessions where my dog runs free with a large amount of different dogs each week (in a controlled environment in the Trainers large field), this is very important in socialising any dog (maybe the staffie could do with this).  In the case you mention, and bearing in mind they are all young dogs, in your opinion is the second Staffi aggressive or just showing overboisterous dominance.  Also does your own dog come away and walk on with you when you call it, if it does then the situation would probably diffuse itself just by you calling your dog away, or is your dog like my own, gives as good as it gets?.  If the second staffies behaviour is what you would consider to be unacceptable, then small village or not,  I would tell this woman that you would be happier if she kept the dog on a lead when she saw you approaching as you are not happy at the level of dominance shown towards your dog.  You may find too that when this second dog starts being pushy with your dog, the other staffie will run between them, this is what usually happens a third dog will usually split and divide two dogs to break it up, but these dogs may be just too young to start doing this.  If the woman does not comply with your request to keep in on a lead when approaching, if I were you I would take with me an empty Coke can and put around 6 smallish stones in it, carry it with you and when this second staffie starts to come at your dog throw the can down onto the ground in front of it as hard as you can and before it gets to you and you should find the noise will stop it in its tracks and you will be in command and not IT, or indeed have a second can at the read and aim it directly at the dog if the first one didnt stop it, you wont do it any harm and if this works, it may think twice before coming at your dog again.   I wouldnt suggest you try to pick your dog up though as this will probably lead to more problems of it jumping up at you to get to your dog.  But any aggressive dog should ALWAYS be kept on lead and I have known a few of these, or if its off lead, should be muzzled. 
This dog may not be her own property, but remind her that whilst she has it out it is her responsibility to keep it under control.  Good Luck, I can imagine how nervous you must be at meeting it again, but in all probability this woman will have been getting problems with other dog walkers too with her dog going for their dogs, so it may not be long before she keeps it on a lead.  I wouldnt dream of letting any dog of mine off lead if it showed aggressive tendancies.

Personally I would not let my dog free to defend itself against a Staffie, the lady should lead the 2nd when she see's another dog it is the right and moral thing to do.

I have a neighbour with two Staff's one is great the other does not like dogs, he is leaded up the very second they see another dog, this is the right thing to do, and this neighbour of yours should do the same.

I would carry the second lead and pop it on the Staff and ask the woman to do so in future as the dogs do not click together. She has no worries as the Staff would not come back worse off, whereas you need to protect your dog, as you would your child from a bully.

When I have met an unfriendly dog (not very often) trying to intimadate my dog, I have always grabbed the collar of the other dog or popped it on my lead, and held it until the owner is close enough to get it (so far not been bitten) so carrying another lead is a great idea.

Thank you all for your replies, I think I will try to have a chat with her when I see her next and also carry the spare lead. x

I have a friend with a Rottie who is regularly molested by an out-of-control Akita. Her dog is patient and ignores the akita but rather than test his patience she just puts her lead on the other dog and walks it back to its owners. It's better than letting the Rottie retaliate.

Thanks Lori Am carrying the spare lead now so hopefully that will be an easy and diplomatic way to resolve the situation!

Good luck. Hopefully the owner will get the hint when you walk their dog back to them. ;-)