People running up to bark at or charge my dog in public
Strangers frequently provoke dogs in public by barking or pretending to charge, which triggers severe reactivity and prolonged recovery days. Owners live with the constant fear that their dog might not be stopped in time and will end up euthanized for reacting to someone who provoked them.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1screaming at the people who provoke the dog
- 2trying to stop and calm the dog down afterward
- 3Taking the next elevator or avoiding tight spaces with other people and pets
- 4Reassuring oneself that the dog did nothing wrong and ignoring the stranger's reaction
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I'm getting really tired of boys and grown men trying to run up to my dog and do things like bark at her or pretend like they're charging at us.”source ↗
“She gets super worked up, and I have to deal with her reactivity in the following days.”source ↗
“I also know that it only takes one time of me not being able to stop her in time and suddenly she's getting put down for mauling some idiot who provoked a dog into attacking.”source ↗
“Was what my dog do was rude or something? I’m just trying to make sense of the interaction.”source ↗
“I honestly have no idea what you could’ve done differently”source ↗
“You know your dog (probably) isn't a threat. Strangers do not.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4Why are there always aggressive dogs or bad owners at the dog park?
- 4Why is my puppy barking and growling at strangers?
- 4Why is my puppy suddenly barking at every dog and person?
- 14How to get strangers to stop petting your dog without asking
- 10How to stop one dog from constantly harassing the other
- 8How to handle a dog with intense guarding instincts