I think I am convinced to keep my pups on leash from now on

[Pika]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1zCNH_oN2Q#t=498" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Wish I lived in CO]

I didn't have the patience to watch all 10 min. Scanned about 5 spots - some dogs in the woods. I don't get it.

[Tory Wells]

Right....to protect your pups from the packs of wolves we have roaming in CO.

I didn't have the patience to watch all 10 min. Scanned about 5 spots - some dogs in the woods. I don't get it.

I used Google translator: the tag says it is wolves attacking a dog, essentially.

[rijaca]

Right....to protect your pups from the packs of wolves we have roaming in CO.

Or pack of rabid dogs, or even maybe werewolves....

[youtubevideo]/KOB9hpIi-DQ[/youtubevideo]

[SkaredShtles]

Coyotes already do this. So yeah...keep your dogs leashed.

[Pika]

I personally find it tough to watch. I am not sure about you guys, but I haven`t seen any animal attack this 'closely'. I think it was a pretty good 'educational movie' to me to keep the dogs on the leash from now on. As somebody pointed out it is not just wolves, it is coyotes too. Indeed. Indeed, while you will not run into a wolf pack in Colorado, I believe many of us hike outside of Colorado and maybe even taking our pups with us to those trips.
I just wanted to share something interesting, well I guess I was the only one who found it interesting, with a bunch of outdoor enthusiasts just like me. I found the hostile reaction even more interesting. Where is the love people?

[Jeff Valliere]

Disturbing, I could only take a few seconds. Leash or no leash, this would have sucked to be involved with, for both dog and owner.

Obviously a slightly different scenario, but several years ago, my dog was attacked viciously by a very aggressive and much larger German Shepherd while on a routine morning walk in the nearby open space. My dog was leashed, while the other dog was not and charged us really fast and silent, it was on her attacking before either of us knew what was happening. I ended up fighting the dog, pounding it as hard as I could with my fists and eventually had to grab it and yank it away from my dog several times before the owner arrived and called it off. I can assure you that the leash did absolutely no good in this situation and if anything, prevented her from standing her ground or running away. I'll not get into another leash debate, but it all simply depends on the dog, the situation, the location, the circumstances.

[TallGrass]

it all simply depends on the dog, the situation, the location, the circumstances.

I don't see being off-leash as an advantage, especially facing a pack. Wolves and natives alike would chase prey into areas where they have the advantage (cliff, boxed in dead end) as well as to wear out prey so it's too exhausted to defend itself and too far from its own pack (e.g. the owner) for support.

The dog I was sitting was attacked by a purple-tonged breed and didn't fight back, had very mellow and friendly demeanor, though it loved a good squirrel chase. I used the leash to continually pull him behind me, putting myself between them without endangering my hands (it never tried attacking me), deflecting lunges, until the attacking dog's owner finally came running out of a house across the street. Luckily no injuries found.

Ran into a pair of leashed hunting dogs on a Snowmass trail. Same litter, same size, both owners there ("getting them socialized to being on trails"), but while one was friendly, the other's ears went back, started snarling, and was pulled back by the surprised owner who apologized ("never done that...") and rebuked the dog.

This summer above the Bridal Veil Falls plant, met an off-leash partial cattle dog ranging out ahead of its (out of site) owners. Immediately came up for an ear scratch, and when I greeted it but did not pet, it immediately ran to the side of the road, hunted up a stick, then ran back and dropped it at my friends feet. Owners were right behind. As the owners passed, the calling the dog with, it ignored them, dropping the stick he threw at my friend's feet again. Told him, "he's not done with you yet."

Think of whatever you'd do to protect your dog. Now think of what other owners would do to protect theirs if yours "goes squirrel" on it. Many jurisdictions also have a two strikes rule where they euthanize a dog after its second attack. Dogs are cool, but not 100% predictable.

[Jeff Valliere]

it all simply depends on the dog, the situation, the location, the circumstances.

I don't see being off-leash as an advantage, especially facing a pack.

Speaking hypothetically, which is why I prefaced that with "it depends". In our circumstance, facing the aggressive dog in a somewhat suburban setting, being on leash was certainly a liability and I could see it being a liability in a variety of scenarios. However, if a pack of wolves, a mountain lion or any other large predator sets it's sights on your dog, there is a good chance that there would be little you could do, leashed or not, unless you had a weapon and could use it accurately.

[hokiehead]

Right....to protect your pups from the packs of wolves we have roaming in CO.

Or pack of rabid dogs, or even maybe werewolves....

[youtubevideo]/KOB9hpIi-DQ[/youtubevideo]

awesome. saw Panic Friday night in Milwaukee, caught a great Greta.

[onebyone]

If your dog is attacked, then you want to get it on leash as quick as possible. This way you can put yourself between your dog and the attacker. If your dog runs and is attacked by a larger attacker or a group of attackers, then by the time you catch up, your dog could already be fatally mauled.
There are some exceptions though, like if you have a vizsla or a saluki or some other quick dog that could run circles around a bigger attacker. So like I said, it depends on the type of your dog your have, if it's an alpha and a fighter, etc. etc.
I have had dogs where I would have gone leash and other dogs I would have not gone leash.

[Scott P]

In our circumstance, facing the aggressive dog in a somewhat suburban setting, being on leash was certainly a liability and I could see it being a liability in a variety of scenarios.

It seems the moral of the story is for the aggressive dog (the one that attacked yours) to be on leash, rather than for yours to be off.