| Quote: | |  | |
| Then, reading a doggy psychologists book on shepherding and sheep guarding dogs (can't remember the name but will find out once home) I came across the interesting snippet that dogs feel that they must defend their owner and themselves when leashed - the fight or flight options are limited. | |
| | |
You are absolutely right; off lead, dogs can implement a range of calming behaviors to diffuse a potential confict so you see far less inter-dog aggression. On lead, their options are limited, which can cause tense situations to escalate. The restrictions we place on dogs in the name of safety can actually have the opposite effect.
Unfortunately, the authors of the
Nationalrat proposal - which would significantly expand the areas where dogs must be leashed - don't seem to know much about dogs.
(... as the owner of several nutcase herding dogs
, I highly recomend 'Canine Body Language' by Brenda Aloff)