Blake has taken to human skittles!!

macca

My dog, Blake (Golden Retriever 7months), just knocked some poor chap clean off his legs tonight. Thankfully the guy was ok about it, I felt really bad about it. After all, I suppose it constitutes my dog being 'out of control', when in fact he's really very obedient and generally well behaved. Especially for a 7 month old dog who is so full of energy. Sad

Thing is, the same thing happened about 6 weeks ago. This time a young woman was his victim. Again, thankfully she was allright about it. It seems to happen when Blake is wanting to play with their dog, but the owner is taking their dog away after a brief meeting with Blake and the owner has his/her back turned. Blake then unintentionally whilst running around knocks into them, taking their legs from underneath them. He gets very exited whenever he meets another dog. But i'm worried now that It might happen again but his next victim might be a bit more fragile and get hurt. Confused

I'm thinking of maybe using a whistle or something like that to try to control his enthusiasm when he's out walking and meeting other dogs.
Any other suggestions? Question

TIA macca

Violette

I presume he is "shoulder-charging" them and catching them at the back of the knees, making their legs buckle? It is very common, and most dog-owners are fairly used to it. But it can be annoying, and you are right to be concerned that he might do it to a child or fragile elderly person, and cause real damage or hurt.

You are probably right and it is just excitement, but it does need to be controlled. Can you not call him back to you (or get him to sit) when the other owner signals playtime is up by taking their dog away? I would work on that, to be honest, rather than on something specific to the situation. Recall, or sit at a distance, are useful tools for all sorts of occasions, and will be a help to you in lots of different ways. And he can't do any damage that way.