Hey there, Adele. Glad you found the article helpful!

Not sure if Kayla will have a chance to respond or not, but I can certainly sympathize with your situation — I have two dogs who’re both very reactive to other dogs, and I also struggle with frequent encounters with off-leash dogs.

In fact, I have to go to great lengths to get my girls enough exercise and stimulation because I can’t even walk them in my neighborhood anymore. I’m not even worried about set backs; I just don’t want either of my pups involved in fights.

We’re not sure about the laws in Australia, but you can purchase citronella sprays via Amazon in the U.S.

I’ve never used citronella sprays myself. They certainly appear to deter some dogs, but they’re not as effective for others. So, I use a pretty strong pepper spray. It has proven effective at warding off two attacking dogs so far (hopefully, I’ll never have to use it again — it’s a shame that the dog has to suffer because of owner negligence).

As for range, I’d say the pepper spray linked above discharges about 6 feet (2 meters).

I’ll wait and see if Kayla has time to respond to your behavior questions, but personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up your pup and walk away if approached by an off-leash dog.

Thanks for checking out the site! Best of luck with your dog!

How far away from the other dog would you need to be? If my dogs threshold is say 20metres, and a dog is about to run up to us within that threshold, what can I do to get away without triggering the fearful dog? Is it okay to pick a dog up to walk away if the dog is small enough?

Hey there, Paul.

It sounds like your dog is struggling with some reactivity, so we’d recommend reaching out to a certified dog behavior consultant (not a regular trainer).

In the meantime, you may want to check out our article about reactive dogs. It’ll provide some tips you can implement while trying to track down a behaviorist.

And rest easy, Paul: Being affectionate is almost certainly not causing these problems! We fully encourage you to love your pup (as you obviously do).
Best of luck!