Today's Cloud

We met a dog running off leash today. As they spotted each other (coming around a corner) they both froze and stared at each other. I made the decision to get Monster away from the situation, and tried to get him to disengage. Unfortunately we were far too close, and he wouldn't move. When I insisted he sat down, refusing to come. I ended up half carrying, half dragging him away and into the woods...

But whyyyyyyy?

This ended up being a bad and frustrating experience for Monster, where I took all power from him and forced him to do something he absolutely didn't want to do - physically overpowering him in a situation where he was already tense and vulnerable. I don't like what I did, and I keep wondering if I should have made a different decision... But Monster was on his 50-foot line and if that were to get tangled up in his or the other dog's legs if they met it could cause some serious injuries, so I didn't dare to take the chance. Ideally we wouldn't have been in a situation where we suddenly found ourselves too close to another dog, and I really do try to pay attention and monitor our surroundings. I simply didn't realize we were turning a blind corner, the vegetation was very sparse and I thought I could see well through it - unfortunately there was also a drop hidden by a snow drift, and the dog was small enough that it didn't show above it.

About that; shouldn't it be warmer by now? Like, a lot warmer...?

I know this probably doesn't sound like a disaster, but the worst thing I can do in a situation like this is forcing Monster to do something he doesn't want. It ruins his self confidence and he'll be a lot more reactive with the next dog...