Dog walk rant

[adaline]

This isn't really a problem as such, just a chance for me to have a rant!

So, I was out with our beagle this morning doing one of our usual loops. He was on his lead and minding his own business sniffing around and trying to eat sheep shit...

We were on a fairly narrow enclosed footpath leading to fields. This is a popular dog walking route and I always meet at least one or two other dog walkers.

Anyway, behind us came a female vizsla off the lead with her owner. No issues at first, dog was excitable but trotting along nicely. Then, they started catching up with us and her dog started barking at us. As they got closer, the barks turned aggressive and she started growling too. Owner said "don't worry, she won't do anything, she's just scared" but grabbed her dog by the collar anyway. The dog was about a metre away from my dog at this point and lunged and growled at him (I think she would have bitten if not being held back). Owner then smacked the dog hard on the back/bum (dog then whimpered and cowered back, tail between legs) and she grabbed her by the collar and yanked her past.

My dog didn't bark or react once, just stood there and looked a bit bemused by the whole thing! It just upsets me - why get a dog if you're going to treat it like that?!

[frostedviolets]

First of all never ever trust a word other owners say. Ever.
Been there done that.
'Oh they are just playing'
'Oh he's just friendly'
They rarely are..

Second, I have a dog who can be reactive, if she acted like this dog (she never has) I would do whatever I thought necessary to shut the dangerous behaviour down as quickly as possible and try and keep everyone safe.

If I thought she might not respond to a verbal cue (she does) I might smack if I thought that would stop her immediately.

Perhaps the owner had tried a verbal no in the past and it hadn't responded and she was worried the same might happen again and it might injure your dog?

[adaline]

If she'd had her dog on a lead in the first place, none of it would have happened though, as she could have kept her dog under control properly from the get go. She could see my dog was on a lead as she approached us.

Surely if you have a reactive dog that is approaching an on-lead dog, you put your dog back on the lead, not smack it and yank it along by the collar?

[frostedviolets]

If she'd had her dog on a lead in the first place, none of it would have happened though, as she could have kept her dog under control properly from the get go. She could see my dog was on a lead as she approached us

Completely agree.
It shouldn't have been off lead.

Surely if you have a reactive dog that is approaching an on-lead dog, you put your dog back on the lead, not smack it and yank it along by the collar?

I virtually never let my dog get close anymore and have become very good at reading how she is feeling but in the past I haven't leashed, I have always apologised and called her away.

Seems safer than faffing about with a stressed dog trying to clip a lead on with hands in snapping distance.

But then my dog has never actively lunged and attempted to bite another dog.
If she had I definately wouldn't have had her anywhere near other dogs.

I completely 100% agree the dog shouldn't have been anywhere near your dog.

But I can see why in that situation the owner resorted to behaving the way she did.
I suspect she was trying to shut down the behaviour as fast as possible and I imagine she was thoroughly embarrassed and pissed off abd feeling like a complete failure hence the annoyed dragging away.

[pigsDOfly]

I've seen people smack dogs in this way when they're embarrassed by their dog's behaviour and have never understood what they think it's going to achieve.

They have a dog that's reactive so instead of keeping it on a lead and trying to work on its training they just give it a good wack every time it displays behaviour that indicates it fearful; yeah that certainly makes perfect sense.

If the woman thinks it appropriate to hit her fear reactive dog, she probably isn't going to have the sense to put it on the lead when approaching another dog.

I'm not surprised your dog looked bemused.

[adaline]

I've seen people smack dogs in this way when they're embarrassed by their dog's behaviour and have never understood what they think it's going to achieve.

Yeah, that's my train of thought too. She did look embarrassed by the dogs behaviour but why would hitting your dog make it better? I was pretty shocked to be honest. I mean, I know people hit their dogs but it was so blatant and the poor dog looked absolutely petrified.

[pigsDOfly]

Poor dog.

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

Absolutely ignorant. All that dog has learned is that others dogs bring trouble. No wonder it’s reactive.

[Boristhecats]

As if the dog has any idea why it has been hit. People baffle me. They put dogs as humans. Dogs are not humans and they don’t have the same understanding as we do. They don’t understand things as we do. All they did was cause the dog pain and achieved nothing. Poor dog.

I have see. People shouting at their dogs and moaning the dog isn’t doing what they asked. Like a dog can understand English for goodness sake.

[adaline]

Poor thing whimpered and had it's tail between its legs and it kind of ran behind its owner. She did apologise for the lunging/growling but she saw me when she was approaching so why on Earth not put her dog on a lead or wait until we were in the field a few metres ahead so she didn't have to pass us at such close quarters if her dog is so reactive?

[NoSquirrels]

why on Earth not put her dog on a lead or wait until we were in the field a few metres ahead so she didn't have to pass us at such close quarters if her dog is so reactive?

Because she’s an idiot?

[LakeFlyPie]

We've had a similar experience with our foster dog on a lead being 'attacked' by a barky off lead lab at local park. The lab seems to play nicely with most of the off lead dogs in the park but homes in aggressively on our poor pup. Owner is embarrassed and apologetic and eventually puts him on lead but it's happened several times now.

[RedHelenB]

Devils advocate here (would never hit a dog ) but physical chastisement is what dogs do to dogs So presumably they would understand?

[HaplessHetty]

Poor dog! All the owner will achieve is make her dog more reactive. She should never have put her dog in a situation it couldn't handle in the first place. A reactive dog's behaviour can be improved but it takes a lot of work, there are no instant fixes.

[adaline]

Devils advocate here (would never hit a dog ) but physical chastisement is what dogs do to dogs So presumably they would understand?

But dogs know we're not other dogs...

The relationship between two dogs is never going to be anything like the relationship between a dog and a person.

[Booboostwo]

physical chastisement is what dogs do to dogs

In what world have you seen a dog smack another dog? Most dog interactions are about body language, e.g. eye contact/eye aversion, tension in body, tension in tail, speed of approach, direction of approach, sniffing, etc. Some dog contact involves vocalizations like whimpering or growling. Some dog contact involves physical contact but it is usually pushing, pushing over, standing over another dog, snapping jaws without making contact. Very little dog contact involves actual biting. None of it involves smacking.

Not to mention that even if dogs treated each other that way it doesn't mean that we should or that it would be effective if we did. Stand in a middle of a field of horses and try to interact as they do and see what happens (don't actually do this).


OP she was rude and ignorant.