Am I the c#%t??

There’s no excuse for her speaking to you like that. My mom’s dog was attacked by another dog as a puppy and is very reactive to other dogs out of fear. He’s a medium sized dog. I don’t leave him alone with my young kids obviously, but he’s an old boy now and tolerates absolutely anything the kids do to him even when they were toddlers with poor motor skills. He just gets up and walks away if he can’t take it anymore. Reactive to dogs doesn’t mean aggressive to people necessarily. If a dog comes up to him off lead he goes into protective survival mode and may try to attack preemptively. It’s hard for my elderly mother to walk him and she’s tried everything.
exactly like Hellohelga said a few posts up.

No. In a dog park, you must expect other dogs will approach your dog.

If you know your dog will not react well in this situation, you do not take your dog to a dog park.

When not in a dog park - yes, you are obviously correct.

How is it ridiculous to not take your dangerous dog to a dog park - where you know others dogs will be off leash - if your dog can’t take other dogs approaching it??!

What the absolute nonsense is going on in the uk?! You all have your dogs on leash in-between ball chases then? 😂

The woman behaved badly, but you were out of line letting your dog trot up to the other hound off the lead. Take it as a lesson learnt and stop worrying.

In a wider context dogs as different at cockapoos and XL bully types just don't mix - neither do their owners. We could go down a whole rabbit hole of dog culture there bu tthat's for another day.

Most dogs that are dog reactive are perfectly fine with people. They just don’t like other dogs approaching and getting in their face or sniffing their bottom. Usually they are not born that way but become that way through scary experiences with other dogs. Your own DDog could become dog reactive if it was attacked and hurt and there is no way you would rush out and PTS.

Once a dog becomes reactive the owners world changes. They need to try and change the behaviour with training, but also manage the behaviour to keep everyone safe. Sounds like this person was trying to that by keeping her dog on a lead. She should not have been rude to you but as a dog owner you should have had way more awareness. I assume this is your first dog. Next time be quicker with the lead and recall. If you mess up just say sorry and move on.

Perhaps you ought to read through your own posts here, in that case. You frequently begin sentences without a capital, and your punctuation leaves a lot to be desired.

@mellymoop don't be ridiculous.

My frenchie had an injury which meant when other dogs came up to him he felt vulnerable and could be aggressive. He was very well trained, with great recall, but I kept him on a short leash when out for walks because I was a responsible dog owner. Idiot owners like you made our lives a nightmare.
Don't let your dog approach another dog on a lead, ever!

They don't have to be an 'aggressive' breed. The fact that you are trying to justify your poor behaviour is the read why you shouldn't own a dog

It is solved instantly by having your off-lead dog under control and not allowing it to invade another dog’s space. Doesn’t matter if the dog on a lead is aggressive or not - it shouldn’t be approached by another dog unless both owners are happy. That is responsible dog ownership.

It's well seen you didn't enable voting on whether or not you're a cunt, @cantthinkofausername26 .

You shouldn't be allowing your dog to go up to anyone - human or otherwise especially off lead even if it's for "a little sniff".

Seems ridiculous to have your dog on a lead in an open space/dog park.

If you have a dangerous dog that can’t be off leash and/or tolerate other dogs approaching it without risk of attack - don’t take it to the bloody open space where you know other dogs will be off leash!!

This. I walk my cocker every day off lead. The etiquette dictates that I take her on the lead if another dog on the lead approaches, unless that other dog’s owners signal to me that she’s fine off the lead. Have been doing so for the last 10 years and with my first dog also. And everyone walking their dog off lead does the same. Dogs say hi (sniff each other) and might play. This is the essence of a dog’s life, like breathing, eating, drinking, sleeping, playing. I couldn’t believe some posts here, it felt as if I live on a different planet. Like somebody would tell me - you cannot let your dog drink.

or problem solved if people put dogs on leads, any dog can be nasty as experienced on rounds as a postman, as long as its legal then all dogs should be on leads

No dogs shouldn’t run up to other dogs on a lead.

yes it happens sometimes (they’re not robots, sometimes it’s a surprise etc) and children do it too

Does the dog or the child deserve to be ripped to pieces and killed if they do accidentally go up to the vicious dog on a lead?

I think not. Vicious dogs that are likely to bite into someone who approaches them unbidden shouldn’t exist.

The stakes are too high.

Coz they are well 'ard.

I think the person in the park was rude.

Your replies to lots of people - who don't agree with you - are rude too.

IMO Dogs should not be allowed off lead in public spaces

I have a reactive rescue. Lovely indoors with family, aggressive with other dogs. The amount of people who walk around oblivious letting their dog run up to another dog for a ‘sniff’ or a ‘play’ is astounding. It is cruel to reactive dogs to let your pet do this. If you are unable to have a dog walk to heel and only approach for play or curiosity on command dog should not be off lead imo. Also a big bugbear of mine is off lead dogs in on-lead areas such as fields, beaches, parks etc specifically marked as ‘on lead only’. You might think it’s nice for your do to run about but because of the frequency with which off lead dogs approach us, any off lead dog is now a trigger for my dog even off in the distance so we stay to on lead area walks only…but oh no ‘my dog is fine off lead.’

After reading your replies to posters on here, yes, you are the cunt.
Hope that helps.

It's this attitude that really puts dog owners in a bad light. You and your dog are the problem, not the dogs off lead. Dogs are naturally sociable animals and their mental and physical health is much enhanced through play, independent exploration and interface with other dogs and people. Why should you, in the minority, ruin the freedom of the majority.

Train your dog, make sure it is under control, away from others and muzzled. You will have no issues then.

It’s no wonder the dog is aggressive with her for an owner.

Not having been there, no idea whether the OP was in the wrong... but I'm so glad I'm not living in the UK. This seems crazy that people think every dog should be on a lead when on a walk for fear of it approaching other dogs. What sort of life is it for an animal to be tethered whenever it gets the chance to go out and interact with other dogs if they're not aggressive and pose no threat and are just doing what dogs need to do, which is sniff and wag and say hi? Unfortunately some poor dogs are traumatised and need to be muzzled when there is a risk they will react to other dogs in public. But to think that therefore all dogs need to be on a lead at all times is so sad.

Most parents would let their child go trotting over to a dog on a lead to play. As for all us morons owning dogs who don’t want to be approached by other dogs it’s not so black and white, my dog is always on a lead when we are out, she’s 12, she’s lazy and she can’t be arsed with bouncy excitable puppies coming over for a sniff, would she bite, im not sure, but I’d rather not take the chance of a hefty vet bill for someone else’s dog. Funnily enough she can tolerate children as she’s grown up with them. She’s certainly not dangerous

Where were you walking your dog? By law all dogs should be on leads between March and July 31 in open access countryside, to protect ground-nesting birds and other wildlife. You may well have been in the wrong, regardless of the encouter with the other dog

A controlled dog not on a lead walks by your heel at all times unless you allow it to run ahead of you. It should constantly look to you for leadership.

If another person or dog comes along it should know to come back to you, not approach them. If it doesn't - you don't have full control.

Our current dog doesn't do this yet - therefore it is never off lead on walks - only in contained areas where we train him.