Bare minimum dog ownership

I am bemused by owners of problem dogs who have to keep them on a lead who get upset when my non aggressive dog approaches their aggressive dog. It is not my dog that is the problem, its yours! Stay home if you can't control your dog

I don't think that's entirely fair. If my dog, who is always on lead, gets approached by an off lead Shepard or mallenois he will bark loudly but that's because he got attacked by one and is terrified of them.

If your dog is approaching on lead dogs then you clearly can’t control it so you should either put it on a lead or stay at home. You are in fact the problem.

Then I am too 😂

I agree with you. Dogs are social creatures and the anxiety around letting them interact doesn't want to allow for that. I think it's heightened since the pandemic, the dogs picked up all the awkwardness and sadly some have become more reactive.

This. Where I am dogs play and interact, share treats and have a great time. They welcome new digs and puppies.

Dogs are sociable animals, if you don’t like this spare a dog a lonely life and don’t get one.

The sooner the owning of pet dogs is banned, the better. They cause nothing but misery and conflict.

You are the worst kind of human being, judgemental and full of hate for other people going about their lives, normally.

All the dog owners where I live are friendly and enjoy the interaction between their dogs. I am sorry that your life has made you so sour and bitter.

That’s why my reply is “I don’t care. Get your dog away from me and under control.”

Last said to my neighbour as her dog prepared to jump on me for the second day in a row.

Totally agree. I have one that is reactive due to his life before we adopted him, so he’s always on lead. At home, I can introduce any dog with no problem because he will follow my lead but when we are out and someone’s dog comes running up to him? He hates it and he will react. He is under control, the other dog is not. And you are exactly right, these are excitable dogs who don’t read his body language. What the “oh he’s friendly” brigade really mean is “he doesn’t come back because I haven’t bothered to train him”.

Yep.

Perhaps we should just rethink if people need to be owning pets.

@BennyBee , you are SO wrong. What you have there is a dog with no manners who should under no circumstances be approaching a dog who is under control on a lead.

If a dog is on a lead because it is reactive, the owner is being responsible and protecting your dog as well as theirs.

Like @Bigoldtable 's dogs, mine return to me if they see another dog approaching. I have one who is friendly, but mostly prefers sniffing and exploring to other dogs, and one who is reactive sometimes, but I always assume he will be so he is on a lead around other dogs. He is reactive because he was attacked and subsequently, I can't persuade him 'friendly' dogs are safe if they won't read his body language and leave him alone.

Im currently at work in a very touristy area, its been interesting sitting here watching the dogs that are taking their owners for a walk, the occasional dog shouting match usually started by a tiny dog. But whats annoyed me more are the amount of dogs clearly struggling in the heat, walking very slowly and being told off by owners. One just plopped itself on the pavement and refused to move, resulting in the owner trying to drag it along. Its very sunny and hot here, no dog should out in it.

Totally agree with this, my dog is reactive to other dogs, she is kept on a lead, loose bad mannered dogs are a constant stress to her and me. I always try to take her in quiet times, and if I see an unleashed dog, go in another direction, but it does not always work, if the dog still comes up to us, I always say she is not friendly, some owners get their dogs, others just look at me.
She is getting old now, I dread her coming into contact with a younger, fitter dog, that if she snaps at it, and it attacks back, and really hurts her.
She and me are entitled to a peaceful walk, not approached by dogs that bad owners can't or won't recall. She is a pretty dog, and looks so inoffensive and even wags her tail, then gets the hump and snaps, I know this, others don't.

We’re going to the reservoir so they can swim

Allowing dogs to greet each other needs to be normalised, they’re sociable animals. There seems to a weird fear of it here. If you let your dog be off lead then that’s a signal to other dog owners (myself included) that greeting is ok.

Im sorry if you have a reactive/aggressive dog, but please muzzle it. Responsibility goes both ways. I won’t let my dog approach on lead dogs without permission, but if you know your dog will bite then it needs to be muzzled.

I am a dog owner and a dog lover but as the tourists decend on my town at this time of year the appalling dog owners arrive.

Where is this mythical magical town where all the dog owners are top notch and you're only affected when the disgusting tourists hit??

I’ll add that in this heat I’d hope that people aren’t taking their dogs out, especially in the middle of the day.

You’re the worst kind of dog owner.

As we’re dog bashing today, can I put in a plea on behalf of the well behaved dogs please? Please don’t approach someone else’s dog. Recall training for mine was set back by months because of people calling him over and giving him treats. Getting him to ignore picnickers was so much harder after a few encouraged him and gave him food. It wasn’t so bad when he was a cute little puppy but no one wants a massive smelly dog sniffing around their picnic. Just leave other peoples dogs alone!

If your dog doesn't have bomb proof recall keep it on a lead or a long line

@Luggagerackistopheavy No dog is bombproof - look at the word. Are you bombproof? Your children? Any human you know? In any situation, especially where food is involved, loads of dogs will be off the chain.

Remember those horses running round London last year? Was anyone calling for them to be better-trained? They are animals.

Recall is reasonable thing but in actual cases would always be tested individually. I'm in Australia, where all dogs have to be on-leash except in designated areas and recall is expected, but all infringements are individually argued.

Every dog owner should have third party liability insurance.
If you own a bull breed you should have a break stick with you at all times.