I’m so tired of people with dangerous dogs ruining the park for everyone else.

When I see a large dog off lead I don't know whether it's kind or friendly, or it's gonna eat me!! Why should I have to worry about it? Just keep your dog on a lead

This again?
It’s very easy to work out if a dog is aggressive or not. If it’s wandering about minding its own business and ignoring you, then it doesn’t want to attack you. If it comes over to you snarling and snapping, it’s probably aggressive. How many times have you experienced the latter exactly?

Christ I feel like posting two pictures side by side to show aggressive dog vs calm dog!!

@TheFunDog
Two points:
First, the OP also complains about big dogs that were on a lead. How is this fair to those of us who do keep our dogs on leads and under control?
Second, if you check out dog death stats and dog bite stats you will find a fair few terriers implicated in deaths. Mainly Staffies but also several Jack Russells.
Please check your facts before joining in with the anti big dog hysteria.
Thank you.

@nund

I am absolutely not muzzling my dog just because of her size and weight. Only reactive dogs (or those legally obliged to wear muzzles) should be muzzled.

If any of my dogs had ever given me a reason to doubt their stability around dogs or people, then yes, I would have muzzled. But none of my past dogs ever showed any aggression, and nor does my current girl, so no, I will not muzzle just to suit the anti dog crusaders.

And FYI, handling large breed dogs is not all about brute force, it is mostly down to technique, and knowing your own dog well enough to predict how they will behave in any given situation.

All you have done in this post today is show your ignorance about proper, responsible dog handling and management. You are making yourself look even more of a fool than you did a few days ago.

I think you're wrong...
The op doesn't sound scared of dogs at all, just people's incompetence and inconsideration around them and others.
When I see a large dog off lead I don't know whether it's kind or friendly, or it's gonna eat me!! Why should I have to worry about it? Just keep your dog on a lead.
I understand your point about small dogs being aggressive too, but their damage capability is nothing compared to a large multi stone breed.

Just show consideration for others and leash your dog when others are in the same area trying to have a relaxing walk with their pet.

All this guff about whether a dog is on a lead or not seems to me beside the point, particularly for those big dogs. Often big dogs seem stronger than the person on the other end of the lead; and even the most placid-seeming dog can change all of a sudden.

Solution? Muzzle all dogs when in public - parks, streets etc. By all means let your dog bite what it likes in your own house and garden; just make sure it can't bite me or my grandkids.

Training dogs looks pretty hit-and-miss, and certainly it would be irrational to trust a dog person's assessment of their own dog's capacity to do harm. So ...

I know you dog people won't like this. But really it's the only solution that makes any sense. Muzzles.

Thank you @eastegg
I'm glad we have resolved our differences here.
Your final paragraph accurately sums up my viewpoint on this.

I count myself very fortunate to live in a fairly affluent area where the majority of dogs are relatively well trained. I do feel for those who have to live in areas with a preponderance of status dogs.

Right, ok. Sounds like we agree on more than I thought we did.

I thought you were saying ‘she’s only complaining about dogs on leads therefore her complaint baseless’. Many posters have posted along those lines, saying things like ‘she hasn’t complained about any anti social behaviour from dogs’. I thought you were joining in with that.

But if you’re actually saying ‘I agree that there’s lots of bad behaviour from dogs and i sympathise with the OP’s bad experiences but she shouldn’t be complaining about the ones on leads’ then we have some common ground and I will leave it there.

From what you’ve described, it doesn’t sound like the dogs were behaving aggressively or doing anything wrong. It seems more like you have a fear of large dogs — which means the issue isn’t with them, but with your own reaction.

I am not a dog person but love cats. I will say I would rather give a big dog a love than a small dog. Where I live the big dogs are really well trained. There's one who's head is bigger that an adults. But he is so loving and just wants a love. It is the owners, not the size of the dog that is the problem.
I know that isn't always true.

Absolute nonsense! The majority of German Shepherd owners are very conscientious, train their dogs well and are rarely off lead.

Please stop being condescending.
The OP stated quite clearly that two of the dogs she took issue with were being walked on leads.
That is what people here have a problem with.
Nobody has denied that her dog has been threatened, nobody has denied that antisocial dogs are a problem. Because all of us have experienced this ourselves. Badly behaved dogs are everywhere.
But if a dog is being walked on a lead and is posing no threat, then there is no reasonable justification for complaint.

I honestly don't care if non dog people do ignore me. But I have just as much right to be out on the park as they do. And that is what this whole ridiculous thread has been about.

Complain all you like about of control dogs - large and small (like the antisocial pug snapping and snarling at my girl yesterday), but just stop with the "all big dogs are a threat" scaremongering. Because those of us who are responsible owners with friendly, well socialised dogs do not deserve to be treated the way you people treat us. Your attitude is really not healthy for your children.

Steady on. Please stick to the point of what I have said. My post was correcting that 1st paragraph of your post that I quoted. You were - and it’s been done time and again on this thread - misrepresenting the OP as just complaining about dogs on leads. That 1st paragraph of your post was wrong, that’s what I have said. The OP was clearly not just complaining about dogs on leads doing nothing wrong because she complained about dogs frequently attacking hers. Therefore, your statement was wrong, and you had not read the OP properly yourself.

Whatever you think about anything else I have said on this thread, I am right about this.

Good for you…. And your dog. But you two don’t represent every large guarding breed and their owner out there, so if it’s all the same, I’ll continue to exercise caution. So I’m sorry,
but you’ll have to continue being offended. Your feelings don’t trump the safety of my kids. I’m not really sure how my opinion affects you anyway? Do you want every Tom, Dick and Harry to come over and start fawning over you and your dog every time you’re out walking? What difference does if make if I ignore you and walk past?!

My own dogs have been attacked numerous times so you are having a go at the wrong person here. I know about dogs not being under control - it is a problem I face on a daily basis, when I'm walking my own dog ON A LEAD and tiny things come up and bark in her face.

What I do object to is being lumped in with all the macho meatheads with status dogs, and the assumption that all owners are irresponsible idiots and all big dogs are dangerous. Because I've lived with big dogs for most of my life and none of them has ever behaved aggressively. I'm sick of the stupid accusations being flung around on here by people who know nothing whatsoever about dogs.

Here we go again with ‘the OP’s complaining about dogs on leads’. She referred to 2 dogs on leads, yes, but read the rest of the post properly as you’re telling others to do. Maybe the bit about her own dog being attacked numerous times? Those dogs aren’t under the proper control of their owners are they?

I know your question was basically a goad, but the answer is in my case, a corner of SE London.

And again, I know you’re trying to take the piss as if it can’t possibly be that bad, but I am genuinely fearful about my older children’s walk to school because of the large numbers of awful owners and XL bully types. I can prepare them for stranger danger and give them independence but I can’t prepare them for an out of control dog very well.

So damn right they know not to approach dogs, they wouldn’t dream of it. Sadly their experience of dogs growing up has been of total pains in the arse stopping them from doing things, and that’s the owners’ faults, not mine. Like the ones who let their dogs run around the children’s playground and tell me to fuck off, or the one who couldn’t control it’s muscular breed crazily circling the basketball court so that my child was trapped inside it.

Yes I know that’s not exactly what was in the OP, but you asked where I lived and that’s where I live. Right next to a lovely park which is being ruined.

Read the first post again. The OP was complaining about dogs that were on leads. Dogs that were not exhibiting anti social behaviour.

No, I am not agreeing with you. Far from it.

I have a very cuddly, fluffy dog. A dog that is a child magnet. A dog that everybody tells me is beautiful, cute, looks like a teddy bear etc etc. She also happens to be a 50kg livestock guarding breed. She doesn't bark outside of her own garden, never growls or grumbles, gets along with other dogs, adores children. She doesn't go about posturing like small dogs do, she is calm, placid and well mannered. She's a Gentle Giant. These dogs have to be, because they live alongside sheep and lambs.

So yes, you are offending me greatly with your judginess, because your comments come from a place of ignorance.

Really? I’m not claiming to know all that much but from what I read, they’re all fighting breeds that can just snap with no warning and once they go, you can’t get them off. I’m sure I read that they were bred this way to lure other dogs in to a false sense of security - I.e. behaving in a seemingly placid way but giving no warning and then just snapping. Like a ticking time bomb. Happy to hear if that’s been debunked, though. Especially because it means I don’t have to be scared of them!

I see someone walking one regularly around here and he’s always on a lead and muzzled and seems placid enough.

I agree but xl bully are the same, don’t believe the media nonsense around them. I know about 4/5 and when people say “the dog never done nothing like this before” it’s a pure lie they just don’t want to get in trouble.
dogs always show signs.
I personally think in parks around playgrounds all dogs should be on a lead, in a forest or large field they can be off. Therefore it’s fair to everyone.

i forgot to quote the post for this! Oops!!

I doubt you’ll get an answer to that as OP posted and ran…
But I would imagine she would, yes. Even if your dog is on a lead 🤦‍♀️

Where on earth are you all in the country if you’re living under constant threat of being attacked by other people’s dogs the minute you step outside the door

If you have children, I do hope you tell them never to approach a dog they don’t know and never to bother or irritate any dog.

It sounds hard with toddlers and a dog, but I don’t think you can generalise.
I have a staffy would you judge me?

@crumpetswithcheeze

So what would you say about my dog?

you are NOT being unreasonable at all. Some dog owners are so entitled and ignorant. They wouldn’t be able to control a large dog if it attacked and should recognise this😡