Has useless parenting now spilled over into how people treat their dogs?

[Gumbo]

This morning I went for an early walk to the shop along a lovely path beside a river. The path is used by everyone (including cyclists) so it's normal to encounter a wide range of people on it - although because it was early hardly anyone was about.

I could see a woman with a dog (not on a lead) walking towards me. It was clear that the dog had been in the river, and since it had been raining it was also very muddy. As I got closer I heard the woman say to the dog, "gentle, 'Milo'", then as the dog started heading in my direction, she said it a couple more times. The dog completely ignored her and leapt onto me, cheerfully planting copious amounts of mud all over my clean top and trousers. I was telling the dog to get down, while also calling to the woman to get him off me as he was so muddy. She pointlessly stood there telling the sodding dog to be gentle...

I think I may have told the woman she was a fucking idiot.

I've seen this sort of ineffective parenting, where the kid continues to do what it wants knowing there will be no repercussions, so was wondering whether this is now the same lot of people who are also unable to control their dogs?

Yes. This in spades. I've always said children are like dogs.

We've always had working dogs if they're not trained everyone is miserable.

No. I don't think you can say that based off one dog owner using the word 'gentle'. It's a bit of a wild leap.

I think the problem with badly behaved dogs is more to do with the sheer volume of dogs these days. I expect the percentage of badly behaved dogs hasn't changed but now it's 1% of hundreds of thousands not tens of thousands.

Absolutely.

There was a post on here the other day from a women who was out for a picnic with her special needs son who was scared of dogs. In order to protect him from a dog (not saying the dog was dangerous, but her son was frightened) I think they hid, and the dog ate their picnic

My daughter works in a garden centre that allowed dogs, but so mych expensive stuff was getting ruined by dogs weeing on it, that they banned them. There was so much backlash that they’ve allowed them again

I tried to kick a dog that did this (it was a hard repetitive leap as the owner just stood there). It ran away at that point but the owner looked aghast like how COULD YOU.

Quite easily, mate.

Bad dog owners and more visible than good dog owners. Hence why it appears that all dogs are badly behaved.

My worst dog experience was when an ineffectual owner didn't even notice their pet was running around in the middle of a busy A road. I missed it by centimetres (it ran out of a footpath perpendicular to the road)

Ddog owner and ddog lover here..
But I don't want to spend £20 in Dunelm cafe to listen to a fucking yappy ddog at the next table. . I mean wtf?

Yeah bad dog owners will probably claim to love their dogs, but their lack of training puts the dog in danger. They don’t love them enough to put some effort in to keep them safe.

The post about a picnic a PP mentioned above is another example. The owner had no control, and the dog ate grapes, which could be deadly.

My DD is 21. She got knocked over 3 times as a toddler by dogs off leads with useless owners.
The one I remember most clearly was walking through a park when a large dog (bigger than a Labrador) came charging towards us. It literally bowled DD over and then stood over her when she was flat in the floor, feet either side of her. She was obviously terrified. I was shouting at it, and it's owner who ambled slowly over, laughing. As she got nearer, she told me not to worry, my DD wouldn't hurt the dog!!!
This is not a new thing. I don't think dogs should ever be off leads in public areas.

👀

I think there’s always been useless dog owners and likewise there’s always been useless parents!

Back in the 1980s dogs and kids were let out in the morning and told to come back at dinner time.

Mostly the dogs I encounter are well behaved and the owners considerate of other people 🤷‍♀️

I think we're going to have to do something about it as a society. 4 million extra dogs since Covid, and so many of these owners so completely deluded about what a dog is or is capable of.

https://www.nfumutual.co.uk/media-centre/complacency-kills-as-uk-cost-of-livestock-worrying-rises-by-nearly-30/

"46% believed their dog was not capable of causing the death or injury of farm animals." 🙄

Lots of dog owners dont have children

Just this morning I had something similar. I have a dog who is reactive so he’s on a lead and I walk him though the village where other dogs are on leads. I manage him being a twat by being in this managed environment. However a women had a lab of lead this morning who just bounded over straight in his face despite me asking her to give us space. All I got from her was ‘he’s friendly’ honestly don’t care. If your dog has no recall keep it on a lead.

I was chased by a dog off lead in the 80s

@Sellenis that's shocking

Hate it when people compare dogs to children. Training your dog is not parenting.

4 million extra dogs since COVID is insane..that's the issue here.

As others have said, there have always been badly behaved dogs. As a kid of the eighties, I also remember dogs just being let out the front door to take themselves for a walk. I was scared of dogs and I was absolutely expected to just 'stop making a fuss' when dogs jumped up at me and I didn't like it.

I think overall we expect dogs to be under control MORE these days but so many people own them that it only takes a small percentage of owners to be useless idiots and it has a noticeable impact.

Yes.

I'm "lucky in the game of life" not to be around children or pets.

Theer are idiot dog owners. There are idiot parents. There are idiot drivers. There are idiot pedestrians.

In short, some people are idiots. It is not the exclusive purview of dog owners or parents.

You forgot idiot cyclists 😊

This is exactly what I'd do. Telling me your dog is friendly is fucking pointless because to a dog I'm not

The highway code states that dogs should be on a lead on roads or paths shared with cyclists & horse riders.

It is rare to see a dog on a lead on a bridleway around here. I don't know if it is lack of the awareness or that individual dog owners all think they are better & have better dogs than everyone else so don't need to follow the rules.

The most responsible owners are the ones that follow the rules. Idiot dog owners think rules don't apply to them.

I have six dogs, all large breeds except for one. All under control.

I despair when I see a Cockapoo (ginger/tan curly haired cross breed) as I’ve yet to see one that has been trained and is under control.

How can anyone live with the over excited yapping is beyond me but the owners seem to think that because it’s a small, cute little dog, no one is going to mind it in its usually frenzied state of jumping all over your dogs or you.

I can’t stand this breed mix, it appears to be very popular with first time dog owners who go have no concept of training, diet or how to manage a dogs behaviour when out.

Nearly every owner I’ve met of these pesky dogs has admitted they haven’t done any training other than their own (feeble) efforts and don’t understand the importance of socialising the dog at all young age.

My son trained his partners cockapoo the same way he trained gun dogs. It worked

@justasking111 I’m glad to hear that. They appear to be high energy dogs and better suited to a working dog lifestyle where that energy can be used well.

I met one woman who had a child in a pushchair, a smaller child in tow and the Cockerpoo on a lead and she was asking anyone who had a dog if they knew someone she could rehome it too.

She had no idea it would need so much stimulation. She thought it would only need a short walk on a lead for half an hour twice a day.

Acfive dogs need active owners.