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?

Actually I really did think about it, but thought it was getting too long a list!

I think given the rise on dog ownership, and no evidence of reduction in consideration and idiocy levels, it’s time for legislation on dogs being on leads at all times in public.

To be fair it actually says "Do not let a dog out on the road on its own. Keep it on a short lead when walking on the pavement, road or path shared with cyclists or horse riders." That is not the same thing as saying it should be on a lead on all pavements, roads or paths. Where I walk my dog there are often cyclists, motorcyclists and quad bikes. They are all banned, my dog is not. The fact that someone uses a place is not the same thing as them having the right or permission to use it.

Not defending idiots - I also hate untrained dogs (whether on or off the lead). But just saying that that is a different matter from whether a dog may be allowed to be off lead.

I don’t think this is anything new. I am firmly of the gentle parenting era and this was an issue with dogs well before we had children.

Had someone ranting on our local town Facebook page the other week about someone who hit their dog (with a car) on the high street (and stopped). But they had a go at them online anyway for hitting their dog. Someone was like, how did your dog get hit in a busy town centre?! Surely you had it on a lead?! “Well, no, but that’s not the point!”

Poor dog was running around in between cars in the middle of town and the owners had a public go at the driver (posting their number plate, etc). 🤷🏻‍♀️

I have an absolute bastard of a dog. So I keep her on the lead when there is anybody about or any stock or, basically, anything at all other than grass. But so many people let their dogs run up to her because they assume that, because their dog is friendly, my dog will be friendly back.

She will not. And I will NOT be told my dog is to blame for growling and snarling at their dog, she's fine if they keep their distance. But too many people make too many assumptions about dogs - and, like a PP, I've met people who think one half hour walk a day and then 'letting it into the garden to run around' is enough for any dog.

I think I'd support this, I'm fed up of being jumped on by muddy dogs (I wish this was the 1st time).

To all the people saying that there's always been badly behaved dogs, I think that's probably true, perhaps it just seems to be getting worse because there are more of them so it's more noticeable. And I do still think that people who won't ever utter the word 'no' to their DC are presumably more likely to be the same with their dogs.

Our two year old for the first time took an interest in some sheep that had escaped from the fields. They're Herdwick so they stamped their feet and she retreated.

It's hard work training dogs, repetitive but it works. Both owners and dogs are happy then.

Fenton in Richmond Park still makes me laugh though.

I’ve never witnessed shitty parenting like this in public, no child that didn’t belong to me has ever come bounding over like a dog, leapt up and covered me in all sorts of crap. It’s something I’ve only ever read about on MN and usually brought up as a retort on threads about irresponsible dog ownership, funnily enough. The narrative being this: control your out of control dog, well control your toddler= comparing humans to animals. Always weird.
Anyway. No I don’t see a correlation. Yes there are plenty of people out there who are in way too deep with dogs they have no authority over.

I stayed at a 5 star hotel for a luxury break and as we were checking in a greyhound was shitting on the rug in front of the fire. We decided not to stay.

Was this in Shakespeare’s home town by any chance?!

Probably just a massive coincidence…

As long as all dogs are kept on a short lead on paths that are shared with cyclists & horse riders eg bridleways. Footpaths are not shared with cyclists or horse riders so does not apply. The problem is the majority of dog owners seem to think they are an exception or have no idea whether the path is a bridleway or footpath (or often not a ROW at all)

That is literally what I posted.

The problem is dog owners that think they are an exception.

You are a very good example in that you don't think you should have your dog on a lead on a bridleway because whataboutery motorbikes break rules too.

Responsible dog owners are aware of & obey the highway code & countryside code.

My dogs are always on a lead until there is open space and safe to do so.

Love dogs, own a frankly ridiculous amount. Would absolutely be pissed off if someone else’s dog did this to me and my lot are absolutely trained not to do it. Any new ones are kept on lead until I am 100% certain they will behave.
One exception to this. We were walking in some woods and I saw a lady coming towards us. My lot were off leash but I heeled them to me. As we got closer, she crouched down and opened her arms, like she wanted to fuss them? I released them and they trotted up to her, and she then went mad, shouting and carrying on. Very odd!
You get shit dog owners and shit parents. Has always been thus.

I agree OP. Unruly dogs are a pain in the absolute arse, but it's not their fault they haven't been trained properly

The fault for that lies squarely at the feet of their ineffectual and bloody useless owners.

Oh my goodness, that's awful!
Only today I was in a cafe and a dog was mooching around off his lead, INSIDE, and just decided to wee on the floor under my table.
Not a word from the owners, who just let him continue wandering around the cafe off his lead.

Dh was using the cycle path at commuter time some twat had their dog running loose he swerved to avoid the bloody thing and came off - cuts and bruises 🙄🙄

Here we go...

This is getting more common but isn't new - when my own children were little it happened on the beach a lot. Dogs weren't allowed on the beach between May and September but people would take badly trained small to medium dogs onto the beach anyway relatively early in the morning or any time on week days when it wasn't extremely warm, and ignore them while they ran at my toddlers who were digging holes or building sand castles, jumped on them, scratched them with their claws unintentionally, got our picnic blanket filthy and headed for the bag to stick their head in looking for food etc. etc. This happened multiple times, although I was more prepared to try to intercept after the first time!

Owners either so far away they were barely identifiable or looked on with that weird blank look and half heartedly called the dog. Once a man told my two year old not to play with dogs without asking and just started at me and then tutted and walked off holding the dog by the collar (no lead) when I said his dog ran over here and jumped on my child and got sand all over our food (we'd obviously been in one place a while because we had everything set up!).

My parents (now elderly ) were strict and authoritarian with their children and grandchildren and the dogs they had when I was a child (anyone remember Barbara Woodhouse! Choke chains and all). They baby talk to the dog they have now though and haven't trained him at all, with the result that he barks endlessly, jumps up at everyone and climbs on anyone who sits down in their house, and worse nips and paws at any visitor or family member ignoring his jumping up/ climbing on them to talk to my parents and not focused on petting him. All they do is say "Oh [dog's name] what is it? You're excited to see xyz aren't you? I know [soppy long nickname for dog] we love you, we love you don't we [dogs name], you're only a little boy aren't you?" on and on without ever really trying to stop the dog barking/ jumping up/ climbing on laps/ nipping at anyone not petting him.

Where I live there are way more problems with antisocial behaviour from youths than dogs. In fact most things that make life less pleasant and less safe come from the human not canine population. So I would put tackling bad parenting way above bad dog owning in terms of priorities.

Parenting and dog ownership tend to follow a pattern.
1970s children and dogs all let loose and come back for tea.
Now neither allowed out loose.
Both get 'playdates'
Dog names, lots of Max, Bella and Alfie dogs, then guess what, kids got the same names. There are plenty of Kevin, Colin and Derek dogs, just waiting on the surge in little boys.

I've always had gundogs, well-behaved, - trained and properly fed and exercised. But a viszla ran up and jumped at me. I lifted my knee quickly and caught him under his ribcage. Must have got him in the solar plexus, if dogs have one. Next time he greeted me in a civilised manner and we went our separate ways. Owner several hundred yards away on both occasions.

Totally agree OP - my neighbour talks to her dog like a 3 year old. “If you don’t stop barking you’ll get no treats”. As if it could possibly understand. My BIL’s gf gentle parents her dog - took it to one obedience class and decided that the dog should be able to express itself and never took it back. It’s bonkers out there.

The dog population in the UK is estimated to be 13.5 million with one in 3 households owing at least one dog.

There just too many of them these days-I’d live to see what the percentage increase is in my area. I live in a very high doggy populated area as well have fantastic beaches. 20 years ago I could go out 4/5 times a week and barely see another dog. Since social media happened upon us and lockdown, you are lucky if you can avoid another dog. I also agree with PP that cockerpoos are a terrible mix of breeds. A friend of mine is a very experienced breed judge at Crufts and she gets so cross over the people who decided to cross two such highly intelligent working breeds-which so often results in a litter of neurotic offspring. And people who just want a dog to cuddle, are extremely selfish and ignorant. I’d love to see an ownership test coming into law.