To have assumed it was common courtesy among dog walkers

[SomewhereInbetween1]

To put your dog on a lead if you see another owner do so to their dog once they've spotted you? Especially if your dog's recall is a little sketchy? I've seen a lot of owners put their dogs on the lead at the sight of other dogs because they may, for instance, not get along with other dogs. But if the other dogs are off the lead and so still able to approach the one on the lead, it entirely defeats the effort. Anyone had any experience with this?

Dogs who rush up and bounce straight on strange dogs or stick their nose straight in their bits might think they're being friendly, but they're the exact equivalent of an overexcited toddler running straight up to a strange child and snatching their toy off them to initiate a game of chase

Who mentioned all this projection? Certainly not me.

I am a regular on the doghouse, interesting when you start namechanging how differently you are responded to on here

It's not my opinion that that's how dogs with good social skills approach each other

Do some reading about it, there are plenty of qualified behaviourists and trainers who research and write.

And no, they're not like children - but some people seem unable to grasp why dogs running up to other dogs is an issue.

Most dogs will either ignore the rudeness and play, or ignore the rudeness and decline to play.

But not all dogs are physically or mentally well enough to cope with it.

It is your opinion that off lead dogs should not approach others.

Which I disagree with.

You then added on lots of extras like 'bouncing' to bolster your argument.

I am quite well read up on dogs, but thank you.

I will have to continue to disagree with you.

"It is your opinion that off lead dogs should not approach others."

No, it's my opinion that off lead dogs should not approach on lead dogs, I added bouncing because specifically running was the word used, running is very different to approaching.

I will continue to let my dogs socialise and interact with other dogs who are off lead

Why is that relevant, when the OP and 99% of the discussion is about people who let their off-lead dogs bother dogs who are on-lead?

If only. I was walking our springer on the lead yesterday. I saw a man in the distance with his dog off the lead. I shortened the lead moved off the path and put myself on the side nearest the path. All of which I thought would show that my dog isn't great with other dogs. The man made no attempt to call his dog back and the dog bounded up to mine. I got the usual 'It's OK he's friendly.' I said 'Mine's not' but he clearly heard this as 'That's OK then. I will let my dog sniff yours'. Needless to say my dog snapped and the man looked totally stunned as he pulled his away.
I have a yellow ribbon on my dog from My Dog Needs Space. This is a really good idea. They sell various products to indicate that the dog should not be approached. I intend to get a bandana or something more visible from them. It is a really good idea,, but needs to be publicised more.

I'm on the fence here and think that off or on lead, it is mainly down to good and bad dog ownership.

One of my friend's dogs is usually off lead. He has brilliant recall, she does not let him be a nuisance to other dogs, no problems.

I know someone with a big breed who is on a lead. He jumps up at people (and reaches shoulder height on a grown up) and the owner seems to have little control.

I have a fear aggressive dog and generally avoid the uncontrolled on a lead, rather than the controlled off lead dog.

I am lucky where I live, people are usually kind and respectful. Most people know my rescue can be hit and miss with new dogs, so they keep a distance or if they know me approach me more gently, and others respond when they see me shorten the lead when out. I know which dogs to be wary of - older man who can't control barky greyhound, crazy lady with the terrier who attacked my dog once, and the dog trainng mansplainers (actually two of them...).

PageStillNotFound404

Well, did you read the thread? The conversation moved on to that topic (not introduced by me).

Good isn't it? Just like real life

'tabulahrasa

"It is your opinion that off lead dogs should not approach others."

No, it's my opinion that off lead dogs should not approach on lead dogs, I added bouncing because specifically running was the word used, running is very different to approaching'

So why on earth did you jump in with that when two posters were talking about off lead approaches and in every response I clearly said off lead?

I am of the mind that if you see people you and your dog don't know , you call back and put them on the lead . This means the people who are approaching are confident that the dog is under control

This is what I was responding to, it was perfectly clear that it was not for dogs on leads as I was at pains to repeat.

You asserted that off lead dogs should not be allowed to approach another off lead and then embellished it with 'bouncing' etc.

Still, lots of dog 'experts' on mumsnet.

"So why on earth did you jump in with that when two posters were talking about off lead approaches and in every response I clearly said off lead?"

to recap.

Running up to offlead dogs was mentioned as normal behaviour, I tried to clarify that actually it's not, running up to dogs is badly socialised dog behaviour, well adjusted dogs approach politely.

you took that as me saying dogs shouldn't ever approach other dogs.

I do have the opinion that off lead dogs shouldn't be approaching on lead dogs, but that is separate from how a well socialised off lead dog approaches another off lead dog.

Some of these dog owners are starting to sound like the perfect parenting brigade, quick to criticise other dogs and dictate what their owners should be doing, not so quick to talk about where they went wrong with their own!

No tabulahrasa you directly quoted me in your response to my comment.
I am not going to argue with a self appointed expert any more.

"you directly quoted me in your response to my comment."

Yes, because you were saying my softplay analogy was wrong, I still stand by it, dogs running up to strange dogs is very like a child rushing in to play with a strange child without doing anything else first.

I'm not really sure what you're not following tbh?...

It is normal for dogs to interact, of course it is and there's no issue with off lead dogs introducing themselves and having a play, but running up to them isn't that, it's what badly socialised dogs do.

That's separate to whether they're approaching on lead dogs...

Yes, comparing a dog to a child is wrong (in my opinion).

You said this

'That's exactly what dogs who run up to strange dogs are doing

I disagree, dogs should be allowed to approach others off lead.

I really am not going to respond to you again as we are taking over the thread.

Just to clarify, you quoted me before your soft play analogy.
You jumped on my post and quoted it to respond.
The one where I said very clearly that it was two off lead dogs.

You highlighted that and compared it to rude behaviour at soft play.

Therefore you were objecting to off lead dogs approaching. Likewise, I am not sure what you are not getting

"I really am not going to respond to you again as we are taking over the thread."

Well yes, because you're not seeing any difference between the words run and approach.

It's a huge difference and actually it's relevant to on lead dogs.

Dogs who have anything like decent social skills don't approach reactive dogs, they start to, see that the other dog isn't up for it and give them a wide berth.

The runners are the ones that keep coming.

"You highlighted that and compared it to rude behaviour at soft play."

The running, yes, that's why I very specifically quoted that bit.

Hadn't realised that was yours as well tbh, I clearly didn't scroll back far enough...

Disagree, unless you have an agresive dog, in which case it should be muzzled if you MUST have an agressive dog. Dogs like to socialise and sniff each other, its what they do. I have found if the dog is friendly, the owner will be, some people glare at you and pull their dogs away. I have 2 dogs,one a young border collie who needs an hours run off the lead each time. She has a lovelly time playing with other dogs, who can excersies her far more than I can. My "pet" hate is these blasted thin cord extension leads, people just let their dogs run around you and you dog, and if you are walking into the sun you cannot see then.

I'm friendly. My dog is friendly. My dog is also socially inept and can't read doggy body language. I will not muzzle her because there isn't a need to (heaven help you from her licking you to death) because the only time we ever have an issue is when an off lead dog bounds over to her and isn't recalled.

Disagree, unless you have an agresive dog, in which case it should be muzzled if you MUST have an agressive dog. Dogs like to socialise and sniff each other, its what they do. I have found if the dog is friendly, the owner will be, some people glare at you and pull their dogs away. I have 2 dogs,one a young border collie who needs an hours run off the lead each time. She has a lovelly time playing with other dogs, who can excersies her far more than I can. My "pet" hate is these blasted thin cord extension leads, people just let their dogs run around you and you dog, and if you are walking into the sun you cannot see then.

1. My fear aggressive rescue is muzzled. That doesn't mean he won't become stressed and more reactive if a dog barges into his space despite him quite clearly giving off signs that he doesn't want them there. Why should my dog's mental equilibrium be upset and his counter conditioning set back because someone else can't be arsed to put their dog on a lead for the 30 seconds it takes us to get past? Being recalled for a moment won't hurt your dog; him/her not being recalled WILL hurt mine if yours gets too close. Why would a so-called dog lover want to put another dog into psychological distress???

1. Some dogs like to socialise. Not all. Or we wouldn't be having this discussion.

1. The people who glare and pull their dogs away are the ones who have to live with the after-effects of their dog being bothered by someone else's uninvited. Bitter experience has taught us that people who don't read our/our dogs' body language or heed our "please could you recall your dog" requests are likely to be either thoughtless, ineffectual or downright arrogant in not preventing their dog from running up to ours.

1. If you have a group of fellow dog walkers whose dogs all get on and play well together, crack on. I envy you the freedom a non-aggressive dog gives you. But if you don't at least check with a new / unfamiliar owner that their dog is happy to play with yours before letting them off together, that's pretty poor form. Other people's dogs aren't just there to use as your personal exercise regime.

As for "if you MUST have an aggressive dog"...it's an occupational hazard with rescues. I didn't take on current PageDog because I was just itching for a life of muzzles, 5.00am and 11.00pm walks and shelling out on behaviourists. I took him on because as an older rescue with his issues who had been in the rescue's kennels for months, it was me or PTS. He is a wonderful affectionate dog with people; he has given my disabled DH immeasurable benefits and he puts up with our cats like a saint. I don't regret taking him but he is not an easy dog to manage outdoors. He was just unfortunate to have been let down in his younger days and insufficiently socialised. Possibly he had a bad experience with an out of control dog when older. We'll never know. What I do know is every person who lets their dog run up in his face or start sniffing his bum despite his muzzle, his yellow harness, my requests for them to call their dog off makes his life more stressful and my job harder.

But I know what went wrong with my own. Repeated uncontrolled greetings led to fear aggression: in several cases she was pinned down whilst the owner dismissed it as ' playing'. I am partly to blame in that, with her being my first dog, I didn't recognise how uncomfortable she was by strange approaches until it became glaringly obvious (subtle cues are easy to miss when you're a novice).

None of us are claiming to be perfect owners: we just want a bit of consideration when we say our dog is not friendly - it's really not a big ask.

A well adjusted dog will usually approach in a roundabout way, maybe do a play bow, and if no/negative response will back off. No problem with those. It's the ones that follow us whilst their owner is ineffectually calling it back that are the real problem. Why should we have to put up with that when we're minding our own business? And why should I be shouted at when my dog dares to respond to said harasser? She has every right to: it's a last resort response when the dog just isn't getting the message.

Some owners also say: "Mine won't mind a telling off." But why put yours into that situation? And mine for that matter. After an encounter, I keep her indoors the next day to calm down (takes time for stress chemicals to dissipate).

When you just assume and don't ask me if it's fine first, you risk setting my dog back. Of course I'm going to be pissed off when a few seconds consideration could have avoided a problem.

"As for "if you MUST have an aggressive dog"...it's an occupational hazard with rescues. I didn't take on current PageDog because I was just itching for a life of muzzles, 5.00am and 11.00pm walks and shelling out on behaviourists."

Ah come on, you took him on on purpose just because you're antisocial

Mine isn't a rescue, I've had the joy of watching my lovely friendly puppy slowly become aggressive despite me spending a small fortune and what probably adds up to months working with him.

All because other people can't or won't keep their dog away, they wouldn't do it when he was a small limping puppy on lead, they wouldn't do it when I was telling them he was on lead because he was recovering from his first operation, or his second, they wouldn't do it when I told them he was on lead because he has pain in his elbows and spine and can be a bit grumpy...they still don't do it now he's moved on to trying to hurt them before they hurt him and is wearing a very obvious muzzle, is snarling and barking before they get to him and I'm there standing in mud or bushes having left the paths to give them room to get past and tell them that he's aggressive.

But, yeah, it was totally a decision because I wanted to have to deal with all that and random strangers shouting abuse at me when he does in fact react exactly like you'd expect from a dog being walked on lead and muzzled as far out of the way as it can get attached to an owner warning them he'll react like that.

Not at all because I prefer to decide when my dog is put to sleep based on his medical state and not because other people don't control their dogs.