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?

*whose

It depends where we are.

My dog's recall is spot on, and he walks at me heel unless I give him permission to go off

I wish this was standard where I am. I put my dog on the lead if we approach other dogs. I also go bolting after him if he encounters a dog further away it's just the sensible thing to do. Lots of rescue greyhounds around here he's not allowed to mither them whilst they are quaking with fear it's just not on

I saw this this morning on our walk.
Must have seen over 100 dogs and just as we were finishing, there was a woman trying to train her puppy and shooing other dogs away. She was very annoyed.
I would suggest that she doesn't try to train her dog a metre off the main pathway.

My rescue Lab has been to dog training since we rehomed him at 9mths of age, however he still suffers with sporadic periods of deafness meaning that his recall cannot be trusted. I will always place him on his lead when we come into contact with other dogs and it does enrage me when other owners do not show the same amount of consideration whether their dogs are friendly or not.

I really relate to this. I walk a relative's dog (relative has trouble with her knees) and her dog is a rescue dog and very unpredictable around other dogs. Some she is fine with, some she can be aggressive with. So I NEVER let her off the lead which is a shame, but just not worth the risk. But are a few other dog-walkers I meet who just don't understand that when I pull her out of the way and say "She is unpredictable around other dogs" this does NOT mean it's OK for their dog (not on a lead) to continue to jump at her and try to play - I am trying to protect her, their own dog - and me (not madly keen on breaking up a dog fights). I have sometimes had to pick her up to get her out of the reach of the other dogs. She gets very stressed, I get very stressed and it is not enjoyable for anyone. What can I say without causing offence to get them to put their damn dog on the lead - not in 5 mins, but right now or just call your dog to heel...?

All we're saying Rebecca is that it goes both ways. We have just as much right to be places as other, more friendly, dogs. In fact, exposure to well behaved dogs from a distance is a good way to help dogs like mine.

When we ask other people to recall, it's not about "priority" over other walkers, but about having some consideration for your surroundings. I don't expect others to put their dog on lead, but I do expect a modicum of recall. If you don't have that, your dog shouldn't be off lead in the first place.

Huh I am pig sick of my little Yorkie who is never off the lead in public being squashed by friendly big dogs.

Of course it goes both ways but that means someone whose dog is worried/aggressive should be prepared that other dogs will run over. Not all dogs are perfectly behaved and, as I said, when my dog wasn't I didn't walk her where she could upset/scare other dogs. It seemed logical that it should be me who went out of my way as it was my dog who was the problem.

But our park is running alive with dogs at certain times and I think it's unreasonable for someone with a nervy dog to walk there at that point and expect everyone else to put their dogs on leads to accommodate them.

I tend not to walk where other dogs are, but absolutely they should be on a lead, the general public are mostly morons though.

I will shout over "please put your dog on a lead" and if it comes close enough I will boot it.

But it's those who allow their dog to run up to strange ones that are the problem! We're always happy minding our own business until that happens: we can even walk fairly close by without issues. It's the sign of a bad mannered uncontrolled dog who doesn't take the cue to go away.

We don't approach groups. We have a right to pass in peace.

If your dog is known for running up to others, it shouldn't be off lead. If it does and gets a telling off, that's not my problem.

My other dog is super friendly. I still won't allow uncontrolled greetings. Why? Well, because you never know what a strange dog will be like, people have a right to be left alone etc. Is she unsocialized? Certainly not. She sees dogs most days and lives happily with my other one. There is this mindset that dogs have to make physical contact. They don't.

One of mine I do because I know he will go up to them. The other I don't bother as I know she won't approach them if told not to.

"Of course it goes both ways but that means someone whose dog is worried/aggressive should be prepared that other dogs will run over. Not all dogs are perfectly behaved"

Well no, but if I should just accept that it's ok for other dogs to run over, by the same logic other people should accept that mine is going to run over and have a go at theirs...

Or we could both keep our dogs under enough control that they're not causing problems for other people in public.

I keep mine on lead and muzzled and I try to keep out of their way, they recall their dog or clip on a lead if they haven't managed to train a recall and we're both unbotheredby the other's dog.

Rebecca you are the voice of common sense!

The thing is that when my dog was a problem I adapted my behaviour so that she didn't cause any problems to other dogs.

So I think it's up to the owners of worried/aggressive dogs to adapt their behaviour so the friendly ones can do what dogs do - run around like lunatics and enjoy themselves!

However, I am of the 'dogs will be dogs' mindset - so if mine does go over to see one and gets growled at then so be it.

Perhaps should also point out that both mine are rescue dogs and one had a lot of behavioural problems that have taken me years to work through so I'm not coming at this from an unsympathetic angle to people dealing with similar issues.

missyB1 not normally!

But I have adapted my behaviour. It's not reasonable to say that we don't have the same rights as others to go places. In fact, the local park has signs saying please keep your dogs on lead. Hence those treating it as a free for all are more unreasonable than us who are being respectful of the space.

I can control my dog. I can't be responsible for avoiding others if their dog is out of control.

Take today. It's a nice sunny day here. We've been to play ball in the field. No matter what time of day you go there will be dogs there. We keep to one end and have a right to do that. If a dog zooms over from across the entire field oblivious to its owner, then it has no business being off lead in the first place. Yet, mine, who is under control, gets the blame.

MiaowTheCat
I recently got a really bright harness and lead (navy and yellow edged) and that's helped a lot more than I was expecting.

www.facebook.com/TheYellowDogProject/

There's an awareness project to letother people know when your dog doesn't want to be approached by other dogs. You put something yellow very visibly on the dog/lead so people know.

We only let ours off the lead when there are no other dogs around - she loves attention and if we see another dog/owner she is straight back on the lead

In my experience there are many who have badly behaved dogs, owned by badly behaved people.

My dogs are "always under control." Sadly many people don't understand the meaning of this statement.

Unfortunately Eliza, these go mostly unnoticed. I've tried everything, nobody cares. I've ended sitting in the mud on a footpath joining two roads holding a tiny, owner-less, off lead puppy up in the air with one hand, and grappling with my screeching baying terrier with the other, until the owner finally sauntered around the corner and spotted us in the dirt with our fluorescent warning lead and harness and jacket. Fat lot of good that did.

I totally agree that those with dogs that are healthy enough and friendly enough to run around off-lead, should not be inconvenienced by those of us with frightened, aggressive dogs with health conditions which stay muzzled and on lead. I don't go to places frequented by loose dogs, that would be stupid and I couldn't expect a dozen people to rush to clip their dogs on as I stroll self importantly through a common doggy play area - I just wouldn't be there.

I go very early in the morning, to footpaths where dogs must be on leads, which are deserted. We rarely see anyone but if we do, their dog should be on a lead anyway, which gives me a fighting chance of getting a good distance away for them to pass.

Which is why it's so utterly soul destroying that my small fearful dog has been attacked by loose dogs under these circumstances. Their self-imposed exemption from the rules means that my dog has yet another reason to lunge and attack all other dogs at any cost, because in her experience they bring her more pain.

Anyway, this all riles me up too much. I wish I didn't have a dog that had a right to be walked, it'd be a lot fucking easier. Still she'll be dead soon, after a traumatic life of chronic pain, fear and multiple surgeries.

Wow I'm really whiny today. Sorry.

I find when someone says 'oh it's ok he's friendly' responding with 'mine's not' is a good way to get them to put their dog on the lead