To panic over dogs off the lead?

[IDontWearMakeUpOnThursdays]

I took my cocker spaniel for a long walk along the canal this afternoon. We'd got about half way along my planned route when I noticed a yellow Labrador up ahead on the tow path, so I put my dog on the lead. He is friendly and recall trained well, but I always put him on a lead to pass other dogs because I think it's polite, and he is young and still very playful, and I don't know how the other dog will react.

I couldn't see any sign of the yellow Labrador's owner, and started to get a little bit nervous. A second dog then walked into view from a bridge over the canal, looked like a black Labrador from a distance. Both dogs started walking towards us slowly, and I started panicking a bit because I still couldn't see their owner anywhere, and the tow path was really narrow so it would have been impossible to pass them without getting close. Finally I saw a man in his seventies walk across the bridge ahead, by which time they had come right up to me and my dog. He called them but they took no notice. They didn't look friendly, as in were all stiff and not wagging their tails if that makes sense. The dog I thought was a black Lab in the distance was actually a Rottweiler, and he started growling at my dog.

At that point I turned around and started walking briskly away in the opposite direction, they followed us for a little bit and then stopped - the man was half heartedly shouting them but they still weren't paying him any attention.

I then heard him shout after me "don't be so dramatic, they're only being friendly". I didn't shout anything back because I just wanted to get away from those dogs as quick as possible tbh, but they didn't seem friendly to me, and he seemed to have zero control over them.

So, in that situation, AIBU to ask if you would have also been freaked out?

@sonandhelpneeded

“So every time you see a dog off the lead you're going to walk away? Because they don't "look" friendly?”
No, I have owned and walked dogs for over 20 years, this is the first time I've turned the other way.

“I also presume that you've put "a man in his 70s" and it was actually a "Rottweiler" to get a reaction?”
No, I was just giving details of what had happened so people could tell me how they felt in that situation with no need to drip feed about the breed of dog etc.

“did you join just to post this?”
No, I name changed.

The problem is not off-the-lead dogs, it is off-the-lead dogs who are not under the proper control of their owners. If you can't even see the owner until the dog has reached you, and it isn't responding to recall, then you do start to wonder whether it will behave predictably around you.

Walking past them didn't really seem an option tbh: there was the canal to the right, growling dog in front, and other dog to the left with little space as the tow path was narrow. If it had been just one dog, or if the owner had been closer, then I probably would have just carried on.

I am struggling with anxiety in general atm, which is why I name changed, and I didn't put that in my opening post because I wanted to see what how other people would have found the situation without knowing that I'm already prone to overthink things.

Ah well, off to walk my dog again!

So every time you see a dog off the lead you're going to walk away? Because they don't "look" friendly?”
No, I have owned and walked dogs for over 20 years, this is the first time I've turned the other way.

You don't sound like an experienced dog owner at all, hence people asking why you're being told you're highly strung, nervous etc.

“I also presume that you've put "a man in his 70s" and it was actually a "Rottweiler" to get a reaction?”
No, I was just giving details of what had happened so people could tell me how they felt in that situation with no need to drip feed about the breed of dog etc.

The age of the other dog walker is irrelevant, you've not disclosed your age, why not? Because it's not relevant that's why not!

“did you join just to post this?”
No, I name changed.

I can see why, really outing and personal post! 

A dog owner for 20 years panicking over this..... really!

@sonandhelpneeded

Apologies. I'm 30. Have a nice day :)

I think YABU. You were scared because you saw another dog whilst walking your own dog, complete non-event. Nothing happened, all dogs were fine. In some places it would be impossible to put your dog on the lead every time you saw another dog, it would be every 5 seconds!

This is where MN is so inconsistent.

Op, I get why you felt scared here, the Rottie was giving off warning signals of an attack. The feckless owner was too far away to intervene. I suppose on seeing the first off lead dog and feeling uncomfortable you could have changed direction.

A thread the other day about someone allowing their dog to approach an onlead dog and she got absolutely annihilated. Link below.

The old man was not in control of his dogs and was rude. Yanbu.

Who was unreasonable? Dog walking. http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/3404199-Who-was-unreasonable-Dog-walking

@Failingat40 the OP was nervous before the dogs reached her. She started panicking before they even reached her! I'm sorry but this sounds ridiculous for an experienced dog owner.

Yes because two large out of control dogs were approaching her onlead Spaniel.

There is a well known dog walking etiquette, the op did nothing wrong.

Walking towards her is hardly out of control!! Panicking before the event and in the end no event happened!

For me the worst sort of dog owners are nervous ones.

Some people on here can be so nasty. There's nothing wrong being cautious of dogs, especially if they approach you in the way OP described, it wasn't exactly like they were all happy and tails wagging. I completely understand where you're coming from OP, you can't trust other peoples dogs sometimes as you don't know what they're like, and some people don't care if they're aggressive and just let them off the lead anyway. I understand why you were wary and turning and walking the other way was a good way of handling the situation

@sonandhelpneeded you are one of those irresponsible dog owners then?

Of course a dog is deemed out of control if it's off lead and it's owner is out of sight!! What part of that scenario could possibly mean they were under any control whatsoever??

Off lead dogs should not be allowed to approach on lead dogs, end of! What part of that do you not understand??

The op had her dog under control on a lead. She did nothing wrong!!

Dogs should be on lead whenever they are off owners property. You are not unreasonable to be nervous because if the dogs had responsible owners, they wouldn’t be off lead to begin with.

Walking towards her is hardly out of control!!

Out of control doesn't mean racing up snapping and snarling, it means that the dogs were, at that moment, out of the direct control of their owner, which they clearly were. The owner was away out of line of sight, and apparently unable to recall them.

@CallMeRachel no I'm a good dog owner, never had a minutes trouble with mine of other dogs! I'm happy to "talk" to other dogs but dogs slowly walking towards you is just drama over nothing!

I go for dog walks to enjoy it not get hysterical over nothing.

Did you not read the part where the op said the Rottie had a stiff body and tail and was growling? Do you actually understand dog body language at all?? You're obviously lacking in understanding of the law too.

might be going against the grain here but we don't even take our dog's lead with us on his 'normal walk' , only if were going somewhere bigger, but we have never 'had' to use it yet.

I don't feel that its 'polite' just to put him back on his lead when passing a dog on their lead. everyone is different. some people like holding a lead, some people's dog are old and need a lead to guide them, some dogs are being trained for all different reasons. just because my dog is off a lead I wouldn't expect every other dog to be let off? I trust him 99.9% (if I said 100 id get slated ) and he has never ever 'let me down'. listens to every command and generally walks by my side (unless sniffing every tree we pass.)

I have also told somebody to stop being dramatic (for once he was actually on his lead! and passed her within about 3cm and she nearly had a fit and ran away) in my opinion, if you dont like dogs and you dont feel comfortable around dogs off leads- then reconsider where you walk your dog. it would be U to expect every other dog owner to put their dog on a lead. that man in his 70's may have shoulder/arm issues and cant deal with 2 leads, or maybe his dogs dont immediately turn around when he calls them but still dont misbehave. the dogs didn't maul you or attack your dog so im guessing so nobodys actually affected apart from you?

however, unless the owners knows their dog would never attack another being (dog or human) then they shouldn't be off a lead in public areas.

all sorts of reasons for no lead; for example- my dog is excellent off a lead, stays by my side etc, but put him on a lead and he'll nearly rip my shoulder out.

on the other hand, his dog walker/my mum wont walk him without a lead, but that may be down to responsibility if anything happened.

I think you may have been slightly dramatic OP, have you had a bad previous experience with a dog off a lead? maybe swap your walking route in future?

forgot to add my dog is a 11month old cockapoo- the right training and yours would also be fine off a lead around other dogs!

@CallMeRachel BUT THE NERVOUSNESS AND PANIC STARTED BEFORE THAT WAS EVEN NOTICED, SHE STILL THOUGHT IT WAS A BLACK LAB! THAT'S HOW FAR AWAY IT WAS!

Also bangs head on wall!

My point is before she had established breed, body language etc panic had started to set in!

None of this would have happened if you hadn’t put your dog on the lead! They’d have sniffed at each other and moved on.

Dog walking etiquette

Dogs off the lead is something you should get used to. Your own anxiety shouldn't stop you trying to get used to it.

Nine times out of ten, they have a quick sniff and go on their ways. Sometimes they'll have a quick run around together.

However, if I see someone with their dog on a lead, I will try to avoid them as I think there is probably a good reason.

There has just been a massive thread about dogs off the lead, and the general consensus was that you should not allow your off lead dogs to approach an on lead dog, good dog ownership means you call your dog back to you so they are under control as you walk past the on-lead dog.

Dogs may be on- lead for lots of reasons, including that they themselves are aggressive.

BUT your whole response and demeanor in this was frankly odd. Two dogs pottering down the tow path towards you, your dog on a lead and instead of just walking on past you panic, get upset and turn round and run away.

Calm down. Stop over-reacting. Yes, he should have called his dogs back, and had them under control. But there was no evidence that the dogs were doing/about to do anything at all.

"But there was no evidence that the dogs were doing/about to do anything at all."

The point that I decided to turn around was when the dogs had come "right up to me and my dog"; one of them was almost nose to nose to my dog, and growling at him, very tensed up and not wagging his tail. Because of the tight space on the towpath, I figured it'd be better to turn around and leave. My dog (previous dogs, not this one) has been attacked by other dogs twice in the past (13 and 7 years ago), so I know it's not common for dogs to actually attack, but there are always warning signs before and I didn't know anything about these other dogs apart from they didn't seem to listen to their owner who was still a distance away, and they didn't "seem friendly". If there had been anything happen, we were on a very remote part of the canal with no one else around to help. Maybe that does seem overly cautious to some people, but I'm okay if that guy and people on here think I'm odd for doing it, because my dog was okay and that's all that really matters to me.

I'm just glad that my dog is a chilled out happy little soul and not reactive at all. He does go the off lead most of the time, and likes playing with other dogs. I just don't let him approach other dogs without checking with the owner first.