To think if you don’t like dogs, don’t walk this route?

[YippeeKayakOtherBuckets]

I’ve just been told off, aggressively, for having my dogs off lead.

We walk to school down a woodland path that is used by literally dozens of dog walkers, I counted fifteen other dog owners just on this walk, the vast majority off lead. There is nowhere on the length of the path that can’t be easily reached by a faster route, the path runs a winding way alongside a quiet road with a wide path.

Anyway, dogs, joggers and the odd cyclist all usually use the route along with pedestrians and it’s generally accepted that you’ll meet several dogs on the way. This woman, who I’ve not seen before, got right in my face and said ‘put your dogs on a lead, I don’t like dogs’.

I’m terrible at confrontation so just apologised and moved on.

But it’s really rattled me. Am I being unreasonable? One of mine is a bouncy 4month old lab, he’s well trained and doesn’t approach people or dogs unless I let him, but he is, as I say, bouncy and large so that might be why she picked on me and not the other dozen people she must have passed.

If I see her again (and have the nerve) wibu to suggest that she walks the other way round?

He goes down on command like a little trooper.

Wow, that's good for a 4-month pup. And it's sorted the arsey woman: down, stay - dog perfectly under control.

My first dog was a lab cross, he had an instant down-stay which he learned in 10 minutes. I had no idea how good he was, until I got a terrier.

Having said that, neither of the terriers ever went up to people, or jumped up at them or anything.

The boy used to jump up at people who came in the house, but we trained him out of it. He then used to stand a couple of feet away and do star jumps instead, which I never stopped, because I found it amusing.

My pet peeve is people who insist on calling my dog to them, when I am trying to train her to ignore passers by. They boil my piss!

Agree Penny - or who insist on petting your dog when you ask them not to, because they love dogs, and dogs love them.

I have three spaniels. Two will enjoy being petted if I give both them and the stranger permission - the other doesn't like it. She isn't aggressive - she is very nervous (which in many dogs spills over into defence-aggression). She spent many months of her life alone in a stable with no other dogs or people for company. Being stroked, however gently, by someone she doesn't know is very stressful for her. She shakes and salivates, and cringes away, and it takes a long time to calm her down.

However the number of people who try to say "Oh - she won't mind me etc" is bloody infuriating! Stroke the other two - they enjoy it! She doesn't - leave her alone.

And don't insist on feeding them crap either, thank you very much! Would you like it if I shovelled rubbish into your child's mouth (apologies for the inappropriate analogy)?

"Some dogs are scarey but a 4 month old lab? They're just adorable. You'd have serious issues to be afraid of that!"

It doesn't matter what size or age it is. If the dog looks like it is going to invade my son's space he will be anxious.
It is the fault of the idiotic owners who let their dogs jump around him and paw him ( and then look offended when asked to remove it before he has a meltdown/ kicks the dog).

It must be difficult having a child who is anxious about an animal that they will see on an almost daily basis (after all, if you're frightened of crocodiles you can just avoid the reptile house in the zoo), and I appreciate that it is the dog owner's responsibility to keep their pet under control.

Have you tried introducing him to non-threatening dogs (very elderly retriever types could practically hire themselves out for this sort of therapy). He may never get to love dogs, but he may become much less threatened by them. His life, and yours would be much easier.

In my son's case it is not a dog issue it is anything that invades his space issue. He is not scared of my next door neighbours well behaved dogs.

Dogs should be on a lead if I'm a public space. Animals are unpredictable no matter how well trained.

My ds was incredibly scared of dogs as a child. He could cope if the dog was on a lead but was petrified of dogs off lead. He could spot one from across a field and would freak out and run off in the opposite direction even running out into a road which was dangerous.

You might think your dog looks friendly bounding up to someone and sniffing them but to someone scared of dogs that is a far from friendly action.

Keep your dog on a lead unless you are in a specific controlled dog walking area that they can't get out from.

Yabu. I think dogs should be on leads unless they can walk to heel or you are in an enclosed dog park.

I don't think dogs should be off leads in a school run.

"I genuinely think some mumsnetters expect all dogs to be on leads all the time"

That's correct. Indeed they should, when in a public place! Owners can let their dogs off the lead as much as they like when on private land, but when in a public place, all dogs should be on a lead at all times. This is the only way of ensuring that dogs are under close control when out in public.

I'd have ignored her and carried on doing my thing. Frankly people are the most annoying aspect of our walks, always wanting to stroke my "ohhhhh isn't he CUTE?" Scottie. He's not interested in people other than family and always tries to give them a wide berth but they won't let him, even when I ask them to let him be, pisses me right off.

I imagine the lady that approached you is sick to death of all the off lead dogs she encounters on that walk and decided to take her anger out on you. I hate dogs that are off the lead.

*Dogs should be on a lead if I'm a public space. Animals are unpredictable no matter how well trained.

My ds was incredibly scared of dogs as a child. He could cope if the dog was on a lead but was petrified of dogs off lead. He could spot one from across a field and would freak out and run off in the opposite direction even running out into a road which was dangerous*

First off why should all dogs be kept on lead? What about dogs having sufficient exercise and being able to carry out normal dog things like sniffing, chasing, retrieving, scenting... Why should dogs with excellent recall and highly trained skills be kept on leash full time?

Is there a reason that you can think of that made your DS scared of dogs?

Children pick up on the fears of the adults around them.. Fact!

People should socialise their children with dogs. Ridiculous not too considering how many there are about. My dog isn't interested in people anyway so is never bothersome but I just don't really care if your kid is scared of dogs, you should have got them used to them at an early age.

You have every right to walk your dog off lead. Your dog wasn't bothering her. She was a cow. Learn to give it right back.

I don’t like dogs. I was attacked by a Rottweiler in my teens so have a good reason for being nervous. I started running in the park regularly a few months ago and there are loads of dogs not on leads there. It has actually helped my fear because I expected them all to bother me, chase me, attack me even (as I have previously avoided them as much as possible so didn’t have experience of sharing a space with them). But in fact they just ignore me running past and are, so far, happy going about their business whilst I am going about mine. I think she was rude to have ordered you to put your dog on a lead when it wasn’t bothering her. If a dog bothered me, I would be angry with the owner, but i definitely don’t think all dogs should be on leads because I don’t like them.

you both have a right to be there she was unreasonable to say anything - and I say that as someone who thinks dogs in any urban / residential area should have to be on leads.

It is illegal to allow your dog to frighten or intimidate someone, such that they fear they might be injured by your dog - and remember, a dog doesn't have to be aggressive in order to cause injury. A big (or even not so big) bouncy dog can easily knock someone off their feet and cause significant injury. Elderly people and young children are particularly vulnerable to being knocked over.

The dog in those circumstances could reasonably be deemed to be "dangerously out of control" and the owner prosecuted.

the rights of a person to use a pathway free from fear trumps your dogs right to be off lead.

I'm afraid of other mumsnetters, some of them are quite vicious. In future please all do the decent thing and don't respond to or comment on anything I (or anyone else) posts. The right of people to post their opinions without fear trumps your right to respond freely.

I know some of you aren't vicious, but it's not really possible to identify you in advance, so it's best to be safe and ban everyone from responding to anything anyone else has said.

(Realises this post has broken the rule it proposes...)

To those people who are saying you shouldn't have a dog off leash unless it's recall is 100% - you can get a superb recall at home/in your garden - but sooner or later your puppy has to learn to cope with distractions on walks and come when called. And quite frankly, the sooner you let a young puppy off leash, the better. A very young puppy will be anxious not to lose you, and will then get used very quickly to coming back when called.

One of the reasons for poor recall is that many people don't let their dog off until it is "old enough" - often about 6 months. The dog is then a "teenager", and like human teenagers is disobedient and mischievous (hormones kicking in all over the place!), AND it is suddenly given this opportunity to go bananas! The combination of these two mean that the dog will be hard to persuade to return.

The younger your puppy is when you establish a recall outside the home, the better. But the day always has to come when they are doing it for the first time.

She's probably a nutter

You are a tolerant little bundle of joy, aren't you 80smum?

@CarolDanvers
I just don't really care if your kid is scared of dogs, you should have got them used to them at an early age

Charming attitude but typical of many owners.

You Abu put your dog on a lead

I'm not even a dog person and think she was totally unreasonable. Your dog wasn't bothering anyone. What a weirdo.

I just about tolerate dogs as long as they're well behaved (i.e. as long as they ignore me). And I'm willing to accept (grudgingly) that dogs can be walked safely off lead in public places, so I only say something if a dog jumps up on me. However, I think it's quite unwise to walk a dog off lead on the school run. For that I think YABU.

Blimey.

People get pissed off/upset/ scared/intimidated of a 4 months old lab puppy?

What next? Muzzling the Andrex puppy?