AIBU : Dog recall

[Alicewond]

I walk my dog on a lead, his recall isn’t there yet, and he’s only a pup. I’ve had a few dog owners have issues (not with me, but with their dog) when they’ve refused to come back after playing with my pup, we’ve laughed about it, dogs being over excited. Not much I can do, my dog is on a lead but yes wants to play if approached. Yesterday one got annoyed and said I needed to control him (my dog on a lead?) They were chasing each other none aggressive but his dog refused to return off lead to him. Is this somehow mine or my dogs fault? What else can I do?? He was a bit intimidating and has made walking a bit less enjoyable

[justformeme]

Not every dog owner knows that a yellow lead is significant, I didn't and Ive dogs all my life, however I don't consult the internet about them, one of my leads is fluorescent yellow for visibility, perhaps I shouldn't use it anymore if its giving off the wrong signals

[Gohenceforth]

I have 2 boxers; a bitch and a dog. They are great dogs however recall is non existent around other dogs as they just want to play with every they meet. Boxer play is fast and very full on and unsurprisingly other dogs / owners don’t like it. The bitch is 11 so don’t think she is going to get it sorted somehow! Lol.

Anyway... we live in the country so they do come off leads as we can see who is coming from quite a distance.

At the first sight of another dog they both go on lead.

Very often the passing dog will growl/bark and snarl at my 2 yet it’s always my 2 that get the dirty looks. Not quite sure why given they are clearly well controlled and we walk them together so H has 1 and I have the other dog.

[sobeyondthehills]

Luckily, no one has ever seemed offended when my little dog has approached theirs to say Hello. Sometimes they'll say "oh, he is old and grumpy" in which case I'll say "no problem" and call mine away. What's the big deal?

Just don't really see the big deal. It seems like a small minority of dogs that don't want to be approached (perhaps old or not well socialised?),

I have an reactive dog, he is nether old or was unsocialised, he was attacked 4 times by 3 different dogs in a short amount of times, we were very unlucky and everytime he was on the lead, so that has meant we have had to do a large amount of work just to get him on a lead.

The problem you are going to face is, if your dog walks up to the wrong dog and gets attacked then you are going to face having to do months worth of training to get them back to the way they were and there is no guarantee that will happen. So you are potentially creating a problem for yourself.

Also keep in mind that if your dog approaches another dog on lead and gets too close, you are trigger stacking that dog and potentially making it go over its threshold, doing god knows how many months of training for the other owner

During the day, my dog wears a big fuck off yellow coat, a muzzle and is walked on a short lead and I still get owners, like yourself, with off lead dogs coming up to him and then its my fault for him reacting. We have also been known to walk him at 5am and at 2am, just to avoid all people,

[Weenurse]

My dog is a rescue and a yellow lead dog.
I get annoyed when people let their dogs approach as our lead clearly states ‘no dogs’.
We always change our direction if we notice other dogs coming in our direction.
If we do meet another dog, we have to pick ours up to avoid contact.

[Alicewond]

Thank you for all your reassurances

In this instance though to make it clear I was not scared of the dog. The dog was happily playing with my pup and they were running around in circles (with me getting dizzy holding an extendible and ever getting shorter lead)

It was the owner that got annoyed because his dog wouldn’t come back to him on the other side of a field. I did bring my pup into as short as extendable lead would allow and try to calm them. But they were happy and playful

He then got annoyed when he reached me and was able to put his lead on his dog to make him follow. This is a large field and used by a lot of dogs so doubtful the first he’s encountered

It may have worried me due to the negative human reaction but my dog loved it!

[Booboostwo]

HamCheeseHamnCheese I am quite chilled thank you and also aware of the day of the week. You allow your dog to go up to dogs on lead, just don’t. To train this, you progressively expose your dog to distractions, I did mention that in my post. Perhaps a third dog training course is in order.

[Weebitawks]

In all walks of life, some people are just wankers

[MrsCasares]

Yabu for not providing a cute puppy photo.

No, seriously yanbu. If his dog has no recall it shouldn’t be off lead in a public space.

[HamCheeseHamnCheese]

@Booboostwo Wow, aggressive much? Chill out - it's Friday!

You’ve got this completely arse backwards. You don’t let your dog do the undesirable behaviour and then try to correct. Especially with something like recall where you have no control once your dog has run off anyway and it is not possible to apply any kind of correction. Thanks. I have no issue with my dog's recall. He has a fantastic recall from doing 2 different training courses, plus a huge investment of time and energy in training him ourselves. Do you expect to take a dog from an enclosed environment, such as a garden, perfecting his recall then taking him to an open space with other dogs, such as a park, and expect him to behave the exact same way, even with added distractions??

A yellow lead signifies a dog reactive dog. You are creating problems and possibly risking harm to your dog by allowing him to go up to dogs on leads, especially yellow leads. I am aware of what yellow leads are, thanks again. And I don't let my dog approach dogs with yellow leads, 'nervous dog' leads or muzzles, as already articulated in my previous posts.

[Booboostwo]

how are you supposed to train a dog not to approach other dogs? There is going to be a significant period of the dog doing it, and being corrected by the owner.

You’ve got this completely arse backwards. You don’t let your dog do the undesirable behaviour and then try to correct. Especially with something like recall where you have no control once your dog has run off anyway and it is not possible to apply any kind of correction.

You train the recall by rewarding the dog when it returns. You start in an environment with no distractions, then introduced controlled distractions like during a dog class and then progress to more demands situations. The aim is to have good behaviour, so you can reward good behaviour, so that you can reinforce good behaviour. Of course there will be the odd mistake but that is quite different form your approach.

A yellow lead signifies a dog reactive dog. You are creating problems and possibly risking harm to your dog by allowing him to go up to dogs on leads, especially yellow leads.

[adaline]

I just don't think it's that terrible to let him say Hello to other dogs

It's not, just make sure you get the owners' permission first. My dog has appalling recall (beagle!) which is why he's on a lead everywhere except the beach or enclosed dog fields. He's very friendly and loves to make friends but not all leashed dogs are. Some are anxious and will snarl or snap out of fear. Some are aggressive and on leash for safety reasons. Some are old or have been injured and need gentle leashed walks to recuperate.

Not all dogs want to say hello - I think you've been very lucky so far I have to say.

[HamCheeseHamnCheese]

Typo in my last post, was meant to say:
Touch wood, we've encountered not a nasty dog.

[HamCheeseHamnCheese]

My dog always comes back to me when I call him away, I just don't think it's that terrible to let him say Hello to other dogs

As I said before, he doesn't go over to them running and jumping. He'll take a few quick steps, stop, take a few more steps, stop, then likely go down to the ground.

Touch wood, we've encountered a nasty dog. Yes, we've met some that aren't interesting in interacting, in which my dog just comes back to me and we carry on our walk.

Just don't really see the big deal. It seems like a small minority of dogs that don't want to be approached (perhaps old or not well socialised?), the rest are excited to say Hello and have a sniff!

[HarrysOwl]

It's basic training to teach recall and to call to 'heel' when you're passing another dog.

The only breed I don't even bother with recall training is a greyhound, absolutely no point even trying, their instincts will win every time!

[Brilliantidiot]

Would have thought they went without saying hmm

Obviously not, seeing as my dog still gets approached with them on, and owners still fail to recall.

Nice idea, hardly practical though is it? Isn't there an argument that if your dog isn't comfortable around other dogs you shouldn't be walking it in an area where there are many dogs off the lead? If my dog was scared of other dogs I'd walk in very remote places, or pick times of day where there are least likely to be other dogs around.

I do walk early morning or late at night, but my dog is under control, she's got great recall and will come back, even if there's another dog, and gets put on the lead, and then another dog runs over to her. It's just wrong, and frustrating, and why the hell should I go further afield, or bumble about in the dark? My dog is under control! She doesn't attack anyone until they refuse to leave her alone, I try to warn the owners, she wears a yellow lead and coat, she's straight back to me and put on the lead, yet I should be going way out of my way so no one has to control their dog? Sounds fair! 🤨
And you make sure you have recall, without strange dogs about, and then you do it with dogs they're socialised with, and then yes, you take that risk and see if they have call back from strange dog, but you're ready and close enough to your dog intervene, especially if the other dog is on a lead - not so far away it takes you 5 minutes to get there.

[adaline]

Again, going back to my point... how are you supposed to train a dog not to approach other dogs?

You put your dog on a long-line so you still have control over him/her. That way if you recall him and he ignores you, you can still stop him from being a pain and greeting another dog.

[adaline]

I walk my dog off lead (in enclosed spaces), and he has a fantastic recall. But he'd still approach other dogs, whether they are on or off the lead. He just wants to say Hello.

Then you need to recall him before it gets to that point. Some dogs are on leads because they're aggressive or scared or anxious, or injured - letting your off-lead dog approach an on-lead dog isn't fair, unless you have permission from the owner first.

[HamCheeseHamnCheese]

And if the dog has a yellow lead? Do you still allow your dog to approach? And do you check with the owner before allowing your dog to approach? No, a yellow lead, a 'Nervous dog' lead or a dog with a muzzle is obviously a completely different situation. Would have thought they went without saying

It's irresponsible to allow your dog to approach another without checking with the owner it's safe to do so. Nice idea, hardly practical though is it? Isn't there an argument that if your dog isn't comfortable around other dogs you shouldn't be walking it in an area where there are many dogs off the lead? If my dog was scared of other dogs I'd walk in very remote places, or pick times of day where there are least likely to be other dogs around.

Again, going back to my point... how are you supposed to train a dog not to approach other dogs? There is going to be a significant period of the dog doing it, and being corrected by the owner. It's not a click-of-the-finger change.

[stucknoue]

There's idiot dog walkers like in all aspects of life. The best was when a woman told me I should not have a ball in the park because it wasn't fair on her dog, what the ... my dog has near perfect recall and even comes to hand gestures from afar so I don't understand why people don't teach their dogs as young pups, it's not hard - my vet said let them off straight away as they are too scared to go far (and you can catch them) reinforcing with food as needed, it works

[FudgeBrownie2019]

Mine both have great recall now so don't approach other dogs unless I tell them to, but when the little one was training we had a couple of moments where he'd have to go back onto his lead to remain under total control because his puppy impulses just took over. Both times it was entirely my fault and I apologised to the owners and explained that we're still training him, fortunately both owners smiled and accepted my apology, but if either had had a dig at me I think I'd have accepted it with good grace because my dog is always my problem.

If your dog is off lead it needs to remain under your control. If it's not, you can't blame others for your dog's lack of training or manners. All these "oh he's just playing" people who allow their dogs to bounce over to anyone are setting their dogs up for an attack because you have no idea which dog is around the next corner.

[Brilliantidiot]

Luckily, no one has ever seemed offended when my little dog has approached theirs to say Hello. Sometimes they'll say "oh, he is old and grumpy" in which case I'll say "no problem" and call mine away. What's the big deal??

And if the dog has a yellow lead? Do you still allow your dog to approach? And do you check with the owner before allowing your dog to approach? That's what the problem is with me, because my dogs are small it's assumed they're cute and friendly, one is, one isn't and I'm doing everything I can to stop something happening, dogs on a lead as soon as we see another (old one doesn't go off lead now) dog that needs space has a yellow lead, I stop and shout to the owner my dog isn't good with others, but to be honest, they're usually too far away to catch what I'm saying anyway. I end up having to pick her up until the owner finally arrives to get their dog.
It's irresponsible to allow your dog to approach another without checking with the owner it's safe to do so.

[HamCheeseHamnCheese]

There's a lot of blaming going on on this thread.

Can't you all appreciate, as dog owners, that there is a long training period before it becomes second nature.

I walk my dog off lead (in enclosed spaces), and he has a fantastic recall. But he'd still approach other dogs, whether they are on or off the lead. He just wants to say Hello.

Don't get me wrong, he doesn't go bounding over and jump on them. Most of the time he'll slowly and cautiously approach them then lie on the ground, showing them he is submissive and friendly.

I don't really get all the comments "No dog should be off the lead until they are trained not to approach other dogs!!!" It's going to take a lot of time, practice and patient before an off-lead dog is perfectly trained not to greet another dog. How would you train them to this level without letting them off the lead?

Dogs are sociable animals, and most want to greet (and sniff) and interact with each other. NB: my dog is 1 year old. So not a puppy-puppy but still playful and inquisitive.

Luckily, no one has ever seemed offended when my little dog has approached theirs to say Hello. Sometimes they'll say "oh, he is old and grumpy" in which case I'll say "no problem" and call mine away. What's the big deal??

I would hate for someone to have a go at me (like it seems many of you would if we encountered each other on a walk) because my dog wants to say Hello to yours.

[Purplecatshopaholic]

My dog is a breed well known for having little or no recall (he's a sighthound). He gets to play off-lead in the garden and the dog park but is always walked on a lead. I cant bear dog parents who walk their dogs off-lead but cant actually control them when needed.

[DIZZYTIGGER87]

Some dog walkers are idiots.

If your dog is on the lead (and held by someone strong enough to control him/her) then it is under control, an off lead dog is not.

We walk our dog off lead locally. I always carry her lead. If I see a dog on lead she is called to heel, and put on her lead...more to reassure the other owner as I am confident that she will not approach without permission when called to heel.

There is a dog walker with a gram shepherd that's reactive round here. He does have it on the lead, but not under control, and tries to insist that I walk my dog past while he stands still on the path, I did it once and it launched itself at me/my dog. Never again. Especially not now I have a toddler, I either turn around and give my dog an extended walk (which annoys him as he has to follow us and with a toddler we don't tend to go very fast) or he takes the dog well off the path so I can pass.

I am not the only dog walker locally who has had issues with him, however he regularly bellows at me that if I can't control my dog I shouldn't have one 🤔😒

[Brilliantidiot]

There's only one dog not under control in that scenario and it's not yours OP.
I've used a variation of the 'Haven't you got a lead?'
"Instead of shouting at your dog this wonderful invention here (points to lead) is called a LEAD. It works by stopping the dog getting away from you in the first place, and bothering other dogs and people when it totally ignores you"

Wasn't my finest moment but the message went in. One of mine is old and ignorant going deaf, and the other fights - thanks to an idiot with an off lead staffy (not blaming the breed btw, just the owner) that attacked her on lead, when she was a pup, and bit and scratched me when I managed to get her out from under it and pick her up. Cost a fortune at the vets and undid every piece of socialisation I'd done and turned a friendly dog into a defensive nightmare. She's still not 100% trustworthy around other dogs except the one she lives with. That's why she's on a lead unless I can see way ahead is clear. Doesn't bother people at all, but although she's better than she was, I don't think she'll ever be trustworthy around dogs she doesn't know.
I have a yellow lead, and still people just let their dogs run up "Don't worry he's friendly!"
"Well mine's not! That's why she's on a lead"
Taken to walking ridiculously early or in the dark if it's a nice day, it's not worth the hassle!