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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Get your dog away from me!

168 replies

Mamalicious16 · 07/08/2019 22:47

I'm sick of dogs charging / jumping up at / barking at my dd.5. I'm.not a dog hater ( I used to have a Labrador) but why is it ok for dogs to approach / bark/ jump up at me) my DD? More to the point what can I do to stop this? Would a silent dog whistle help? I have NO issue with any other dogs, on lead / off lead but with perfect recall etc.

OP posts:
MoreFrog · 08/08/2019 09:07

Sidenote: Because you cannot hear a silent whistle, it is VERY likely that you hurt the dog's ears. And at that point I'd be jumping at you

How would you know though? If you can't hear it?*

missyB1 · 08/08/2019 09:09

look back to the 70s when dogs roamed freely and shat everywhere
This!!
I was a child in the 70s and dogs took themselves for a walk. You were far more likely to be harassed by a dog in those days! Dogs these days are much better looked after and on the whole much better trained (I don’t remember us doing any training with my childhood dog).
Mind you I don’t remember kids being so scared of dogs back then probably because we were so exposed to them. There wasn’t all this talk of allergies back then either. No one thought they were going to drop dead because a dog brushed by them.

Gumbo · 08/08/2019 09:09

I'm a cyclist and have endless issues with dog owners who seem to think they're far more entitled to be anywhere than I am... I've even been chased by dogs attacking me/my bike while I'm cycling along an actual bloody cycle track - with the owners never apologising, just saying things like "he doesn't like bicycles" Hmm. Why choose a cycle track to walk your dog along then? Angry

I had another occasion where the dog ran out at me as I cycled on a main road (the A4) causing me to swerve and very nearly collide with a car - apparently that dog 'didn't like cyclists' either Hmm. Seriously, why on earth don't these people keep their dogs on leads?

Walkingandwalking · 08/08/2019 09:10

I agree with you OP. The problem is the owners.

ErrolTheDragon · 08/08/2019 09:11

How would you know though?

By her dog's reaction, presumably.

Thatnovembernight · 08/08/2019 09:15

I was recently at the beach and saw a couple unclip their dog (on part of the beach where there are signs saying they must be on a lead) and the dog shot off making people jump out of the way. It ran in a massive loop and then cocked its leg and pissed all over a family and their picnic. They all jumped up shouting in shock and the owners just shrugged and carried on walking. The man held up his coat and shouted ‘Your dog just pissed all over my new coat!’. The dog owners then shouted back that they would have apologised if he hadn’t been so ‘fucking rude’. Amazing. Definitely an exception though!

onlyoneoftheregimentinstep · 08/08/2019 09:17

This drives me mad. I regularly walk a friend's dog - he's beautifully trained, never approaches unfamiliar adults or children and will always walk to heel if asked. I was walking him recently, with my two year old DGD when a young dog bounded over, knocked her to the floor and stood over her licking her face. Luckily she's very confident around dogs and wasn't upset, but I couldn't believe it when the owner rushed up shouting at me about pulling her dog off by its collar. Apparently 'that's not the way to handle a dog'! No apology and no understanding that it's no way to handle a toddler!

PeevedNiamh · 08/08/2019 09:20

That's awful. I am not at all afraid of dogs but even I had a moment yesterday when a dog literally charged at me. He was friendly but from the way he came at me I wasn't sure. People with dogs should be more careful. They may know their dogs intentions but I don't.

MoreFrog · 08/08/2019 09:26

My DM used to carry a digestive biscuit for this purpose (it's not a new phenomenon!)

As a child and young teen I lived on a council estate with a lot of free roaming dogs. It was like an assault course walking to school. I had my ankles nipped by 2 different jack Russells.I used to be scared to walk anywhere alone. I used to imagine how safe I would feel if I had my own personal invisible bubble that was impregnable by dogs. I've learned to be better at ignoring them as an adult , but after all these years, pet dog training hasn't improved much. I have neighbours with 3 working dogs who have been trained to sit, on my command. The training has gone so well they sit down when they see me coming. That's almost as good as the bubble.

Poochnewbie · 08/08/2019 09:27

@missyB1 I don’t think people are talking about being brushed by! It’s disconcerting when a dog comes bouncing up to you and bounces in your face. It’s worse when they do it to children. I can’t inagine anyone would be happy with that from a dog they don’t know.

cookiemonster3 · 08/08/2019 09:34

My son was posting a card through my aunts door the other day. I was sat in the car. A guy walking a dog on an extendable lead let the damn thing charge right up the path into my aunts garden and corner my son who is terrified of dogs. I stayed in the car go watch how my son handled it and he did really well considering.

When he got in the car I asked if the guy said anything and he said they guy told him the dog was friendly.

I don't give a fuck if you think your dog is friendly. Not only is he scared of dogs he is allergic to them too and being close to them causes a reaction. Keep your fucking dog under control and ban those extendable leads!'n

nrpmum · 08/08/2019 09:34

I have two SBTs. I work incredibly hard on their training. The eldest has very good recall, but I use a whistle for the times she has tunnel vision bloody pigeons

The youngest is still a total dickhead. His recall is 85% there but if he spots another dog or pigeons I need to get him on his lead asap or he goes deaf, even to whistle. He also rarely runs up to people for fuss. I am working extremely hard to stop him from doing this with a trainer, and I don't let him off very often. However if he did manage to get to another person before I managed to grab him I'd be running after him to grab him and apologise and then die of shame

MoreFrog · 08/08/2019 09:37

I think they're proably trying to reassure you!

Having it on a lead in the first place is reassuring. Not when it's rushing headlong at you.

MoreFrog · 08/08/2019 09:43

By her dog's reaction, presumably

But it could only be a guess. You couldn't really know, could you? Not if you didn't actually see a whistle.

Greyponcho · 08/08/2019 09:46

I cannot fathom how sometimes some of the most sensible people just lose their senses when it comes to dog behaviour.
My ex and I got a dog as a pup and (I) was trying to train it. It was hard work not to get it to jump up at people as he and his entire family would make a great big fuss of the dog every time they saw it and encouraged the jumping up and daft dog behaviour. I tried to explain how this doesn’t help the dog with separation anxiety issues and the dog not knowing to not do it to everyone he sees.
I said I’d hate for him to knock over a toddler and put them off dogs for life because he can’t be controlled and I can’t afford to be sued for the dogs actions as ex had no money or for him to get run over because he’s seen someone on the other side of the road - it’d be awful for him to be run over and again, I’d be footing vets bills for something preventable
Apparently, I was being cruel.

“He’s just a pup”, “he’s just being friendly”, “everyone likes dogs - it’s their problem not the dogs”, “aww, he does no harm”, “ahh, he knows that its us”, “other people will walk away if they don’t want to be around him” and a million other excuses.
I was pissing into the wind, and sure enough, the dog couldn’t handle being left alone and had to be walked away from other people.
Broke my heart when we broke up and he kept the dog.

Original poster
Mamalicious16 · 08/08/2019 12:12

"If the OP regularly comes across the same dogs she can have a word with the owners"

It does to be wherever we go. And if you saw/ heard some of the owners, you wouldn't bother - I'm not being sworn at anymore for asking you to please get your dog back / away from me

OP posts:
Applejack5 · 08/08/2019 12:36

I think it's awful that people should have to put up with dogs touching them, invading their space, scratching and slobbering etc. Why the hell should we put up with them ruining picnics and nice walks because someone wants to have a pet dog but not train it properly and let it roam free?

They should all be on leads in public areas, except for specifically designated, enclosed dog parks / dog exercise areas.

Sadly I don't think this will ever change :(

Wingingthiswholething · 08/08/2019 12:44

Report the abusive owners to the dog warden, OP

Original poster
Mamalicious16 · 08/08/2019 13:04

Today 12:44 Wingingthiswholething

"Report the abusive owners to the dog warden, OP"

I shouldn't have to

OP posts:
Zippetydoodahzippetyay · 08/08/2019 13:05

Oh this frustrates me no end. I like my dog but I still don't want other people's dogs running up or jumping on me. I do take my dog off lead but as soon as someone approaches the lead goes straight back on so that I have total control. I would never let her jump on people.

Wingingthiswholething · 08/08/2019 13:19

No you shouldn't at all, but a knock on the door might scare them in to sorting their act out and getting some manners.

QualCheckBot · 08/08/2019 13:44

Gumbo I had another occasion where the dog ran out at me as I cycled on a main road (the A4) causing me to swerve and very nearly collide with a car - apparently that dog 'didn't like cyclists' either . Seriously, why on earth don't these people keep their dogs on leads?

Same when I'm running, and I've lost count of the number of times the dog owners have said something like "Oh its your fault because you were running". Because obviously all other people should just creep around slowly in case they annoy someone's dog!

Even when I was bitten and ended up needing hospital treatment, the dog owner's line was "he only chased you because you were running".

I think we need new legislation to criminalise the owners of out of control dogs.

Lifeover · 08/08/2019 13:51

It’s not ok. My dog ignores and trots past strangers. Just wish people’s kids would give her the same courtesy

Effiedg · 08/08/2019 13:54

Where does this happen? In the street? At someone's house? In the park?

If it's in the street, then there's something wrong. Dogs should not be off the lead in the street.

If it is at someone's house you can ask for the dog not to jump up.

If it is the latter, then dogs do run free and might well jump up. Just avoid places where dog walkers go.

Applejack5 · 08/08/2019 14:16

@Effiedg Why should anyone have to avoid parks, beaches, country parks etc. in order to avoid dog walkers and their out of control pets?!

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