Get your dog away from me!

[Mamalicious16]

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.

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

Why indeed. But in practice it's what is happening. And includes cafes and public transport too (and before someone says it's public, yes it is, but it should be for humans only unless the dog is a guide dog - and anyway guide dogs do their job and don't bother anyone, in my experience the hearing dogs are a little less well trained).

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

True to an extent and I do remember a neighbour who let their dog out and I didn't want to walk near their house and one day it chased me and another neighbour rescued me (early 80s). But nobody took their dogs to shops or cafes and people walked their dogs mornings or evenings so you could go out in the daytime and not really see them. And they were considered pets not "part of the family".

The pooing everywhere was a thing though.

The pooing everywhere was a thing though

And it was always white. Why?

I agree with you completly and some iresponsible dog owners seem to think their dogs right to run around and jump freely is more important than a child's. I like dogs but don't understand people who think that are more important than people.

Because apparently they used to eat bones from.the butchers and the dog food was less processed? Then

This is one of my pet peeves! People who let their dogs off their leads so they can jump up at people/get in their picnics etc. and then always with the 'oh sorry he just likes to say hello' well how about I show up at your house, eat all your food, cover you in mud and say 'I just wanted to say hello'. If your dog doesn't have good recall why let them off the lead? The amount of times dogs have pretty much got in DS buggy or snatched food out of one of DC hands when we're in the park is awful. (sorry, rant over)

YANBU at all. I adore my dog, but I will not allow him to behave in the way you describe. Some people really don't give a shit. But they should.

Look, there are inconsiderate idiots everywhere, whether they be dog owners or parents.

I have two small, cuddly-looking dogs that have excellent recall and are very well-behaved BUT one of them hates children. For that very reason, I make sure to pop her on her lead (even in off-leash areas) whenever I see kids. You'd think that would prevent any hassle, right? Does it fuck.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've had to literally yell at idiot parents to STOP their kids from rushing up to my dog and trying to pat her. "But she's so small and cute" they bleat at me. Sure she is, but she'll have your spawn's fingers off in a trice if they insist on shoving/pulling at her.

And while it's not specific to the OP, I have zero time for people who deliberately walk in clearly marked off-leash parks/beaches etc and then moan about dogs being off-leash.

"And while it's not specific to the OP, I have zero time for people who deliberately walk in clearly marked off-leash parks/beaches etc and then moan about dogs being off-leash."

It wouldn't be a problem if all the off-leash dogs were well trained and didn't bother anyone. People still have the right to walk in those places without being hassled by a dog.

The problem with threads like these is that the scenario given doesn't always reflect the situation the poster has actually reacted badly to.

Today I took my gentle, quiet, friendly dog to an area known for being a good off-lead walking spot. We were walking in one direction along a path with a few non dog-walkers walking the opposite way. As we crossed paths my dog turned head head, tail wagging, just her own little way of saying hello. One way shouted "NO GET AWAY" at her and proceeded to shoo her aggressively off the path. Now, I happen to know for a fact this lady was not afraid of dogs from a comment she made afterwards, but this is one of many regular over-reactions I often see from people who don't like dogs.

Was my dog under control? Yes. Was she jumping at, barking at or "charging" towards anyone? No. She was simply being walked in a very lovely local dog-walking spot near us. I should not have to put my dog on a lead in an off-lead area simply to walk past others when she is not doing anything wrong.

I'm not a huge fan of other people's children yet I don't expect them to leash their toddlers when we share the same space, nor would i kick at or shoo one away if it came vaguely within the vicinity of where i was walking!

Some people who dislike dogs seem to think it's OK to been unnecessarily unkind.

Pursefirst And while it's not specific to the OP, I have zero time for people who deliberately walk in clearly marked off-leash parks/beaches etc and then moan about dogs being off-leash.

Really? You think anyone out walking, running, cycling, riding, sitting, picnicking, etc. has no right to complain about being harassed by someone's untrained, out of control dogs because there is no specific signage that dogs should be on leads?

There is however legislation that makes dog owners liable for the damage caused by their dogs, whether there is signage or not.

I was bitten by a dog when I was running along a public road! Funnily enough, there was no signage there explaining to dog owners that they needed to keep their dogs on leads.

I hate the comparison to toddlers that always comes up in these types of threads. Toddlers are human beings!

Also they are smaller and slower than a lot of dogs, and much less likely to hassle you on a walk or picnic.

For those who are hard of reading, I referred specifically to off-leash areas of parks/beaches etc.

I don't know how on earth dog owners are supposed to train dogs without these areas and I merely commented that I have no time for those individuals who choose to use these areas and then complain about dogs being off-leash.

And, again, I made it abundantly clear that I was not referring to the OP in that particular example.

"I'm not a huge fan of other people's children yet I don't expect them to leash their toddlers when we share the same space, nor would i kick at or shoo one away if it came vaguely within the vicinity of where i was walking!"

I'm sure if children ran to you / jumped up at you/ screamed in your face and wiped their hands and feet all over you, you would have an issue. Then again parents wouldn't let their children do that.

The problem is too many people buy dogs without researching the breed. They think that life as a pet can overcome generations of instinct with out the need for training. That’s like expecting a tiger to make a good house cat because you’ve had it from a cub.

Most definitely don’t use treats as a distraction, dogs can smell treats and are more likely to approach. They’re not daft and will remember that you have tasty things in your pockets. Case in point, MIL always produced a treat from her handbag when visiting. Within weeks my greyhound was sticking her nose in every bag she passed, looking for treats. It took me over a month to correct that behaviour. Instead of treats use a dog repellent, spray bottle of water or simply throw your keys to the ground in front of their faces. Then become a sphinx, turn your back and don’t react.

I encourage children to pet my hound because she’s gentle and placid enough for even the most nervous of children to feel confident enough to stroke. If the parent is present I always tell them that the child is welcome to pet my dog and let them decide if they want to allow it. If they agree I teach the child how to approach and stroke a strange dog and stress the importance of getting the owners permission to approach.

My dog is elderly now and doesn’t go far on her walks but when she did and was allowed off lead I always called her back to me when approaching another dog or someone with a child. I love my hound but I don’t make the mistake of assuming everyone else will too.

YANBU

There’s a big fucking sign in the park near my house that says keeping dogs off a lead is a crime, I’ve had 3 dogs charge up to me, two snarling and barking. One woman blamed me because I waved my arm!!! Keep your dogs on a lead ffs.

I'm not a huge fan of other people's children yet I don't expect them to leash their toddlers when we share the same space, nor would i kick at or shoo one away if it came vaguely within the vicinity of where i was walking

Children don’t regularly bite and attack people.

Today I took my gentle, quiet, friendly dog to an area known for being a good off-lead walking spot. We were walking in one direction along a path with a few non dog-walkers walking the opposite way. As we crossed paths my dog turned head head, tail wagging, just her own little way of saying hello. One way shouted "NO GET AWAY" at her and proceeded to shoo her aggressively off the path

Why would she shoo her unless your dog ran up to her? Not everyone likes dogs. Not everyone will think your dog is lovely. You need to either train it to not approach strangers or use a lead.

We walk through a park popular with dog owners/walkers each morning to school. Most of the dog owners are really good but I have met a couple who have left my jaw on the floor.
I was about 7 months pregnant with DD and I was walking back from dropping DS off at school. Two women who I vaguely recognised were walking towards me but they only had one dog with them, the other dog then ran out of the bushes towards me, it was soaking wet (rained overnight) jumped up at me, muddy paw prints on my bump and top of thighs and then it slobbered all over my knee. I stepped back and the bitch dog owner shouted at me not to try kicking her dog! I was gobsmacked! I shouted to her that I hadn’t and her dog had left me dirty and wet and to get it under control. She told me to keep my gob under control.
The other person was the owner of a boxer dog so quite a sturdy dog. It used to jump up at the children as they were going to school. The owner used to laugh and say his dog wants to give kisses. I told him to keep it under control but he just laughed and walked off, after several incidents I went batshit at him and then he did make more of an effort to keep the dog away from us when he saw us. Some of the other dog walkers witnessed it, they came over to speak to me and told me that they were sick of him too. Then one day the dog ran at a young toddler, knocked him over and stood over him (it was frightening to witness) owner stood there laughing talking about kisses, toddler screaming his head off, toddler’s dad had to pull the dog off. I got told later that some of the other dog walkers saw it and had a “strong” word with him - he hasn’t been seen since (this was about three years ago).
Owners/walkers shouldn’t let their dogs jump up, it’s frightening for the recipient, could potentially damage clothes/property, and you have no idea whether the recipient is allergic.

@MoreFrog white poo is a sign of too much bone in the dogs diet and is often hard and crumbly

Absolutely not ok. I have two very large dogs, both of them are well trained and have decent recall. I will still always put them on a lead if we see kids up ahead. Children are unpredictable (I have a toddler myself) and that's fine, they're children. Dogs can hurt or frighten people, or can react unexpectedly to something 'different' like a toddler screech or whatever. It's the dog owner's responsibility to remember that a. Not everyone likes dogs and some people don't want them even near them, let alone jumping up at them, and b. Dogs are never 100% reliable Im sorry you've encountered inconsiderate dog owners, but we're not all like that.

YANBU. 100% agree with you! We have an 8 month old dog and her recall has gone down the pan. She ignores us if there's a distraction. I keep her on the lead all of the time now until she gets through this phase and we can train her to listen and recalls perfectly every time. DH lets her off and then moans at me about her running after joggers and cyclists. I've had so many arguments with him about keeping her on the lead. She isn't under control so should be kept on the damn lead! I'll show him this thread!

Hithere12 no, but then nor do dogs "regularly". And no, my dog didn't approach her. We were walking in opposite directions on the same path. My dog passed her at a slow walking pace, tail wagging and lifted her head. Cue shouting and hysterical shooing her off.

I see it quite often and it's usually unwarranted and completely unnecessary. Dogs happily walking through a dog-walking park and being kicked away for daring to walk past a bench with a person sat on it. No extenuating circumstances, dog isn't encroaching on their space, jumping, barking, trying to steal food or anything. It's not needed.

Mamalicious16 errrrm? Wiping hands, no. Barging into other peoples' personal space and making a huge noise though...? If this is purely about a minority and you've had a bad experience with dogs jumping up then no, of course you're not unreasonable, though I'm not sure why you'd need a thread to convince you of that?

My point is every now and then these threads come up and all they do is descend into dog-bashing threads that inspire lots of negativity towards dogs as a whole, when in fact it's a minority of owners who don't train their dogs properly and try to observe good dog-etiquette. Sometimes it feels like the intention is to make dog-owners feel universally apologetic for their dog even daring to exist, let alone enjoy a walk in a public space or wag their tail anywhere near a stranger.

Effie fuck off we can walk where we like