Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If your dog doesn't recall 100% reliably keep it on a lead!

135 replies

Nottherealslimshady · 13/10/2020 15:05

Just had someone's dog get in my car!

Saw it coming so got my girl straight in the car and shut the door just as he came up to it. Went round to get in drivers side and it pushes past me to get in. Had to shout three times "will you come get your dog, he's getting in my car!" Ended up piss wet through standing in the rain trying to get his dog out while my dogs making it very clear she doesn't want to meet him.

OP posts:
AntiSocialDistancer · 13/10/2020 15:09

Theres no way to get 100% reliability without training.

There's ways to limit risk and annoyance etc but realistically all dogs with excellent recall have been off lead without the ability to trust them at some times.

PivotPivotPivottt · 13/10/2020 15:10

Totally agree. Just back from a walk with my rescue pup who is still wary of other dogs and had a big dog jumping all over her. The owner was shouting at it to come back but it paid no attention and continued jumping all over my terrified dog while the owner walked along in the distance calling it's name.

steppemum · 13/10/2020 15:11

not unreasonable to object to this dog getting into your car.

but unreasonable to assume that all dogs will do this if they don't have 100% recall.
My dog doesn't have 100%. But I can predict when he won't come back, and he isn't interested in you, your car, your dog, toddler, bike, etc etc etc.

He runs off after food, squirrels and occasionally a cat.
He also refuses to come bakc when he has a ball in his mouth and any other dog is around, even his friends.
He is off the lead in places where it doesn't matter if he does the above, eg the middle of fields.

It is never black and white.

Mammyloveswine · 13/10/2020 15:11

Eeeh op id have been fuming but I'm so sorry I am laughing away at your post! Bless you!

I agree with you though!

FairFriday · 13/10/2020 15:14

I exercise in the park a few time’s a week - I enjoy saying hello to all the dogs who pop over to ‘help’. I really do like dogs.

But I am amazed at how many people have dogs and don’t seem to have trained them.

‘Spot! No spot, leave that small child alone. Oh naughty spotty! It’s ok he won’t bite...spot - spot - NO - put that child DOWN! Spot, stop spot stop. Not spotty, come back. Spot...dammit spot! No dindins for you! Spot ... spooooooooottttyyyyy’ etc.

Spot does not react. Spot only heads ‘Bla bla bla spot, bla bla’ and doesn’t know what/who ‘spot’ is. Sometimes it’s very funny watching a grown human being pleading with a dog, or chasing after them around the park. Or telling them off like a small child (whilst the dog just licks its bottom and ignores them completely).

Florencex · 13/10/2020 15:14

They are dogs not robots, even the best trained of them will get distracted at times.

Mammyloveswine · 13/10/2020 15:14

I'm so sorry @Nottherealslimshady but I can't stop laughing! I'm picturing this dog sat with its paws on the steering wheel!

I've had a shocking time lately so I think that's why this has tickled me so much!

And you being really polite under the circumstances! Hats of to you! I'd have probably sworn!

FairFriday · 13/10/2020 15:17

My sister has had dogs for years and - she can be quite scary I suppose - they have always been really well trained (she is on a farm and it’s all livestock farms around her). Maybe that why I am quite surprised when the city pooches I see are so badly behaved (especially the huge staffie that usually drags it’s elderly lady owner around the park). I do love to see sheepdogs though - the just gotta herd (other dogs, adults, children...)

MakeAPeaCry · 13/10/2020 15:17

You cannot get 100% recall but you can get 99% and be ready to grovel and apologise totally if the 1% examples impact someone else.

From my POV that's all I expect from other owners.

IWantChocolates · 13/10/2020 15:19

I'm not a dog owner but recently I have been doing plenty of walks with my toddler and the number of dogs who come right up to us, sniffing round, with no attempt by the owners to recall them is ridiculous.

All they say is "He's perfectly friendly", but a) my toddler isn't used to dogs and may do something the dog doesn't like (like getting in their face or trying to put his fingers in their ears or something) and b) why should we have to put up with dogs sniffing round us just because you say they're friendly?

I think it's the complete lack of any attempt at recall that's frustrating. Just an assumption that everyone is happy with a dog sniffing round.

FairFriday · 13/10/2020 15:20

I once saw a Great Dane stalk a poor woman along a path sniffing at her sandwich as she tried to hold it above her head. She was small, the dog was tall, so inevitably the dog stood on its hind legs, paws on her shoulder and grabbed the sandwich. She squealed and ran, then got very embarrassed and scurried away (I would have been screaming blue bloody murder myself).

The idiot owner was too busy laughing with her mate behind a tree to even bother to try to call her dog away - and didn’t event attempt to apologise to the poor woman.

SeasonallySnowyPeasant · 13/10/2020 15:20

YANBU, it's so selfish to do otherwise.

FairFriday · 13/10/2020 15:27

It’s also dangerous - if the dog won’t come or obey orders then they could run into the road or in front of a bike and get hurt.

In the summer there is always some dog leaping into peoples picnics in the park - and very very few owners apologies.

I even saw an owner and a parent hero into a yelling match in the pro. The (ME) tourists little girl was terrified of the big soppy lab - and the owner told her off for screaming (‘silly girl) and scaring the dog - but then her dad started yelling at the owner, the owner was yelling back, the kid was screaming and the dog was running in circles barking it’s head off.

All the owner had to do was call her dog back away from the scared child, hold it’s collar and say ‘it’s ok, he’s a nice friendly dog, would you like to say ‘hello’? No, that’s ok, have a lovely day’.

FairFriday · 13/10/2020 15:28

I’ve just realised - dogs, I love - people, not so....

Original poster
Nottherealslimshady · 13/10/2020 15:28

Fine. I'll reduce my offer to 99% on the basis that that 1% is extenuating circumstances only, such as: a pack of in heat bitches out for a run; an overturned hotdog van; a frisky horse chasing the dog. It does not include picnics, dogs that dont want to play, or other peoples cars.

I've had my fair few "can you get your dog"s but this was my first doggy carjacking!

OP posts:
SonjaMorgan · 13/10/2020 15:34

I cannot let my dog off the lead as even though we have done a lot of training I could still never trust him.

I love dogs and always make a massive fuss when they come up to me which probably adds to the recall issues.

yearinyearout · 13/10/2020 15:39

You can not train a dog to have perfect off lead recall without it being...off lead! As much as it would be lovely to be able to train up to total reliability in an enclosed space with nobody to annoy, you can only improve by being in open spaces with other distractions. So YABU to suggest that.

yearinyearout · 13/10/2020 15:42

I love dogs and always make a massive fuss when they come up to me which probably adds to the recall issues.

Yes! If only every person my puppy had gone up to had ignored it the training would have been so much easier.

fairydustandpixies · 13/10/2020 15:42

I have a random cat regularly leap in my car as soon as I open the door. I'm extremely allergic to cats so am never impressed at trying to get the fucker out every time as it leaps from seat to seat, covering everything in hair that causes me to have a severe asthma attack every time. Can't help you with the dog either OP.

Apandemicyousay · 13/10/2020 15:43

This reminds me of a day out a couple of years ago I was strapping my daughter into her car seat and two random cats got in. It was something like a Benny Hill sketch with me trying to get them out and opening/closing doors. We still laugh about it now when we drive down that road.

Enko · 13/10/2020 15:46

My dog has great recall.......

Until we go outside, then he ignores and looks to have zero recall.

So I only let him off the lead in dog-friendly areas.

Our dog walker has him off lead a lot as he walks him in packs of others and DDog is very much a follower LOVES his friends.
Says he is no trouble at all.

However, sometimes the issue is not the dog of the lead but how people react to this. Like above if Ddog had ever done anything like that (hugely unlikely butt lets say) I would be right on top of him to get him away he would not have had the chance to get into the car.

When he last month ambled up to a toddler who was on the local commons and the father ran up with huge big arm motions and tried to place a shield between him and the child going on about the naughty dog. the one who was creating the issue was the father not the dog who thought he was inviting to play. Stupid thing is if he had remained still he would have seen dog was actually after the ball that was about 1 meter behind his child (Dog ball not child ball) and isn't generally interested in children when we are on the commons.

1forAll74 · 13/10/2020 15:50

Yes there are quiet a few untrained dogs around. I was once taking my three cats to the vets to be neutered/spayed. and was on the pavement outside with one large and one small cat carrier, loading them into the back seat of car. Put the large two cat carrier in first, then just as I went to pick the small carrier up, a man was walking by with a dog off lead, his dog was quite friendly, but a lively jumping up kind of dog.

The man could see what I was doing, so called his dog, who took no notice at all, and proceeded to leap into the back of my car, and as you can imagine, the two cats in the carrier were very disturbed and caged in, with no escape. The other cat was hissing in his carrier on the pavement,

But I decided to view all this scenario with some amusement, as these things happen sometimes, and I still laugh about it now after a few years.

ErickBroch · 13/10/2020 15:51

YANBU. I have a nervous dog who I walk late at night with a 1m lead and people still let their dogs run up to her and are angry when she reacts aggressively.

Graciebobcat · 13/10/2020 15:56

Also even good and well-trained dogs make mistakes and embarrass you some of the time.

Idontgiveagriffindamn · 13/10/2020 15:59

Completely agree. The amount of dogs that run up to my children and the owner saying it’s ok they’re friendly. Well the one that nipped my terrified child wasn’t.
This is not all dogs / dog owners just the entitled ones