To not want other people’s dogs to jump up at me when out walking

[Trevorwhatever]

Have just been on a walk in the sunshine and during the walk (across a football field in a park at that point) a medium/large sized dog ran up to me and kept jumping up at me putting its muddy paws down the back of my light coloured coat. I shouted at it to go away as the owner stood by making no effort to put it on a lead or to call it away. She just shouted ‘sorry’.

She then walked off shouting ‘you shouldn’t be walking across the fields if you don’t love dogs’.

I then shouted back ‘if you you can’t keep your dog under control then keep it on a lead’.

I was really mad I had to finish my walk in a muddy stained coat and now have to wash it because of someone else’s laziness.

Aibu to think I should be able to walk where I like without other people’s dogs jumping up at me?

I don’t mind it when dogs jump up at me. I love dogs and don’t really care if I get abit muddy. My dog jumps up so I keep her on a lead around people though as scared she’ll knock someone over. Plus she’s a big staffie cross and people can be quite prejudice. It can be a hard thing to train out of them, especially when you have a people adoring staffie.

Yanbu. And I say that as a dog owner/lover currently wearing wolfhound slobber, vizsla hairs and spaniel pawprints on my jeans!
Over years of dog ownership I've found the easiest way to fend off an out of control dog is to use my foot.
I don't kick dogs, simply push them away with my boot whilst telling stupid owner to get their dog under control. I then use my body to block and protect child, my dog or my clean coat.
It works usually tho I have been accused of kicking.
Shame anyone has to do this, but a warning about reporting to dog warden also helps.

@QuentinWinters

Also - how do you train a young dog to have perfect recall in all situations if its not allowed off lead where there are distractions?

Use a longline attached to your dogs' harness. If your recall isn't working, you can stamp on the longline and stop your dog running any further.

You don't just let your untrained dog off the lead and hope for the best

This happened to me for the first time ever today. A very bouncy young lab licked my face while I tried to jog past.

Obviously it liked what it tasted because it playfully chased after me as I jogged off.

I wasn’t too bothered because I was already muddy but dog saliva tends to give me a mild rash.

Owners were very apologetic. Most people are pretty reasonable I think.

@Welcometonowhere who said I owned the park? That’s like saying I think I own the pub because I don’t want to be harassed in there. Strange comment.

I love how everyone is ignoring the idiotic comments from @birdsandbeez 🤣

I have dogs myself but hate it when dogs jump up at me, it's rude of owners to let their dogs do that.
Last weekend I was out walking a cockerpoo jumped all over me twice, I looked down at my top and lifted it a little to show the dirt, the owner just shrugged her shoulders and walked off.
Dogs should be taught to behave themselves. X

You absolutely have the right not to be harassed in the pub or the park extra

But the advice from a PP is good. If your DD is standing around screaming, it is not going to help matters.

@Coastercat
People should allowed to run around wherever they want, and flap their arms about, and have their children scream, and lie down in parks eating sausage butties etc without encountering a dog at all. They have a right not to have their fun curtailed by someone else’s decision to get a dog.

^^
This.

I was knocked to the ground by a dog the other day. I blame the owner for not controlling her dog. I didn’t engage with the dog at all, it ran up and hit me in the back of the legs. There is no good reason that a dog that can’t be relied on not to jump up at people should be off the lead in a public area that isn’t a designated dog area.

I walk a lot and see dozens of dogs every day. They are nearly always no problem at all. As with everything it’s the idiot tiny minority that are the problem.

Thoroughly agree with OP, and we have two dogs.....on LEADS

That magical invention, so as to inconvenience, accost or otherwise kill people.

NONE of our neighbours/ nearby villagers have heard of this new fangled invention

And they complain about the dog poop........that their dogs create, when running loose.

Feck Feck Feck

And yes, muddy paw prints, and my dog being bitten whilst on its lead, damn well annoys me

So as NOT to inconvenience, kill or accost

YANBU. Reminds me of the person who said there are only bad dog owners, not bad dogs.

Several PPs have advised turning your back to the dog. In my experience it doesn’t work.
I was walking alone on a public footpath round a loch, when an idiot dog walker with SIX large dogs, all running loose about 50 yards in front of her, came round the bend ahead of me.
I stood still, and turned to face the gorse bushes, with my back to the dogs. The two leading bastards leapt on my back, snarling and snapping, while the rest of the pack rushed up growling behind them.
The pathetic walker was bleating “Come back, stop it,” completely ineffectively.
When she finally caught up and pulled them off I shouted at her in a fury. If I’d been a small child instead of a fairly tough pensioner, the bloody dogs could have killed me.
I think the advice to carry a stout walking stick is far more to the point - that way the next unprovoked attack will be a more even battle. And I will make no apology for any injuries I inflict in self defence.

I have two dogs and it pisses me off too.

Yanbu.

As usual it's dick brained owners that cause the problem by allowing it.

Getting all giggly and exited when the dog was growing up encouraging and re-enforcing that behaviour.

Y-A-N-B-U.

Why have you posted on aibu?

You already KNOW you are not. You are just fecking stirring.
I have two labradors.
No, you are not being unreasonable in not wanting dogs to jump up at you.

Feel better now?

Yes, I know I am being sarky, but threads like this piss me off.

Just post something on chat, or the dog thing saying ' I am really pissed off at dogs jumping up at me".
Honestly the most ardent dog lover is not going to say you are unreasonable. As you know.

Or hang on, here you go......

Yes OP, you are unreasonable. Dogs are much nicer than people, and just want to love you, so you must just put up with being muddied.

Better???

Maybe start carrying a dog lead around. Clip the dog and start walking off with it. Bet the crap, lazy owner would panic then. Or start chucking dog biscuits or a ball off into the bushes for it.
I'm joking (maybe) but it is frustrating when you're walking/ jogging/ minding your own business in a park or open space and you are harassed by a badly owned dog.

YANBU
For those saying there are a million threads on this oh goodie, well ask yourself why, why are there so many threads?
Inconsiderate, rude and lazy dog owners seems to have increased or ha this always been as big of a problem?
Tighter restrictions around dog ownership will surely come if this and similar problems are not dealt with.
I have had this happens dozens of times over the last several years. Too many to remember. I have had dogs take food and toys out of my children’s hands, chase my children whilst they were crying and the owners not doing anything, or recall not working. One of my children has been ‘lightly’ bitten twice by two different stranger dogs on different occasions on the hand.
I have had many many muddy paws ok my legs from dogs jumping up.
We don’t own a dog, this is all just from walks in parks or greens over the last 7-9 years

YANBU I have dogs but I will not let them jump up at people, they ignore adults but love children i will put them straight on the lead if we come across any on our walks. It drives me bloody nuts when other dog owners let their dogs charge at you, i have been knocked over before by someone else’s dog! I’ve explained countless times to other dog owners why I don’t want their dogs bounding up to me (always politely) and not once have they seen it as an issue, in fact they seem to think I’m completely unreasonable and one even felt the need to demonstrate to me how I should stand so that their loose out of control Labrador didn’t know me over 🤷‍♀️

@blackkitty1234

I don’t mind it when dogs jump up at me. I love dogs and don’t really care if I get abit muddy. My dog jumps up so I keep her on a lead around people though as scared she’ll knock someone over. Plus she’s a big staffie cross and people can be quite prejudice. It can be a hard thing to train out of them, especially when you have a people adoring staffie.

You only do it as you’re scared she’ll knock someone over?

You should do it because it’s not acceptable to allow your dog to maul other people, whether or not she’s strong enough to hurt them. Nobody wants your dogs dirty paws all over them.

@SilverIvyRing not being on a lead does not automatically mean they let their dogs shit everywhere

I think it's hard I mean dogs can't get trained for stuff without being off the lead.

That I know of.

But equally I don't want dogs jumping on me.

I have a dog and if he jumped on anyone I'd offer to get their coat etc cleaned if he muddied it.

Hard one.

@emilyfrost

A dog jumping up is not the same as a mauling for goodness sake.

No, the knocking someone over thing is just one example. I keep her on a lead around people for lots of reasons. Mainly because she will jump up and annoy people, which isn’t very nice. Worst case scenario she could accidentally injure someone, which I obviously don’t want.

Walking by the river a couple of weeks ago when a couple came towards us with 7, yes 7, beautiful springer spaniels. They jumped all over us and we did stroke them as they were so lovely and friendly, we then met them again on the way home, and repeat! Totally gorgeous dogs but we were covered in mud, not a comment from the owners at all. I'm more than happy to pet a genuinely friendly, well behaved dog, but surely they can be trained from early on not to jump up.