Dogs! Who was at fault?

[TheSpottedDog]

I was walking my dog in the park early this morning. She’s reactive and not friendly with other dogs so I keep her on a long line and stay in open areas where there are no people/dogs. So, we’re happily exploring a large grassy area when a dog comes running up off lead ... face to face ... ok for a few seconds but then my dog starts to get arsey. The other dog ran off. I get my dogs attention back and we carry on but this off lead dog comes running back ... this time my dog reacts straight away and tries to run after it barking ... poo bag goes flying, I nearly end up on my arse ... the owner unsuccessfully trying to call his dog back ... in the end I say loudly “Right! Let’s go!” And walk away with Cujo/my dog. I hear the man mutter something to his dog about “come on mate, it’s not a nice dog” 🤬

So I’m trying to look at it objectively- his dog was clearly friendly (and bloody cute! A young SharPei) and mine is the reactive one. BUT mine was on a lead, his wasn’t and he clearly had shit recall. So, was I at fault for being in a park with a reactive dog or was he at fault for not having control of his dog?

(We are in intensive training for her issues and have been for over a year, she’s much better than she was)

YABU - I’m at fault
YANBU - he was at fault

Dogs shouldn't be off lead without reliable recall.

Dogs shouldn't approach people or other dogs full stop! Really pisses me off

Regarding the muzzle comment earlier. I think more dogs should be muzzled as a rule. We had to have one on our rescue for insurance/rescue handover protocol reasons and he is a lovely friendly dog but people would actively move away from him because he was muzzled.

Really, he'd also eat just about anything so the muzzle prevented that til he was used to our commands.

Alert collars/leads/jackets that have "unfriendly", "nervous" etc are far more helpful.

Neither at fault. Just one of those things.
Though other owner should leave off snidey remarks.

Dogs approaching other dogs are being sociable and friendly. It's part of their natural interactions and not something you'd want to prevent usually.

I'm in two minds here. When you have a friendly dog you tend to forget that they could end up worse because you think the other dog is under control because it's on a lead. Also a dog on a long lead is not under control. I now have a snappy rescue who sometimes is as nice as pie but other times could bite your head off. She is on a training lead at all times. If another dog approaches either on or off the lead then she is on a short leash with one hand with the trailing lead in the other so if she lunged I would have a good chance of still keeping hold of her. Over the last few years of dog walking and seeing so many non-controlled dogs I'd support total muzzling in public places unless there are downsides that I haven't thought of.

I'm really surprised that people suggest it's your fault as you had long leash etc.
Regardless of the length of your leash,the other dog will try to sniff/interact anyway,even if you hold your dog's collar.
The man is totally unreasonable expecting that every dog under the sun will be playful and friendly with his PFB.He should have more control over the dog that has a poor recall or simply just use the leash.
I just don't get it why people are getting arsey when some dogs are not playful.
My 11 year old is always on a leash as he tends to get grumpy when approach by young,bouncy dogs.He is perfectly calm if they come for a sniff but if they try to hump/bounce around he gives a warning.
I had so many rude comments and because he is staff x it gets even worse.

It's not clear if you bought your dog in close to you or not. Long lines and extendable leads have their place but they're not the best option for good control of your dog. Sadly many dogs do not have good recall and quite a few owners don't think it's a problem if their dog is friendly.
My dog was reactive when I first got him so I took to asking other owners to call their dog back, they would often ignore the request and say its OK my dog is friendly to which I would respond my isn't and I'm trying to train him. Some will then say it's OK mine needs to be taught, I'd tell them not by my dog.
You had your dog on a lead the other owner didn't so the error was theirs but don't be afraid to assert yourself and ask other owners for their cooperation. It's your responsibility to protect your dog from confrontational situations with other dogs, redirect attention and if that doesn't work then turn and walk away.
Keep up with the training, it takes time and patience but it does work. If you don't feel you're making some progress then it might be time to seek advice from a different trainer to see if different training techniques might work better for your dog.

Just want to add I don’t walk my dog on a long line, this park is huge and has a good walk all the way around it - for that part she’s on a normal lead. The long line just came out for when we were in the middle of the playing fields so she could chase her ball

And it was very early - the park gates had only just opened so not many people around, no kids

You shouldn’t be walking your dog on a long line, long lines are for training. Sounds like he made a truthful comment about your unfriendly dog and I don’t think you need to give it any further thought. I would rather counter a friendly off lead dog than an aggressive one on a long lead.

YANBU.

My dog (spaniel) is incredibly nervous. If he can’t run away, he’ll attack. Obviously we walk him on a lead because of this; he’s nearly been run over trying to run away before. He doesn’t m like children either. Fine with everyone else (and cats!). He wears a coat that’s says ‘Not Friendly.’ Always walk him on a short lead unless it’s an open field and I can see what’s nearby when I all him on an extendable.

The amount of owners that are unable to control their dog and let it run up even when I scream ‘he’s not friendly’ is astounding. Same with their kids; just because he is small does not mean your child can say hello!

DO NOT OWN A DOG IF YOU CANNOT DO BASIC RECALL WITH IT!

If you can’t control your dog it shouldn’t be off less no matter how cute or friendly it apparently is.

My dog has very good recall. She is way more territorial and aware of other dogs on a lead - and very tolerant of other dogs when off lead- because we off lead walk just the two of us and on lead are generally out with my kids and she does not like other dogs coming anywhere near them at all. She tries to herd them up next to the buggy then stands in front of them!

I think the only other thing you could have done is have reduced your dog’s lead length. Although a long line isn’t really what I would use for everyday exercise if my dog was reactive. I know you were in an open space but clearly so are other people with dogs .

YANBU. The other dog owner should have been watching his dog and certainly shouldn't have let it approach your dog the second time. I have a reactive rescue dog and like you try to walk him in quieter areas (he's always muzzled and on a lead). Lots of owners seemingly don't care if your dog is muzzled and on a lead, even ignoring tabards, leads asking to give space. I've even had owners not give a shit that their dog is jumping all over mine and my dog is barking and growling (out of fear) at their's! It's a shame my dog will always have to be muzzled in public because of this minority of dickheads.

YANBU. Definitely the off lead dog's owner's fault. Surely it is accepted that a good dog owner absolutely does not let their off lead dog approach an on lead dog? (They should also be looking around to see what people/dogs they are nearing and anticipating the need to do so). I always call my dog over and put her on a lead if we are approaching an on lead dog and, most times, the other dog's owner is grateful (and my lead is a good quality EXTENDABLE but haven't had any problems with it in the 10 years or more that I've been using it, person upthread who doesn't believe they are really leads).

I so hate owners like him. Our dog has long standing back issue so doesn't want to play. It really hurts her when uncontrolled dogs bounce on her or knock her so it's up to us to protect her by fending off other people's dogs.

Yours was under control. His wasn't.

He was the one who made the snippy comment. You were not.

If the long line was retracted until the other dog had moved on, you were not the one in the wrong.

Not your fault and it sounds like no harm was done. I'd say he was more U but dog etiquette generally can be a minefield and getting good recall is a long old slog.

My dog loves to play with other dogs and his recall is usually fab, but occasionally we meet a dog he cant seem to tear himself away from and I end up being that mortified owner. So now I just stick him on the extendable if we pass another dog and il let him off once we've sussed them out. Easier all round and I don't mind other dogs coming up to us. It must be tough with a reactive dog

He was most definitely at fault. Dogs should be put back on the lead when around others who are on.

If a dog has a crap recall it should be on a lead!

My mum who is 72 nearly got knocked off her feet by a dog with a poor recall who was jumping all over her and the owner had a cheeky to say... she’s friendly! Yeah that’s ok when you have not just had a stroke and walking with a stick to gain confidence!

He will soon learn. I had a shar pei and even friendly dogs can react badly to them (it’s something to do with the shape of their face - other dogs don’t know how to read them).

People should not allow their dogs to run up to on lead dogs. Period.

Have you thought about something like this to get the message across?

NO DOGS (Not Good With Other Dogs) Orange Warning Dog Colour Coded Padded Personalised 1.2m 4ft Lead Leash To Prevent Accidents or Incidents. Dog Award Winning https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BXL1MSO/ref=cmswwrcppapifabcc_BNbdGb2VCSD35

Can you get a yellow lead/jacket, i think this is accepted code for ‘not approachable’?

Your dog did his a favour really if his is young, no one was hurt and now the other dg realises that not every dog wants to play. Hopefully the owner will get the message as well. My dog can be a bit of a rude twat so if we see an on lead dog i always call him to me and keep him by me.

Thanks for the advice guys. I do overthink these things as I’m trying so hard to do the right thing by my dog, making sure she has a fun life, enough exercise but is under control with her reactivity at the same time. I have tried to hire enclosed private fields to let her have a good run but they’re fully booked up for weeks. Suddenly everyone has a dog 🤦‍♀️

You're doing a great job. Don't take the opinion of some random bloke to heart.

I think there is issues with both of you/your dogs.

I would assume that a dog was on a long line because it has poor recall not due to aggression.

They other dog clearly has poor recall, but the owner may not have seen the long line and assumed that your dog was off lead and therefore safe/happy to be interacting with other dogs. Obviously this doesn't excuse it being allowed to come up a second time.