AIBu to take my dog for a walk when she’s in heat?

[berryfull]

Obviously on the lead, we’ll controlled. Obviously trying to avoid busy dog places where possible. But a walk a couple of times a day.

I’ve had several owners of entire make dogs give me a mouthful this week, when they’ve had to come and forceably remove their intact off lead dog from following me. Even went so far tonight that the dog that was following us had no owner anywhere visible, so I had to phone them from the number on the collar. When they arrived to get the dog (having delayed me 20 mins or so) they decided to tell me off !!

Flabbergasted! Surely if you have an entire make dog, then you should be keeping it in the lead or under supervision. Why should my dog get no excersize ? I’m keeping my dog under control. Why should I have to lock her away while male dogs roam free?

Dog patriarchy anyone?

Stop using your dog as a feminist statement.

Even the best trained dogs can have unreliable recall when following a scent, so you expect to take your bitch to a beach, where dogs will be invariably off lead, present them with the most exciting scent you possibly could and expect all the other dog owners to put their dog back on the lead to accommodate you?

If your dog is on heat you walk late at night on pavements or hire a secure dog field. And I say this as the owner of a female dog.

OP said her dog was on the lead, and was being pavement walked in places not particularly frequented by dog walkers.

And yet still she was bothered by loose dogs. That is wrong.

I's always a bit at owners who let their dogs be loose (other then at heel or very close by) for pavement walks, because of risk from traffic, let alone other hazards and risk if being a nuisance to others.

Dogs on heat still need exercise, and on-lead pavement walks exactly as OP was doing is the right approach

Ignore parts of my post - I somehow managed to miss the 'beach' update. OP is wrong to be walking her on-heat dog there, just as she's be wrong to be walking in dog-permitted parks.

It really needs to be pavement walks only for the duration

But in later posts, it turns out op was in fact walking her bitch on a beach @wetotter. And is all shocked and outraged by other dogs on the beach being off-lead.

Cross posted

YANBU to take your dog out when in season. However there is little point asking as, other posters have found when some dog owners feel they have a god given right to walk their dogs off the lead and will never be persuaded that no dog can be 100% controlled or be 100% safe. (Young teen girl only killed last week by a domestic dog)

So the onus is on you to not walk your dog and risk another off lead dog getting to her, the same as it seems the responsibility of innocent people if they or their children are jumped up and licked, or attacked by a dog who is not controlled using a lead.

I have interestingly just noticed a place we like using for holidays has banned dogs with all the vitriol of the dog owners threatening to ruin their business on FB by boycotting it....useless gesture given the place is so over subscribed anyway but shows the mentality that some people just don't get it that dogs are not provided with the same rights as humans under the human rights act!

This is just my opinion but I would never walk my dog while she was in season. Many male dogs will try to mate with a female dog in season even those on lead and I personally think it is irresponsible to put yourself in that position.
My dog had to have 2 seasons (I wanted her spayed before any but she had a major emergency operation just a week before she was booked in for her first and then I had to wait until her next one as they didn't want to operate so soon again)
She was in season for about 3 weeks eaxh time and yes it was annoying having to keep her in (even had to restrict being in the garden as an intact male dog was next door) but to me I wouldn't have risked her getting pregnant.

op this should only affect you for a couple of weeks before you get her spayed.
she is not a human
dog patriarchy is a ridiculous statement to make

Your dog will only come into heat a couple of times a year. Just keep her in or walk her at times when there will be fewer dogs around during those short periods.

In this case it's more reasonable to ask you to do this than it is to ask all owners of male dogs to keep them on leads at all times (because that's basically what you are asking - non-neutered dogs also can still respond to a female in heat!)

So, yes, YABU.

If this was pavement walking at quieter times I'd totally get it, because dogs should be on leads on pavements. Drives me mad when I see people with their dog trotting along 20ft in front ot them with no lead on, on a pavement.

@berryfull

Research suggests that the peak season varies for every dog. How do you suggest I pinpoint the exact few days in the three weeks?

And yes it’s a big quiet beach. Maybe two
Or three dogs per football pitch size section. And yes I’ve had five entire offlead male dogs follow us this week. 2 with arsehole owners that had a go at me for having my dog in my control, when there’s wasn’t. All dogs were easy enough to to shooo off her until owners arrived. All owners of which I was perfectly nice and patient too as I understand that their dog was just acting on instinct, it’s the ones that shouted at me that I’m annoyed about.

But thanks for the comments, helpful to understand the mentality I’m encountering.

I'm sorry, but that is not a quiet beach! That is busy!

And bitches in oestrus are banned from all dog show/ competition events for a good reason.

It's very unfair to the dog as well to take her out when you know that she is going to be bothered by many other dogs like this.

Dogs are only in season a couple of times a year. I really don't get why you have such an issue with keeping her in or on quieter walks during those times.

i found out my puppy was on heat when a male tried to mount her.

As I said earlier, I had been walking her on the beach precisely because it is quiet, as I thought that keeping her on the lead and going quiet places was responsible. The beach is the quietest place round here ( due to weather and lockdown) . I meet far more dogs in the street. But yes they are more likely to be on lead. As I said a few posts ago it hadn’t occurred to me that I should avoid it because dogs are more likely to be off lead there, I was just thinking it was quiet and I have my dog in a lead. I realise that now and understand more the mentality of the angry people. Happy to leave it here now thanks. Feel free to continue to argue amongst yourselves!

a dog came on the tube with me when my dog was on heat, such was his drive.

This has been repeatedly done to death on here lately. Beginning to think there’s a thick fingered person sat at the other end of the keyboard with no bitch in sight, just a wild tale running through their head.

@berryfull

As I said earlier, I had been walking her on the beach precisely because it is quiet, as I thought that keeping her on the lead and going quiet places was responsible. The beach is the quietest place round here ( due to weather and lockdown) . I meet far more dogs in the street. But yes they are more likely to be on lead. As I said a few posts ago it hadn’t occurred to me that I should avoid it because dogs are more likely to be off lead there, I was just thinking it was quiet and I have my dog in a lead. I realise that now and understand more the mentality of the angry people. Happy to leave it here now thanks. Feel free to continue to argue amongst yourselves!

Just put it down to lesson learned.... As a poster above said, you can't really impose your behaviour expectations on Joe Public. People are gonna do what they do, so all you can do is think about looking after you and your dog's wellbeing.

It is just better all round if females in heat aren't taken to areas with lots of dogs or where dogs are likely to be off lead (such as beaches).

Of all the places to decide to go to avoid lose dogs!! A beach! Really?

Even in the summer when they're not meant to be there at all there'll be at least one dog charging round off lead.

Hilarious how some posters are getting all feminist about this. Likening it to the patriarchy and women being raped?! These dogs are animals we have decided to keep as pets for our pleasure. They'll happily mate with their own mothers, brothers, sisters and daughters. We cut bits off them and out of them to prevent them breeding with randoms who live down the street. Or we don't and we chose who they mate with and we sell their babies. How on earth does any of this fit in with human feminism issues?

@SchadenfreudePersonified

She’s not going to be mounted unless I let her be ffs! I can prevent a dog mounting her until it’s hapless owner arrives!

Good luck with that!

A large dog can't just be "shooed" away.

An experienced stud dog will be locked with her before you even realise he's had a sniff at her bum!

The OP is tiring of responsible dog owners 'rudeness' Responsible dog owners are aware of the situations you mention here. If or when the OP ever encounters an experienced stud dog whilst out exercising her bitches feminine rights. She might even get a few who think her coat pocket is an option as she's shooing. The OP isn't interested in responsible dog ownership though sadly.

Perhaps you should read up a bit more on dog behaviour @berryfull if this hadn't occurred to you.

When you have a dog, you don't just need to understand your own dog's behaviour but that of other dogs too

No it's a silly idea. Looking for trouble. Only an irresponsible and thoughtless dog owner would do this.

@berryfull it really is worth looking out for secure dog fields for her. This has been a godsend for us during lockdown as billypup can be reactive and there are so many people around.

I personally would not walk an in season bitch anywhere but where other dogs are also on leads, or in a private/secure field (for the temporary nature of a season, these can be hired pretty cheaply in a lot of places).

But I have also walked an intact dog with a brilliant nose for the ladies. I found that being observant was the key: he invariably gave off micro-signs he'd sniffed something in the air a few seconds before his head was gone. That gave me precious moments to get him back on a lead. Not many people pay close attention to what their dogs are doing (including what they are thinking of doing!), unfortunately.

I really think a bit of joint responsibility is what's needed - if both male and female dog owners do all they can to prevent accidental mating whilst still providing quality of life for their dogs, then the risks will be very low.

Ultimately, though, it's the female dog and owner that often bear the consequences and so, inevitably, it'll also fall to them to take the greatest care. (Males are killed in things like RTA whilst chasing females so male owners don't get off scott free!)