Was I rude/wrong in this situation?

[clankist]

Was out walking my two seven month chihuahuas today. I have treated them like dogs from day one and they are very well trained. They walk off lead absolutely fine and don't bother other dogs at all, however if a dog comes running over to them they will bolt.

Today I was walking them off lead and there were two big golden retriever with two women who were chatting. We were quite a distance away but one of the retrievers started barking and running towards me/my dogs. I put my hand out in a 'stop' motion as it got closer. I said, 'stop' and when that didn't work I said 'no'. That didn't work either and my dogs started to run away.

I moved away from the dogs and began to call for my dogs but the retriever kept following me so my dogs were standing watching at a distance but wouldn't come over due to the dog being next to me. I shouted across to the woman, 'can you please get your dog?' No reply and she continued talking.

I moved away again, calling my dogs and the dog followed me again. I looked at the lady and shouted, 'can you get your dog?' She didn't move.

I moved away again and the dog followed once again, at this point I was exasperated and said a little sternly, 'will You move your dog!?'

She came over and said, 'my dog isn't anywhere near your dogs' rudely.

I said, 'yeah because they ran away terrified due to your dog coming up to them. If your dog is off lead it shouldn't be running up to my dogs'

She went to say something but I just held up my hand and said, 'thank you'.

I then continued my walk with my dogs and the lady met another dog walker who then started pointing to me and shaking their head.

Did I do the right thing to deal with this situation or was I too sensitive? I just think you shouldn't have your dog off the lead unless you know they will not approach any other dogs without permission.

I totally agree with you OP, your dogs were minding their own business and should not have to tolerate unwelcome dogs off lead and in their faces. This absolutely infuriates me and i would have been a lot ruder!!

Sorry I thought I had added in my first post that the other owner doesn't sound like she had control either as even if her dog had approached yours she should have beenable to recall it straight away also.

You were rude and unreasonable.

My dog is very friendly and often goes up to other dogs when he is off lead.

If another dog is on lead, then I will put him back on his lead or recall him. That's the signal to other dog owners that they don't want to be approached.

I don't know of any dog trained not to approach another off lead dog without permission.

If your dogs are anxious and bolt when other dogs go near them, they should be on a lead.

No stranger's dog is going to understand stop if they haven't been trained to understand that word. And stop what?

If the dogs were nowhere near your dog, it would have been difficult to understand what you were expecting.

Putting your hand up to someone is incredibly rude and disrespectful.

Both sets of dogs off lead, so you should be expecting interaction - which is what happened.

Your dogs being by nervous of others means they should be on a lead im
afraid. What happens if your dogs run into a road? Other dogs likely take the running away as part of playing so they are likely to be chased.

IMO you were in the wrong, not her. yes, she could have called her dogs when you asked but she wasn’t unreasonable to assume they wanted to play because they weren’t on a lead. This is your issue.

Yes you were rude
yes you were wrong to have your dogs off the lead without full control.

I would say you shouldn't have your dog off lead in a public place at all unless they return when called immediately. Which means technically you were both in the wrong. She wasn't paying attention to her dog and therefore her dog wasn't under her control and equally you are aware that in certain situations your dogs will run away when approached by larger dogs, so I would think it's unsafe for them to also be off lead in a place where there will likely be other dogs around. Situations happen and we learn from them going forward, be glad that nothing bad happened to any of the dogs and in future do what you can to prevent your dogs from being able to run too far away from you, like using a retractable lead for example

Putting up your hand was extremely impolite. As everyone has said, if your dogs are a flight risk, they ought to be on the lead. If a dog is off lead, I expect it to be non-aggressive and able to cope with other dogs off lead coming up to it. One of mine is worried about bigger dogs but he’ll just stand to the side, there’s no running away.

You were both rude however as your dogs had run off I'd have been shouting at her to get her dog, I probably would have sworn if she wasn't paying attention to her own mutt, but I would say it was both our faults

Having a dog off lead indicates they're approachable and friendly. If your dog isn't then put them on a lead! You're in the wrong here, although she should have recalled hers when you asked.

The general rule is that if dogs are off lead then other dogs can approach them to play.

The general rule is you recall your dog if they’re not interacting well with other dogs. This woman wasn’t even paying attention and had to be asked three times to recall her dog. I’d be frustrated by that point if I was the OP too.

No. This is such bullshit. Unless you know the other owner wants your dog to approach, keep your dog to yourself.

Obviously you were rude. Train your dogs or keep them on leads away from other dogs

I've got 2 Chihuahuas and no way would I have them off lead they could come to harm if they bolt

@clankist my dog is perfectly fine off lead, happy with other dogs but scared of big bouncy ones. I got him a yellow ‘nervous’ harness and it’s helped. You still get shit owners but on the whole interactions have improved.

You were in the wrong because you're dogs were off lead. She could have responded more quickly but if the dogs weren't being aggressive it probably wasn't obvious to her what the problem was.

Your dogs shouldn't have been off the lead and neither should the other woman's.

They walk off lead absolutely fine and don't bother other dogs at all, however if a dog comes running over to them they will bolt.

This is not "absolutely fine". You're delusional if you think that's the case and you were very, very rude. The other dog is standing beside you, how is the other dog walker meant to know there's an issue? As far as she can tell, her dog is near you. You're also assuming she could hear you and understand you.

I hope one day your dogs don't bolt into traffic and you're held liable for the outcome... Then you might have to think carefully about what "absolutely fine" means.

Both BU.

You know your dogs are a flight risk so should either have them on leads or leash them when close to other unleashed dogs.

She should have gotten her dog quicker or been aware what and where it was.

Putting your hand in someone's face is rude. I'd have been petty and left my dog to do as it pleased seeing as it wasn't agressive.

Probably a good thing I don't have a dog.

This is not true at all.

My dog wouldn’t want to be approached; he wants to follow a scent or run after a ball. He puts up with clueless dogs bothering him but absolutely hates it. That doesn’t mean he has to be confined to a lead for his whole life.

Put your dog's on a lead when another dog approaches if they are likely to run away. Not fair to blame the other owner for something that is your issue and easily avoided.

Yes, the other owner shouldn't have let her dog approach you, but having your dog off lead implies you are happy for your dog to play with others.

You were rude yes, and your dogs are not reliable and responsive so should not be off lead.

Sounds like neither of you have control over your dogs, so none of them should be off the lead.

You should not have had your dogs off lead as they were not under control. The other dogs should not have been off lead if their recall is bad.

Yes you were rude.

This.

This thread is eye-opening. So many clueless dog owners

We encounter a dog with one of these on down the lane recently. I immediately recalled my dog and put him back on his lead so we could walk quickly past.

It a really clear and sensible signal.