Dogs and joggers

[TootsAtOwls]

I'm prepared to be told IABU on this but interested to know what others think...

I have a rescue dog who is mostly fine, always friendly if he meets people in the house etc. However he does sometimes bark at people he doesn't like the look of when we pass them on the street (tall men, people wearing neon colours etc). I am actively working on this with positive reinforcement (I get the treats out before we pass people so he learns that other people are a good thing) and most days pass without incident.

However, I am having trouble with (male) runners. They come out of nowhere, running around corners and hurtling past at full speed. I often don't have time to get the treat into the dog's mouth or he's already too distracted by the runner to take it. So he barks, and lunges (I know he means it in a playful way, but they don't!) They always seem to look back and give me a dirty look as i call out "Sorry!"

But I can't help thinking, if I was running past a dog, I'd either cross the road to avoid them or if that's impossible (say on a canal path) I would bloody well slow down! I get that they don't want to keep interrupting their run with bouts of walking. Bit am I so unreasonable to think that you don't run right past a dog who's looking intently at you (as opposed to a dog showing no interest)? Surely they must see it's going to get them barked at?

Unfortunately they make it near impossible to adopt / rescue dogs in the UK. 'Importing' is far better than buying.

Yabu. I have two dogs, but nobody else should have to make adjustments for them, they’re my responsibility.

People can run where they want, your dog is the issue.

Do you not realise that your dog feeling insecure and intimidated and anxious because you haven’t trained them to know that they don’t need to feel that way harms your dog? Your dog is the one that’s anxious and insecure and intimidated, that’s a horrible feeling. Why on earth are you encouraging your dog to suffer and, more than that, why on earth are you actually bragging about it? You’re making your dog sad! How is that “caring more about your dog” or “not an issue” in your mind?! Some people really shouldn’t be allowed dogs.

Really? Are you aware that many of these "rescue" dogs are puppy farmed or taken after breeding from such farms to satisfy the demand of people who think that "rescuing" a dog makes them better than everyone else? Often times you are actually buying into the worst trades you possibly could - even puppy smuggling is now so lucrative that it is controlled by hard core crinimal gangs.

I do not disagree that many UK shelters need to be more flexible about the way they place dogs, but the answer is not "import dogs" or "stop breeding dogs". The answer is far more complex than "look at me, I adopted a dog from Romania, aren't I special?"

I wouldn't worry about it, unless you think your dog might bit them.

I think if they are running towards you, it is down to you to see them and keep your dog on a tight lead but if they are approaching quietly from behind they should have more sense than to get too close.

Don't need the rant thanks. You have no idea what you are talking about.

You wouldn’t dream of it …but it isn’t you, it’s probably someone who never has had a dog, or at least a dog that’s reactive, someone whose listening to music or a podcast and not even fully taking notice of a dog coming into range, becuase…why should they?
bluntly, saying you know your dog is friendly but here’s the reason it lunges is complete blowing in wind. It’s either reactive or not. No dog should ever be allowed to lunge. Full stop. You are choosing to keep this dog, the bloke is just minding his own business. You allowing it to lunge and then apologising is just virtue signalling. Get your dog trained so you don’t have to have advanced warning to get a bribe/treat ready. Until that point you need to walk your dog in places where there is room to pull it well aside and see cyclist or runners from a long way off. If you couldn’t see round corner why didn’t YOU cross the road and ensure you had forward visisiblty given you know your dog does this

im around dogs a lot and dog sit. But the amount of excuses for poorly trained dogs to be out in amongst the public behaving badly is rising to epidemic levels on MN, and then expecting the people they alarm/scare to adjust their behaviour - fgs allow people to go about their business unmolested. Pavements were built for humans NOT dogs.

tbh it does sound like your dog is not reliable enough to be off lead on walks.

as a runner I find dogs that are not well trained a nuisance.
the number of times I have been jumped at or nipped at is unreal.
and I'm not very fast and try to give dogs enough space.

Lol. Noted. The ignorant don’t tend to like being called out.

YABU and you need to be able to keep your dog under control. Keep it on a lead.

It’s your dog you’re hurting but ok 🙄

Oh, and I’m fucking pissed off with amount of times I’m still, in this day and age, being told “oh he’s just being friendly” when someone’s random dog jumps up at me when I’m out for a walk including getting whatever crap is on their paws on my clothes without my permission. And even the dogs that come up and stick their noses in my clothes that were previously stuck in the shit pile they were investigating or the other dogs arse.
ok, I know I’m not going to get an infection form it, but it is disgusting, makes me want to vomit. You wouldn’t like it if a Guam did that so why is it acceptable to allow dogs to do this.
stop letting your dogs anywhere need people unless they’ve specifically asked to approach your dog
End of rant

sorry, misread the part about the lead.
hank you for that.

but tbh. any pedestrian (including runners) have a right to be on a footpath.

is there a running club or dog school where you expose the dog to some runners?
my running club sometimes has sessions with a dog rehoming shelter as here (in forrin) dogs from shelters have to pass a test before they are rehomed.

human not Guam 🤷🏼‍♀️

You don't know anything about me or my dog. Lots of assumptions. We are in hours of training a week to deal with their reactivity issues. One bark or growl on a short lead when they have a legitimate reason (man running fast directly at them) rather than the many other reasons we are currently managing with training, is fine. Our dog is very very loved.

That's very entitled. Why should the runner be "expecting" a lunging reaction from every random dog that they pass on their run?

Pre ongoing injury, I ran frequently on narrow towpaths and it was extremely rare to have a dog lunge at me as I ran past. It did happen very, very occasionally, but if I stopped for every bloody dog I encountered, just in case they were poorly trained, I would be walking, not running.

I have just as much right to the towpath as a dog walker, and if their dog cannot cope with everyday stimuli, that is the dog walkers issue, not mine for running on a footpath FFS!

I'm a dog owner and a runner. I move my dog close to me to make room for runners, and expect the same courtesy if I'm a runner.

I've lost count of the amount of times dogs and owners are taking up the whole path with little regard for anyone else.. and don't start me in long leads.

Equally when I'm running I'm aware of others... the elderly, mothers with pushchairs managing a toddler too..

Surely good manners means you neither hog the pavement as a dog walker, or expect a totally clear run as a runner.

Poeple going on about OP's dog not being trained - she is actively training it! She's doing all the right things with positive reinforcement. It can't happen overnight or in a vacuum. And the dog is on a lead.

I run a lot and when I see dogs, I do try and give a wide berth but I can’t always. If they lunge then I inwardly roll my eyes.

Maybe consult a specialist trainer to help with this.

People just love jumping on the "your dog isn't perfectly behaved which means you aren't a gold star dog owner, you're pretty much an animal abuser who likes to make your dog sad".

@Chickenly @Chubbernut are prime examples on this thread.

Exactly how do you define a “creepy man”…jeez…not judging Mutch are you…but then you do sound like you have some issue with human empathy

You have chosen to take on a reactive dog, so it is your responsibility to keep it under control.

I can't say I'm a fast enough (or quiet enough) runner for my appearance to be a surprise for anyone who can see or hear but like fuck am I increasing my risk as a pedestrian and crossing the road twice I'm on that side of the road for a reason just to avoid upsetting a potentially sensitive dog.

I'm generally a courteous runner but rarely get that courtesy in response from dog owners. From this thread it's apparently because I'm daring not to slow down and walk past yet another sodding precious dog!

You can love your dog as much as you like but you’re encouraging them to be unhappy. Is it any wonder you spend so much time trying to figure out how to train them when you’re getting it so bloody wrong? A runner is not a legitimate threat - that’s half the damn problem. You’re teaching your dog to be scared of things that it doesn’t need to be scared of and then are spending hours of training scratching your head trying to figure out why it’s acting like a scared dog. Loving a dog doesn’t mean you’re not hurting them - they aren’t mutually exclusive.