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?

Some runners are just so rude with no common sense. I had a big bloke come stomping up behind me and my reactive foster. I tried to tell him to please wait a second as he barged right past me, setting off the dog and stepping into the steaming pile of shit I tried to warn him about.

What a weirdly catty thing to come out with for no reason. You don't need to worry about my fitness levels, I assure you.

I have walked and run on all manner of paths and pavements for 15 years so I'm pretty confident in saying that if you keep your ears open you will hear most runners' footsteps way before they get to you. If you're not paying attention that's on you.

I have run in between people when the gap is between them rather than either side of the path. Not sure yelling "beep beep" at them would go down well.

This, I'm a runner and I should not have to make allowances for other people's dogs, if it lunges and barks at people you should keep it under control.

I can see both sides of this, both as an owner of a rescue who can be anxious, and as someone who understands that you can't expect everyone to be dog body language experts or expect the world to stop to accommodate you.

Have you considered clicker training? This has been a life safer for me and my dog. As soon as I see the thing that I know will cause a reaction I start clicking the clicker, move my dog out of the way and drop a handful of dry food on the floor. The dog is distracted to the food on the floor/has his nose glued to the pavement, it takes away the need to have a treat ready at all times or get one out in time, as the dog knows the clicker means the food will follow, and he starts to associate the scary things with food.

Also, as much as you might enjoy walking down the canal path, if this is somewhere where incidents like this occur often, and there's no space for you to get out the way, just don't go there. Once your dog is able to walk past a jogger without reacting then go back, but sometimes the problem can be halved by simply avoiding getting into that situation in the first place.

I agree, what is the matter with these people who want to import feral dogs from other countries??

Barking is a natural instinct
And?
A leopards natural instinct would be to kill you and drag you up a tree that doesn't mean to say we should have to put up with them in an urban setting
Just because your dog enjoys doing it doesn't mean you can inflict it on everyone else

If someone runs suddenly very close behind and past them, they will of course react. No matter how well trained they are. They can't be trained out of it in the same way we can't be trained out of our startle reflex or knee jerk reflex.

Thank you for saying this, I was wondering if I was going crazy!
I think I'll ALWAYS have to have to have the treats ready just in case
And I do notice a lot of men seem to like running up behind women, particularly at night time... but that's a whole other thread.

You want runners to yell a warning when they come round a corner because your dog isn't well behaved ?

I’m a runner and I have a dog and sometimes I do the two together!

as a runner, I find it v annoying when you have a couple of people who walk down the centre of the path and then moan when you say excuse me and then they turn and face you like you’ve just called them a nasty name! 🙄
I generally expect dogs to give a little chase as they think you’re chasing something exciting

when I’m running with the dog, I have the same issues

when out with the dog on a walk, it can be annoying that people tend to appear out of nowhere which then spooks the dog but whether it’s a cyclist, kid on a scooter etc I try to just be considerate of others… for me that’s the main issue, everyone is ‘how it affects me!’ Rather than how can we share these spaces together

I'm very pleased to say I do not get it, I do not share your weird fetish which verges on bestiality
Crack on with whatever bizarre stuff you get up to with your 'baby' but keep the shitting thing away from the rest of us

It's the responsibility of the person coming up behind someone to get past safely and to leave room.

What if the person ahead has headphones in, is hard of hearing or is just daydreaming a bit? Nobody walks along the pavement constantly checking over their shoulder.

And running between two people is incredibly dickish. I'd be very loudly calling anyone who does that a fucking twat.

As a runner I usually move out of the way where possible (on to the road if safe or cross over to give the dog space). Unfortunately a lot of the time I find pedestrians very unaware, I will call out when I am several metres away and I am often not heard/ignored and have to repeat myself several times and slow right down. If people do here me they frequently just stop and block the whole pavements or as a group they split which can be intimidating to have to walk through if they have dogs. I have been knocked down many times while running due to owners having poor control of their dogs :(

@Chickenly wtf are you talking about?? You absolute head case 😂

"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?!"

This is completely nonsensical!!

Some dogs won't ever be okay with runners or things they perceive as threats, it's not through lack of training more the nature of the dog. Just try to listen out for runners coming behind you, or if they're coming at you, keep the dog on a very short leash on the opposite side to the runner so it has no freedom to lunge. If it barks it's not the end of the world, they're not machines and they have likes and dislikes and fears just like people do and just like people they won't always be tricked by treats or forced into being comfortable with some things.

She’s absolutely correct. The person she was responding to was absolutely wrong. You’ve quoted it as if she said it to the OP when she didn’t.

I'm a runner and a dog owner. I am perfectly happy to slow down for a dog (or anyone else for that matter) on a narrow path, and if I'm on a pavement then I think it's my job to get into the road if someone has to - I'm more of a risk to others as I'm moving faster, and also better able to get past quickly. I also slow down just before going round a corner if I can't see round it.

I used to be quite good at running, when I did more training, and I therefore know that it makes literally no difference to your workout if you have to slow down or even stop for a few seconds. If I were doing a specific workout that involved running at a consistent pace, I'd go somewhere where I'd be less likely to encounter dogs, horses, pedestrians etc. That is the runner equivalent of 'don't walk your reactive dog somewhere it will encounter triggers'.

OP is doing absolutely the right thing, desensitising her dog to triggers using food rewards. But the training is only likely to work if she can reward at a safe distance from the triggers, and that's not likely to happen if some runners insist on acting like inconsiderate dicks. OP - my suggestion would be to try and avoid walks without good visibility while doing some targeted runner training, e.g. try a local park on a Sunday morning, and build up to taking dog to watch parkrun on a Saturday from a safe distance with lots of treats, gradually getting nearer.

Absolutely this. They shouldn't be coming up that close behind me anyway.

I find their behaviour very intimidating when they do that. I don't know if they plan to try to snatch my bag or worse.

You're not crazy. Runners are like cyclists: you get nice ones and utter twats. In my experience, male runners are maybe slightly more likely to fall into the twat camp but female runners can be that way too. Also sometimes, if you're really pushing and you're in pain, you don't really have the energy to notice what's happening around you as much as you should.

It just comes down to give and take. Dogs are going to be dogs. Most people are fine around dogs. Some are twats because they're nervous or just don't like animals. Most people are considerate and chill, imo.

@Thesharkradar I got a proper belly laugh from your post imagining leopards going round my local park on leads!!

I think yabu. Your dog, your responsibility (obviously some runners are more courteous than others but in general runners shouldnt have to be wary about every dog they pass in case it goes for them). I run and give dogs a lot of room as I don't trust a lot of dog owners after way too many experiences of "don't worry he's friendly " whilst a dog jumps up at me/the kids, but in general you're expecting too much. If the dog is struggling with runners maybe try one of those dog fields/play areas (no idea what they are called!)

I'm not a runner or a dog lover 😁

But to all the dog owners 'just' a lunge, 'just' a little jump up, just saying hello, just being friendly - not okay! If you don't have the power to stop your animal reacting in this way then you need to shorten the lead.

Seriously, most people don't care if your dog is in training or not. That's your job to sort out, no one needs to accommodate it. Sorry

Oh dear
You do realise how unreasonable that sounds?

I have a dog and I run, I think yabu. If I had to cross the road for every dog I would never actually run because it’s every couple of minutes.

I also think it’s unfair to call men intimidating because they are running, they have the right to exercise as much as you have the right to exercise your dog, your dog is the one with the problem not them so why do they need to change their behaviour?

I think YABU. I am a dog owner and a runner, when I’m running I’m running and not thinking about what other peoples dogs are doing. Am I really meant to anticipate the needs of all the dogs I pass? I sympathise if your dog’s upset but I think the onus is on you to help your dog learn to cope with normal runner behaviour, ie running past, or walk somewhere without runners. I agree that the suggestion of deliberately finding runners to help with your training - we often go to a park where parkrun is on at weekend and have the puppy sit and watch runners so he knows it’s just a normal thing.

You shouldn't be running past someone or hurdling dog leads.

You should slow to a walk and move around people respectfully.

In the same way I do with my dog or horse.

YABU IMO. Work on the training. Go to big open parks and find a spot out the way of the pavements and sit with treats and reward every time there is a runner in the distance and they dont react. Then work on closing the gap.

I wouldn’t begrudge anyone on a run, you say you wouldn’t dream of running past a dog but equally many with reactive dogs wouldn’t dream of walking them somewhere with narrow paths or limited visibility and expect others to make all accommodations for a dog