Dogs on leads, yay or nay

[Aibutousethisname]

Genuinely interested in people's opinions on this. Should dogs be on leads in public places?
Yes =yanbu
No= yabu

Reactive doesn’t mean aggressive.

My dogs always on a lead unless we rent a field for an hour.

I just wish there were more proper public dog parks, with sandpits and pools and tunnels, where you could take friendly off lead dogs for a good play!

I like dogs to be able to be off lead and have fun, and I don't think it's possible to get "100% recall" by practising at home or in secure fields. However, I also don't want my dog to be a nuisance to dogs who have to stay on leads so it's a tricky one.

I am not sure anyone said they were the same thing?

This is so vague. What do we mean by public places? The middle of town centre, streets? Well, most owners do so because indeed, it would be dangerous for the dog and drivers, cyclists etc ...not to.

In a park? Either dogs are allowed of leads because it's safe or not. So owners are expected to follow the rules. People are free to avoid parks where dogs are allowed of the leads if they are concerned about themselves, children et.... Somehow kids, toddlers, old people, squirrels and dogs manage to all get along without incidents in my closest park.

You then have the beach or country side. It all depends how busy it is. Busy, dog on lead, not busy, dogs who have good recall (good as expected because well trained) can be free to roam.

It really doesn't have to be all or nothing.

It depends. Busy public area with kids playing, picnics and dogs then yes mine would be on a lead. He’s an over friendly Labrador good not 100% recall. But quiet public areas ie early morning beach, hill walk or woods that you may meet the occasional person I’d let him
off. Call him back to go past other dogs and he’s not really bothered with people

I let my dog off the lead in the park if there's nobody else around and put him back on as soon as I see anyone, no matter how far away they are.

He's a little wimp and will bolt if a dog approaches him so it's for his own safety.

I have a dog of my own. We often take him to a quiet area where he is left off the lead. However if people show up he goes on the lead.
I am, and always have been, afraid of dogs I don't know. Bitten on two separate occasions as a child.
I personally think that people who leave their dogs loose in public areas are a little bit like parents who leave their children run around restaurants 😂.
Not everyone thinks they are adorable.

In my local area, dogs in leads are 95% dogs on the streets, so on lead for safety reasons, or because of poor recall. It is expected that dogs say hello to each other on the lead. Dogs who are reactive, either agressive or frightened, their owners usually tuck their dog closer to them and don't make eye contact, change trajectory, wait or just explain.

It's never an issue.

I personally think that people who leave their dogs loose in public areas are a little bit like parents who leave their children run around restaurants
The comparison would be kids paying football in the park.

A dog let loose who ignores people or other dogs is doing nothing wrong at all.

You are precisely an example of holier than thou dog owners who are indeed as thick as mince. Can't see outside of your own perfect bubble.

You have no idea of the level of my dogs training. You also have no idea of the incident that made her reactive. But apparently, we shouldn't be allowed out in public. Get a life you absolute bellend.

I agree and there aren't really many dogs who are actually capable of that level of recall.

Most dogs should be on leads in most public places.

Dogs need to be under control, whether this means on a lead depends on the dog and the place.

We have 2 dogs, their recall is very good compared to other dogs we see out, but most of the time they are on their leads. We hire a private field a couple of times a week where they are obviously off the lead, and sometimes go off lead in the park or on the beach if there is nobody else around, if other people or dogs approach they are put back on the lead.

Most dogs we see out have a lot worse recall than ours but they are off lead. We walk them through the woods (on lead) and most dogs there are off lead and some have hardly any recall, we once helped a man find his dog who had run off and wouldn't come back, he had literally rescued the dog 2 days before and already was letting him off lead. Owners need to take much more responsibility to make sure there dogs are fully trained and only when there recall is almost perfect let them off lead in public.

I think walking dogs off lead is fine in certain areas. I have a dog and do walk him off the lead in local woodland and at dog friendly beaches etc… not near livestock or roads (and I wouldn’t let him off if he jumped up at people).

I do wish there were clearer and stricter rules though. It’s so annoying when I’ve followed signs and put my dog back on his lead just for him to be jumped all over by off lead dogs.

Dog owners that let their dogs jump up at my toddler shouldn’t be allowed pets at all though.

Depends what is meant by public space. We are surrounded by miles and miles of countryside and woodlands. In some places we hardly see a single person (or maybe another random dog walker or hiker who my dog ignores). She has a super happy and healthy life getting plenty of exercise, running around following smells. I don’t see any problems with this whatsoever.

I get what you are saying but I disagree with you.
My own Dc play football in the garden, the local football pitch, or if in the park, away from other people.

I don't need to know what you have done to train your dog. Nor do I need to know anything about the incicent that made her aggressive (it was you who said she is aggressive, not just reactive). You have said, and the evidence is there for all to see, that your dog is aggressive even on a lead, but you expect everyone else to respect your space rather than either addressing your dogs behaviour or taking the dog where it cannot become aggresive. So you are exhibiting exactly the "thick as mince" (in your words) entitled behaviours of an owner with an out of control dog who becomes abusive when their own poor behaviour is called out. Please do feel free to continue to demonstrate the point that the OP is making about "thick as mince dicks".

Personally I’d prefer it if people:

• didn’t get dogs if they weren’t able to train it properly, including decent recall
• actually socialised their puppies
• didn’t get dogs they couldn’t control
• didn’t expect those of us with well behaved, well socialised dogs to endlessly tiptoe around their reactive nightmares.

If you’ve got a problem dog then keep it away from other dogs. And most definitely on a lead.

My dog does not need to be on a lead all the time, nor have any other dog I’ve ever owned. It’s a shit life for a dog imo.

Public places, to me, would be places where other people are around.
Parks, streets etc

But your interpretation of it is both vague and nothing to do with the legal definition. There are lots of places full of people which are private venues and lots of public places which are often deserted.

this is so vague.
I get the principle and the reasoning behind it and I sympathise.

I live in a large town.
There are parks in town which are busy and where absolutley all dogs should be on leads.

But there are a number of large areas. Woods, fields, meadows, canal paths etc which are all technically in 'town'. They are used mainly by dog walkers. In particular if you are there at 7 am the only other people there are dog walkers.

Despite occasional niggles and the odd idiot, most of the dog walkers get along just fine. I would say that 80% or more of the dogs are off lead in these spaces. Some of them playing together, some walking past. As I said the occasional idiot.

there is no need for these dogs to be on lead.

defining public space is never going to be possible in law

What? This is bizarre. She’s not expecting people to manage her dog for her, just not deliberately provoke them by getting in their space.

My dog is called to me when we pass a dog on a lead (unless the owner says it’s ok to say hello). A dog on a lead is under control. Any altercation would be the fault of the owner who didn’t have their dog on a lead.

A dog on a lead is under control.

As has been observed several times on this thread (and many others), a dog on a lead is not the same thing as under control. A dog under control, on or off the lead, is not aggressive. An owner under control of themselves doesn't resort to abuse to prove their point either.

When my children were children they always behaved in public places , likewise my dog doesn’t bother other people because he’s properly trained not to . He only approaches people who ask him to come over and that he knows .

Do we have a clear definition of public space? I mean does it literally mean everywhere outside one's home? What about where I walked my dog today and saw only a handful of other off lead dogs and their owners?

Of course, that is why I said "to me". 😁. I suppose the term *public places' is as open to interpretation as the term 'under control'.
I am not really asking about the situation in a legal sense. I was just interested in people's opinions.
I leave my own dog loose in a quiet area. But I am lucky enough to have access to wide open rural areas. But if I see a dog off a lead approaching me, I do feel nervous, no matter how much the owner tries to say that they are friendly.
But I do appreciate that not everyone feels that way and most people just want to give their dog some excerise.