About this gormless man?

[Pennn]

I have a reactive dog (long story but not a lock down puppy).

I’ve been following positive reinforcement training for the past two years and she’s much better than she was. If a dog is walking past I take her to the side, feed treats, keep her attention on me as as long as they don’t walk towards us she’s fine.

So this morning - bloke with a dog approaching so I take mine to a side and start feeding treats until they get passed. So what does gormless man do? He decides to just stand there watching me with his dog staring at my dog. I stand in front of my dog to block any eye contact so he moves a bit further along so his dog can “watch” my dog again. The expression on his face was so bloody gormless! What exactly did he think was going on that was so interesting that he needed to stand and watch?

Was he being deliberately annoying or just a bit dopey not realising that he was causing me problems? (My dog was getting visibly wound up by the fact that there was a stranger and his dog just stood staring at us and it was getting difficult to keep her attention … this would have been obvious to even the most dopey person!)

Why couldn't you walk off or use your words ?

Because her attention was on her dog, obviously.

People are generally gormless OP. See also people who stop dead at the top/bottom of escalators in the way of everyone etc.

Well I did walk off in the end but this increases the chances of a reaction.

Then you'd walk past with the treat touching the dogs nose in your fist to keep their attention @Sparklfairy
Not expect the man to know what you were doing

Eh? Sounds like a non-event. Just walk on.

Did your mother never teach you - or him - it's rude to stare?

I've had this while training my rescue to be more sociable with other dogs.

I just said nice and loudly "good boy, well done on keeping calm, they'll move on soon so that we can continue" or some similar thing clearly not actually aimed at my dog.

Mine wasn't reactive, more that he thought everyone wanted to play as vigorously as he does, but the manifestation is similar.

There’s some weirdos out there OP. Will never forget sitting on a bench in town with my dog peacefully minding her business, when a man spotted us and crossed the road in order to start creeping up on my dog like you might joke with a kid, pretending to be creeping up on them - all exaggerated and dramatic if you know what I mean? As he got closer, grinning like a maniac, I asked him what the hell he was doing and he stopped. But honestly, if you go around doing that to dogs, don’t cry when you get bitten.

😂😂 god almighty what is wrong with people?!

I am not a dog owner. I like animals and dogs and treat them with care and respect.
I am not an expert on dog behaviour and don't think I should have any more knowledge than "don't approach a dog" while out and about.

The chap's behaviour does sound a bit strange, but nothing that doesn't happen on a day to day basis in public.

Why didn't you just explain that you have a reactive dog that you're trying to train and could he please move on? Surely the onus is on you if you are out with a dog which acts in an unpredictable manner?

The thing is he's probably not a mind reader. He won't know your dog is reactive and has very specific triggers. Maybe he just wondered what you were doing. The fact walking on might make your dog more reactive isn't really his issue and he won't have known that anyway. I also have a reactive dog.

But why was he STARING? was he hungry? Did he want a dog treat?

Honestly @Pennn there are some idiot dog owners out there. Usually smaller dogs on flexi leads. Drives me up the wall.

I have a very large dog who sadly is now also slightly nervous of other dogs - mainly because he has been attacked on NUMEROUS occasions by smaller off lead dogs. I do the same - sit to the side to let them pass but the amount of people who just don’t bother putting their dogs on leads, even tho mine is, and allow them to approach him/ climb under his belly/ yap in his face is unbelievable. Usually followed by some variation of “haha isn’t that funny my small dog is having a go! He doesn’t know his size!” 🤬 GAH

Just so fucking stupid. If any owners like this are reading - IF YOU SEE AN ON LEAD DOG, put your own fucking dog on a lead or don’t approach them. Twats.

A few years ago me and dd took our very antisocial rottweiler out. Wearing a muzzle and a collar and lead... Sat on a bench so a man could pass with his ddog as she was going nuts tbh... Wasn't happy!
The man actually came and sat on the other end of the bench! I am sat with a snarling slobbering mass of teeth and he thinks getting a close up was a good idea!
Some people need kept indoors...

So you and your antisocial dog get dibs on a whole bench?

There seem to be so many reactive, antisocial dogs around these days, and many owners believe that the general public should react in a certain way because dog is on lead/dog is on other side of road/dog is pulling on lead/owner is sitting with dog.

It’s common sense that if someone is sitting on the bench already with an obviously unfriendly dog you don’t just go and park your arse on the same bench! Unless you’re being deliberately awkward

There is more than 30 benches along the seafront where I live.... I was on half of 1. On a dark winter evening I doubt the other 29 were all occupied..

So you all want people to train their dogs/ have perfectly trained dogs but don’t want to alter your behaviour at all to help facilitate this?

This annoys the hell out of me too!! 😂 My dog is frightened of other dogs and so we sit quietly and watch other dogs go by at a safe distance. The number of gormless eejits who then stop up and stare is unbelievable! I have now got the point where I just ask them to move along as they are scaring my dog.

I think I probably would have said something like 'sorry we have just stopped to let you go past'. And then depending on how they replied you would know if they were just unaware / gormless / weird.

I had a really similar situation last week, I saw a lady with two spaniels coming towards me and my small but feisty dog so I moved to one side and got my dogs attention with a treat.

Rather than just walk past the lady stopped to stare at me 🤨

I walked on but was really like wtf?