To think that people should use their manners when I'm out walking my dog

[politenesspooch]

I've changed name for this due to the dog haters on here.

I walk my dog on lead of an early evening (he has a long off lead walk in the morning). I'm training him to walk properly by my side on a loose leash, but it's a work in progress and will take some time. He's a spaniel and very high energy, so I use lots of treats and encouragement. I've used and paid for a trainer to be able to do this correctly and I'm following her instruction and technique.

So why then do I have to contend with joggers, people on bikes and walkers coming up right behind me and my dog, spooking us both? Why don't they say "Excuse me!" because I would quite happily move to one side and make room for them?

Tonight it was a woman who exclaimed as she walked right up behind me and surprised both me and my dog and so my dog jumped towards her because he was taken by surprise?

AIBU to think people should just use some basic manners?

I really don’t see any dog hating on this thread. Not wanting a dog jumping all over you /= hate

Perhaps a better question would be "How close do you get to the person in front of you before you swerve round them?" - some people are in that personal space zone before they swerve round, others are not and give space.

If you can elbow them in the face they are too close.
In reality, very few people get this close.

I was out running a few months ago when there was a dog ahead of me which turned, saw me and as it was on an extendable lead, ran back and bit me on the thigh. But according to the owner if was my fault as I gave it a fright. And he failed to retract the lead and let it keep attacking me. Dog owners need to be more aware.

@CakeInAJar

Yeah there are some twatty dog owners as well as twatty joggers/cyclists/walkers. But on mumsnet, it is constantly dog owners who gets it in the neck. Joggers and cyclists can complain about these twatty dog owners to their heart's content. If a dog owner tries to complain about twatty joggers or cyclists etc, we get called entitled and self absorbed.

I dunno, I guess it depends what you read - cyclists get a v hard time (justifiably so sometimes!)

Thank you. I don't feel I'm an entitled dog owner as some think I am, as I am more than happy to move out of other users way, which I do when I'm aware that others want to pass. If I'm not aware that others want to pass, I just need a heads up to do so, which I've always thought was quite basic manners. I didn't feel that was unreasonable, but it seems to most on here that it is. Perhaps I'm a bit of dinosaur!

Thank you for slowing down and saying excuse me.

Exactly this. I would take the fact that its a dog or of the equation. I have been startled when walking without the dog, and a jogger or cyclist had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Add any animal that has incisors / canines / hooves / etc, and it could be a recipe for disaster even though it shouldn't be a they have every right to be doing what they are doing. Animals if any type can have moments of unpredictability.

It just strikes me as a bit of a 'Brittas' approach. A bit like walking off the kerb in front of a car and saying 'it was my right of way'. It would indeed have been the pedestrian right of way, but it doesn't stop potential injury.

I always give some sort of notice when walking up behind people. Especially those with animals. I regularly walk through a field with two horses in, and I make damn sure I don't startle them. One end kicks, the other end bites, much better that they know I'm there 🤣

If I can overtake someone on a path without interacting with them then I will. If I said 'excuse me' when walking past someone that I could physically get past then I would feel like I was unnecessarily asking them to move out of my way and I would feel rude. If the path is so narrow that I literally could not get by then I would probably overtake on the road as I hate to impose.

Lots of people seem to move to make a good metre/half metre gap between myself and them since Covid. It seems excessive.

You need to train your dog in quieter places first before training on busy roads if it puts you on edge. The dog will eventually learn not to be spooked in most cases.

Oh and I don't move for cyclists at all. I stand my ground and make them go onto the road (unless the path is specifically allocated to pedestrians and cyclists).

People come up behind and pass people on paths in parks all the time. It is normal behaviour.

Your dog is jumping up at people doing something totally normal. They cannot be expected to know your dog is not properly trained. You are entirely responsible for the behaviour of your dog when in public.

It really is that simple, yet some dog owners still don't get it.

Reading through the replies on here is quite interesting regarding dog behaviour and training.

Dogs have to train somewhere. And for loose lead walking so they can walk around villages/towns/cities, they need to be in that environment. Sure, you can train in a field far away from anyone and anything, but you still have to proof that training and do it in many different places.

You sound like you are dedicated to making a difference to your dog poppysmom and I hope you are successful in your training.

Just to clarify, no I don't see dog haters on here, but I've seen some really awful replies in the past to other posts and didn't want that hanging over me when I usually post in my usual name.

OP I personally don’t think you need to stop walking where you normally walk at all. That’s like saying learner drivers should only go in car parks until they’re ready for the road!

Just accept that it’s fair for people to expect to overtake and not have a dog be startled for doing so. It’s a learning curve I guess.

I'd be very interested to hear about how you trained the skill in 16 weeks.

We've had two trainers and none of them have been able to. We were advised by the first trainer to give up and put him on a Halti/figure8 but the dog would drag his face along the pavement to get it off, injuring his muzzle. He'd then start hiding from us at walk time and then "pancake-ing" it, refusing to move at all. (We did start off training in the garden, extending it out to the front drive, then down our road, slowly building it up, lots of praise and reward, rinse and repeat but it was hit and miss and if he caught scent of anything remotely interesting then there was no focus at all.)

We're now with a different trainer but whilst there's progress with the gun dog side of things (recall is great!), there isn't really with the loose leash. At times at the training session it is like he has never had any training before and is an absolute pain.

So yes, if you have any pointers, I'm all ears because there's nothing I'd like more than to get it sorted!

@politenesspooch what breed is your dog?
A lab is much easier to train than a pointer and a spaniel is a different kettle of fish.

Springer - working line rather than show. @Itisyourturntowashthebath

I think Springers can be notoriously hard to train

"I've used and paid for a trainer to be able to do this correctly and I'm following her instruction and technique."

Well You've wasted your money OP. If you need paid advice to know the best way to take your dog for a 'walk in the park' maybe you should get a goldfish before you get a dog.

Springers are arses, slightly better that Brittanys but arses all the same.

We owners get mugged by the cute at home adoration, but out the house they require a really strict routine and hyper vigilant owners. You bought a hyper dog, you have to be a hyper vigilant owner. Yes, it is painful.

They can just make their presence known or cross the road and continue their journey.

But I do think it's also on the dog owner to be aware of their surroundings. I walk reactive dogs and many people don't realise that coming up quietly behind a dog may provoke a fear/ aggression / over friendly reaction but I always have an idea of what's around/ behind me so I can avoid people or can focus the dog on me before the jogger/ cyclist has passed. Its very appreciated when they have the foresight to cross or ring their bell or just say hello coming up behind you though.

This is bizarre. Dogs need teaching how to walk on a lead. They aren’t born intrinsically knowing!!

Not bizarre at all. Dogs have been around pretty much as long as we humans have.

I spose if you have more money than sense then paying someone to teach you how to do a very natural thing, seems logical.

Thankfully I've never had to pay anyone to teach me how to care for my babies and animals, but I'll take it on board that more than a few might need such advice.

Some interesting takes here.
A woman walking alone at night and a man runs up behind her and she panics.
90% of comments here would be that he's a dick.
If the woman has a dog and it becomes anxious and aggressive, 90% comments would be she needs to train her dog.