It's an off lead dog one.

[Maluki]

I walk my dog in the local park every day. There are sections where he is on lead and sections where I let him off. He is extremely used to people and dogs and generally very well behaved.

As we arrive at the park I always let him off lead and he does a poo. This is on a field area beside a path.

Today he did his poo in the field about 6 feet off the path as usual. I noticed a man in a suit approaching along the path. My dog then went back on to the path to wait for me and I leaned down to pick up the poo.

Very very unusually, my dog started to bark - he barked 4 or 5 times - and I saw he was now behind the man (who had walked past him). I was about to apologize, my dog almost never barks at people (he sometimes barks at really unusual things like a person wearing a sombrero or riding a tricycle, and this guy wasn't wearing anything unusual, except a slightly dishevelled suit on a Saturday morning). The man totally lost it at me. He started screaming that he had been bitten on the back of the leg by a dog, that my dog and dogs like him are aggressive and that it would bite my children and kill them (I didn't have my kids with me). He told me to get the dog away from him or he would kick it in the head. My dog is a bloody 10 lb cavapoo!

I appreciate that my dog should not have barked and that the man was triggered. If he had shouted to put it on a lead, before he walked past it, I would gladly have done so. My dog has excellent recall, and is completely reliable on the "wait" signal. He's actually a dream to get back on lead - but I hadn't called him over as there was no sign of what was about to happen. I do wonder if this man inadvertently spooked my dog or even kicked out at him in fear or something as it's so unusual for him to bark at people like that.

Aibu to think that the man, in his fear, may have inadvertently caused the dogs reaction? And that my dog behaved badly but it could have been avoided if the man had just called out for me to hold the dog?

As a dog owner, I wouldn't like an off lead dog standing near me and barking at me. Barking at people isn't a friendly behaviour is it? So I'd be a bit apprehensive of what it's next move was. I especially wouldn't like it from behind me. Ever had a dog chase you from behind, OP? It's fucking horrible. Had it with a rottie when I was younger. Also had it from a dalmatian when out jogging. Also had it from a yorkshire terrier that tried to bite my foot.

I'm a dog person - yet even I'd feel uncomfortable with that. It doesn't matter how small or cute you think your dog is. Ever been bitten by a small dog op?

He doesn't know your dog - so is judging from the behaviour presented infront of him. And your dog was barking at him.

I've mentioned elsewhere my dogs are rescues, don't like people (as in, they generally don't want anything to do with them until they've got a chance to know them a bit) and they certainly never, ever bark at a stranger whilst walking in public places, much less off lead. One was highly reactive when she arrived, and would bark just outside of our front door - I nipped it in the bud fucking rapidly. It's intimidating to people who don't know the dog.

You absolutely should train it out, or keep her leaded if she can have a go at people (barking) when she doesn't like what she sees, such as someone wearing a bloody hat or whatever. Then at least folk know your dog can't hurt them, and they won't feel threatened.

A lot of people will feel threatened by a dog barking at them when off lead, in a public place when they are simply going about their business. They have a right not to be made to feel this way.

If I thought a dog was going to go for me because it was barking at me, and near my feet or whatever, and I genuinely felt threatened, I'd absolutely kick it away. Keep your dog under control and don't let it get in that situation.

If you're responsible and have good recall (which you absolutely should have if you're letting her off lead in public) then it's not hard to call a dog close to you when you see people near, or are distracted. Both my dogs sit and won't move whilst I'm bent over picking up their poo - they know (because I trained them) that they have to wait, stay near me, and we can carry on once it's done. If I'm bent over I can't see folk, horses, other dogs, kids, or whatever else coming.

The guy told you he'd been bitten in the back of the leg by a dog - he was obviously worried, OP. Honestly, the amount of owners who don't get this into their head, give the rest a bad name. And even worse when they think it's fine because their dog is small.

So if its not ok for a dog to make someone feel uncomfortable, how is it ok for a man to berate a stranger, and make them feel uncomfortable?

Dogs bark for lots of reasons - when playing and having fun, when spooked or feeling uncomfortable, when angry, truly frightened, defensive, trying to make something/someone go away, when calling out for a response if they're alone.

So a bark is not automatically unfriendly or aggressive, and aggression in any case is usually fear related - predatory behaviour, the desire to kill, dissect and consume is rarely accompanied by barking!

I think this guy was an arsehole, he was clearly NOT so terrified of the dog that he was reacting out of fear, he continued to approach and pass the OP's dog without calling out to ask her to recall the dog or put him on a lead. SO he wasn't frozen in fear, he wasn't unable to act... he chose to keep going and then have a go at teh OP, probably because she was an easy target and it made him feel good.

OP's only error is her dog being out of her direct eyeline, so she has no idea what the man did (if anything) as he approached or passed her dog. She and her dog have certainly not committed any dog related offence, barking is not illegal in this context.

I'm currently on Dartmoor doing a big walk. Yesterday I got barked at by two dogs. One was in his own farmyard and as we approached barked like crazy while still wagging his tail. We kept walking since the footpath went through the yard. My friend and I aren't particularly brave people but it was obvious the dog meant no harm. We continued walking and the dog and us were fine.
The second time a tiny dog rushed and barked at us when we crossed a stone bridge. Owners were picnicking by the river. Honestly it was no biggie as an event. I gave the dog some reassuring sing-song words and on we went. I don't even think my heart rate raised.
I think OP's man was probably the type of person to kick off in a variety of situations.

Now cows on a field we had to cross - that scared me!

Some very interesting replies on here, several of which have reinforced my view that dogs really are better kept on leads in public places. OP, while you probably didn't intend to BU, I conclude that indeed YABU here. Learn for next time.

I can’t say about ’every time’, of course. In this case, if it had happened before OP wouldn’t have posted because it wouldn’t have surprised her. She’d know her dog takes against randoms.

in the case of your toddler, if it had happened before they wouldn’t have let the dog near your toddler.

Everything has a first time, and bad things don’t happen twice if it’s avoidable. Some things are predictable and you can avoid a first time. Some things are not.

Dogs are allowed to bark there is no law against it.

This thread is mental, the man is saying he was big but I'm not sure if he was or not because the man may have be carrying a knife 😆😆

bit!

And toddlers are the same as dogs, do toddlers ever attack or kill people? I guess there's Chucky!

Exactly.
Dogs bark and whimper and growl (it's a growl you probably need to worry about, not a bark)
Cats miaow and purr
Humans shout and talk and laugh and scream.

It is common sense and good manners to put your dog on a lead if another person is approaching (with or without dogs).

There are so many bad dog owners out there with poorly trained dogs, the person walking towards you is not going to know if you have your dog under control or not.

In this case, you did not have your dog under control in a public place. It just goes to show that you can never be sure how even a well trained dog will behave.

YANBU OP.

Some people seriously overreact when it comes to dogs.

My collie walks to a close heel off lead. Has zero interest in other dogs, people or small animals. We walked past an outdoor (dog friendly) seating area in a park cafe one day.
Suddenly I was being shouted at by a woman, as seeing my dog off lead (from several metres away) had caused HER dog to bite her teenage son. 🤔

With all due respect, you cannot decide if someone is 'overreacting' or not because you have no idea of that person's previous experience.
Keeping dogs on leads and keeping them well away from other people would be a fairly simple solution.

If you are walking in a place frequently used by dog walkers then you have to accept that there will in all likelihood be dogs present. Both on lead and off. Your personal issues are yours to deal with, to an extent. A barking dog is a common occurance.

I have had a dog reactive rescue dog in the past, we never went to those kinds of places with her. We didn't expect the whole world to bend to her needs.

How about if people are walking their dogs in areas also used by the general public then it's their responsibility to ensure their dog isn't bothering other people? This could be managed easily by keeping it on a lead.

Just for clarity, was the dog sat, still, for the whole time at the side of the path? This I'd be fine with, and would just scoot off the path for a bit to avoid.

Or, was the dog walking towards the path/ man? This, combined with barking and owner occupied with cleaning up would really unnerve me. I HATE being approached by dogs, even more so if they are barking.

Asking for dogs to be called back is usually met with a ridiculous "he's friendly" or " he just wants to say hi". The only positive ones are when the owners see me freeze and call back. The rest usually allow their dog to continue to approach even after I've asked them to recall.

Also, asking someone to is frightened (unreasonably or not) to turn their back on the thing that is causing the panic is absolutely ridiculous. I am not going to turn my back on it - I want to be able to avoid it if it comes closer.

That would be an acceptable comment if there were dog free areas available. But certainly in our area there is no designated dog free area.

A dog will bark whether on lead or not. Whether muzzled or not.

@SpookyLadle , would you consider walking with your dog on the lead as a visual cue that your dog is under effective control?

Fair enough if you are on a farm to demonstrate your dog training skills, but a bit unnecessary and inappropriate in a residential/leisure area.

It's just reassuring if they are on lead and muzzled.

As a tiny kid, a great dane climbed up into my pushchair and scared the crap out of me. I ended up having to have hypnotherapy because I ran into traffic to avoid a dog.

When my kids were small, a big dog ran under the picnic bench we were eating lunch at, thrust his head up between my son’s legs and tried to eat his lunch.

On a beach once a dog tried to rip my son’s nappy off.

My son was so terrified of dogs after those incidents he had several weeks of therapy to get it under control.

I was running in the woods once and a dog shot out of a car boot and started nipping at my heels, owner staring uselessly and helplessly.

Once in a pub beer garden a dog was out of control in the children’s playground with nobody doing anything about it, crying kids stuck up on the equipment. I marched it out on its hind legs to shame it.

And now when I run I frequently end up trying to negotiate dog owners with multiple dogs running around chaotically or standing on one side of the path, lead stretched across like a tripwire to the other side. If I go onto the verge to pass I’m likely to tread in shit thanks to these geniuses doing “stick and flick”.

I think it’s reasonable that I now have a very anti-dog mindset, and like the victim being blamed in this OP react badly to having a dog imposed on me or invading my space.

I also enjoy seeing the poo bag trees and piles of poo bags around the entrance gates to the woods.

All dogs on leads at all times please unless on private land, don’t leave bags of faeces everywhere and don’t trail long leads across paths like tripwires - leave room for everyone else !

A barking dog on a lead and under the control of the owner is much less threatening than a barking dog off lead and potentially not under the control of the owner.

Man needs to get therapy and stop projecting his dear at everyone else. Dogs bark sometimes, it's how they communicate. Your dog wasn't being aggressive. Wasn't hounding up to him etc and tbh. You didn't do anything wrong and I am usually an anti-dog person.

It was a small dog. You can't court it's barking.

All a complete over reaction.

Can't control.