Aggressive dogs in pubs

[spookyastic]

Me, my husband and my 18 moth toddler were just in a pub for tea, arrived at 6ish and in the corner of the bar were two cocker spaniels who were absolutely fine with everyone in the restaurant except our 18 month old child.
Our 18 month old was exploring (this might be unreasonable on our part) it was a small pub and she was around our bar stools, always within reach but these cockers kept lunging, barking and growling at her, at one point I had to pull my daughter by her arm as she was about to get lunged at, it made the whole experience in a very small pub really intense.
I genuinely don't know if I'm being unreasonable, these dogs were on leads and if my toddler did get bitten it would be because she went in the dogs space.
We don't hate dogs btw, we own trained gundogs ourselves who we trial to a high standard, cockers too, none would ever bite or show aggression:
We didn't say anything, we just were on guard in the bar area until we were seated but what's everyone's thoughts on this? She didn't even apologise for her dogs aggressive behaviour, but equally we didn't apologise for our toddler walking past the dogs or playing near, but it's a small pub and they were in a doorway

Anyway I'm off to sleep, I'm just glad I can trust my dogs to be in an eatery with other dogs and children, not that I'd take them in anyway as... really, why would you

Swiss cheese

A bit of both. Don't let a toddler wander round a pub, far too many dangers. But I would expect dogs that would lunge aggressively towards a toddler to be muzzled at least.

@BellaAndDave I walk 15 I work 7. Some are old and retired some are young and not yet trained to the gun you don't quite get the gundog thing do you?

@BellaAndDave you still have to control your dogs when you walk them, mine walk to heel rurally yes but we often pass, walkers, dogs, cars.... cyclists, they all behave beautifully

Toddlers are not for pubs. It doesn't sound great with these dogs but an 18 month year old child in a pub is not a good idea.

And you reported this to the manager/staff I take it?

If not, it couldn't have been much of a problem at the time surely?

I haven’t even read through yet but I can almost guarantee it’s by using methods I wouldn’t be comfortable using with my dog.

The dogs were under control otherwise they would have been able to reach your DD.

If I was the dog owner, I would apologise, firmly order dogs to be quiet, pick them up, try to move them away, but if it was something that someone was doing that was agitating them, I'd expect them to show some consideration too by stopping the behaviour - in this case, not repeatedly walking a toddler right past them. If you were walking around, the owners probably couldn't have moved anywhere where your DD would not have been walking past at some point. Or you could have picked her up and walked around.

Mmm hmm

I’ll tell you one thing, you’re no dog trainer nor compete in field trials, if you were you’d have no problem taking them into a pub and wouldn’t have posted you’d kick a dog in the face. If you live rurally most people wander into a pub with their dogs who sit and lie down (well except for tourists but they’re a different story). You can’t even quote the correct poster….

I know exactly what methods you use to train your dogs from what you’ve said and it’s not one I’d agree with, poor animals. Use the same methods on your toddler, they may behave then or perhaps you might want to actually parent them without using aversive methods?

If a dog can't behave or shows any aggression at all, it should leave the pub. It's lovely being able to take dogs into places, but only dogs that are sensible and mainly well behaved (no ones perfect!) should be in the pub. Toddlers bumbling around is a normal thing, and if they're ambling around minding their own business they come before a dogs needs.

I'm glad you're off to sleep op because it does sound like it's past your bedtime.

I'm amazed you have 15 dogs and you also train other peoples dogs yet appear to have no knowledge of dog body language or perception that the dogs were fine (and there first by the sound of it) other than your daughter who was "exploring". Which may I add must have been very tricky and uncomfortable for you as you were sitting on a bar stool and holding her hand the whole time too.

I assume as 7 of your dogs are working gun dogs that you live rurally. That explains why you assume everyone else is as noseblind to bullshit as you are.

And it’s not a kennel either 🙄

@sunnyseed the dogs weren't "exploring" they were calmly minding their own business until approached by a toddler. Had the dogs been roaming the pub expiring and approached a toddler seated at a table minding its own business you might have a point.

Try being honest OP.

You know the kid was pestering the dogs. Getting too close, jumping around ,and staring, and you did nothing.

I don’t understand why everyone is making a meal of the ‘boot the dog in the face comment’.

A poster suggested that the OP shouldn’t let her daughter expire (even when holding OP’s hand, in case someone accidentally booted her in the face). I took OP’s response to that comment “I could accidentally boot her dog in the face” as a reasonable equivalence rather than a threat?

I agree with this. Your dog should be under control according to dangerous dogs legislation and shouldn’t give people legitimate reason to fear eg. Lunging at them. But I wouldn’t let my child wander around either especially once the dog aggression began.

So you were sitting on a bar stool - aren't they quite high? And yet you were at the same time holding your 18 month old daughter's hand while she explored the pub and repeatedly came close enough to the dogs to alarm them?

Just how long are your arms, OP? 🤔

I don't like dogs in pubs full stop. I was in a pub having dinner with my family the other day and a small dog went ballistic everything anyone went past their table. The owners paid no attention. However if i were in a small pub and my toddler was restless and needing to wander about (which i get, you cant keep an 18mo sat down if they dont want to be) i would have taken them somewhere more spacious and ideally somewhere without snapping dogs.

Neither should have been there, its a pub ffs. The dogs shouldn't have been allowed to lunge. But seriously, an exploring toddler in a pub is just annoying, not cute.

I love dogs, and love taking my dogs places, but those dogs shouldn't have been in the pub.

I don't understand why everyone is so weird about the toddler being in the pub. Where I am, the pub is where you go for a family dinner. I hate that young kids aren't allowed to act like young kids in public. It sounds like OPs toddler wasn't doing anything unreasonable.

And yet you think “booting” a dog is a good response to behaviour you would like to discourage. 🙄

They should have kept a firmer grip on their dogs, but your toddler should not have been wandering around whilst you sat on barstools and you definitely created the situation by allowing this.

If I'm in a pub i don't want a toddler wandering up to me exploring. I want to have my meal or my drink or whatever and talk to whoever I'm with.

Some of these comments are unbelievable. Unless you own or work with gundogs none of you can judge how or why she walks 15 dogs.
Are none of you guilty of letting a small child wander in a space if you're watching them? If a dog's in a pub you'd expect it to be sociable, I wouldn't dream of taking a dog to a pub if it showed any sign of aggression.