To think, if you can't recall your dog, it shouldn't be off lead?

[fanaticalfairy]

The amount of bloody loose yappy, jumpy dogs my 4 year old comes across, where the owner ineffectually tries to call them back is ridiculous now!

One time I had to ask owner to call back, as the dog was being ridiculous, and he was like "Coco..... Coco..... Coco..... Coco.....".

Multiple times, I've ended up taking them by the collar back to their owners who then look like I've dragged them by the ears or something.

Keep them on the fucking lead!!!

Don’t be silly. The places you mention (enclosed dog park, or dog field) are exactly where you should be taking a dog with no recall for some safe, off-lead fun. I hire private space so my guys (sight hounds, ridiculously prey driven) can run about having fun with no issues. In normal parks etc the lead should stay on.

YANBU
My life would be so much easier if I could trust my dog to be off lead because he has lead reactivity after being attacked by a neighbours off lead dog while on lead (we have worked with a trainer to improve this) which makes walking him on a lead a challenge

Because of out of control ‘friendly’ dogs it’s one step forward 10 steps back with his training and we make leaps with it then a loose dog will dive all over him on his lead, no owner in sight.. it’s infuriating! One woman walked away with her dog commenting on how ‘nasty’ mine was because he was barking at a loose cockerpoo bouncing all over him on the lead. I lost my shit 😬

It’s a shame other dog owners don’t have the same care for their own dogs/dogs they meet, god forbid if my dog reacted defensively towards one of these out of control dogs! He would be demonised I’m sure.

Do you know what an enclosed dog park is?

My dog is very old, and pretty deaf, so she stays on her lead when I take her to the park. It is a flexi lead (which I know how to use properly, just saying that as MN hates them). When she was younger, her recall was perfect, so she was off the lead then.

A PP said dogs should have to walk to heel. That is fine if you are walking down a street, but in/through a park is just unnecessary. My dog is in the park for her walk and mental stimulation, so I loosen her lead so she can sniff bushes etc. I do keep her on a shorter lead when we pass the children's play area, as there are often kids zipping about on bikes/scooters, and they are unpredictable.

There is an enclosed dog park bit, but as it is free and you don't have to book, it is rarely empty.

@ThePure we hire a field once a week for him to run free. Every other day he gets 2 1 hour sniffy walks a day (on lead/long lead) so he is not bored!

She chases birds, mainly crows and sparrows. She's a spaniel and was bred to flush birds. If we can recall her before she takes off, she can be distracted. There's the odd time she's away too soon, but due to where we walk, it's not a problem (no roads, no small children having picnics etc). One time she ran towards a toddler on a walk in the forest with his parents. She was young (months, not years), didn't touch him, and recalled straight away. That was the slip. Also she's a girl and doesn't mark, although I personally think urination is pretty essential..?

There's a point when they're around 12 to 18 months when you can think they have great recall, and then it suddenly all goes to pot on one walk. I've got much more understanding for that, when the owners are clearly still in the training process, than a full-grown dog that is utterly out of control.

Why are some equating dogs with children? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Do you think chasing birds is harmless? (It isn't btw). She should be on a lead if you can't recall her immediately every time.
It isn't essential for urination to happen wherever your zig zagging dog fancies.

Agreed. One of mine has resisted all recall training so is on a long retractable lead at all times.
The other is fine at recall, unless she sees a rabbit or rabbit hole and after the second time we had to spend 4 hours digging her out of a hole, she is also on long line at all times, except when on a dog friendly (and with no dunes where things make holes) beach. She is quite reactive when on lead unfortunately which makes it dinky annoying when dogs with no recall charge up to her on the lead, and she then tries to nip them (she only does this when on lead for some reason).

I am yet to encounter a perfectly behaved dog
You need to come to MN land! Just on this thread, half of the posters have perfectly behaved dogs!

Yes, quite.

My DM made someone pay for the dry cleaning of her coat that a "friendly" dog decided to leave muddy pawprints on when he was off lead and jumped up at her.

My FIL's dog has reasonable recall, but if he sees a dog he knows or gets the whiff of something fun (including other people's picnics) there's no calling him back. It drives me mad and has honestly stopped me going out on walks with him as I don't want to be seen to be condoning his dog's lack of training. FIL always says the "oh, he's friendly, he's just excitable", etc.

My DH and DSIL have both tried to tell him he needs to train the dog better or keep him on a lead, but FIL knows best, obviously...

I expect the owners of the dogs that were killed blame the horse/owner.

We have 2 dogs. They are rarely on a lead as we go to the woods, beach etc. They are of course on a lead until from the car to wherever we are going. Luckily my oldest dog just wants to play catch so will lie in front of the ball/stick waiting for it to be thrown, the youngest is a bit more sociable and will sometimes start to walk towards someone she sees but will turn and come back as soon as I call her. When we are in the woods we often come across cyclists or horses. As soon as I see them I tell the youngest to sit and she does. I will stay right by her just in case but she never moves until I tell her. Horse riders often comment on it and on how well behaved they are. I think it helps because the oldest is so play obsessed and the youngest always wants to be near him.

People who dont train excellent recall into dogs shouldn't get a dog. A life on a lead is no life. Mine is going to classes and has been since 16 weeks. We are getting there slowly

I have never witnessed any small child running up to anybody, slobbering all over them, or even worse hurting them while on a beach. Stupid comment.

Dogs need to learn recall, so do need open spaces, however this should be those areas where it's suitable to be off lead - we wouldn't let our dog off lead in the park for example because she'd want to play and can be a bit deaf when she chooses - but we do have her off lead in the woods or open non-children play areas - she is usually very good - but can be side tracked by the odd squirrel 🐿️

Ok, so my mum's rescue and ex-racing greyhound has no life, as he is not allowed off of his lead?
I can assure you that he very much l loves his life. And anyone with a greyhound will tell you that spending out for a private field is a waste of time as they will zoom for about a minute then just lie on the floor and want to go home.

I have had a child go up to me in a cafe, and put their hands in my drink. Also, another child try to hit my sleeping dog in the head with a toy. Thankfully their mum finally twigged they had wondered off.

They should, but they don’t, and some breeds can be unpredictable, get spooked for what ever reason, The amount of times we have heard “oh the dog doesn’t normally do that etc.” I admire good owners with well trained lovely dogs, which are usually clearly no risk at all. I do however worry about certain breeds, and as a stranger you sometimes don’t know which dogs are okay or not to be off leads.

It’s almost always dogs with human names with a useless owner either standing there like a lemon calling ‘Jasper, Jasper, stop jumping up on that lady, Jasper’ or just hooting with laughter because it’s so funny that their dog has trampled your picnic or knocked over your toddler.

Has a small child bit you, knocked you to the ground? Are they frequently in the news for attacking/ killing people? Poorly behaved young kids are no comparison to sometimes dangerous dogs. Yes, you get neglectful parents, but neglectful dog owners are no comparison imho. I had a dog jump up at my friends small child, and knock her to the groun, another dog bound up to my ND child, careless owner strolling past unbothered while I was trying to find whose dog it was, and comfort my child at the same time. The amount of times people try to get you to stroke their dogs, funnily enough I don’t encourage people to engage with my children.

I got charged at by two snarling and barking labs while walking up from the beach in my dryrobe after a swim. I thought I was going to be bitten. Owner ineffectually calling their names from a distance. When he finally wheezed past me he remarked that they “didn’t like what I was wearing”. Not sure what excuse he made to the young family further up the beach to whom they had turned their unwelcome attention.
Just put them on leads!

Mine had no recall, not for lack of training either. I never let him off leash when we were out. It is irresponsible and dangerous for both the dog and other dogs / people to unleash a dog with no recall. Shouting "It's OK they're friendly" is not an acceptable substitute for recall.

No, that's why we actively discourage it, but nobody is perfect. I am not keeping a spaniel on lead at all times, it would be borderline cruel. There is no need. I assume the children you childmind are impeccably behaved at all times ✌no tantrums, no toilet accidents, perfect manners, they don't cry... I'm not going to engage with you any more, because you clearly have no idea and no intention of learning anything.

If you can't provide your spaniel with an appropriate environment, why did you get a spaniel? Chasing birds and scaring toddlers shouldn't be happening, you know that, but you don't care enough to prevent it.