Randomly insulted in village about my dog's 'behaviour'

[madbatarse]

I should preface this by saying we live in a fairly small village in South West - so this behaviour probably goes with the territory to a degree. We have 14 mth old dog who is still quite puppy like & boisterous: very sociable & wants to make friends with everyone. Twice now the same person/couple have shouted at me across the street that my dog is out of control, a disgrace & I should not be walking her through the village roads. My dog is always on a lead & has never gone anywhere near them.....it is totally unprovoked, random insults. First it was the husband on his own & then the couple together. I am a responsible dog owner & realise not everyone wants a dog coming up to them (or a lead or otherwise) so I always restrain & control her to not be nuisance - except for her 'regulars' (most everyone else) who make a point of coming over to talk to her. I walk her on my own during the day & now feel intimidated (& frankly a bit scared) about encountering these people again. Should I just change my routine &/or try to ignore them or AINBU having a go back next time he/they have a crack & tell them what I think of their unprovoked insulting rudeness? Thx ppl

I think we can all safely say the women in OPs village is @PrincessofWells

Sounds like they’re bored and judgey. Pretend you’re deaf. Carry a sign that says “I’m deaf!” and hold it up for them to read. Horrible bast@rds.

I’m not a huge fan of dogs and 15y old DS is really scared of them. He had the misfortune to be chased by one as a 2 year old and again, aged about 12. Both times by off lead dogs, in a park, with owners who could not recall them. The second time, it went on for a good few mins, luckily he’s a decent cross country runner so he could carry on running, but the dog was not giving up.

He would not at all be bothered by a dog (even a big one) on a lead, on the other side of the street. He’d probably cross the road if he saw you coming on his side of the street though!

I agree about the yelling but if the OP refers to her dog as boisterous and sociable what exactly is the behaviour that causes her to describe it in this way? The dog is displaying some type of behaviour to be described this way otherwise the OP would just say the dog is well behaved and restrained.

I’m a dog owner and lover and my current one is nuts (pointer) and can be a total embarrassment. However, you still haven’t said what your dog was actually doing to provoke this comment @madbatarse

Yes it depends what the dog was doing when it was being boisterous. Are you doing training classes to try to get it under control? They do sound overly rude though. Probably frightened of big dogs.

With intensive training she is now walking quite calmly most of the time - but she pulls on the lead a bit to meet & greet ppl she meets, so it that way she is boisterous

Is the drip feed that ‘restrained’ means the dog is on one of those long leads and is allowed to do what it likes to whoever it likes?

But can she actually reach anyone?

it feels like a long line/flexi is at the end of this story OP 😁 if so, lose it. Not suitable for giant breed (or any dog)

No - on short lead & held tight to make sure she cannot get to anyone without them coming to her

I have a year old golden retriever and he’s also deep in adolescence so can be annoying and is big for a golden so some people don’t realise he’s only a puppy. He’s never off the lead (cos he wouldn’t come back) and he’s very good when we meet people - he either sits (and stares at them ina slightly creepy, stalkerish way) or he stands by me, or I put him on a ,Eva short lead and we walk past. Some people and some dogs do want to stop and say hello, but if someone doesn’t want to speak to him then he doesn’t go near them (just judges them silently). Doesn’t stop some people shouting to keep him away - when they are on the opposite side of the street and we have no intention of going near them. Other people make a point of scooping up kids and walking quickly away - even though he’s no where near. I just work on the assumption that you can’t argue with stupid and my boy isn’t causing a problem so it’s all on them 🤷‍♀️

I do second a halti/gentle leader though as that has been a game changer and walks are now enjoyable as he’s not pulling wildly.

Ok in this case smile and nod and don’t let it bother you. If you’re minded just say ‘the dog is nowhere near you my lovely’ and shrug!

@stclementine surely your dog is off lead somewhere? You don’t have a golden retriever that never runs?!

he only goes off the lead in an enclosed field or my garden so he does run everyday, but I can’t let him off in a wood or beach because he’s not got good recall. Or any recall at the moment and because he is big and bouncy he could jump at someone or a kid and knock them over. Or he could cause or get into an accident. Adolescence is brutal. He’s also my third golden and I’ve never had one who is as headstrong, stubborn and independent as much as he is.

@stclementine @Flippertygibbets
Our Pyrenean is only off the lead in our garden or on the secure dog field also.
Yes, it is hard restricting them, and it doesn't seem fair, but you only need to read the responses on this thread to see that most people do not welcome an overly large friendly dog approaching them. I don't let her off for her own safety, not other people's. She is not aggressive in the least, just very big, and too curious for her own good. She is walked on a 6 foot webbing lead with a heavy duty trigger attached to a double D ring collar. We are experienced owners.

the irony of alluding that the op might be irresponsible and recommending a halti!

Yes – and if the dog was aggressive and dangerous the OP would say that too.

The dog is 14 months old.

This isn't a Scandi thriller with a big twist – we don't need our detective hats on.

Anyone who's ever met a 14 month old just-out-of puppyhood dog knows what 'boisterous and sociable' looks like.

And again, none of it warrants verbal abuse.

I’d be tempted to film their rude insult shouting, post it on the village fb group. 😆

Friend of mine deals with twats like this by being over the top artificial nice, wishing them a lovely day, and how it’s so delightful to hear their opinions, etc with a sarcastic smile.

im more tempted to shout “fuck off fat cunt” but I’m not very sensible 🤣

It’s her size that’s the issue more than her behaviour.

I’m not excusing their behaviour at all. But if you’re having to wrangle the lead with her and she’s lunging and jumping to try and greet people (which is my impression given you’ve said she’s excitable) then people probably are intimidated. TBH I totally get it, I have four Goldies and every one of them has been like that at some point (and mine are big - well over 40KG). And I get it - 40+KG dog barking or yipping or even just bouncing up and down on its tippy happy paws is intimidating.

But these people don’t know how slowly it takes large or giant breeds to reach maturity (2-3years) and they think size = aggression. So they see a dog that’s 40KG and think it’s an adult that - especially once it’s bulked out - and fail to realise it’s actually still equivalent to a toddler in terms of development.

Ironic, really, since a Pyr is far less likely to bite you than something like a chihuahua or even a cocker.

I’d definitely be up for a big Pyrenean coming up to see me and my pup! Mines best friend is a St Bernard that makes him look tiny.!!

This. Honestly OP I have been there with a neighbour which ended up with them yelling at my front door. Moral high ground is the thing. Smile calmly ignore the yelling and tell you dog how good he is being. Emotions do travel down the lead so the calmer you can model, the calmer and happier your nutter will feel and hopefully his behaviour will reflect this.

@LandSharksAnonymousi knew you had to be a goldie owner with that username!

@CoubousAndTourmalet so the issue is the dog approaching people, but surely it’s a puppy, nobody is going to keep it on lead for life rather than bother themselves to train it?

My puppy behaves much the same but because he is a smaller breed he doesn't get the comments. Just ignore them, they are probably reacting from an experience that doesn't involve you or your dog.