Am I the c#%t??

[cantthinkofausername26]

Walking my cavapoo today in a big open and empty field. He trots along happily off the lead, if he comes across another dog he will go and give them a sniff and be on his way.

usually if I see another dog on a lead I will put him on a lead too. I didn’t see this woman soon enough as she appeared from behind a bush. Big gnarly dog on a lead XL bully type dog. My dogs starts trotting in her direction, she goes mental shouting “go away, this is a dangerous dog, get your fucking dig away” etc. I called Doggo over and put him on a lead, no drama. She is still mouthing off at me, to which I replied “all right calm down!” This set the mad woman off shouting that I’m a fucking idiot and her dog would rip mine to bits and I shouldn’t let him off the lead. To which I replied “you’re the one with the aggressive dog you can’t control, who is the real idiot here?” I then got called a butch and a c£&t!

Now is it me that is a c£&t? Or the person with a massive aggressive dog that was literally pulling her along??

Yes that's similar to my post. It must be a recent thing. When I was a kid dogs ran everywhere playing. And I dont remember everyone's face getting bitten off.

I feel sorry for the poor doggos of the UK who can never run off leash now in case a dangerous dog (and owner) is lurking behind a bush because they are too selfish to either muzzle it or keep it away from other dogs.

Having RTT, I think YES! Yes, you are!!

Yes.

I have a very well balanced dog who is trained to intercept any dogs coming aggressively at my horse when riding. He’s a very quick spaniel and doesn’t ever react or get into a fight with another dog but is that quick he blocks their path to the horse.

you know the most common dogs that come to attack the horses, cavapoos, cockapoos, Labradors . Most times the owners are round a corner or some distance away and their dog has no recall.

Leash your dog if you can’t see what’s ahead or if it doesn’t have good enough recall.

the point about children is important but a reactive dog that is leashed is far less likely to get into difficulty with a child as the owner is stood right beside it. Any dog can react to a child and if you can’t see what’s ahead or are some distance away the risk is much higher.

my dog is a trained therapy dog and visits children in school but you still need to be watching all the time.

reactive dogs exist and don’t need to be put to sleep. Sensible dog ownership for all is what is needed.

I don’t think that’s quite true. My dog is walked off lead 99% of the time. He’s just trained not to run over to other dogs. If he sees a dog he returns to me. We see plenty dogs on leads for many reasons, reactivity, nervous, poor recall, medical reasons etc. doesn’t stop my dog being off lead. I just focused on training him so he was never a nuisance to anyone else and could still enjoy his freedom.

I remember everyone’s dogs running free too. Back in the day our dogs were just let out in the village. I got a nasty bite from a golden retriever as a child. No owner in sight. I also learnt a harsh lesson to listen to my parents never to approach a dog that I didn’t know….

What a clever dog. That's cool.

It drives me mad when people with XL bully dogs and similar say ‘it’s all in the way you treat them/ it’s how they’re raised/ treat them properly and they’ll be fine’ etc. A friend of mine said the exact same things. She had had hers from a puppy and he seemed like an absolute sweetheart and she was an incredible and responsible owner until one day, totally out of the blue, he viciously attacked her and left her with life changing injuries. These dogs are capable of being incredibly dangerous - each and every one. I wish they were a banned breed.

I don't live in the UK but from where I am, you would totally be in the wrong (and I'm not a fan of dangerous dogs and would prefer they were not allowed). Not sure if it's the same in the UK but we have designated off leash areas, so go there if you have a sociable dog that you want to let have a run, otherwise it's on a lead at all times.

I am intimidated a little by big xl bully types only because they can do so much damage and probably because of all the bad press. I do try and challenge why I have that fear though.

Not so long ago a lady in our village had a similar situation happen with her Labrador. The vet found out he had some neurological condition and it was best for him to be put down. I am sure I remember seeing there was some xl bullies that they thought had something genetic in them through bad breeding. Any dog can cause a lot of damage I guess especially where there is bad breeding. Maybe we need to focus more on stopping back yard breeders.

when I got my dog I spent a lot of time researching his parents history and the breeder. It was worth it as I have a very well balanced dog.

on the local spaniel page a woman had bought a spaniel, wasn’t sure if it was a worker, a cocker, a springer a sprocker, the dog had had no health tests. The women had never had a dog before but had seen there was money to be made and was planning to breed the dog for cockapoos. No care about what quality of puppies she was breeding…

I’m not sure what’s not quite true? If you can’t trust your dog to not attack then surely you keep it away from areas you know or suspect other dogs will be off leash and/or happily playing with other dogs?

Ugh the amount of people now with xl bullies and the like is awful. Seen several women in the vets being dragged around by one - would clearly have no control. I miss the days when I could walk my dog in peace. These breeds have ruined that. I have heard it all before. It’s the owners. They are soft. Sweet. Sure…

Irresponsible dog owners like you almost never have the self awareness to realize they are in the wrong.

So many people have taken the time on this thread to explain to you precisely how your behavior negatively affects others, but you just don't care do you?

You like to let your dog off lead where it suits you, so f**k everyone else right?

Oh no you’re the worst type of dog walker I have to run into when my two boys are on their leads and reactive since being got at by an off lead dog.
look I love all dogs . They’re my fave animal and I truly think we don’t deserve them . But my dogs don’t feel the same about their own species so kindly please keep your nice sniffy dog well away from my little snappers
how hard is it to walk your dog on a lead and let it off in a dog park where it’s known they are off lead or better still a private dog park like I pay for twice a week

Yep, this

Forget breeds for a moment. One thing I really don't like is people letting their dog approach mine without asking. You need to understand also that not all dogs like unwanted approaches either. Last year a man let his dog get in my dogs face without asking, then had a go at me when my dog growled to make it back off. She was controlling her dog, hence why it was on a lead so your comment that she couldn't control her dog when yours was making unwanted approaches was uncalled for. Your dog shouldn't be 'trotting up to sniff' any dog without you asking first. It's basic manners.

Not at all. Other dog owners have responsibilities too. The first thing you should be thinking about is your own dogs safety, hence why you don't let them approach dogs you don't know, and if you haven't got a reliable recall you don't let them off lead. This isn't all about other dog owners. People should be able to walk their dog on lead without having dogs they don't know making unwanted approaches and their owners not asking first.

Sure, think about your dogs safety - fine. But if you only consider you and your dog that makes you selfish. If you know your dog is aggressive and can’t handle other dogs approaching it, you are completely stupid if you take your dog to areas where you know other dogs will be off leash. There are plenty of other places to walk your dog.

Also, my dog has excellent recall but I would still never dream of having him off leash anywhere apart from dog zones or very quiet rural areas/parks because it’s good manners and I’m aware that not everyone likes dogs.

Now at that is absolutely disgusting for her to speak to you in that tone you are definitely not in the wrong. You called your dog over your dog Listen to you zero dramas she’s the one that caused the problems.

Dog parks aren’t really a thing here.

Very few spaces like that exists sadly, as I feel we’d likely have a much better time if it if there were.

This talk of 'dog parks' are people meaning open parks or structured dog parks? Or, open park area frequented by dog owners?
Round here, there are open parks, 2 have small enclosed 'dog parks' within which are a free for all. Similar sized to a child's playground.
Larger 'dog parks' are private for hire fields. There are half a dozen in a 10 miles area. These are single hire, gated, fenced, safe areas.
I take my dog to private hire, not because she's aggressive in her own right, but so overexcited that it can quickly become a problem. Other dogs frequently decide they don't like her play after initiating it. I only occasionally walk in other open parks because of idiots who have no recall with their dog and ineffectively stand there calling while the dog ignores. I head out of town to woodlands/ forest where she can run on a long line ( wild ponies are usually around) for safety, although recall is about 90%, its that 10% I account for.
She has her dog pals who she plays nicely with, we arrange to hire fields together.
Those saying about dogs used to run free, they did when I was a kids too. Dog ownership has changed, just like parenting children. Children ran loose too. Neither do anymore. Both dogs and children struggle with social skills in many cases as a result.

You said that you felt sorry for the dogs that can’t be allowed to run free now because of reactive dogs.

I said I didn’t think this was quite true because you implied that dogs now are restricted. My dog and plenty others that are well trained can run free without bothering others and have no restrictions.

the one thing a lot of people are missing on this post is that it is the law to keep your dog under control. Your dog is not under control if it is approaching others without permission.

my younger spaniel who is in training got charged at just the other day by an untrained huge Labrador who just wanted to play…the owner tried to recall their dog but by this time it had already sent my dog flying by running into him. My dog was walking at my side. Both dogs not reactive but my dog got injured because of that situation. All the dog walks round here are multi user paths what happens if that friendly dog knocked a child over, got in the way of a horse and caused the rider to be knocked off? Do you know how many out of control “friendly” dogs I meet on bridlepaths when on my horse. I get told oh they just want to say hello and are friendly as they are being a nuisance. Give me a reactive dog any day that is under control. Makes a walk/horse ride much more enjoyable

I also very much doubt people with reactive dogs are walking in spaces where you are encouraged to walk your dog off lead.

Where does she say it was a "dog park"? She said a field. I don't let my dog off in public spaces, not because of aggression, but because she is young, very large and doesn't have reliable recall. I walk her in quiet rural areas. footpaths and fields. A lot of these places have signs up, saying dogs must be kept on a lead, because of livestock, or ground nesting birds, but people still let their mutts off.

My dog is not reactive, but I don't want little dogs rushing up and barking in her face when she's being lead walked. This is what causes problems for a lot of us. Keeping our own dogs on a lead out of respect for others is not the problem. Free running dogs with no recall is the problem. My 50kg pup is just as entitled to be on a "field" on her lead as the OP's crossbreed would be, but I would not appreciate it rushing up, uncontrolled.