Inappropriate dog touching

[LeonardosYoungerModel]

if one more child or adult touches my dog without asking I may scream. Dogs are not toys!!!

Shes very young and a very family friendly breed. I’m socialising her at the moment and doing first walks. I’ve had her breed before and I know that if not properly trained they are a sodding nightmare (bouncy, bitey and big).

It’s a sodding bloody nightmare. Every child, person, stick insect and tosspottingwankweasel going seems intent to not only approach her and touch her, but also encourage her to jump up!!

Half the time they don’t even ask but when they do I’ve said no and they do it anyway!!!!!!! I’ve taught her to ‘place’ between my legs so people have to get level with
my fanny to touch her, and they still do it! Get your head away from my fanny!!!!!!

Why are people so damn thick?! AIBU to think that if it is clear the owner does not want you touching their dog, then you do not touch the bloody dog?! And you definitely do not touch any dog and more importantly do not let your bloody toddler touch a dog without asking but particularly when the owner has said no?! And you don’t bloody put your head near someone’s bloody fanny (thankfully not literally at the moment) to pat their dog who is ignoring you?!

For the sake of your poor dog, stop taking him to all these places. And do not just stand by and let people give him food, it's very dangerous and it's very irresponsible of you. I get the impression that it's you who likes the attention actually.

Where do you walk a dog "out of the way of public"?!

My dog can handle being petted without biting or aggression, but that doesn't mean people should be constantly petting her, picking her up, etc. It makes it so much harder to train the dog to avoid people, and it's just common sense/decency to ask before touching a dog that doesn't belong to you

I personally find people very decent actually. Parents or kids always ask me if they can say hi.
If the kid is very young, I'll just say sorry but no, in the nicest possible way, because my dog isn't a big fan of small children, he wouldn't do any harm but could bark at them if they come too close and I'd hate it if he was frightening a poor kid.

20 years ago when my previous dog was a puppy it was totally different, but at least in my area of London, people are now quite educated as to what is the etiquette for touching dogs.

And they're better than me. If an off-lead dog comes to me, I have a reflex to say hi to them.

All of us? Wow. That must take a lot of head space

It's actually mosquitoes then other humans, but don't let facts get in the way of a good dit

Had someone performatively squeal at my dog and asked to touch him…as he was slap bang in the middle of curling one out.

Uh, no. He’s taking a shit.

He loves people and would never bark or bite, but I’m exercising him, I need him to sniff, I need him to toilet. You’re now distracting him, amping up an adolescent dog. Get your own dog!

As for the PP who said “ugh, your dog is in public so it’s fair game”….dunno, love. I, a female, am out in public so that’s open season for me to be assaulted, raped, groped, punched. Idiot.

@tresales

I can't figure out if you're suggesting that women or "scrawny" men shouldn't handle a dog over 20kg... or is it that no dog over 20kg is ever safe...?

Handling large and giant breed dogs isn't entirely down to brute force. The size of the owner/handler is far less relevant than experience with a breed is. A petite female friend of ours who bred and showed Anatolians was testament to this. She handled the dogs more capably than any brawny male ever could have. It is about knowing and understanding your dog, and thus being able to predict its behaviour, not about how big or musclebound you are. With a 50 or 60kg dog that is never going to help you.

I also don't understand the reference to "the ever trendy nose loop" unless you are also going to talk about toy breeds on extending leads that afford no control whatsoever. Because both are equally ridiculous.

I’m no expert, but my understanding is that how dangerous a dog is has far more to do with a mix of their breed and how well they’ve been socialised/trained (with a balance between socialising and training - as the OP is doing)

Those giving larger breeds a bad name should meet my friend’s greyhound. She is absolutely the sweetest dog. I know this is anecdata but everyone I know who owns larger breeds, even those that can get a bad rep (Rotties, GSDs etc) have beautiful control over their dogs and their dogs have wonderful temperaments.

It’s not difficult to understand you shouldn’t approach a dog you don’t know unless the owner says it’s ok, and that you shouldn’t let your kids. I love dogs, recently acquired a lab puppy of my own, and on my long walks I would often smile at the owner of a dog as a nod of “your dog is lovely”
Even if they come over to say hi I would ask if it’s ok to pet them. My 7yo DS has always ignored dogs that have wandered up to him. He’d never go out of his way to bother one.

LOL - That might be the case with mine then - it's me that scares them off, not the dogs 🤣.

My children have always been told to ask and never approach a dog if it's no it no end of and they know this. Some people have no sense

I teach my children to ask first as not all dogs are approachable. So I have always taught them to be wary and not go straight up towards a strange dog or even one we know without permission if someone has it on a leash.
I wouldn't ever go pet someone's dog without permission equally in a public space (not a dog walking spot) keep your dog on a leash away from me as I don't want to be approached by your dog.

Mine is past that stage now, but I stopped people doing that at the first sign and said “she’s in training, would you like to give her a treat”. They mostly said yes. I then used that as part of her socialisation training, making her sit or stand nicely while taking the treat. I then smiled, said “bye” and we went on our way.

I like this idea

Of course people should ask

In return can I ask that dog owners ensure their dog doesn’t come and touch me or sniff me or stand right across my path on lead (usually while owner is chatting) so I have no choice but to touch them to move them out of the way.

YANBU no one has ever asked to touch my dog but my dog just goes up to everyone to get a stroke but most of the time people just walk right past her. She’s more interested in saying hello to other dogs.

Yanbu
The same people Would be the first to accuse you of being irresponsible if your dog snapped despite them not asking !
members of the public have a duty of being responsible in the same way as dog owners do !!!!
I’ve always drilled it into my kids from them being toddlers that you ask .
As an adult I do the same !!!!

I had a dad at school let my puppy jump up at him 4 years ago. I told Dog to sit and he said ‘oh I don’t mind!’

3.5 years later, he’s watching a match at school in a suit and as I walked by with Dog, he said, ‘he’s a big lad isn’t he!’ ‘Yes’ I replied, ‘now you understand why I didn’t want him jumping up as a puppy’.

Cue the cogs going around in his head as he realises Dog is almost as tall as me on his back legs & I’m 5’8”. God I’ve never wanted him to jump up at someone more, especially as it was muddy! (He wouldn’t have as obviously I’ve spent years training him not to!)

I had a dad at school let my puppy jump up at him 4 years ago.

He didn’t make your puppy jump though, did he? Why not grab your puppy before it jumps on people?

I knew this would be a golden, it was exactly the same when my girl was a pup 🤣

I am so with you on this.
Why can’t people see that the dog is in training and leave well alone.
I’m trying so hard with my pup to calm her reactive behaviour toward people and other dogs and lo and behold someone thinks it’s ok to walk into our space and ‘introduce’ themself and their darling dog to myself and my pup.
It is not ok, no I don’t want to socialise my pup thank you.
I want my pup to learn to respect others (people and dogs) and walk on by.
Dogs do not require socialisation.
It is ok for them to have 1 or 2 ‘friends’ they do not need to socialise with every ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’ as you put it!
I feel your pain

Actually quite the reverse. Which is why I’m training my pup not to greet people and other dogs. I don’t want my pup behaving in the way you’ve described, I want her to recall at my command and to ignore people etc
She also does not bark and I pick up after her. I just don’t feel it’s necessary for anyone to want to touch her.
You have a strange idea of what dog owners actually want.

I don't particularly like dogs (please don't flame me, unpopular opinion I know 😂) so I would never approach a dog to stroke it, ever.
However, it's different if a dog approaches you and gets close up enough to jump on you or nuzzle your hand - which happens A LOT when out on walks because a lot of dog owners dont have them on leads, or just let them 🤷. if you've let them get this far it seems rude not to stroke them so I will tentatively pat a dog if it comes to me looking like it wants a stroke.
I have kids and I NEVER let them touch a dog, and if they want to I say they must ask the owner first.

Those stroking a dog after the owner said no are fucking morons. Not only ridiculously entitled, but dangerous if the dog is likely to bite!

I feel your pain. I have a very cute dog who people regularly feel the need to touch without asking… I’ve had mothers encourage their toddlers to “pat the cute dog” as if I don’t exist, people walk up to me when I’m on the phone to interact with my dog, and more than one middle aged man walk up to me and start petting the dog when she’s sitting in my lap (which I find really uncomfortable). I had one woman call me a c**t when I very politely asked her not to pet my dog while I was training her once. People that make noises to try to attract the dog when I’m walking her also seriously irritate me. Dogs aren’t toys and you don’t have a right to touch any dog you see!

😂

I thought someone tried to touch her dog's privates aka 'inappropriate'.

Happy to jog on.

Dogs do not require socialisation.

The Kennel Club and Dogs’ Trust disagree with you.