Grrr walkers

[Heartstart]

I took ds to walk and took our Border terrier with me on lead as usual. Loads of parents do same and there was one woman who had 2 spaniels on leads too. After drop off I took dog over recreation park for walk. The dog was fine and my friend and I were chatting when I suddenly noticed woman with spaniels who were still on lead at other end of field my dog shot off to play with hers, as I got nearer it was obvious woman was not happy and she shouted at me to call my dog, I did and just as he started to come she walked away so he followed her as he thought the dogs were playing. She was clear cross (I was hollering like a navvy at dog to come) as I got nearer them I called (pleasantly) if you could just stop for a minute he will come to me and I'll put him on lead. He thinks your playing. so she stopped I called dog and he came immediately and I put him on lead. She then walked off and shouted back at me you should keep your dog on a lead.

We were on a field where loads of people walk their dogs, often there are 10 dogs with parents from school it was unusually quiet that day just her and me with dogs. My dog was not aggressive, he wanted to play .... Ok he didnt come first time but she did distract him. When she stood still he came straight away.

Why if it bothered you would you take your dogs there, or aibu

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

Right

[gymmummy64]

OOOH how exciting, I've never been in a mn club before

[SpicyPear]

Oh fool please don't avoid the park because of those idiots. SpicyDog has the patience of a saint with other dogs and loves them but even she will growl if one jumps all over her on lead. Happened this week, difference being the lady apologised profusely for not being able to call him off and that is what BT owner should have done.

If something happens like this again I would have something prepared to say along the lines of "she is not aggressive, but she dislikes rude dogs jumping all over her and is trying to tell him to get off. She is under control, you are breaking the law not having your dog under control and I suggest you keep yours on a lead so it cannot harass others."

[D0oinMeCleanin]

Oh I am not polite when people mess with my dogs, especially if it is blatantly obvious that we are doing on lead training and are trying avoid other dogs.

It's because I seem to attract clueless nutters, whose only mission in life is to wind me up, so I got thick skinned very quickly. I have been 'reported to the RSPCA' twice now for cruelty, once for letting my cat come and go as he pleases and once for doing bike joring with Devil Dog. They never turned up either time, which is a shame because I had a few things I wanted to discuss with them

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Heartstart you have got a little bit of a tongue lashing. Until you have had a fearful/ dog on dog aggressive dog it can be very hard to understand how upsetting having all your hard work destroyed in just a few moments by a lose dog.
I lost my fearful dog 9 years ago so of the incidents that happened with her still make me tearful now. I am very lucky with mobile mop in that he is a very sociable little dog who would play with anyone, however, I am very very respectful of other people walking their dogs and only allow him to run and play with other loose dogs.

[SpicyPear]

I feel left out. Is there anyone who wants to join me in a club for owners of the dogs straining to play with the bastard dogs that are telling them to fuck off? I tell you it's almost as bad as walking a bastard dog and some bastard dog owners give me dirty looks even though they are on leads.

The best is when bastard dog owner apologises for bastard dog going mad at mine and I apologise for over friendly dog trying to get over to them and we end up in a stand off while both of us try unsuccessfully to get our dogs (on leads) to move on. I guess what I'm saying is cut us some slack as we may be trying to train over friendly mutt to respect bastard mutt as hard as you are trying to train bastard mutt not to be reactive

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

Oh, I'm always very understanding unless the other owner becomes aggressive. Dogs misbehave, it happens to the best of us, and most owners to be fair are doing their best. I only really lose the plot if I'm asking the other owner to remove their dog, they can't/don't, and then have the audacity to blame me. Even then, though, I still end up plodding home feeling shitty because my Bastard Dog has got me in to a confrontation.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Spicy as long as your dog is on a lead it is fine.

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

Oh I am definitely in your club Spicy . I do my very best trying not to piss people off with my maniac mutt but he is usually swinging on lead like a loon whining at full tilt.

I do fear that one day I will be joining the bastard dog club though. He is so full on he doesn't read the signs.

[SpicyPear]

Yes. SpicyDog is now trained to not run over to other dogs when off lead, but can't be off at mo because of nerves (risk of bolting) and is much much worse at ignoring other dogs when on lead. Certain ones take her fancy and she obsesses over them (they make her feel safe).

Pup is learning to recall from dogs so on lead. Has taken to sitting down when he sees another dog in the hopes it will come over to play. It's very embarassing all round, but trainer coming next week.

[SpicyPear]

Oh fanof yes yes to the whine. Some people also think this and the pulling is because she wants to eat their dog so I have to use the dreaded "don't worry she only wants to say hello". She's very polite and not bouncy when she greets but gets a bit carried away with anticipation.

And the pup, well this week he became obsessed with a staffie with a big branch and flung himself against a railing with his willy out, much to the amusement of the owner.

[ExitPursuedByABear]

Have we got ourselves a quiche then BastardDog Owners?



I am the screaming harpie round hear. In fact the other evening when it had snowed I could hear my shouts echoing off the surrounding hills

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

You have one up on me then Spicy as mine is still a ridiculous lunatic when allowed to greet...he still tries to leap all over them.

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

We are a quiche, Exit. We hold our clickers and treats with pride, and march furtively hoping that we don't come around a bend and find an obstacle course of bouncy labs and football games in full swing.

[gymmummy64]

Oooh Chickens, you do bends? That's brave. I can manage curves by staying on the line of maximum visibility and making sure Gymdog is behind me rather than ahead, but bends are advanced stuff..

[EnjoyResponsibly]

Why do the owners of off-lead, bouncy, barky dogs with absolutely no recall and usually no poo bags always refer to their animals as "friendly"?

Nothing "friendly" about some deranged lunatic bouncing all over you while you're minding your own business walking on your lead.

[SelfRighteousPrissyPants]

I've let my puppy go up to other dogs (unless I see the owners look over in a worried way and put their dog on the lead!) so she can learn dog body language. Am I wrong to think she needs to find out she can't approach every dog by being 'told off' by a few? She's already more cautious since being growled (and stood on) at a few times so I thought it was a good thing.

[Noodled]

My bastard dogs are scared really, unfortunately one is eleven stone! She has big nashy teeth and I have deliberately not trained her out of being a lungy nasher because she will not be reliable and her bite could be terminal for passing fluff balls.

She is, in public places, on a very short lead, we get well out of the way, yet am always having to walk off as small dogs chase us. At least I get the joy of watching their owners panic as they can't get their dog and think she will. This never used to give me joy and I would explain it was mostly all bark and I had her under control. These days I just say she is very aggressive they ought get their dog (under control). I notice they do lots of flapping whereas if I have small bastard dog and theirs is bigger they do very little apparently oblivious to how they are damaging my dog's training.

Increasingly I voice my unhappiness now they avoid the nashy owner... I don't know why people don't just day sorry and try and grab their dog.
Am completely mollified by any level of effort.

[Noodled]

Selfrightous, I believe the best practice to be to not let pup to approach any on lead dogs unless invited. To allow approaches to off leash dogs where owners look agreeable.

[cathpip]

Op im sure your dog is friendly but there are reasons why some dogs are on leads and that is so there owners have better control over them. My dog is friendly but being lead walked as is 2 weeks post knee surgery, so a dog that is friendly running up to say hello is most definately not appreciated by either of us. As for recall if you cannot recall it under any situation then it should not be off a lead, sorry!!

[Heartstart]

Thanks for comments, measured as always on mn :-) Take the points about nervous dogs etc what I hadn't made clear was I couldn't actually see her initially as she was behind a high hedge otherwise I wouldn't have let my dog off lead. But given that he was and he was coming til she started moving away I just think it was a bit daft for own or her dogs sake.

Interesting re comments re terriers glad its not just ours who has selective recall ability, had labs before who always came.

[TooMuchRain]

I think you are being unreasonable to blame her for walking there at all and then for moving away when the problem was simply your dog's recall (and I speak as someone whose dog has horrible recall when there is anything edible around, not as owner of Perfect Dog!)

[Heartstart]

Im not blaming her my dog is my call. As I said I just think she is making life difficult for herself and dogs walking them in a place where there are always lots of dogs off lead and then keeping walking when I hadn't got anywhere near dog to put onlead

[Scuttlebutter]

Heart, she has every right to walk wherever she likes. And maybe she is walking away from you because she wants to get her reactive/ill/elderly dog away from the bouncing little fluffball that is causing it to kick off/pull its stitches/ be frightened. Training a reactive dog to be OK around other dogs is a long slow process, and weeks of work can be ruined by encounters like this.

My sympathy for you went when you said that you were chatting to your friend and thus too distracted to keep an eye on what your dog is doing down the other end of the field. It's funny how so many of the dogs with no recall seem to belong to owners who are glued to their mobile phone or klatching with their buddies. (And it's invariably these owners who are seemingly oblivious when their dog is taking a crap too, cos they are too busy texting and the dog is half a mile away).

Please take a look at the MDIF quiz - I think you will fit the bill. here

[Heartstart]

Yep your absolutely right, I allow my dog to crap anywhere why on earth shouldn't I. We haven't bothered to train him as its not natural is it. He jumps on smallchildren bites old ladies and tries to shag anyone's legs who,ll stand still long enough (that's probably what the woman was upset about thinking about it.

In addition it drives me nuts when he runs infrint of cars on a busy road, why can't people drive more carefully.

I also think its really important to anthromorphise dogs, well all pets so he sleeps in our beds, eats with us and is enjoying the sofa at moment whilst I am on the floor