Dog Walking Rage

[Ickyockycocky]

My dog is a bit nervous, especially when she's crouching for a poo. I think she feels a bit vulnerable. Anyway, today she was on the lead and happily doing a poo when two dogs came up and started sniffing her bum and generally milling around her rear end.

I started saying shoo, go away etc., but one of them was determined and was on the verge of stepping in the pile. I used my foot to protect the dog from stepping in the poo, I'm not sure if there was any contact but if so, it was the dog pushing against my foot.

Anyway, the dog's owner shouted at me aggressively, telling me not to kick his dog. I can't see any way he could have thought that I had kicked his dog. So I calmly said "I didn't kick your dog". He replied that his dogs were only sniffing because that's what dogs do, you silly woman".

I lost it a bit and told him that "actually my dog was having a shit, you silly man". He shouted at me again and I told him he should keep his "fucking dogs under control".

I'm not happy about having dog rage but honestly what type of idiot allows their two dogs to get right up the bum of another dog having a poo?

What would you have done in similar circumstances?

@PurpleTango stop saying you are a Guide Dog trainer, you are not. You are a puppy walker and to try and make out you are something more is an insult to the ACTUAL trainers (the ones who know far more about Dogs than you do - which to be fair from your posts isn't hard)

Upthread purple claimed they actually trained guide dogs for the blind! trained dogs for the hearing impaired! A highly skilled job that only the best dog trainers would be able to do, now purple claims she deals with thousands of dogs a year in various capacities guide dog trainer my arse.

Well said Fair

Puppy walkers have to train their puppies for three hours a day. Therefore technically the poster could say she trains Gds.

Yes purple could say anything, does not mean it’s true

It's nowhere near the same @numbereightyone.
I also don't think that is strictly correct - three hours a day would be overwhelming for an adult dog, never mind a young pup - however I will check that with the puppy walkers I know.

That's true but I was responding to people saying puppy walkers don't train GDs, because they very much do. They have to commit to three hours a day for (I think) eighteen months. The focus of this training is on socialisation of the puppy.

www.guidedogs.org.uk/how-you-can-help/volunteering-for-guide-dogs/volunteer-role-descriptions/puppy-walker/criteria-to-become-a-puppy-walker/

Well anyone can say they are a trainer? Or a vet, or an brain surgeon or an astronaut.... means nothing and when their opinion is polar opposite of most peoples and they keep trying to ram the same point home without any acknowledgment that their opinion is only based on their small view of the world then it's probably not something to seriously consider.

I have posted the link. You can't leave them for more than three hours (my mistake) working up from twenty minutes. The training regime is however very strict.

Ok @numbereightyone I would consider training and socialisation to be separate, whereas that link seems to be lumping them into one. Three hours is about right once you include taking them into shops and walks etc.
I count training as strictly stuff like the sit, stay, toilet training etc.

numbereightyone I am sure the training scheme is very strict after all you don't want people deviating from it. I certainly wouldn't class anyone who does it as an expert on dog behaviour, breeds and personality.

They do a bloody good job but it doesn't qualify them as a dog behaviourist.

I think we can all agree it's very time consuming. Puppy walkers is perhaps a misnomer because it infers that you get an cute little puppy that you get to talk out for walks. In actual fact GD are entrusting you with the early stages of training/socialisation of a dog that they will ultimately spend tens of thousands of pounds training. You have to do everything to their standards. Take it to their vet, feed it their food (never human food) and train it the way they tell you to train it. It's a huge commitment and responsibility. I am not sure I could do it!

Exactly they are following a strict formula which may or may not work. That does not qualify them in dog psychology or dog behaviour.

Let’s be clear purple has categorically claimed they train sight and hearing dogs, when at best all they do is socialise the puppies, and I actually don’t believe they even do that no one with such little knowledge or understanding of dogs would be approved for the role, its insulting to real fosters and real guide dog and hearing dog trainers.

Fosterers ffs

@numbereightyone you might think puppy walker is a misnomer but that's what they are known as and I've never known anyone who does it object to being called such - most are proud to give the dogs a good foundation.

I am not saying they would or should object to the name. I am simply pointing out that there is a lot more to it than walking a puppy!

Evening all,
We are receiving several reports to the effect that this thread has become goady and bad-tempered. Certainly, we have deleted a fair few posts. Can we ask you all to consider the MN guidelines before posting in future? www.mumsnet.com/info/netiquette

I completely agree. I think there can be a bit of smugness with some dog owners who have chilled out, relaxed, sociable 'bomb proof' dogs and a tendency to think that it is completely down to their skills.

I was probably guilty of this myself at one point. Then I got a reactive dog. There was absolutely no difference in the way that either dog was socialised or trained by us they just had very different genetic make up and personality (and probably very different early, early life experience)

Walking a reactive dog can be very stressful, especially on narrow paths where interactions are head on and off lead dogs can come barrelling towards you with little notice.

The majority of owners I find to be really good, they help manage the interaction and don't take offence if my dogs loses her cool.

Some dog owners are however are the opposite and just shout stuff like 'don't worry he's very friendly' or make zero effort to get their dog under control. Yes maybe your dog is friendly, my dog probably won't be and your dog getting up in her face will be a nightmare all round.

Please also bear in mind, owners with reactive dogs need to avoid confrontations where possible (as confrontations typically lead to further confrontations).

"The owner gives the puppy its overall personality."

So why are guide dogs selectively bred then? And not just any puppy?...

Huge arrogance and over confidence in ones abilities with limited actual knowledge of canine psychology and behaviour management is hugely detrimental.

cambodianfoxhound I agree in that whilst dogs need training how they react to that is very dependent on their abilities and temperament. I guess some people like to think that it's 100% down to them and them alone. You only need to look on here to see how people with new puppies say they are very different to train than their previous ones.

Back to the OP, I drive around 20-25 mins on some days to walk in areas where I tend to encounter only considerate dog walkers where we all acknowledge each other but keep our dogs a good distance away.

BiteyShark completely and it leads to this judgemental attitude (demonstrated a lot on this thread) that if a dog is being reactive it must be something the owner has done or neglected to do. Training a reactive dog takes so much time and patience.

In a lot of ways I am grateful for my reactive girl, she has really taught me a lot about my own personality and my need to be calm, patient, consistent and accepting.