"Be nice" and other dog walking rules of thumb

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

Is it just me that recalls my dog the moment I hear an owner telling them to "be nice"? I've had it twice now where the dog has turned out to be distinctly snappy a few seconds later; there's no reason to tell a dog to "be nice" unless it has a history of being not nice.

My other rule of thumb (and my judge pants are firmly on for this one) is that the type of lead used tells you a lot about the owner and dog - extending leads typically for owners who lack knowledge, long lines for more knowledgeable owners of friendly dogs with crap recall, and short leads when used in a park where most dogs would be off lead for more knowledgeable owners of unfriendly dogs. I know I had an extending lead until I became more knowledgeable and realised how dangerous they can be!

Anyone else with judgey pants rules of thumb for dog life?

[thegirlsallgrowedupnow]

Failingat40, maybe you live near the same woods as me. There is a couple who walk their reactive GSD completely off lead which is ok out in the open fields although they panic and start throwing balls in the opposite direction, I put my dog on lead and we smartly disappear. Then we started meeting them along the lane by our house, again the panicked entreaties for the dog to return which he did but not before pinning my on lead dog down in the middle of our drive. They apologised and for a while I think they avoided bringing him past us. Only last week we met in the woods, the couple are always trailing 20 yards behind, I recalled my dog, who was petrified and already legging it back to me and shouted for them to put him on lead please. The response I got was ...we can’t, he gets stroppy on a lead! They cajoled him back whilst we gave them a wide berth. I am hoping the woods walk was a one off as they usually do stick to open fields and I haven’t seen them since so sincerely hoping that they have gone down the enclosed safe space route.

[Wolfray]

I spend a lot of time in a training classes, as I'm studying for a degree in Canine Behaviour and Training (please note, I am NOT qualified yet).

I try not to judge, especially not in classes, because everyone's at classes for the right reasons.

However, when walking my dogs, I struggle when someone with an angry reaction when their recall finally works. I know it is usually borne from frustration, but I really have to hold my tongue from explaining that their response is probably a contributory factor to why their recall isn't working! I end up just desparately wanting to assist.

[Wolfiefan]

Yes Bitey exactly that.
She doesn’t. She really doesn’t.

[SpiderCid]

My dog is medium/large. And I always tell her to "be gentle" whenever she approaches a dog smaller than her or a puppy. I've never seen her be aggressive or snappy towards any other dog. Its just something I say, no idea why.