Why do dogs stand and stare (and their owners let them)?

[fuckoffImcounting]

Experienced dog owner here, recently got a rescue boy (staffie cross).
He can be a bit reactive if challenged by other dogs and I am working on this with food treats. On our walks when passing other dogs on lead, whether close or across the road, many of the dogs stop and stare at him and their owners do nothing to move them on. I would have thought standard practice is to get two strange on lead dogs past each other swiftly and smoothly and not engage in excessive staring. But loads of them do it, admittedly my dog is astoundingly ugly, however, I am not sure that other dogs perceive this. My dog even wears a high viz coat with "Rescue dog in training" written on it - what are these other owners thinking? And why do their dogs stare? I always had German Shepherds before and this did not happen - is it a post lock down thing?

shiny your dog is staring at those agressive/reactive dogs as a form of reactivity. He is being confrontational to them in return for their behaviour.
Jack Russell's are very feisty brave dogs.

My dog goes potty at hi-vis clothing so if she saw your dog in the jacket she would bark as she does at every person she sees in anything hi-vis without the jacket though she probably wouldn't bother with more than a glance. She is though incredibly nosy so sticks her head under gates and stands on two legs to get a better view when something takes her interest. Garden ornaments on display are of huge interest, pumpkin displays currently and no doubt the Christmas decorations in gardens will be another thing to look at.

I've a greyhound, she stops and stares a lot but it's freezing not aggression. She's nervous of other breeds. If they come up she's scared but not aggressive . She stops and stares at lots of things.

We also spent a long time today staring at a huge dog statue someone had on their porch!

My dog likes to meet and greet other dogs. I don't let him meet every dog for obvious reasons so when he is particularly interested in a passing dog he'll just stand still and watch them go past. He isn't harming anyone. He can stop and look at whatever he wants. He is a dog.

“I'm fascinated by owners who are unable to get their dogs to move on, and might start giving them a good hard collie stare.”

Stare back at mine if you want, might help, rofl.

I mean what he actually wants to do is run at the dog barking, bounce all over it and then hump it - so staring is an improvement... believe it or not.

My Newfie does this. It's a mix of being very keen to play, but also a bit shy. So she waits to see what cues the other dog gives. She's so big that I can't actually move her on, even with yummy treats. But if the other dog is scared I'll scatter treats to make her sniff the ground so she's giving friendly cues or if it's beyond that I'll just stand infront of her and block.

I completely agree with you.I never understand why dogowners stop when they have a dog on the lead and let them stare.whats the point!On the rare occasion I have my 2 dogs on lead,I pass other dogowners swiftly without talking.there are maybe the odd occasion when you meet someone with toydog who has zero recall,but is friendly,on lead.If I know the person,I chat maybe for a short while and the dogs sniff each other with tails wagging.Good luck with your training,you do the right thing.

Mine stops and stares as he’s waiting for permission to say hello. He doesn’t bark or pull, and if the other owner/other dog allows it, he’ll say hello nicely.

And, because he has been trained to do this on lead, he comes and waits by me for an invitation to say hello when he’s off his lead too.

If a dog is wearing something that clearly states they are nervous or reactive I will make my dog pull in tight for them to pass. I know from experience that some reactive dogs will lunge and bark as we walk by which causes my dog to freeze and panic much more than he does if we stay still at a reasonable distance.

I hate this. My rescue is a cutie bu doesn’t like other dogs being too full on when she’s on a lead. I just keep walking but owners seem hellbent on letting their dog say hello.

I think you're lucky if they just stop to stare-- it means they are just trying to see if your dog would welcome an approach and a sniff.

I know a few dogs who just lose their damn minds because unbeknownst to you, your dog (and indeed, every dog) is their long lost soulmate and they are seized with the burning desire to sniff bums and serenade their new best friend with the song of their people. But there's you, robbing them of their passionate union and walking away with the best thing that's ever happened to them, and surely they will die broken-hearted... until they get dragged out of sight.

My dog stops and stares if another unknown dog is approaching, with him it's definitely nervousness so I tend to move him out of the way and get his attention with sausages!!

Dogs on lead aren't normally an issue, it's when my on lead dog is jumped on by an off lead dog that I get the rage.

@fuckoffImcounting I also wonder if other owners are being courteous-standing still with their dog to let you and your dog in training go by?

My dog hates high viz, goes mental at the police, postman, bin men and godforbid we go past a building site.

As for the staring. She will stop on lead or off lead and stare at another dog. It's as if she weighing them up. She will look back at me to ask if it's ok to play. If it's a dog we know that she has played with before I tell her yes. If not back on lead telling her no. She's a herding breed mixed with sight hound.
Had a few dogs stare at us. I put her back on lead or change direction as I can tell by her body language, hackles go up. She's been attacked on lead by Labradors before now so she stares at them in a hostile way. So we cross the road.
Also chihuahuas, squirrel size , I have nightmares of her bringing me one bad as a prize.

I wonder if the Covid related lack of dog training classes has left many new dog owners in the dark about on lead training. The dog training classes that I have attended with my various dogs always emphasise that you pass other on lead dogs with both dogs in the opposite outside place, and with the dog's attention fixed firmly on the owner i.e. walking to heel on the lead.

Thats exactly how you do it.Ignore the many comments here,you are doing the correct training with your dog.yes,many people have no idea how to train a dog.Fortunately most dogs are friendly,they just dont have any recall at all and are loopy on the lead.

We live in a very dog friendly area where most people welcome their dogs having a quick hello. So if we see a new dog (that doesn’t have a yellow lead or similar) we will stop and I’ll ask the owner if my dog can say hi.

I guess if you live somewhere where owners aren’t as dog friendly it’s not acceptable, but it’s just something that’s normal where I am and never been an issue. It’s not lack of training because of the non issue.

@fuckoffImcounting

I wonder if the Covid related lack of dog training classes has left many new dog owners in the dark about on lead training. The dog training classes that I have attended with my various dogs always emphasise that you pass other on lead dogs with both dogs in the opposite outside place, and with the dog's attention fixed firmly on the owner i.e. walking to heel on the lead.

In an ideal world that may be the case, but we don't live in a perfect world and dogs are animals at the end of the day, not perfectly trained robots.

My dog is generally okay on a lead but he's a beagle and they're not bred to be walked on leads, really. So I'm constantly working against his instincts to sniff/run off independently and hunt. So, if he spots a cat or squirrel while on a walk, all his attention is on it and no amount of treats or pulling him away will make the blindest bit of difference.

I'm also of the belief that dogs really don't need to be 100% perfectly trained to walk at heel all the time. Yes, it's a useful skill to have but dogs should also (where safe) be allowed a bit of freedom to sniff, pee and explore the area they're walking because the purpose of a walk isn't just exercise, it's to communicate with their surroundings too.

Another dog looking at my dog doesn't even cross my radar as an issue. It happens so often that it's just a normal part of dog ownership to me. As a dog walker, I'd say the vast majority of dogs I walk also stop and look at other dogs, especially the collies and terriers.

they're not bred to be walked on leads, really. are any dogs?

I would be very aware of a dog staring at my dogs. I would be watching the body language carefully as any still staring dog is uncomfortable and hence unpredictable.

On this thread most of the dogs on here who stop and stare are aroused in one way. Either not happy with the situation as it is unpleasant, or not sure of what they other dog is going to do, frustration in not being able to greet the dog.

If owners worked on their dogs focussing on them, then any new or novel situation would immediately call for a check in with the owner or a "this is not any of my business" and the dogs would carry on as normal. More dogs would be less stressed and there would be less reactivity around.

I am surprised the your collies stare Icedcoffee usually it is beneath many collies to acknowledge other dogs

they're not bred to be walked on leads, really.
are any dogs?

Ha, I know what you mean but beagles were bred to run and work independently of their owners for years. They weren't bred to work alongside humans in the way collies and spaniels and labs are.

And yes, every single Collie I walk will fixate in some way on other dogs -either by dropping to the floor and watching, or stopping still and staring/focusing until they pass.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a collie that didn’t stare.

@Andwander

Thats exactly how you do it.Ignore the many comments here,you are doing the correct training with your dog.yes,many people have no idea how to train a dog.Fortunately most dogs are friendly,they just dont have any recall at all and are loopy on the lead.

I don’t think anyone’s saying that’s not how you do it... just pointing out that other people’s dogs are also at different points of training too.

In a nice open place I’ll stay far enough away that he won’t stare, but sometimes it’s unavoidable and it’s an improvement on his previous behaviour.

Hopefully one day he won’t stare either...but he’s young and has a lot of baggage.

My dog does not react to being stared at, but sometimes the other dog will start barking

Right, so the issue isn't actually the staring

And also, dogs bark 🤷🏼‍♀️ it's their way of communicating and it'd be a bad thing for any owner to attempt to "stop their dog barking". If your dog doesn't react well to it then walk them early in the morning or late at night when it's quieter.

To you it's just a walk but to your dog, new sights, new smells, other dogs etc are all absolutely massive deals for them. If it's such a big issue then really and truly the onus is on you to choose routes or times where you will not pass by that many dogs on your walks.

A woman was ‘pissing herself laughing’ at nothing? Or the ugliness of your dog?

I imagine what actually happened is her dog was staring/barking, you were standing there staring back, and she gave a nervous little laugh to express that this was awkward. If the dog is staring for an extended period of time and you notice that surely it means you’re also standing staring back? Maybe just move by quickly and don’t look at other dogs to see if they’re looking? Or keep your dog on your inside so he won’t be looking at dogs across the road/path.

I think mine stares as she's fresh off a race track and other breeds are a complete mystery! She stops and stares and I can understand why. Definitely not as much as she did, sometimes we trot on by now , but we're still mainly staring !