Off lead dogs

[WeeHaggisFeet]

Out walking dogs on lead this morning and we were approached by an offlead dog. I wouldn't necessarily say the dog was aggressive but was very in your face with my boy. When my dog told the dog off with a growl and bark I called my dog to be positioned behind me and the other owner said something along the lines of its OK, he's needing told off so let your dog tell him.

In the meantime his dog has come round to where mine was and mine backed off and managed to slip his collar, he didn't run but clearly wanted as far away as possible from this interaction.

The conversation that followed was basically me telling him to put his dog on a lead if he doesn't have a good recall he has no business being off lead. The guy was arsey and was saying something about me keeping my dogs on lead because they aren't good off it clearly. He also scolded me on my "attitude" presumably because I told him his dog was out of control.

He shouted something as I was walking away so I called him a fucking arsehole and gave him the finger (not my finest moment). To this he was hugely offended.

Not that it makes any difference but my 3 are fine offlead, the point is they weren't, they were on and he clearly couldn't recall his dog.
I'm sure he'd have had something to say if any of mine had bit his dog.

Why are people so bloody stupid when it comes to dogs and then so defensive when the obvious is pointed out?

I'm still pretty pissed about it and whilst not my finest moment I do still think he is indeed a fucking arsehole.

I really hate it when people say just let your dog tell him off or words to that effect , no just get your dog out of my dogs face because you really won’t be saying it’s ok when my patterdale x has ripped half your dogs face off .

Exactly, my dog is such a friendly boy but we don't know this guy so he had no idea what his temperament is. The dog also zoned in on him (the biggest of the 3) and largely ignored the other 2 despite them all being together. Like I said I wouldn't necessarily say he was aggressive but equally it wasn't a friendly approach either.

The breed of this dog gets a bad rep and I actually love the breed and have long thought it's owners who don't train them properly that cause the bad reputation. Makes me so cross.

Our dog has useless recall but loves being off lead. We are very careful as to where we walk him and if we happen to meet another walker whilst in the middle of no-where, we see whether the other walker has theirs on lead, and if so, put ours on. If not, we leave him off lead. The other walker sounds like a complete twonk - you can't fix that sadly.

What an arsehole, he is clearly in the wrong and in the eyes of the law too. If you can’t control your dog, ie it has no recall you are legally responsible for anything it does.

Any owner that lets their dog off lead with no recall is a shit owner. Hire a dog trainer and sort it out, it is one of the basic things you must teach your dog, like sit, settle, drop it, thresholds, not jumping up, etc.

Drives me nuts. I’ve been thrown off a horse because a dog decided to chase my horse, this was in a park that has clear horse riding paths (like the white gravel ones in the royal parks). The idiot owner said I’m sorry he’s friendly but I cannot recall train him, I and my horse could have been killed.

I tell off any owner I see that has dogs that rushes other people and animals because they aren’t leash trained. If enough people do it they might get the message.

This morning we went on a lovely walk with our small, female border collie and we were throwing her ball into the stream to cool her down. Two very large, rude, intact male labradors came running at her, surrounded her and trapped her, stole her ball and then ran away. She growled and snapped at them because she was scared. I called her back to me and she couldn’t get to me as they had her cornered. the ineffectual male owner said ‘oh he’s got no manners’ and they wandered off. It was only after they’d gone we realised they’d nicked our fucking ball! Contrast to the lady who had a very well mannered Viszla who was playing next to us and the two dogs completely ignored each other and were happy as Larry. She called him away and he happily followed her. I am sick of dogs with awful recall and manners getting in my slightly nervous dog’s face.

My biggest annoyence is off lead dogs that run up bothering my on lead dog. Firstly section 3 of the dangerous dogs act comes into play. No person would appreciate a person running up to them in the street and sniffing their arse so why should a dog. Its usually " its the ok he's friendly crew". If your dog has no recall your a bad owner if you let your dog do this. The onlead dog may have health issues , be blind , be deaf, its on a lead for a reason. My dog had a terrible life of abuse and had other dogs attack him before I adopted. He's got a yellow lead on with big writing saying give space. I have every right to walk my dog and if your off leash dog runs up to my on leash dog and jumps up barreling him he will bite. Due to his breed PSI yours will come worse off. I shout to warn people recall your dog. They learn the hard way. And no, in the eyes of the law the off leash dog is wrong every single time. I won't pay vets bills.

Drives me potty

My DC was bitten by an off lead dog this week. Stupid owners, untrained dog. I am livid (and yes I've reported to police!)

I hate the people that let their dogs coming sniffing around and I don’t even have dogs. So often I hear “don’t worry he’s friendly “ or more recently “he just wants you to throw his ball”. All very well for you dog owner but less good for my terrified 4 year old who was knocked over and hurt by a “friendly dog” last year and not acceptable when friendly ball throw wanting lab is actually banging the ball into my new borns legs as I have him in a sling.

I like nice dogs who stay away and who go back to their owners. No one’s dog should be going and bothering anyone else.

sorry that guy was such an idiot. There should be some kind of common sense test before being allowed a dog.

The guy was an arsehole, but you do meet all sorts when you’re walking your dog. We keep ChenPup on the lead most of the time because his recall is not great, although we are actively working on it - if we do let him off it’s when no-one is around and he has a long lead which trails so we can stand on it while we put him back on the lead if needed. I’m always amazed at the number of owners who let their dogs come up to him while he’s on the lead - I now take the approach that if he’s happy I’m happy, but my first reaction to him approaching others (which has happened on the very odd occasion when he’s been off lead and I haven’t managed to get him back on in time) is apologise profusely and then if they are ok with it he can stay off while the dogs say hello. Every owner has been great about it - but chances are they might not if I were to shrug.

Am I the only one who also thinks it doesn’t matter if a dog is on or off lead. You shouldn’t let your dog approach other peoples dogs without asking.

just because my dog is off lead (because she has a great recall) doesn’t mean it’s a green light for your off lead dog to come over. The amount of times I’ve had to recall her to my side and walk off (with the other dog following for ages with no recall back to their owner), because people think it’s fine for their dog to jump all over mine ‘because she’s off lead too’.

I always see comments of people saying their dog has bad recall so if they see the dog is on lead they put it back on … well what’s different if they’re off lead, your dog still has bad recall.

and no my dog is not unfriendly, in fact she has a lovely group of dog friends we regularly meet up with and they play together. I just don’t want your unknown dog coming over and disturbing my walk.

This ^^ why is it my dogs job to educate yours? I get this all the time with intact male dogs that try and hump her. When I ask them to recall their dog it’s always the same ‘oh he needs a good telling off’ …. Not by my dog he doesn’t thanks!

I saw the same guy yesterday. He must have moved to the area. He gave me a filthy look but at least his dog was on lead this time!