I have a small dog. She’s a chug. She is usually on the lead for walks - mainly because her recall is not 100% so she has to stay on a long lead, or the extending lead, depending on where we are walking. But increasingly I keep her on the lead as it’s the best way to keep her safe from out of control off lead dogs.
She’s well socialised, not afraid of other dogs, and is not dog reactive.
But because she is small herself she prefers to socialise and play with dogs her own size or similar. We have got to know a few local ones and if it’s safe to do so we let them off lead and they have a great time playing safely.
Dogs much larger she will hang back from and avoid, but if they approach (because they are off lead and the owner isn’t around or is clueless) she will sniff greet but then she wants to just move on and I can tell by her body language that she is wary. She ‘freezes’, her tail is down her ears back, super submissive ‘please just sniff me and then go!’
Even if she’s keen I don’t always allow her to play if the size difference is too great - it’s just common sense - she’s at risk of being hurt accidentally. Spaniel size is the limit unless I know the dog well.
But I am SO SO fed up of the increasing number of irresponsible dog owners who let their dogs run around off the lead WITH NO RECALL. Their dogs come charging up to me and my dog and are straight in her face.
The owner is half way across the field either not even looking or powerless and not even bothered to do anything.
We had an incident like this yesterday where I was walking her on lead, minding our own business. Saw an off lead lab up ahead. Labs are too big to be safe playmates for my dog. Lab sees us and comes charging over and is immediately on top of my dog. I could see it was young, and it was in ‘play’ mode - but my dog did not want to play, and was trying to get away.
Owner called her dog when it first set off towards us and of course it completely ignored her. I expected her to then come and get it - but no! She just turns around and starts watching her kid in the park instead.
Mine is now tying herself up in knots between my legs trying to get away from the dog that seems to want to pick her up in it’s mouth. I yell at the woman to get control of her dog - she looks at me all dumbfounded ‘what?’.
Then my dog yelped so I’m afraid I lost my temper and yelled louder ‘come and get your fucking dog!’
She then scuttled over and put her dog on the lead. I said to her ‘if your dog doesn’t come back when you call them it shouldn’t be off the lead’ and started to walk off. She didn’t even apologise or ask if my dog was ok. I then hear her say TO HER DOG ‘see X, what have I told you’
I turned back and said it’s not the dogs fault - it’s your fault! You’re the owner!
It’s just so irresponsible. Why do some dog owners seem to think they have the right to put my dog in danger? It would only take one bite and she’d be dead. It should be up to me to decide which dogs she will be around and when - not for other owners who aren’t even physically there half the time and probably have no idea of her size before they let their much larger dog barrel into her. It’s the equivalent of letting a 16yr old have a wrestling match with a 4yr old.
I don’t care if you think your dog is friendly and it ‘just wants to say hello’. If it doesn’t come back when you call it then it is NOT under your control. You need to train it better or keep it on a lead. End of. I’m DONE with feeble excuses and apologies, entitlement and faux hurt feelings because I’ve dared to call them out on their lax and irresponsible attitude to dog ownership.
Im just so fed up with it. It’s happening more and more. I’ve now ordered a dog deterrent spray so I have some additional defence for me and my dog. And of course there’s always my boot (I have big heavy toe capped boots for dog walking).