Reactive dog and beach... people are ar$eh0les!!

[PlinkPlonkFizz]

What do you do with off lead dogs who are harassing on lead dogs?

I'm fostering a sweet lab mix, sweet - until she meets another dog 😤. We're working together on trust using sit, look and treat if no reaction. It's going well and I think it helps that if there's a chance to cross the road and avoid a face to face, I'll do it. I feel a bit sad for her that she's not socialising but it stresses her so much at the moment, it's not fair. Maybe in time we can get to the point she's more confident, or future owners will get her to that place.

At the beach early morning and a Scotty comes charging up, yipping and snarling. Of course Mrs. Sweetie who had been sitting and minding her own business, goes full alert, barking and jumping. The owners totally ignore the situation unfolding as the Scotty races back for two more loops of frenzied barking. Mrs S goes mad but owners keep walking towards me, ignoring their dog! I call over to ask can they put their dog on a lead but they pretend they can't hear - exaggerated hand to ear gestures even though it was obvious what the problem is. Eventually my older DS shouted it really loud and the man squared up at a distance and kept staring back as the Scotty's ran all around.

I'm at a loss about it - it was obvious we were taking steps to avoid them just as it was obvious that their dog was upsetting Mrs S. What way do you manage these kind of situations?

A dog running round excitedly on a beach isn’t a dog ‘out of control’. It’s a dog behaving how it’s supposed to. If it’s attacking someone then yes, it’s out of control, but approaching other dogs for a bit of a play isn’t.

You can't guarantee it, but it's a help and the more people who know the yellow lead thing the better. It's been a round for a while now. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/everyone-needs-know-meaning-yellow-17137766

If you can't control your dog they need to either be on lead or you need to be in a private space eg rent a dog field.

I have a trained dog who doesn't appreciate the antics of others, I can recall or send him away from a situation without fail, he just doesn't do rough and tumble with other dogs so I've lost count how many times this month alone I've had to say please stop your dog pestering mine (he just wants to play ball with his humans) some dog owners are just so oblivious

The key question is - while your dog is running around excitedly - can you call them back if need be?

@Soontobe60 That's exactly what I did! We did a right angle and walked a hundred yards towards the dunes. Scotty was way over at the waterline. Mrs S was sitting and waiting and Scotty beelined over to us. I definitely expect dog owners to ensure their dogs not to veer off course to come over to antagonise my dog who is minding their own business. You're 100% obviously one of the entitled brigade who don't think they have to consider other dog owners!

@SpareHeirOverThere she's the former - sitting quietly until a barking dog gets within 5 feet of her. It's the first time I have had an interaction like that.

The problem is, when a dog bounds over to you and your dog you don't know anything about it. You've no idea whether it will play, attack or just quietly trot on by. Some distance and good manners in approaching is a great help and common decency isn't it?

If you dog needs to be on the leash, honestly I'd just walk them in places there won't be any off-lead dogs. Because there will always be that one dog who runs up to yours!

I know beaches and parks make for a much nicer walk for you, but a quiet suburb might be better for your dog?

There are no locations that you can't guarantee dogs off lead!

I meant walking in the street... although I have noticed quite a a few people do have their dogs off lead even then!

But for the most part, a dog will enjoy having s as nice snuffy walk along a quiet street, if they're staying on the lead they don't need to be in s as park or a beach. Things that make the walk enjoyable to humans aren't necessarily things that make it fun for the dog.

I've even seen recommendations from behaviourists to walk around an industrial estate... not nice for humans but lots of interesting smells

If Mrs S is doing nothing more than snapping and growling and barking, to get the other dog to back off - not biting or attacking - that's just your dog setting sensible dog boundaries. My dog hates puppies... too jumpy and excitable. He shows teeth and they scarper. He's a grumpy old man.

If she does that to any human... not remotely okay. If she is attacking, you have a problem. But it sounds like she's just saying 'sod off' to another dog.

I'm sorry she's distressed, though. And yes, it is arsehole behaviour to let a dog off lead in an on lead area.

@PlinkPlonkFizz
Can the organisation you are fostering for help?
Can they put you in touch with other fosterers in the area so you could walk her with their onlead dog but at a distance she feels safe?
Or if they have a physical centre, could you go there and walk with another dog onlead with a volunteer walker?
As you've alluded to, you don't want to isolate her but obviously you don't want her getting into trouble.
Having said that, depending on her age and exercise needs and your set up and how long you've had her, I wonder if she needs walks at all or if she doesn't need walks quite yet.
Have a look at Stop Walking Your Dog by Niki French.
Good luck, it's not easy.

This is a MASSIVE bugbear of mine. One of my dogs is a puppy farm rescue.. very damaged, very anxious and very reactive. She was ALWAYS on a lead. I took her to quiet places, at random times, including the middle of the night, but it is impossible to avoid the idiot ‘my dog is friendly’ owners who think it is ‘good for my dog to say hello to yours’.
It only takes one ‘friendly’ dog to approach her to undo weeks of training. I have tried everything, I have asked politely, I have been rude, I have used yellow lead and ‘give me space’ coat. I have yelled, I have body blocked, I have changed direction….Nothing works because there are so many entitled idiot owners who don’t even try to control their dogs. The amount of abuse I have had thrown at me ( while my dog tries to climb on my head to get away from other dogs) is appalling.
Because of that my dog now can’t be walked, she is agoraphobic and on vets orders she is socialised/exercised in my garden with a friends dog for company. Before anyone jumps on me- I have tried everything as has her behaviourist supplied by the rescue.
I would love to see her running the beach, free and happy after years of abuse ( so that other people can have their pretty little puppies- that’s another whole story) but because other people won’t control their dogs that isn’t possible.
All of you who are saying ‘if your dog is the problem then don’t take him to beach’ etc … nope it’s your entitled attitude that’s the issue not my dog. I don’t run up to random strangers hugging them and insisting they be my friend!

Well said, @Potentialmadcatlady . I agree with you 100%.
Sorry to hear about your dog and I understand wanting to see her running free but it sounds like absolutely the best for her to do just as you are doing.

Thanks @redboxer321
I have literally done everything I can with her vets help and behaviourists working with her. She isn’t the problem- I could work through the fear of leads ( and did) I have worked through learning to walk on lead, her recall is amazing, she is very good with other animals ( in her own home she will lovingly accept any, play and cuddle with them) But what doesn’t work is people/animals approaching her outside when she is on high alert. People have literally approached us on a walk after I have said please don’t approach her and said ‘oh all dogs like me’. They don’t listen.
So now my dog doesn’t get the freedom she very much deserves because of other humans behaviour and that makes me sad

If you can’t recall it, it is out of control... without reliable recall, how are you stopping it eating a dead jellyfish? or running off the beach in to traffic? or from harassing children? it’s not just the other dogs.

Also, a dog that runs up excitedly to a dog giving very clear signals it doesn’t want to interact is very much not doing what it’s supposed to, that’s a dog that shouldn’t be mixing with other dogs without close supervision because it’s either doing it to be aggressive and start a fight or it has absolutely appalling social skills.

@WarmButteryCrumpets

theres nowhere without offlead dogs tbh, my last dog was dog aggressive - I even tried industrial estates, met offlead dogs, street walking, off lead dogs plus dogs in gardens who’ll run at the fence barking... and sometimes just dogs out by themselves 😐 even tried the cemetery because there’s signs everywhere about dogs only being permitted if on lead and you’d think common decency would mean you’d not let your dog run about over people’s graves... nope.

Carry a stick with you and wave it about towards the off lead dog. Hit the other dog if you need to. I do this and its amazing how quickly the other owner will put a lead on the dog. I haven't yet had to hit the other dog but I would do so if I needed to.

on this occasion there were two of you if I’ve read correctly?
could you take a slip lead to harness twat dogs and one person deal with your foster, the other go out to meet ,lead up and frogmarch twat dog back to it’s owner and give them an earful (only do this if you are confident in their body language and experienced-which it sounds like you are)
only works if you have enough people obvs

@tabulahrasa it is crazy how many people have dogs off-lead in the street! I notice it more and more these days

You should! This is shocking. It takes a second for a child to innocently reach out to a 'doggy'.

Yes - the child should be supervised.
Yes - they should be taught not to approach random dogs etc.

But you would be firmly in the wrong, legally and morally if anything was to happen and a child getting bitten could be prevented by you muzzling your 'precious' animal.

The entitlement of dog owners just beggars belief 🤯

A dog running round excitedly on a beach isn’t a dog ‘out of control’. It’s a dog behaving how it’s supposed to. If it’s attacking someone then yes, it’s out of control, but approaching other dogs for a bit of a play isn’t.

A dog that isn't under voice control is not out of control.

Your dog shouldn't be approaching other dogs on the lead - I don't care how much fun they're having.

My dog's very dog reactive so he's muzzled when out even though he's always on the lead and doesn't try to start a fight .
I warn people once that if they don't grab their off lead dog that's running upto him constantly I will remove his muzzle so that he can protect himself!!!

A dog running round excitedly on a beach isn’t a dog ‘out of control’. It’s a dog behaving how it’s supposed to. If it’s attacking someone then yes, it’s out of control, but approaching other dogs for a bit of a play isn’t.

This makes me so cross.
Your dog should NEVER under any circumstances approach an onlead dog without permission.
It doesn't matter where, woods, fields, beaches etc.

It is basic dog manners. If your dog starts to run over to another dog, call them back and ask first. If you can't call him back, he shouldn't be off lead in the first place.

My dog is reactive. He is 100 x better than when we first got him (rescue) but if another dog runs up to him he is distressed and starts barking and leaping round.

We spend loads of time avoiding other dogs, I see it as our job to find an alternatvie route if a dog is coming towards us. Usually calling out my dog is not friendly is enough for people to put theirs on a lead for a minute.
But there are always idiots who have a loose dog that is allowed to run the length of a large field towards my dog on a lead. Not much I can do, can't run away fast enough. Then all the training I have put in gets undone, because instead of sitting and waiting for the dog to go by, the dog is in his face and he kicks off.

Honestly if he bit another dog I would have zero sympathy (and before anyone says anything, he only reacts to dogs, not people)

I have a slightly reactive dog that I have inherited from my son who can no longer have her due to working abroad. Up until recently I avoided all interactions with other dogs and to be honest it was actually making me ill with the stress. I hated taking her out. I got a dog trainer even though I considered myself to be an experienced dog owner. She came and spent a couple of hours with me, told me how to act and how to read my dog and others. At the time I was not overly convinced but I stuck to the instructions and now, 2 months later, I definitely have a better understanding of my dog and she has consequently made friends with a few dogs in our area. She looks to me for instructions and I definitely feel more bonded with her now.
I live in a small town and there is guy who owns 2 large, very vocal dogs who wanders about the streets at all hours with both dogs off lead. They walk way ahead of him and half the time he cant even see them. He drives me nuts. One of the dogs recently charged at us, barking loudly . Owner a good distance away stood and did nothing. I screamed NO several times at the oncoming dog and it stopped for a second and looked a bit puzzled. (This was not in my training by the way, just me being bloody angry)
Put my dog in sit, which she now does thanks to the training. Oncoming dog stopped approaching but still barking at us. I just stayed still, and oncoming dog lost interest and finally turned and went back to the owner. Owner continued walking without so much as a look. Made me absolutely furious his lack of concern. To be fair, I was pretty scared because if challenged up close, my dog would definitely be on it. She's a mix of American staff and Sharpei ,lovely temperament indoors but won't stand for any nonsense with other dogs. The training gave me that little bit of confidence and assertion that I needed and things are looking up.
Said arsehole local man with the pair of barky, off leash dogs has been reported. Not seen him for a while, but I'm constantly on the lookout...Sadly these people who think they 'know' their dogs have no concept of what it takes to be a decent dog owner and responsible citizen at the same time..I do wish you luck with your situation OP because I do know how stressful it can become..

What do you do with off lead dogs who are harassing on lead dogs?

I point at mine and yell, nice and clearly, "she's really contagious! I'd keep your away unless you want the vet bills"

I've never seen othe owners move anywhere near so fast as when they think it might cost them money.

Update - Mrs S is right back to where she was when removed from the animal centre. 😞
We went for the quiet walk yesterday where I can pull her off the path if I see an approaching dog. Normally she will sit and wait for her treat. Yesterday she went insane as the other dogs approached. It's so upsetting to see her revert after her improvements, all because of the "beach ar$eholes".

@BapsOutFriday love that idea! Do you really do that? Kudos if you do!

@redboxer321 yes liaising with the rescue to plan things for Mrs S. I took your advice about walks and got lots of games going (we've got a big garden thankfully) and we wore her out with frisbee and treasure hunts so that she could decompress. I'd some Calmeze for Bonfire Night so I'll give her them for a week or so too.

Hopefully we can get her back on track poor thing, she was even jumping at sheets I'd pegged out today 😫