Shaken up by off lead dogs.

[itsmellslikepopcarn]

More of a moan than anything but WHY do people let their dogs off lead when they have no recall?

Thought we’d take 13 week old puppy on his first trip to a local country park to do some training and a nice walk, along with 4 year old dog.

Older dog has fantastic recall (too anxious to go too far from me!) but is reactive so doesn’t go off lead unless there is no-one around. The second I spot people he immediately goes back on, which happened today.

Two large chocolate labs off in the distance so back on the lead he goes. They’re easily 50 feet away if not more, but start to mosey on over, owners call them back but don’t put them on a lead. Again, they start coming over, bounding over at this point.

Ive got my dog as tight as possible at this point while he’s snapping and snarling at these two who will not respond to their owners. They eventually wander over, not quickly, and get them to come away. My partner says “they shouldn’t be off lead if you can’t control them” at which point the male owner shouts “shut the fuck up!” and turns back towards us, shouting that our dog should be muzzled. There would have been zero issue if his dogs weren’t off lead, my dog was walking along fine ages away until they bounded over, which I explained and he said they were puppies - again no excuse, our puppy isn’t off lead yet because he won’t come back! Also they looked pretty full grown to me.

I wish people would realise the impact things like this can have on anxious dogs. He’s generally pretty good at ignoring on lead dogs (I put him into a sit with chicken until they pass) but there’s nothing he or I can do in that situation. He’s been getting so much better with his reactivity in general and I fear this has set him back down 😔

I think it's already occurred to OP to try walking in different areas and at different times 😂

As for euthanising a dog just because other people can't be arsed to control theirs...

Unfortunately I don't think op wants to change her routine so will continue to get shaken up by off lead dogs. And her dog will continue to get worse.

Secure fields are pricey - £10 a go here. Often fully booked too. We only just managed to find one when our pup was in season.

As dog owners who keep their dogs on a lead or under control why should our dogs be scared by those who cannot keep theirs under control? We also have dogs off lead on main roads.

Shit happens. Dogs aren't robots. Apologise and move on but if you KNOW your dog is not able to be recalled, or finds it challenging in certain situations then a lead, long line or short lead is the best option. Not hard.

Where are you getting that impression, or are you just trying to make her feel shit?

I've got a reactive dog and have changed my routine and walking location multiple times over the years and you know what? It's made absolutely no difference whatsoever. We still meet off-lead dogs. We still meet dogs on flexi-leads who run over while the owners are totally oblivious. Dogs still run up and approach us no matter where we walk or what time we walk him.

What needs to happen is some of these arsehole uncontrolled dogs need to be mauled by reactive dogs on leads.

There needs to be a lot of coverage in the media that dogs without recall are in danger of huge vet bills or worse.

Only then will twatty owners learn. I will not muzzle my dog because your dog is out of your control.

What needs to happen is some of these arsehole uncontrolled dogs need to be mauled by reactive dogs on leads.

charming. An aggressive owner with an aggressive dog. What a surprise. They're feeding off your energy. Dogs do that.

I walk my dog two routes every single day, because it’s more familiar to him and causes less anxiety. They’re all around my house with no space to go off lead, so we do sniffing for treats on some patches of grass to get out more stimulation. I haven’t taken him to a park in months for this exact reason, there’s places we’ve been to once and never returned because it’s packed with off lead dogs who can’t be controlled.

Responsibility isn’t just about other owners though. Dogs shouldn’t be off lead without reliable recall.

Equally, owners of reactive dogs need to muzzle train for safety.

My dog's reactive after nearly losing an eye to a dog he was playing with. I don't think he'd hurt another dog but he'd be upset.

Dogs should be kept under control. If your dog isn't under your control, it should be on lead.

That is actually the law.

Good guardianship

Exactly, but too many dog owners are ignorant of the law (or just don't care) and think it's perfectly acceptable for their out-of-control dog to run around off the lead regardless of the impact it has on others.

And for the avoidance of doubt, I'd hate for any dogs to be hurt. But I can't see any other way to get through people's skulls that they are at fault.

OP you have my sympathy. A fully grown but clearly young, friendly lab off lab hurtled at full pelt towards my rescue whippet who was on the lead. Whippy did a little single bark. I got a dirty look from lab owner and then lab circled around to run at whippet again. I stood in the way and said, “She’s a new rescue and very nervous.” He did look a bit sheepish holding his extending lead not attached to dog.

we went to puppy socialisation class last week and the trainer told us that our dogs need to learn to wait for permission to greet other dogs and then be polite when they do, have good dog manners, as the dogs they bounce on could be anxious or aggressive.

With my previous reactive rescue, people would shout, “Don’t worry! My dog’s friendly.” I would shout back, “Mine isn’t.”

I completely understand OP. My dog isn't reactive but he is very dog selective. He does not appreciate off lead dogs rushing him but is fine with calm introductions. I have also had run ins with aggressive owners of 'friendly' dogs who shout and swear because I dared to ask them to recall their dogs. One woman even purposely sent her Husky back to us to upset my dog for a second time because I asked her to get her dog under control!

I avoid the busiest parks in my area but I'm not going to restrict him to pavement walks because some owners can't be arsed controlling their dogs. My dog loves his off lead time, comes back to me when called and completely ignores other dogs, although I still lead up when we come across other people or dogs. I find the best thing to do is to put as much distance as possible in. between you and the approaching dog, keep moving as quickly as you can and reward your dog heavily for ignoring the other dog as much as possible. I bring high value treats that he doesn't get any other time and try to turn it into a game of how well he can ignore the dog. I don't even bother dealing with the owner as they are usually at best, clueless and at worst, aggressive. If a dog is persistent the flat hand and firm NO is often effective but sometimes that gets the owner angry because you've shouted at their dog (had that once).

I hate that these kinds of dog owners are becoming the majority. They are an absolute menace to anyone who wants to enjoy public green spaces without being harassed by a dog.

I hate it too. I have a dog selective dog. He stays on the lead despite having a good recall.

So many idiots let their dog run up to him. He's not out and out aggressive but if a dog jumps all over him, he will react.

We mostly walk at 11pm at night now as I just had enough of it.

He's almost 4 stone and I've had to pick him up before when another dog was determined he was going to start a fight with mine. I was asking the owner to call that dog away and he did nothing.

My dog's reactive after nearly losing an eye to a dog he was playing with. I don't think he'd hurt another dog but he'd be upset.

So you are now wishing this on other dogs. You sound charming.

I wonder what a reactive dog owner would do if their dog bit a child. There would be no defence if the dog was on a lead. It would still be a dangerous dog. Some people need to get real about their dogs and avoid busy places.

Daily occurrence around here, made my dog very dog reactive because of all the times off lead dogs came running up to him when he was learning social cues.
Even in on-lead only parks, people still have their off lead dogs, and mine even starts to get nervous when I call out "can you put your dog on a lead", it's that bad.
There's nothing more we can do. Dogs aren't the issue, it's just owners as per usual.

To be fair your dog also has a behavioural issue.

@Leopardchange dogs being reactive to other dogs has zero to do with human aggression 🤦‍♀️

Daily occurrence around here, made my dog very dog reactive because of all the times off lead dogs came running up to him when he was learning social cues.

ah you may have inadvertently caused an issue here as dogs can't really learn submissive behaviour on a lead. Whenever my dog is allowed to approach another dog, she knows to stop, crouch down low, and wait for the other dog to sniff her. If needed and the other dog is quite dominant, she will roll on her back to indicate she is no threat. Unfortunately if dogs are never off lead, they never get to practice this stuff. And since dogs can't talk, body language is all they have. Are dog on a lead has very little room for body language and so all it can do is lash out.

Unfortunately a lot of owners are very restrictive in who they let their dogs socialize with, and don’t take time to actually talk to other dog owners. No one’s denying unruly off lead dogs with no recall are a nuisance and dangerous.

Reactivity when dogs are owned from puppies is down to not allowing them to interact. We teach recall, obedience etc. Dogs need social interaction with other dogs to learn body language.

No. I want irresponsible dog owners to start becoming responsible. I want people to stop making excuses for their poor dog ownership. I want people to start learning what their responsibilities are as dog owners.

And your understanding of dog behaviour is very limited @Leopardchange

Also it doesn't matter why a dog is reactive @lightinthebox. It's irrelevant.

If a dog is on a lead, you don't let your off lead dog approach it.

Stop excusing poor training.