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 😔

My male dog reacts negatively to other dogs trying to bum him.. not much I’m prepared to do about that when the other dog is out of control and the owners are half way across a field 😂

Thanks for the “advice” but dogs don’t really understand human emotions like we do, I’ve tried explaining to him that if he just tells the other dog that ‘no means no’ then they’ll stop jumping all over him and go away, sometimes he goes into a whole monologue about informed consent but they just don’t seem to understand..

I walk my dogs every day.. I see an awful lot of dogs running loose with the owners shouting them unable to get them back or seemingly unbothered that they’re pestering dogs on lead or people with kids that are quite obviously frightened, not all of these effect me directly, but I see it probably 3-4 times a week, I see loads more dogs than that walking nicely, chasing balls or just staying with their owners, or seeing positive interactions between dogs, playing etc. But 3-4 a week is far too many as far as I’m concerned.

you probably don’t see it because you just think these dogs are being ‘friendly and sociable’.

You're walking along and spot a dog on the lead ahead. Two options.

Pop yours back on for a few seconds, maybe a minute. Great chance to practice loose lead walking and control around other dogs as you trot past.

or

Call them to you and ask them to walk beside you until you have passed the dog on the lead. Release your dog when the other dog is clear.

I really don't get what is hard about either of those options.

@sandyhappypeople

To be honest the places I walk in the new forest, local beach as well as my local park don't really have many dogs on leads. Our walks are usually like a big dog meet-up lots of dogs playing together, sniffing each-other, chasing each-other etc
occasionally I see one scared looking owner recoiling at the horrors of dogs having fun but my dogs are never interested in those dogs so I have no idea what you're talking about.
Maybe stick to path walks or round the block where dogs won't be off the lead if it's that much of an issue.
When I adopted. Dog with terrible fear, I avoided open spaces to begin with, until her fear had gone for this very reason.

Maybe stick to path walks or round the block where dogs won't be off the lead if it's that much of an issue.

As has been said numerous times on this thread, it makes no difference, there are dogs off the lead everywhere.

Rude dogs? Sniffing is normal dog behaviour incase you didn't realise.

No there isn't. Walk by a busy road and the chances of finding an off lead dog is practically nil.

Not here it isn't. Dogs are regularly walked off the lead on the busy roads. Utter lunacy (and there have been dogs killed in the last 10 years) but it happens. On a daily basis. I have been accosted by off lead dogs on main roads as a runner and also as a dog walker. One dog crossed a road with cars coming to come and jump at me on the other side. Owner shrugged.

It doesn't matter if it's normal or not. My dog doesn't want a random dog he doesn't know running up and sniffing him.

If a dog is on a lead you need to respect their space. End of.

Oh, I didn't realise you knew where I live

It happens pretty much every single day where I live. People don't care. Some don't even bother to carry leads with them.

Yep, happens here too.

I was driving home from a dog walk last week and there was a lady walking on the pavement while her off-lead terrier just wandered in the middle of a NSL road. She was totally oblivious until I beeped my horn at her - then she gave me a filthy look

@cinnamonfrenchtoast

I agree that's why my dogs don't go near dogs like yours.
I genuinely believe some owners fears and paranoia rub off on their dogs.
My MIL was like this, she was visibly terrified whenever another dog can up to her dog, but when he stayed with me he was fine on the lead. Ask any trainer and they'll tell you that the lead is like a satellite between you and your dog and it has to be used correctly.
It's not commands that your dog listens to its tones and body language.

I know. I work with dogs.

I'm not scared of other dogs, and neither is my dog - except when they come and jump all over him and try and hump him when all he's doing is walking along on a lead.

A while ago he was walking along with another dog, minding his own business when we passed a lady with an off-lead terrier and a puppy. The puppy was fine, my dogs were fine - then the terrier, out of nowhere, jumped on my dog and tried to bite his neck.

He was incredibly tolerant and just yelped but it's a prime example of behaviour that causes dogs to become reactive in the first place.

@Cuppa2 my dog is exactly the same, has no interest in other dogs, he just wants to play with his ball, run about and play with me. He is totally fine if another off lead dog comes over for a polite sniff but it’s so frustrating when a dog (usually twice his size) is jumping all over him, humping, trying to do bitey face etc and the owners just say ‘oh he’s friendly, he likes playing’ while mine is desperately trying to hide between my legs! Every time I tell them my dog doesn’t like it and can they please recall their dog I get made to feel it’s my dog who is the problem. Just because a dog is off lead does not mean they want to get into boisterous play with your dog……

Sorry you had to deal with this OP, it's annoying because you want to keep other people's dogs safe from yours too, and they don't get it. I have 3 fine dogs, one reactive nutcase I got as a failed lamping dog at 2yo when she'd already been socialised and there's not much to be done with her aggression now.
I run my reactive dog at night with a light up collar and glow in the dark ball you "charge" with a torch in the middle of nowhere to make sure she's happy enough, you said your dog has good recall so would this be an option to get most of her energy out? Then during the day when she gets her leash walk she's alot less tense.
As for dogs approaching, I agree with other posters, practice your fear of god "NO, GET BACK", and step out at the dog, most dogs will turn around at this. If they don't I carry a heavy walking stick, and I don't care what other people have to say about the morality of this, any dog that ignores me telling it to leave, and my nutcase dog kicking off does not have good intentions and doesn't need to be close enough to me that the stick could even touch it. I refuse to muzzle my dog in the middle of nature, I've had a dog mauled half to death and it would have been alot worse if she didn't have her teeth.

how can you say all dogs are off lead and it’s never a problem so you have no idea what I’m talking about, then go on to say that you experienced exactly the same thing when your dog was frightened, so actively avoided those sort of places in THE VERY SAME PARAGRAPH.

I’m amazed you don’t have more empathy for reactive dog owners seeing as you had problems with your own, not all can be trained or socialise out of being frightened.

Thanks for the concern, but It’s not an issue for me, my dog deals with rude, untrained dogs that persist in trying to dominate him really efficiently, much better then I ever could, just two dogs communicating in the only way they know how, so there’s no reason for me to limit my walks, we have a great time apart from the odd ‘interruption’, if other people want to get annoyed about their lack of control of their own dogs then they can crack on.

but I don’t presume to tell people where they can and can’t walk, or that they should muzzle their dogs, everyone should be free to enjoy these spaces without being harassed by out of control dogs with clueless owners.

I refuse to muzzle my dog in the middle of nature, I've had a dog mauled half to death and it would have been alot worse if she didn't have her teeth.

Exactly - this is the problem with muzzles. Yes, they stop a dog from biting but they also mean a dog has no way to defend themselves. I've heard a few stories where muzzled dogs have been really badly injured because they can't fight back and get the other dog off them.

@cinnamonfrenchtoast

A terrier once mauled my old Labrador so I understand but it was on the lead and walking past on a narrow path by a river and there was no avoiding it even though my dog just walked past minding his own business, hence why muzzles are needed.
I disagree with over boisterous behaviour from dogs when it's not welcome so Yanbu but Usually if a dog isn't recalled it might sniff but I think the scenario you suggest you're exaggerating how often it happens.

Muzzled are needed for all reactive dogs, because yours got attacked one time by an aggressive dog?

its seriously a case of punishing the innocent for the acts of the guilty in that case.

@sandyhappypeople

My dog was scared of people mainly and showed nervous reactive behaviour so I wasn't going to walk her where there was lots of dogs and people to be on the safe side.
I never said she ever reacted to a dog off lead specifically.
The issue was gone within 3 weeks and she went from a terrified scared dog to a confident off lead dog who was happy and now doesn't use a lead unless near a busy road. She walks to heel and the rest of the time is swimming, running and doing zoomies and enjoying her life. If I'd have never worked hard to resolve her issues then she would have such a boring life stuck on lead being scared of the world. So it was worth the effort

Hmmm, it is a bit irritating when people choose to walk their dogs on leads right through a notorious “non lead” area. If I do a lead walk, we trundle round side roads - I don’t cross the middle of the park/go through the woods and dare another dog to come near us.

And as for those extendable cheesewire leads . My dog was bounding along by me and met a poodledoodledo type thing. Dog never plays with a leashed dog, but this one was on the longest extendable lead I had ever seen. Not only was it not immediately apparent it was on a lead, the lead was dangerous. The owner and I were both looking daggers at each other.

It’s only on MN that I hear of reactive dogs that are regularly ‘attacked’ by off lead dogs.

Where I am owners are sociable ourselves and love talking to each other about dogs, it’s one of the joys of dogs getting to talk about them.

Relaxed owners = relaxed dogs. Some want to just sniff or play with their ball, other dogs chase and play, all are respectful of each other and share treats etc. This happens because we let our dogs be social and learn dog body language and respect from each other.

As owners we recognise anyone who doesn’t want to be sociable and keep our distance, but reactive dogs are incredibly rare.

Ive spent time training my dog and knowing her quirks, owners of reactive dogs should be as responsible as they claim to be. Stop blaming others for your dog’s aggression and muzzle your dog.

I mean, I don't really care if you believe me or not.

I work with dogs and am out walking them for 5-6 hours a day. We go to a variety of locations and walk at a variety of different times and I'd say that, on average, it happens 4-5 times a week.

It also doesn't really matter if a dog might only sniff - not all dogs are comfortable with other dogs up in their personal space. If I can walk multiple dogs off the lead and recall them away from others, owners should be able to manage it with one dog.

I walk lots of friendly dogs with poor recall so they never get to go off the lead - it's that simple.

@fullbloom87
That's an entirely different situation, most people on this thread with reactive dogs are complaining they have a problem with getting enough space for their dogs, and I don't think they'd be walking their dog close enough to another for it to bite in that case. A reactive dog that you plan on walking within biting range of an onleash dog or humans walking by should definitely be muzzled.

@sandyhappypeople

So if your dog doesn't bite other dogs what are you afraid of?
Unless the off lead dog is aggressive then the worst that will happen is your dog gets a bit annoyed surely.
Just like children at nursery, dogs have to learn how to handle different scenarios.
If a dog tried to hump my dog, my dog runs off, no harm done.

Ive spent time training my dog and knowing her quirks, owners of reactive dogs should be as responsible as they claim to be. Stop blaming others for your dog’s aggression and muzzle your dog.

For the millionth time, reactivity doesn't equal aggression.