Frustrated at lack of good off lead dog walks

[familyconflict]

I’m feeling so frustrated at restrictions being placed on free spaces for dogs. Trying to move and find a place with good access to walks in the South.

I have owned dogs for many years. Have excellent control, responsible owner, leads near livestock, pick up poo etc.

On a walk - for the majority of time, I want my dogs to run free. They are a breed that need to. It is not ‘dog friendly’ to say dogs on leads. It is the same as saying kids can only walk not run. It isn’t fair and doesn’t work. Dogs need to run and that is part of the joy of walking them. ( I have kids BTW)

I live near a town with very low ratio of square meters of green space per person. Thought I had found a location on the outskirts with good walks but the National Trust who own a small bit and council have decided that the main bit of accessible greenery ( that lots of people use) is going to have a few grazing livestock on for “wildflowers/eco” reasons. All going through and sign are going up demanding dogs will need to be on 2 m leads.

It is making me angry so I am trying to find info or a database with details of good spaces, free of restrictions. Just wondered if anyone is aware of anything online?

Dogs also like to weave/zig zag/stop and sniff then dart off again. None of that can be done on a short lead

My dog does exactly this on a waist lead. I run / jog with him. His job is to choose the route and the speed. We go sniffing through the undergrowth in the woods together and all sorts (he's sniffing, not me!). I often look like I'm doing my David Bellamy impression, popping out of bushes with him! 🤣

There are way too many uncontrolled off lead dogs round here who like to go for other dogs.

He's a very happy, chilled doggy who adores his time out with me.

I do both on and off-lead walks with my dog as there are lots of sheep around here, and while he does love a good "sniffari", it doesn't provide the same stimulation as a good zoom on the beach, rolling in the sand, wrestling with other dogs and diving in the sea or in puddles. They're just not comparable in any way.

I personally think it's a real shame when dogs are never allowed off their leads to explore naturally - obviously in some cases it comes down to safety but I don't understand the mentality of restricting the lives of every single dog just because you want (or need) to keep yours on a lead.

Take a look at Asher House charity they save lots of dogs on Euthansia list, Lee who runs it often walks very large groups of dogs together, all off lead. It is beautiful to watch so many different breeds of dogs walking/ running free off lead. He is an expert in what he does and has loads of free advice.

That’s mad.

Ours is on a lead for his own safety due to too many idiots with badly controlled, aggressive, dogs which are off lead. He still has a whale of a time, as he chooses where we go and what we get up to. He's utterly wiped out when we get back.

A lead won't necessarily keep him safe, though.

My dog has been attacked while on his lead several times.

Im not sure that the poster I was talking about had specified what type of lead they use , I would imagine if her dog was running with her on a beach that she’s either very fit or has a fairly long lead . At the end of the day we all make our choices , my late dog ended up having to stay on a longline because he had gone completely deaf and half blind so we did it for his safety .Personally I think if a dog has a lovely home , gets to go out for walks and is trained and cared for then it’s having a pretty good life on or off a lead .

I have no problem with off lead well controlled dogs not bothering livestock or birds on footpaths etc in areas with minimal people. What I do dislike intensely is off lead dogs in the local park as loads of them are really badly behaved. We are a densely populated area and the number of dogs has massively increased on the last 5 years. I suspect other people feel the same as our park has increased the restrictions on where dogs can go. Not everyone likes dogs. I would have zero problem with the council taking away off lead dog walks to increase biodiversity and have cattle on a space. It's fine to use spaces for other purposes than exercising dogs.

Can someone explain how keeping your dog on a lead keeps them safe from attacks by other dogs who are off lead? Surely it makes them more vulnerable to off lead dogs as they can’t defend themselves if you’re holding onto them?

I'm very happy with my choices, as you are yours. My opinion is that I can keep him safer on a lead.

Before talking about the dog being on the beach, her previous posts were talking about the majority of dogs being happy with "walks around the streets", so on a short lead, presumably?

I just don't agree that that's enough stimulation for most dogs. While they may cope and show no signs of being unhappy, I feel like it's a real shame to restrict them like that when it's not necessary.

A long-line on a beach or in a woodland or field is very different to being stuck plodding the pavements on a six foot lead and I think it's pretty disingenuous to suggest they're even remotely comparable.

I guess I just don't understand how a lead keeps him safe if he's approached by an off-lead dog who decides to attack him?

Exactly. A dog around here was killed last year - it was on a lead and attacked by a pack of off-lead dogs. A lead makes absolutely no difference if a dog is attacked, sadly.

Exactly! Off lead dogs are a problem
That's why all dogs need to be kept on leads at all times.

You avoid the dogs you know are twats and also avoid other off lead dogs if you don't know them.

I'm not sure escaping an off lead dog but running out of the woods under a bus is going to help matters much, is it?

I have a dog who can only have on leash walks now, thanks to a feckless dog owner who allowed their off leash dog to approach my (on leash dog). My dog was unhappy about this and tried to warn the other dog who would not take no for an answer. To cut a log story short - my dog endured two hours of emergency surgery to stitch his private parts back together and three weeks spent wearing a cone etc. The result is now a reactive dog who I can only walk on leash, round the neighbourhood where I can guarantee no “he’s friendly” off leash dogs are going to run up to him. My dog was once friendly too and now he isn’t. It’s the height of bad manners to allow your off leash dog to approach a dog that is leashed. Thankfully we have a large garden (he’s a toy breed) so he can sprint full pelt to his hearts content, safely, whenever he wants too. It would be nice if I was free to take him anywhere I like without fear of an off leash dog running up to him.

conclusion: don’t get a dog if you haven’t got somewhere of adequate space for it to excercise. Ie, your own garden. That might not be “fair” but it’s a fact and life isn’t fair. If you’ve can’t provide this for a dog get a different pet.

Another example which clearly illustrates that off-lead dogs are very problematic.
No dogs should be off lead and certainly not a pack of dogs.
We also clearly need restrictions on the numbers of dogs that are walked at the same time by any one person.

But being on the lead doesn't prevent attacks from occurring. See the awful thread linked earlier where an on-lead dog yanked the lead out its' owners hand and killed another on-lead dog.

My own dog has been attacked by on-lead dogs in the past too. Leads aren't the fool-proof solution that people seem to think they are

conclusion: don’t get a dog if you haven’t got somewhere of adequate space for it to excercise. Ie, your own garden. That might not be “fair” but it’s a fact and life isn’t fair. If you’ve can’t provide this for a dog get a different pet
Well said 👏🏻😊@Bythewayimgoingouttonight

No - out of control dogs are problematic.

You can have an out-of-control on-lead dog and a perfectly controlled off-lead dog. The lead isn't the thing that gives the control, it's the handler that does that.

There is no such thing as a perfectly controlled off-lead dog, that's a fantasy in the head of the deluded owner.

How is that anymore deluded than thinking a lead provides control? It doesn't - at all.

You don't think a lead provides control?
🤣

What are they for then??
Hilarious

I imagine there would be far fewer dog on dog attacks if more dogs were on leads though. I agree you won't stop all attacks, but the numbers could be reduced greatly.

I imagine if there were more harsh laws re punishment of owners in relation to aggressive dogs where they've attacked other dogs, or attacked, but not killed, a human, then some owners may think twice about keeping a dog which has ever shown aggression. Having an aggressive dog PTS is not the worst outcome for that dog, but it's clear that some owners are deluded on that front too.

@familyconflict I walk my dog (off lead) on bridlepaths whenever I can as they seem to be more accessible than footpaths. Like yours, my dog is well trained and whilst I stay alert for any equines or other dogs on my route, we rarely see anyone these days.