robl
Newbie
Posts: 2
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Post by robl on Aug 8, 2016 14:53:06 GMT
Hi
I joined this forum today as wanted to canvas views on uncontrolled greetings.
Am I right to be annoyed by people who allow their dog to run at full pelt towards another stranger/unknown dog when they come across each other on an off lead walk?
Many thanks
RobL
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Post by tonib on Aug 8, 2016 16:30:15 GMT
Welcome to the forum robl, I hope you enjoy it here. As a cat owner I can't really comment but hopefully the dog owners here will be able to comment.
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Post by CollieSlave on Aug 8, 2016 17:28:17 GMT
Hi I joined this forum today as wanted to canvas views on uncontrolled greetings. Am I right to be annoyed by people who allow their dog to run at full pelt towards another stranger/unknown dog when they come across each other on an off lead walk? Many thanks RobL Certainly you are right to be annoyed! Whenever we approach an unknown dog on walks we put Bryn on his lead - and hope (though often fruitlessly!) that the approaching owner will do the same with their dog. I do not hold with the facile "He only wants to play" approach of senseless people. Bryn had an eye badly bruised (he could easily have lost the eye) because some pillock let his terrier rush up to us, saying "He only wants to play"! Some "play"!! And this was on a caravan site copiously littered with large signs telling people to keep all dogs on leads! I told the owner of the attacking dog exactly what I thought of him. Apart from any other considerations, allowing their dog to approach an unknown one may result in their dog being attacked!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2016 18:51:15 GMT
Agree with collieslave - it's just sheer bad manners to let a dog charge up to another. And the owner spouting that ol' classic ''He only wants to play'' ......arghhhhhhhh If someone has a nervous dog or a tiny breed or an oldie it can be scary and dangerous for them to be charged up to and possibly bowled over. You're perfectly within your rights to be annoyed - I know I would be! A lot of folk these days don't take responsibility for their dog's behaviour and just let them charge about completely out of control on walks.....or, worse still, have their noses buried in a phone and couldn't care less about interacting and enjoying the walk with their dog Welcome to the forum by the way
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Post by boxerluver30 on Aug 8, 2016 19:00:07 GMT
Hiya robl welcome . This is actually one of my pet hates, loads of people think it's fine but I'd like to see them own a dog aggressive boxer and then ask if they feel the same way when they get dogs running up to them and struggle to control their dog who is lunging and barking aggressively on the lead . We had this problem often with Jay. He was a rescue who was 3 when we got him. He wasn't socialised as a puppy with other dogs so as a result was fear aggressive. He was better off lead as he could just avoid but on lead he resorted to aggression as he couldnt get away from the situation. But still some stupid plonkers thought it was OK to let their dogs come charging up to us and start winding Jay up even with me and my mum shouting to get said dog away. Grr sorry for the rant haha. Luckily we don't have a problem with our dog samson now as hes friendly and the most he will do is lunge in excitement cos all he wants to do is play. I just genuinely don't see how anyone can think it's OK to let their dogs do this. Sorry but i don't care how friendly anyone else's dog is, the fact of the matter is no one knows how another dog is going to react. I would rather not take that risk.
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Post by orpheous87 on Aug 8, 2016 19:35:43 GMT
Welcome to the forum robl. Like everyone who has commented so far, I agree that you are right to be annoyed by this. I have two dogs, neither of which particularly likes other dogs rushing up and getting in their faces. Perhaps controversially, I don't put my dogs on their leads when approaching other dogs because doing so adds to their panic. Instead, I call them to me and either make them sit and wait while the other dogs go past, or I walk them past under control (treats help greatly). I have to be sure of how my dogs are going to react to the other dog as one is nervous and will bark at other dogs because she's scared and the other has bad hips and will sometimes take offence to another dog being near and will lunge and bark. However, if I can get her attention, she will sit and focus on me instead. I walk with someone whose JRT will rush up to other dogs, barking. It happens, without fail, every time there is someone ahead of us on the path. It's frustrating as I've mentioned him doing it to her several times, but her view is that he only does it because he knows he gets a biscuit for coming back. I know there could be some truth in this, but I would still like to see her take some sort of measure to stop him from doing it in the first place!
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Post by alfiemummy on Aug 8, 2016 20:08:29 GMT
I know the feeling when you're walking with someone else and their dog rushes up to others orpheous87! My friend I walk with has a GSD cross that often does this but she's been known to attack too. She's fine with some dogs and if she has a stick in her mouth she will just walk past and growl - but I find it so embarrassing and annoying when she does react and she's not even my dog. If I see another dog coming I always tell him so that he has a chance to put the dog back on lead, but often he doesn't (usually because she's not willing to come back for her lead to go on). A couple of times I've even got hold of her myself which I definitely shouldn't have to do, but I find it so difficult not to interfere as I know what's coming next. As a last resort I'll hang back so the other owner might at least know that she's not my dog and I can keep out of it. I rarely put Alfie on the lead when passing other dogs which some might not agree with - but he's not the type of dog that's even remotely interested in others and he'll just go right past. The only time I put him on lead is if the owner looks visibly concerned about a dog approaching, or if the dog looks a bit dodgy, or if it's a huge scary looking dog (because then Alfie will run the other way! ). Quite often he's nowhere near me anyway but if someone comes past with a dog on lead I'll always warn them that he's around but that he won't bother them. If in doubt I'll always ask if they want me to put him on the lead - though I don't know why I bother with that because the answer is always either 'no it's ok' or 'what?' Obviously that question does not compute with most people Same rules apply with the other dogs I walk, I know my dogs and how they are with others and so I react appropriately. If I think they might annoy others, they go on the lead.
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Post by orpheous87 on Aug 8, 2016 20:19:26 GMT
I know what you mean alfiemummy! Oscar has been known to nip at other dogs too, rather than full on attack them. There's a yellow Lab we meet that is a lovely dog, but as soon as he sees Oscar now, his face changes and he barks, growls and lunges and it's all because Oscar has charged at him, barking and chasing him and nipping at him. The other owner will now put the Lab on the lead if he meets us, and Oscar is put on lead too, but the dogs are still going mad at each other. The Lab has literally no interest in my dogs, and I saw him look at a cat with interest the other day but not chase it. It's only Oscar he takes exception to. I feel quite bad for the owner of the Lab, because at first it was all a bit of friendly banter but it definitely escalated. It's just a shame that Oscar's owner doesn't seem to see that.
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Post by alfiemummy on Aug 8, 2016 20:25:31 GMT
It's so annoying, you'd think he'd be a bit more aware of what's going on around him but half the time he hasn't noticed the other dogs I tell him about - I'd definitely be more worried about it if I were him as I've lost count of the people that have had a go at him or moaned to me about him (when he's not there). Poor Carla has even been kicked by more than one owner that I've seen too.
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robl
Newbie
Posts: 2
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Post by robl on Aug 8, 2016 20:29:43 GMT
Thank you so much for the helpful and reassuring responses. So many similarities in the circs you describe. Thank you orpheous87, boxerluver30, Gillykat, alfiemummy and CollieSlave. "He's just playing, its what dogs do" Aaaaaaaaaargh! THANK YOU. I had a massive go at this person today and have been berating myself a bit but this is reassuring. Boxer: same thing, my dog is a rescue and not properly socialised as a pup but she is really obedient and so follows my cues off lead and I too keep her off lead like you alfiemummy when other dogs approach and like you Orpheous I have got her so she does the sit to one side thing til the other dog passes. Sometimes we do meets if its nice and controlled and the other dog is calm but what she cant cope with is a (big) dog pelting it towards her (and in todays case there were three dogs, albeit only the big one pleted towards her)...I was going to avoid my usual walk for a while to avid this person and her dog but stuff em you have reassured me: THANKS!! x Good ppl!
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Post by orpheous87 on Aug 8, 2016 21:06:40 GMT
Definitely don't avoid your usual walk robl! You've got as much right to be there as they have. I would maybe try and avoid the person, if you can, but maybe you having a go at them will have made them rethink their dog's behaviour when it's rushing up to others. My two are unpredictable in that I don't always know which dogs they'll bark at. One day they'll be fine with a dog, but we could meet it another day and one or the other will bark at it, as happened this weekend when we met a Labrador that we've met plenty of times before, the most recent being last weekend. Last weekend mine was fine, this week she decided to bark at the poor Lab, who was ignoring her. I have to be on my guard constantly with them both.
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Post by alfiemummy on Aug 8, 2016 21:17:03 GMT
I find the best thing to do when someone's dog is being annoying and the owner isn't doing anything about it is just to start walking off and carry on with my walk - the owner panics then as of course their dog is still following me and we're disappearing so they almost always come rushing over or the dog goes back. Obviously not quite as easy if either dog is a bit more nervous or aggressive but it works well in 'annoyingly friendly' situations. Obviously I'm not actually going to just walk off with their dog or intentionally put it in any danger (by going near a road etc) - but the owner doesn't know that.
We have problems with a man and his aggressive dog and he absolutely never puts him on lead, so whenever I see him I immediately go the other direction or keep well away - it wouldn't stop me doing that walk.
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Post by scallywag on Aug 8, 2016 21:38:22 GMT
I agree with all the posts on here, but have to say I found myself another area to walk in due to the enjoyment being taken away from our walk by rude ignorant owners. I rather do that than spend time being on my guard all the time. Hope you get sorted soon and welcome to tge forum robl
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Post by boxerluver30 on Aug 9, 2016 12:56:49 GMT
I think it's terrible how some people have to find different places to walk just because of some inconsiderate a holes . I'm lucky I guess that the area I live in has mainly responsible dog owners who have mainly friendly dogs. Makes walking samson a much calmer affair then when walking Jay in the area I used to live in.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 9:44:54 GMT
The only time I changed my route was when Tina kept getting chased by a Boxer and would dart back along the path towards the Lion Bridge and the main road The owner was an ignorant woman who always came out with the classic ''But he only wants to play'' I always had a small pair of binoculars in my bag so it got to the point where I would stop at the Lion Bridge, scan The Pastures and if it was clear of That Owner we would go that way but if not I had another route where Tina could have some free running which was just a few minutes walk away. A blog I enjoy touched on the subject of ignorant owners a few days ago....it's based in America but the principles are the same youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/dont-be-that-guy-good-etiquette-when-hiking-with-your-dog/
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