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Your dog's social etiquette is none of my business, even if he is really friendly. If my dog is on leash, take the cue, and keep yours away.
There are many reasons for a leash. Mine might be injured, under the weather, having a really bad day, or simply enjoying nature with me and has no care whether yours is friendly or not. It might not be my dog, or it might be a brand-new dog that I don't know how he will behave. However, we are total strangers to each other, and other than a polite 'Hello,' l do not owe you an explanation. Simply take my cue of my dog being on a leash, and respect my space by keeping yours away.
If you feel yourself wanting to call out "He is Friendly" as you see your dog's bum galloping away from you towards an on-leash victim, counter you urge and instead be polite and call them back."
There are several solutions. I have come to accept people are not going to keep their dogs under control and out of my dog's face. My Kerry, while friendly with other dogs off leash, can be an a$$hole if they run up to her on leash. But regardless, even before I got her, I do NOT allow strange dogs to come up to my dogs. I am not going to trust some dimwit's assessment of their dog's personality when they are too stupid to even have it under control. So I am proactive at controlling their dogs FOR them. What I do depends on the breed and how they present (tail wagging and curious, hackles up, strong eye contact). For most dogs, running towards them strongly while clapping hands, slapping thighs, and generally being "scary" while saying strongly, "NO! GET BACK" usually works. I will also get my dogs behind me and body block and even put out a leg to shove them (sometimes more gently than others) back. I carry mace gel on me at all times but that is reserved for specific breeds, and I have used it several times. I would not use mace on any normal breeds unless they were behaving aggressively, charging, and were large enough I couldn't physically grab them. Many times, I will grab a dog by the collar (make sure you lift at the same time to take their front feet up until you see how they'll react to a collar grab) and march it back to the owner and tear into them. With my Kerry, a couple times I've actually given her a little leeway and let her have a go - that usually wakes the owner up pretty quickly when they see her snarling bared teeth missing little fluffy by a mere fraction of an inch.
That worked with my neighbor's dog. She lets this little white maltese mix out all the time without a leash. She walks it without a leash. I hadn't been here but a few days and she was out with it in her yard. It started heading down to the street to see mine. I called out to please not let her dog approach. She said it was really friendly. I said again to please not let the dog approach, to call it back. Her response again was it was friendly. Since she'd wasted so much time telling me how friendly it was, the little dog had made it's way to my dog. My girl was fired up and I gave her enough to lunge at the dog at couple times before correcting her. She sounded like Cujo and while she didn't make contact, she scared the little dog enough it started screaming bloody murder. Every time I see her now if I am out, she either has the dog on the leash, or she quickly runs to pick up the dog and carry it inside or snaps a leash on it. Another neighbor walks his tiny little yorkie mix off leash too and the same scenario played out when it crossed the street to come up to mine. The same thing - if he sees me now, he grabs up the dog. Had a little dog run up to me at the park despite calling out to the owner several times. I ended up having to just drop the leash of my dog and let her be free. I don't understand why people with these tiny dogs, so vulnerable and unable to defend themselves, think its ok for their dog to run up to strange dogs, several times over its size, especially when being asked repeatedly not to. People are idiots!
I would suggest any/or:
collapsible baton
mace gel
bonker
Pet Corrector
riding crop or dressage whip
water bottle full of pennies (more than the 2 or 3 you'd use for training at home - you actually want it to hurt a little)
children's golf club
water gun with water and vinegar
I don't like to or want to hurt a dog; however, MY dogs are the priority. MY dogs come first. My dog is to protect MY dogs. PERIOD. What I have found, is when you just take the mace out and have it in your hands, the owners suddenly do everything in their power to get their dog before it gets to you. Pull out a baton and flip it open and I guarantee you it will get an instant reaction and you probably won't even have to bother using it.
I'm sorry people are inconsiderate and rude. They don't think the rules apply to them. Regardless of laws people should always leash their dogs in public unless it is a dog park. It's common courtesy.
I have a new pup. At home she can be as free as she wants as long as I can watch her. When she goes out she is leashed. She is crated in the car and crated while at other's homes until she "knows' their dog and their dog knows my dog.
I'm getting really sick and tired of the idiots around here not putting their dogs on leash when out with their dogs. It makes it really difficult for me to walk my boy dog who does not like other dogs. He's had dogs his own size run up on him, he's had little dogs run up on him, and so far he's only mouthed, never broke skin, but why must his limits be tested by morons who shouldn't own dogs?
Three times in this week alone I've encountered idiots in my complex walking their dogs around with no leash. Not one of those dogs is trained. I talked to the apartment asst. manager about it, but it doesn't matter how many times they put out the rule in their monthly flyer thing that they give to everyone, people continue to let their dogs off leash here.
The first one was an older dog, probably very friendly, and after he defecated all over my yard, he caught up to his owner who was paying absolutely no attention to him. Meanwhile, inside, my boy dog is about to break the front window. Had a conversation with her, and the response I got was the typical whining bs that I'm sick to death of hearing. I have to tell these idiots that not every dog likes other dogs, and if their dog comes up to mine, while he's on a leash, their dog will get attacked. It has already happened with two little chihuahuas from a neighbor who used to open the door and let her little dogs out, unsupervised, no fence, nothing. One of the little midget dogs decided he was big enough to take on my boy, and despite my best efforts to avoid this confrontation, when a little dog runs circles around and around you, it's hard to keep a fight from happening. So he got his fight. Thankfully my dog has learned some bite control along the way and did not break skin, and the neighbor apologized profusely (at least they owned up to it being their fault), but are their dogs on leash now?
No.
Because people are stupid.
Today, I got to experience another moron. I was getting out of my car, and there's a husky pup (teen really) wandering around on his own, no collar, no tags, nothing. Out of the laundry room comes the owner. I ask if that was his dog, did he know that they are supposed to be on leash, etc, and he actually said;
"My dog is licensed not to be on a leash."
I mean, he just pulled that fresh out of his backside.
I told him, as I do everyone else, not all dogs like other dogs, and if your dog comes up to my dog, there's going to be a fight.
"My dog wouldn't do that. And he would never fight another dog."
Uh, have you never had a dog before? Do you know nothing about dogs? This is a puppy/teen, he's going to get curious. I reiterate to the idiot that there's going to be a fight.
"That's why your dog should be on a leash."
I reiterated yet again, that if I'm walking my dog, on leash, as I always do, and his dog comes up to mine, there's going to be a fight. Get your damn dog on a leash. It's the rules of the complex, it's the rules in the city, and it's safer for his dog.
His reply? "It's fine, my dog knows how to fight."
You know, after telling me his dog would never fight another dog.
As I walked away, I once again repeated that his dog needs to be on leash, and if I'm walking my dog and his approaches mine, there's going to be a fight, and it will be on him, not me.
As I was walking away, his dog followed me. I heard the idiot calling for his dog to come back. He kept calling, even yelled, 'LISTEN!'
I said, loudly, without turning around, "Yeah, GREAT recall there. Your dog doesn't even listen to you, you fricken moron."
And it absolutely justified what I was saying.
Why this irritates me to no end: It makes me apprehensive when I need to take my dog for a walk and dogs can feel that. I feel like he doesn't get as much walking time as I'd like him to have because I never know when we are going to encounter yet another off leash dog. Even when I go out of my neighborhood, these stupid people can't keep their dogs on leash.
Second, if there is a fight, the other dog pays for it, my dog pays for it, all because someone is too damn lazy to spend $15 on a fricken leash.
Since the apartment complex doesn't seem willing to do much more besides write the rule again and again in the flyer, (despite the fact that I give them descriptions of the dog and the owner every time), what else can be done?
I don't want to have to wait until AFTER the fact, I'd like to be proactive....
And right in the middle of typing out that sentence, my dogs about lost their damn minds and were hurling themselves at the front window. I opened the door to see what the hell, and guess what. The pup/teen dog was still roaming around all by itself, all over the complex, and came up to my yard.
Anyway, I could call the police but they don't seem to care about anything that is small. I could call animal control, but by the time they get anywhere, the stupid owner has usually taken care of the roaming dog, plus I don't know the guy's name or his dog's name or even what apartment he lives in. But maybe I'm unaware of something I can do. Does anyone have any suggestions or know what can be done?
I couldn't agree more. Some people are morons when it comes to dogs. They think they are above the laws and don't need to leash their dogs. They think they are somehow special and better than anyone else. I do get a little bit of pleasure when these people end up paying for hospital bills and vet bills when their dog does harm to another person or animal.
No judge is going to side with an irresponsible owner who breaks laws and doesn't leash or contain their dogs. I used to carry a stun gun shaped like a baton so if I were approached by an unfriendly loose dog that started a fight with my leashed dog that loose dog would get zapped and run with it's tail between it's legs. I called the city I live in to see if that was legal and they said it was and I had every right to defend myself and my own dog against an unleashed dog.
Telling the OP to move or do something about how her dog may react when an illegally unleashed dog gets in her dog's face or space... is like blaming the driver for being on the road, when the drunk driver crashed into him/her!
Oregon beaches attract many of these entitled people. Oregon state parks require that you leash your dog on a leash no longer than 6’. I have a big barrel of a black standard poodle. He is friendly but can overwhelm a smaller dog. He is always leashed.
Several weeks ago on a return camping trip, we stopped at an Oregon State Park on a beach for a walk and to look for agates. A tall blond young woman dressed fashionably had her two long haired dachshunds running loose. I usually say nothing preferring to enjoy my walk. But, she was lobbing tennis balls into the water for them to retrieve. The Pacific Ocean can be very powerful. One sneaker wave can pull an adult out to sea.
Theses dogs were dancing around my dog and teasing him. The tennis balls were becoming junk carried away by the waves. I finally reminded her that her dogs needed to be leashed per Oregon State Park rules. Since she came from the condo trail, not the park area, I assumed she didn’t know. I was verbally assaulted with entitlement BS. She didnt seem to care her dogs might get washed out to sea and that tennis balls were polluting.
I let it go because she was beyond reasoning with. And, there are never any rangers around. Shaming and informing didn’t work. You can’t win with these people.
When Jazz and I did agility there was a woman in the club that gave me a lot of grief about Jazz being a reactive dog as she liked to let her dogs run around leash free when they were supposed to be on leash. Well Karma is a real B##ch as her 2nd border collie turned out to be a reactive dog and unlike Jazz he did not have an inhibited bite.
Sorry to say seeing her with a reactive dog put a smile on my face as many people just will not learn until they too are blessed with such a dog. And yes I do mean blessed as you learn a lot about dogs when you own a reactive dog, maybe every owner should have to have one as a first dog then they would get it.
Many reactive dogs are fearful dogs not aggressive dogs and they act out when their space is invaded not because they want to fight but to try to frighten the other dog away. Many of them are well trained and do not react until that threshold has been crossed by the other dog. Jazz could be in huge crowds of dogs and do fine unless an unknown dog got in her face. She would warn it with a snarl and loud growl but too often the dogs do not get it and did not back off then she would erupt in an angry outburst. Once amped up by that the brain is swimming in" fight" chemicals so it takes less to set the dog off again. So when you let your rude dog get in a reactive dogs face you may have just ruined someone else's nice peaceful walk with their dog but hey your dog is friendly and you are a selfish person!
And for people that say despite leash laws no one does anything when they see a leash free dog...my question is to the owner of the leash free dog. What ever happened to doing the right thing despite not being punished if you do not? My parents raised me to do the right thing EVEN IF no one is watching. Allowing your dog to get in an unknow dogs face is not the right thing and actually in the dog world face to face meetings are rude, so yeah your dog is rude, and my dog has a right to let it know so.
I think a real eye opening for people in my agility club who really did not understand a reactive dog but knew Jazz was such and they should keep their dogs out of her face came one day we were at practice. The park is one that allows off leash dogs if you buy a special tag ( so you pay for that privilege). We were waiting our turn when suddenly 3 small Yorkies came running over their owner still at a distance. They made a beeline to Jazz which had everyone freaked out but when they got close rather then erupt she whined and wiggled in delight. They were 3 dogs she knew and had played with but had not seen for years so it was a major love fest. People were shocked to see that she could and did get along with other dogs as they seemed to think she was some aggressive beast, nope she just did not like dogs she did not know in her face as she was afraid.
For those that just can not leash their dog when you see an owner with a leashed dog trying to distract their leashed dog as your dog approaches, or stepping off the path, or turning another direction how about calling your dog back to you after all so many of you claim your dog has a good recall so lets see it instead of allowing it to run up to that dog? The things I listed are usually signs of someone not wanting your dog in their dogs face so pay attention and call you dog back leash it or keep it at your side.
Moving won't help, it can happen anywhere. Even ONE unrestrained dog can present a major problem. I'll relay this story and it may help ease OP's frustrations.
I have lived in the same semi rural area for 45+ years and have had no problems with others dogs when walking in that time. Unclaimed strays we did have a problem with years ago. Anyway, a new couple moved into the neighborhood this spring with a massive dog. Blue eyed like a husky but HUGE. Maybe a malamute mix. It is over 90, probably over 100 lbs. If it was loose all the time someone would have called AC. It's kenneled and allowed to run off leash "sometimes" and this is the problem. Everyone in the neighborhood is afraid of it. The owners say it's "friendly" but no one has seen it wag it's tail. My neighbors were working in their garage with the door open and turned around and it was standing in the doorway just staring at them. Pretty intimidating.
I have been walking my beagle puppy since 11 weeks and when this giant freak dog is kenneled he hasn't even barked. I wasn't that concerned. However, last month I was walking when he was out of the kennel and he rushed out into the street and started circling us. My pup was 10 mos then and super calm and friendly yet it quickly progressed to that dog growling and snarling at us for no reason. If the young boy who lived there wasn't there to pull him away I don't know what would have happened. He said the batteries for the invisible fence collar had died.
I later spoke to the boy's mother and she was shocked the dog behaved that way. This is a super nice couple with very well behaved kids who have been interacting with my puppy since I got him (with parent's permission, of course). She said the dog was a rescue they have had for about a year and they don't know his socialization skills with other dogs. She likes that I am socializing mine so everyone in the neighborhood knows him. I got a genuine apology and she even confided she never wanted a big dog like this. I could tell she was frustrated and genuinely felt bad. It was under pressure from her husband. He has always wanted this type of dog. <sigh> She and I are both petite, there is no way either of us could get control of this dog if needed.
Just wanted to relay this as even in a non apartment situation where people know each other serious safety problems can arise when dogs aren't always leashed. It can be complicated when you know the people too as it's important to keep peace with your neighbors. I know my neighbors so well I get Christmas cards from them. Even my older dog got his own separate card last year! LOL. I wish these new neighbors could hear what people are saying; everyone thinks they are great. Super friendly with nice well behaved kids. What more could you ask for? Everyone HATES that they have this dog though.
I would consider the dog pepper spray in your situation. You don't know these people personally so worse case scenario they will refer to you as "that mean person who threatens to spray dogs". Who cares as both dogs will be safe when one owner doesn't care to be responsible.
I usually do not say anything to people whose dogs are off leash as they tend to be defensive even though I ask nicely if they know about the law and fines. I would really like to but past attempts have usually resulted in verbal assaults and to mind my own business. You can’t argue with someone who is entitled and thinks rules are for other people. The woman in my above post #15 asked if they were really bothering me and I responded that they weren’t bothering me as I love dogs but they are bothering my dog. She didn’t think that was important. Also, she could care less about the effect her lobbed tennis balls had on marine mammals. “So?” was her response.
You need a house with a yard or some acreage where you can be left alone and your dog can have space...
We happen to live in a pretty woodsy rural area with no homes across the street from us and between each house we do have about 2 or 3 vacant lots. Thus our little 11 lb baby does run but when we go anywhere with more civilization she is on a leash. WE have a family who lives a few blocks for us with 3 dogs, one is a pretty good size hound and they are allowed to wonder. Though they are nice dogs, we don't particularly enjoy them pooping in our yard.
I agree with you people need to consider others. OK so on rare occasions dogs do get out and yes, they may run but the same dogs, all the time: come on people you can keep your dogs on your own property or with a leash. again, I am not being a hypocrite I don't think cause because I am not talking about the little guy next door who never wanders away from home. I am talking about dogs wandering everywhere and anywhere.
When Jazz and I did agility there was a woman in the club that gave me a lot of grief about Jazz being a reactive dog as she liked to let her dogs run around leash free when they were supposed to be on leash. Well Karma is a real B##ch as her 2nd border collie turned out to be a reactive dog and unlike Jazz he did not have an inhibited bite.
Sorry to say seeing her with a reactive dog put a smile on my face as many people just will not learn until they too are blessed with such a dog. And yes I do mean blessed as you learn a lot about dogs when you own a reactive dog, maybe every owner should have to have one as a first dog then they would get it.
Many reactive dogs are fearful dogs not aggressive dogs and they act out when their space is invaded not because they want to fight but to try to frighten the other dog away. Many of them are well trained and do not react until that threshold has been crossed by the other dog. Jazz could be in huge crowds of dogs and do fine unless an unknown dog got in her face. She would warn it with a snarl and loud growl but too often the dogs do not get it and did not back off then she would erupt in an angry outburst. Once amped up by that the brain is swimming in" fight" chemicals so it takes less to set the dog off again. So when you let your rude dog get in a reactive dogs face you may have just ruined someone else's nice peaceful walk with their dog but hey your dog is friendly and you are a selfish person!
Good post. I have been lucky in that I have had non reactive dogs with other dogs. I say "lucky" as we cannot always predict a dog's personality when older.
My older dog was born as a feral puppy and has helped to teach people over the years who don't know any better to "back off". Many are not familiar with feral dogs as they are more rare than feral cats. (Think of puppies born under the porch of an abandoned house with NO human contact for those first critical 12 weeks).
People who approached my dog would not only see him cower in fear but would witness him involuntarily lose control of his bowels. If my dog acted aggressively people might blame me for not training him. He didn't act aggressive, yet the fear was undeniable. It was obvious that neither I nor dog could be blamed for this reaction. People would become very understanding and steer clear so as to not upset him. Sad that some people couldn't see your dog when vocalizing his distress the same way. He was just uncomfortable.
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