Dogs off leads, again!!!

glineli · 15-07-2010 2:15pm #1

Why do people let their dogs off leads? I am sick to death of people doing this. My westie got attacked last christmas and again today.

The people that owned the other dog didnt say anything. I can report to the local SPCA but nothing will get done, the cops would laugh at me. Why do we have these laws and not enforce them. :mad:

andreac · 15-07-2010 2:30pm

Theres no law to say your dog has to be on a lead (unless its a restricted breed) but your dog is supposed to be under control which this one obv isnt.

Dogs should be allowed free running off leads, its not fair to keep them on a lead all the time, but if your dog is aggressive with other dogs then it should def be kept on a lead at all times.

Sorry to hear about your dog but theres not much you can do really.

seamus · 15-07-2010 2:40pm

glineli wrote: »

The people that owned the other dog didnt say anything.

If it was a serious incident, I'm surprised the the owners would say nothing. Was it a case that the dogs ended up fighting or that the other dog actually attacked and injured yours?

I can report to the local SPCA but nothing will get done, the cops would laugh at me.

The local SPCA are not a government body and have no authority to do anything. Assuming also that the dog off lead is not being ill-treated, they will also not do anything because they are a rescue organisation, not an enforcement one.

Make a complaint to your local warden about it. If it's a common thing in a particular spot, they'll keep an eye out for it.

**Vai** · 15-07-2010 2:41pm

Snip.

Acoshla · 15-07-2010 2:54pm

As mentioned dogs do not have to be on leads at all times, I really wish people would get their facts straight before ranting.

As long as dogs are under the effective control of their owner they are allowed to be off lead, so if your dog was attacked the issue is not that all dogs are allowed off lead it is that that dog in particular was not under the control of it's owner, not every single other dog.

My own dog is normally incredibly well behaved off lead, brilliant recall, but recently she went to sniff a terrier and he went for her, she growled and snapped back and the terrier's owner went ballistic, even though the terrier was the instigator because my dog was off lead and hers was on a lead she roared at me in the middle of the road that she would report me for not having my dog on a lead, blame the easy target like.

I understand you being angry if your dog was attacked but it is not the law, it would be very unfair to all the well behaved dogs out there, including your own, if it was.

TooManyDogs · 15-07-2010 3:12pm

Spadina wrote: »

even though the terrier was the instigator

In actual fact your dog was the instigator by approaching another dog uninvited.

I know that dogs have to be under effective control at all times, which is fair enough, but that doesn't mean you as their owner should allow them to approach any other dog while you're out walking. Your dog may be dog friendly but there are plenty of dogs that aren't dog friendly and it's very unfair for them to have loose dogs approach them. There are also plenty of dogs that are friendly but have absolutely no canine manners and barrel into another dogs face while the owner is calling 'it's ok, he just wants to say hello', the other dog snaps to get the rude dog out of their face and can spark a fight, both dogs can then be nervous of other dogs.

So please, if you don't put your dog on a lead, do not allow them to approach dogs they don't know without talking to the other owner first to make sure it's ok

adser53 · 15-07-2010 3:13pm

Spadina wrote: »

My own dog is normally incredibly well behaved off lead, brilliant recall, but recently she went to sniff a terrier and he went for her, she growled and snapped back and the terrier's owner went ballistic, even though the terrier was the instigator because my dog was off lead and hers was on a lead she roared at me in the middle of the road that she would report me for not having my dog on a lead, blame the easy target like.

In fairness her dog was on a lead and when approached by a strange loose dog, many dogs feel threatened and react like hers did. While I firmly believe dogs should be allowed off leash, it is very frustrating when loose dogs come up to you while your lad is leashed. I own an 2 akitas and as they're restricted breed they're leashed at all times when there's other people & dogs around and we've often had loose dogs come bounding up and hopping all over them. If, god forbid, one of mine snapped, it's not fair to say mine are at fault as they're under control while the other dog wasn't.

Mr. Presentable · 15-07-2010 3:18pm

adser53 wrote: »

In fairness her dog was on a lead and when approached by a strange loose dog, many dogs feel threatened and react like hers did. While I firmly believe dogs should be allowed off leash, it is very frustrating when loose dogs come up to you while your lad is leashed. I own an 2 akitas and as they're restricted breed they're leashed at all times when there's other people & dogs around and we've often had loose dogs come bounding up and hopping all over them. If, god forbid, one of mine snapped, it's not fair to say mine are at fault as they're under control while the other dog wasn't.

It wouldn't be likely though, as you, being a responsible citizen, have them muzzled too. Right?

antomagoo · 15-07-2010 3:27pm

nipplenuts wrote: »

It wouldn't be likely though, as you, being a responsible citizen, have them muzzled too. Right?

Here we go again :rolleyes:

seamus · 15-07-2010 3:29pm

nipplenuts wrote: »

It wouldn't be likely though, as you, being a responsible citizen, have them muzzled too. Right?

Dogs have paws and claws too. They don't have to be unmuzzled for a fight to break out.

KylieWyley · 15-07-2010 3:31pm

Westies are small.

If you see a dog coming towards yours in a purposeful manner then just pick your dog up.

peasant · 15-07-2010 3:39pm

KylieWyley wrote: »

Westies are small.

If you see a dog coming towards yours in a purposeful manner then just pick your dog up.

Bad advice and a recipe for desaster.

- Picking the dog up makes it more "interesting" to the approching dog, it will only come closer and possibly jump up to investigate

- Picking your dog up means you have your hands full and can't use them to shoo the other dog away

- Not all dogs like being picked up, especially not when they are in "defence mode". Your dog might struggle and fight and you may even be bitten by your own dog

When you see a dog coming up and you don't want it to approach, put yourself between the two dogs and keep yours out of harms way. Keep as calm as possible, keep your dog quiet and tell the other one to "go home"

brianon · 15-07-2010 3:46pm

Don't want to hijack this thread but what do you guys do when you are bringing your dog for a walk and a dog (or dogs) aggressively approaches your dog ?

At the moment we just bring our dog. But should we have a stick of sorts with us ? What do you guys do ?

Whispered · 15-07-2010 3:59pm

Anthony Walsh wrote: »

Oh and anyone that thinks telling a dog to "go home" will work obviously are not training there own dog properly, its well known that dogs find one word commands alot easier than two or more worded commands.

Actually it would be the gestures made with your body and your tone of voice which would be more important, as peasant said, not whether you use a one or 2 word command.

Huge assumption btw to tell someone who you don't know that they don't train their dog properly. Peasant gives great training advice on this forum fwiw and more than simply teching "one word" commands.

DBCyc · 15-07-2010 4:01pm

brianon wrote: »

Don't want to hijack this thread but what do you guys do when you are bringing your dog for a walk and a dog (or dogs) aggressively approaches your dog ?

At the moment we just bring our dog. But should we have a stick of sorts with us ? What do you guys do ?

It's happened twice to me with Suzie on the lead and another dog has approached aggressively.

Just like peasant's advice above, I just put myself between the two dogs and shouted at the approaching dog. This seemed to distract the dogs long enough for their owner to come over and retrieve their dog.

It didn't particularly annoy me, but I can understand how someone would get freaked out. Especially if its a bigger dog approaching a small dog. Suzie didn't look intimidated either time anyway

Mr. Presentable · 15-07-2010 4:08pm

seamus wrote: »

Dogs have paws and claws too. They don't have to be unmuzzled for a fight to break out.

He did say "snapped"

antomagoo · 15-07-2010 4:14pm

nipplenuts wrote: »

He did say "snapped"

seamus is making the point that a dog doesnt need to be muzzled to attack another dog, he can use paws etc He's referencing your post about asking if adser53 has his dogs muzzled when out walking which has nothing to do with OP

adser53 · 15-07-2010 4:18pm

nipplenuts wrote: »

It wouldn't be likely though, as you, being a responsible citizen, have them muzzled too. Right?

And the award for completely missing the point goes to....YOU! *applause*
My statement goes for any breed of dog walking off leash approaching a leashed dog. Stop nitpicking posts. I have 2 cavaliers too and if they were off leash and approached a leashed dog, say even another cav (which doesn't have to muzzled), that snapped, I wouldn't blame that dog or it's owner

Acoshla · 15-07-2010 4:23pm

TooManyDogs wrote: »

In actual fact your dog was the instigator by approaching another dog uninvited.

I know that dogs have to be under effective control at all times, which is fair enough, but that doesn't mean you as their owner should allow them to approach any other dog while you're out walking. Your dog may be dog friendly but there are plenty of dogs that aren't dog friendly and it's very unfair for them to have loose dogs approach them. There are also plenty of dogs that are friendly but have absolutely no canine manners and barrel into another dogs face while the owner is calling 'it's ok, he just wants to say hello', the other dog snaps to get the rude dog out of their face and can spark a fight, both dogs can then be nervous of other dogs.

So please, if you don't put your dog on a lead, do not allow them to approach dogs they don't know without talking to the other owner first to make sure it's ok

The other owner stopped so that the dogs could approach each other actually, she was far enough from me and my dog that she could've continued on away from us no problem, but she stopped and waited as we approached, let her dog come towards mine, etc.

TooManyDogs · 15-07-2010 4:30pm

Spadina wrote: »

The other owner stopped so that the dogs could approach each other actually, she was far enough from me and my dog that she could've continued on away from us no problem, but she stopped and waited as we approached, let her dog come towards mine, etc.

That's a different matter then. She had no business yelling at you about your dog if she made the approaches

Mr. Presentable · 15-07-2010 4:33pm

adser53 wrote: »

And the award for completely missing the point goes to....YOU! *applause*
My statement goes for any breed of dog walking off leash approaching a leashed dog. Stop nitpicking posts. I have 2 cavaliers too and if they were off leash and approached a leashed dog, say even another cav (which doesn't have to muzzled), that snapped, I wouldn't blame that dog or it's owner

Oh I see. So what you said wasn't what you meant. Well, foolish me.

**Vai** · 15-07-2010 4:56pm

Dogs will only snap (first) if they feel threatened. Assuming your dog trusts u to keep it safe it wont snap. If it gets snapped at, just claim the space around u, picking up your dog teaches it to be a lapdog basically, to not be able to fight for itself. No need to shout at the dog tho in fact that can be taken as aggression. Just hand gestures and body language in general should do it.

adser53 · 15-07-2010 5:01pm

Spadina wrote: »

The other owner stopped so that the dogs could approach each other actually, she was far enough from me and my dog that she could've continued on away from us no problem, but she stopped and waited as we approached, let her dog come towards mine, etc.

Ah sorry, thats a different story altogether, my apologies. she had no business at all giving out if that's the case

adser53 · 15-07-2010 5:08pm

nipplenuts wrote: »

Oh I see. So what you said wasn't what you meant. Well, foolish me.

Seeing as how everyone else seemed to get the meaning of my post then, yes, foolish you. I only mentioned the fact they are RB's to explain WHY they're kept on a leash. Had i said my cavalier we wouldn'nt be having this conversation.

peasant · 15-07-2010 5:20pm

Anthony Walsh wrote: »

Oh and anyone that thinks telling a dog to "go home" will work obviously are not training there own dog properly, its well known that dogs find one word commands alot easier than two or more worded commands.

Doesn't matter what exactly you tell the other dog or in how many words, as long as you express that it is not wanted. This does two things:

- the approching dog is put off and may actually leave
- your own dog realises that the boss does the defending and has the situation under control, so it can calm down

Either way, it diffuses the situation and that's what you want.

Hectic action, shouting and screeching on the other hand (be that one word or more

) raises the adrenalin level all round and will most likely lead to chaos and/or fighting.

lrushe · 15-07-2010 5:46pm

brianon wrote: »

Don't want to hijack this thread but what do you guys do when you are bringing your dog for a walk and a dog (or dogs) aggressively approaches your dog ?

At the moment we just bring our dog. But should we have a stick of sorts with us ? What do you guys do ?

I would and have done as others mentioned and get in between my dogs and approaching dogs where I wasn't 100% sure of their intentions. I also do pick my Chihuahua up if I'm am not comfortable with a dogs' body language mainly because she is easy to hold with one hand leaving the other hand free and also because I just can't take the risk if I misjudge a dogs' body language, she is so delicate even another small JRT sized dog could do alot of damage to her not to mention kill her so I just don't take the risk.

ISDW · 15-07-2010 7:18pm

Anthony Walsh wrote: »

Oh and anyone that thinks telling a dog to "go home" will work obviously are not training there own dog properly, its well known that dogs find one word commands alot easier than two or more worded commands.

I'm sorry but what? How does a dog know its two words and not just one long one? Sled dogs are taught to "hike on" to start pulling, "on by" to go past something, or straight on "come gee" to turn around to the right "come haw" to turn around to the left. They manage to learn the 2 word commands very well.:D

peasant · 15-07-2010 7:21pm

ISDW wrote: »

I'm sorry but what? How does a dog know its two words and not just one long one? Sled dogs are taught to "hike on" to start pulling, "on by" to go past something, or straight on "come gee" to turn around to the right "come haw" to turn around to the left. They manage to learn the 2 word commands very well.:D

German Shepherds even do three ...in reply:

Sir, yes, Sir! (while clicking their heels)

:D:D

(It is usually the command giver who is verbally challenged)

antocann · 15-07-2010 7:33pm

we love letting the staffy of the lead , usualy take her down to the local football , shes great with other dogs , never atacked or barked at another one ,

jofe · 16-07-2010 2:40am

I always walk my dog - a terrier cross - on the lead because he is not good on the recall. On many occasions he has been approached by other dogs, not on leads, and almost attacked while the owner pretends not to see. Just recently in Killiney he was literally sat upon by a much larger dog while I screamed and the owner did nothing. My dog got sick afterwards, from shock I suppose. I have no problem with dogs not being on leads but if they are not under absolute control they pose a problem for other dog owners and indeed for people who may be afraid of dogs. I was interested to read the advice about standing between the dogs and shouting " go home". Will try this. I tend to avoid Killiney Hill Park now as the dogs there are allowed to be off lead and it makes the walk stressful if you are constantly fending off other dogs.

Qualitymark · 16-07-2010 10:30am

I always carry a camera - in fact, most people do anyway, in their mobile phones. Taking a photo of someone and another of their misbehaving dog, if done calmly and silently, usually gets them to call the dog in and leash it.

Literary/historical note: Charlotte Bronte carried a box of pepper on her dog-walks on the moors, and shook it over attacking dogs.

Dogs off leads, again!!!

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