Rant about dogs not being controlled in the park.

P.C.

Just a bit of a rant:

On Sunday afternoon, I was with my girlfriend and her dog in the park.
While we were there another dog approached us from behind, and her dog did not see it. I called her (the dog) to try and warn her about the other dog, but she (the dog) still got a fright when the other dog approached her from behind.

Anyway, this other dog was nipping at her, and even though things might have only been playfull between the two dogs, it had gone too far for my liking.

I got our dog in front of me, and got her to sit. I then tried to get rid of the other dog, but it would not go. I started to raise my voice while I looked around for a possible owner.
The only person I saw was a man walking allong, with his phone in his hand, and it looked like he was typing a text.
Anyway, I raised me voice some more, and eventually I heard someone whistle. I looked around, and saw it was the man with the phone, and he was looking our way. At this point the other dog left, and ran to him.

If you want to take your dog off the lead in the park, that is one thing.

My rant is about people who do not pay attention to what their dogs are up to when they are off the lead.
Some peoples dogs are valuable to them, and I don't mean financially.
I will not let my girlfriends dog get into a fight with another dog, but I can only controll her dog, not anyone elses dog.

adser53

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055996602

Cherry Blossom

Sadly something we have all encountered at some point and not just a danger to our dogs, I have had similar situations while out with kids, not to mention being out with an animal that weighs half a ton that considers itself to be the dog's dinner (and maybe rightly so!) and on one occasion in my case both, thankfully in this case that particular pony wouldn't be the least bit apprehensive in 'telling the dog off'!

F-Stop

The fact that the dog returned to him when called shows that he does have some control, that said it is no excuse for paying no attention to what his dog was doing and what stress it might have been causing your dog. If you are going to let your dog off a lead then you don't just need to know your own dog's behaviour but also be able to read other dogs they might encounter and spot signs of aggression, fear, stress etc. If there is any doubt that your dog won't come back to you when called then they need to be kept on a lead. We've two, one we can let off lead and he will always come when called, one that at the moment I know we can't, so we don't. A lot of times in these situations it is not that dog that needs to be shouted at, but the owner.

daenerysstormborn3

My dog will come when called no matter what he is investigating but I still would not let him off lead around other dogs or people until I have the situation under control if you know what I mean. Until I know the people are okay with his size and aren't going to freak out and squeal if he approaches them then he stays on lead. Until I know the dogs are okay with his size and aren't going to freak out and squeal if he approaches them then he stays on lead.

I was walking him in the park beside my old house one day. A little thing (couldn't tell you what breed it was) came speeding across the park, yapping and snapping the whole way across to us. His owners (a couple and their son) weren't even paying attention and had another dog with them. The dog was barking, growling and snapping. My dog has never barked, growled or snapped at another dog the whole time I've had him (just over a year now) and just stood his ground at that moment. I tried to diffuse the situation by clapping my hands, shouting various commands at the dog to no avail, next thing the little thing went for my dog's back right leg and got his jaw on it, I had no option but to kick him away as I wasn't sticking my hand in to have it bitten off and my dog was shaking his back leg to get the dog off at this stage. I don't know if my kick or my dog shaking his leg dislodged the little pest. When the dog fell away it was yelping but came back with a second wind, this time my dog turned around and the dog ran off obviously afraid of the confrontation. The owners came charging over full of screaming and shouting which was ignored and my dog and I walked off. I have a giant breed dog and it is always automatically assumed that my dog will be the troublemaker and when I lived in the city people would pick up their dogs, cross the street, shout at me etc as we approached.

It is very frustrating that big = vicious and small = placid for a lot of people.

worded

pixiebean22 wrote: »

My dog will come when called no matter what he is investigating but I still would not let him off lead around other dogs or people until I have the situation under control if you know what I mean. Until I know the people are okay with his size and aren't going to freak out and squeal if he approaches them then he stays on lead. Until I know the dogs are okay with his size and aren't going to freak out and squeal if he approaches them then he stays on lead.

I was walking him in the park beside my old house one day. A little thing (couldn't tell you what breed it was) came speeding across the park, yapping and snapping the whole way across to us. His owners (a couple and their son) weren't even paying attention and had another dog with them. The dog was barking, growling and snapping. My dog has never barked, growled or snapped at another dog the whole time I've had him (just over a year now) and just stood his ground at that moment. I tried to diffuse the situation by clapping my hands, shouting various commands at the dog to no avail, next thing the little thing went for my dog's back right leg and got his jaw on it, I had no option but to kick him away as I wasn't sticking my hand in to have it bitten off and my dog was shaking his back leg to get the dog off at this stage. I don't know if my kick or my dog shaking his leg dislodged the little pest. When the dog fell away it was yelping but came back with a second wind, this time my dog turned around and the dog ran off obviously afraid of the confrontation. The owners came charging over full of screaming and shouting which was ignored and my dog and I walked off. I have a giant breed dog and it is always automatically assumed that my dog will be the troublemaker and when I lived in the city people would pick up their dogs, cross the street, shout at me etc as we approached.

It is very frustrating that big = vicious and small = placid for a lot of people.

Small dog with napoleon syndrome by the sounds of things.

Shanao

pixiebean22 wrote: »

My dog will come when called no matter what he is investigating but I still would not let him off lead around other dogs or people until I have the situation under control if you know what I mean. Until I know the people are okay with his size and aren't going to freak out and squeal if he approaches them then he stays on lead. Until I know the dogs are okay with his size and aren't going to freak out and squeal if he approaches them then he stays on lead.

I was walking him in the park beside my old house one day. A little thing (couldn't tell you what breed it was) came speeding across the park, yapping and snapping the whole way across to us. His owners (a couple and their son) weren't even paying attention and had another dog with them. The dog was barking, growling and snapping. My dog has never barked, growled or snapped at another dog the whole time I've had him (just over a year now) and just stood his ground at that moment. I tried to diffuse the situation by clapping my hands, shouting various commands at the dog to no avail, next thing the little thing went for my dog's back right leg and got his jaw on it, I had no option but to kick him away as I wasn't sticking my hand in to have it bitten off and my dog was shaking his back leg to get the dog off at this stage. I don't know if my kick or my dog shaking his leg dislodged the little pest. When the dog fell away it was yelping but came back with a second wind, this time my dog turned around and the dog ran off obviously afraid of the confrontation. The owners came charging over full of screaming and shouting which was ignored and my dog and I walked off. I have a giant breed dog and it is always automatically assumed that my dog will be the troublemaker and when I lived in the city people would pick up their dogs, cross the street, shout at me etc as we approached.

It is very frustrating that big = vicious and small = placid for a lot of people.

It seems to come hand in hand with owning a large breed. I only take my fella for short walks (a min for every week of his life) but so far he's been almost attacked by about four offlead yorkies and two JRTs. So much for trying to socialise the poor fella with other dogs, all he can do is stand there staring at them in confusion as they bark their heads off. He got an awful fright when a cocker spaniel came up behind him and started barking its head off. He's a restricted breed so I'm doing my utmost to make him dog friendly but how the hell is that even possible when people leave these mad little things tear around the place terrorizing other dogs. And of course, the usual, the owners either ignore it or give me dirty looks despite the fact that he's only a four month old puppy!!

Zapperzy

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Sadly something we have all encountered at some point and not just a danger to our dogs, I have had similar situations while out with kids, not to mention being out with an animal that weighs half a ton that considers itself to be the dog's dinner (and maybe rightly so!) and on one occasion in my case both, thankfully in this case that particular pony wouldn't be the least bit apprehensive in 'telling the dog off'!

Very scary when your on a horse and a dog runs at you barking isin't it! Was out with 2 others once, a woman and her daughter had a little offlead terrier which came running at us barking. Thankfully the 3 horses were sound with dogs and just stood still while the little dog ran in between their legs barking at them, thank god he didn't bite or nip the horses. The woman took ages to catch him, she had no control over him whatsoever, one of the lads had to get off his horse to help her, they eventually caught him but not even a sorry afterwards, if we had been on a not so placid horse that dog could have gotten a well placed kick. It's a trail well used by horses too, hopefully she learned something by it.

daenerysstormborn3

Shanao wrote: »

It seems to come hand in hand with owning a large breed. I only take my fella for short walks (a min for every week of his life) but so far he's been almost attacked by about four offlead yorkies and two JRTs. So much for trying to socialise the poor fella with other dogs, all he can do is stand there staring at them in confusion as they bark their heads off. He got an awful fright when a cocker spaniel came up behind him and started barking its head off. He's a restricted breed so I'm doing my utmost to make him dog friendly but how the hell is that even possible when people leave these mad little things tear around the place terrorizing other dogs. And of course, the usual, the owners either ignore it or give me dirty looks despite the fact that he's only a four month old puppy!!

I know exactly what you mean about trying to socialise them. I mean it's pointless a dog just being okay with one size dog, that's not realistic.

fonecrusher1

Pretty much every time im in my local park for a bit of exercise i see someone turning a blind eye to their dog going for a dump on the path that is there specifically for people to walk along.
I mean ok a dog taking a pee is going to happen but ignoring your animal as does its business on a path is incredibly selfish. At least kick the thing onto the grass as some sort of gesture of consideration for the public.

Cherry Blossom

Zapperzy wrote: »

Very scary when your on a horse and a dog runs at you barking isin't it!

Yeah this was a neighbour out with his two Rotties n a Jack Russell, at least I had the pony on lead rein. None of the dogs were looking too friendly and he was a fair distance away when they started barking. He had the 2 Rotties on leads (Usually all 3 are left to run all night when no-one sees them to complain, owners at work all day, JR runs around all day and the other 2 confined to a run at back of the house, and they get walked the odd weekend the owners are actually at home by the looks of it.) He had the sence to turn immediately and walk very quickly back they way he came with the 2 on the leads but left the JR to fend for itself and it kept comming :eek:. I'm very wary of this little fella as he's definately not the friendliest of dogs and no way would I attempt to put a hand on him. Pony snorted and kicked out at him, missed him but he backed off after that. No business out with the 3 dogs if he can't control all of em.

<ETA> I just want to add that I've mentioned the breeds here because I think it's very relevant. I think the 2 on the lead were on the lead because this guy does everything right where people might see him in order to cover his ass, had he owned 2 labs instead, all 3 dogs would have off lead and I'd have been in big trouble!

tk123

pixiebean22 wrote: »

My dog has never barked, growled or snapped at another dog the whole time I've had him (just over a year now) and just stood his ground at that moment.

GAH! My guy is exactly the same - he's 18 months and well socialised from daycare so just stands there when younger dogs are hanging out of him or looks puzzled with head to one side and tongue sticking out lol if smaller dogs are barking at him He's recovering from surgery on his leg so I've had to stop taking him to the park for the time being. Even if I wait until after 11:00 there's still dogs running amok. The last time I had my guy by his harness and a hand over his leg to stop him playing and stop the other dog jumping on him - when I asked the owner if they could call their dog back because he's not allowed to play "Oh I'll try but she's in a bad mood today":rolleyes:

What's allowed in cases like this if you need to get the other dog to go away? I had a dog up trying to hump our guy - it's about a year old and humps every other dog (not neutered because the clueless owner is going to make her fortune showing and breeding from him :rolleyes:)..Anyhoos I ended up having to take the dog by the collar 3 times and lift him off my guy and the owner was extremely annoyed. My fault for taking him to the park tbh and a costly mistake - €170 for emergency xrays when he went lame the next day so the park is now off limits.

homerhop

We brought the Springer pup out for a run on Sunday, He is not 100% on recall and I keep him on his lead when out around people. At the moment he sees everyone and their dogs as a friend, but I am training him to sit beside me when we meet people walking. It is amazing the amount of people who see you coming along, making your dog sit and encourage him while they let their animals charge up to us. We had a pair of cattle dogs circle us, a lab cross that was built like a brick house and Springer stand over the pup in dominance while the owners strolled past going awwww look at the pup, not calling their dogs off till they had gone past us which they didn’t pay blind heed to. Not one of the owners had a lead in their hands and some of the dogs didne have a collar on that you could pull them off if needs be.

Discodog

It's not just people walking dogs that are the problem. Every day I walk my mine past a neighbour who has a collie. He's a lovely dog & has always been fine with my girls - except for wanting to bonk !.

Now he gets really aggressive with my pup. Flying out the drive teeth bared !. The annoying thing is that my guy is now getting old enough to feel the need to growl back which is maddening because he gets on well with other dogs. I am now getting concerned that it will influence his behaviour towards other males.

Clearly the collie feels that my girls are part of his harem & doesn't like the idea of an interloper.

P.C.

F-Stop wrote: »

The fact that the dog returned to him when called shows that he does have some control, that said it is no excuse for paying no attention to what his dog was doing and what stress it might have been causing your dog.

It is not that people let their dogs off the lead that I have an issue with, it is that they do not pay any attention to where their dog is, or what it is doing that irritates me.

I make sure that I watch 'our' dog all the time when she is off the lead, and she gets called back regularly.
If I see a ball come bouncing allong, I call her back - there is probably a child running after the ball, etc.

Now, she is a very friendly dog, and loves children. I just don't want children to get a fright when she runs up to them.

F-Stop wrote: »

If you are going to let your dog off a lead then you don't just need to know your own dog's behaviour but also be able to read other dogs they might encounter and spot signs of aggression, fear, stress etc. If there is any doubt that your dog won't come back to you when called then they need to be kept on a lead. We've two, one we can let off lead and he will always come when called, one that at the moment I know we can't, so we don't. A lot of times in these situations it is not that dog that needs to be shouted at, but the owner.

It is very fustrating for me when another dog gets too aggressive for my liking and I get 'our' dog under control and on the lead, only for the owner of the other dog to either ignore what is going on, or say something like - 'Oh, don't worry, he is just beining friendly'.

sligopark

What about dogs off leash on a beach with lots of other dogs off leash and socialisation?

At home in Sligo lots of folk have their dogs off leash on the local beaches and forest walks where the dogs have to meet and greet without the interruption of a leash or immediate owner intervention?

Shanao

That's perfectly fine with me as long as they aren't aggressive. My dog's a restricted breed so if another dog goes for him and he tries to defend himself, we know well who's going to be blamed dont we :rolleyes:

Devi

Shanao wrote: »

It seems to come hand in hand with owning a large breed. I only take my fella for short walks (a min for every week of his life) but so far he's been almost attacked by about four offlead yorkies and two JRTs. So much for trying to socialise the poor fella with other dogs, all he can do is stand there staring at them in confusion as they bark their heads off. He got an awful fright when a cocker spaniel came up behind him and started barking its head off. He's a restricted breed so I'm doing my utmost to make him dog friendly but how the hell is that even possible when people leave these mad little things tear around the place terrorizing other dogs. And of course, the usual, the owners either ignore it or give me dirty looks despite the fact that he's only a four month old puppy!!

Had the same problem with my rottie when she was younger, she was getting attacked by off leash small dogs all the time, got to the stage where she was getting dog aggressive from it. Now I have to put more effort into making her not dog aggressive so she doesn’t bite their heads off when she’s older, all because there owners are too lazy to walk their dogs properly.

sligopark

Shanao wrote: »

That's perfectly fine with me as long as they aren't aggressive. My dog's a restricted breed so if another dog goes for him and he tries to defend himself, we know well who's going to be blamed dont we :rolleyes:

No doubt but then I have met restricted breeds on the beaches too - last weekend a couple of rotties and a staffie /Amstaff cross - in fact the owners appeared surprised at my reaction ie that I immediately petted the dogs and the dogs were relaxed with me and my pup.

Zapperzy

sligopark wrote: »

What about dogs off leash on a beach with lots of other dogs off leash and socialisation?

At home in Sligo lots of folk have their dogs off leash on the local beaches and forest walks where the dogs have to meet and greet without the interruption of a leash or immediate owner intervention?

No problem with that so long as you can keep the dog under control (they can be called back if need be), and if you see someone walking towards you with their dog on a lead then call him/her back to you and either keep them close to you or put them on a lead, most dogs are on a lead for a reason, they may be uncomfortable with strange dogs running up into their faces and 'invading' their territory and therefore may snap. And of course so long as your dog is friendly.

Iv lost count of the number of times offlead dogs have just ran straight into my dogs face and he's kicked off because he doesn't like strange dogs just charging up to him, and of course the owner is either nowhere to be seen or walking in the opposite direction with not a care in the world as to what they're dog is at.

Iv said it before I have no issue whatsoever with offlead dogs so long as they are under control (can be called back when needed).

Discodog

Zapperzy wrote: »

Iv said it before I have no issue whatsoever with offlead dogs so long as they are under control (can be called back when needed).

The problem is that the vast majority of walkers do not understand when to call them back. To me it is really simple. I do not allow my dogs to approach someone else's dog unless I have their permission. So if I see a dog & owner I will put mine on lead until I can ask the owner if it OK for them to play. I do this however in most cases the other person doesn't.

In control is pointless without common courtesy.

The result is that beaches are being closed left right & centre because of irresponsible dog owners who feel that it is up to the public & other dog owners to cope with their dog being off lead.

luvdogs

similar problems walking mine on country roads....i walk 2 together, i have to stick to the same boring route everyday as its the one with the least loose dogs on it!!
i use headcollars on them so if needed, im never not in control when we`re flown at by some dog! find it so frustrating :mad: and in fact my younger girl is now starting to get all hyped up as we approach areas where we`ve had encounters with dogs...not a thing i want!
we is it people have big walls and gates etc and then have the gate open and feel its ok?

Discodog

Two French women tourists walking past my house asked me "Are there any dogs loose down this road". They then explained that every time they had tried to go for a walk they had been "chased" by dogs. We even get a mention in the Rough Guide who warn cyclists about dogs rushing out of gateways. No wonder the tourism figures are dire.

If the tourists make it to the beach they will have to dodge the piles of dog mess. People put the dog on the lead & then let it off as it reaches the beach. I reckon that my three are the only local dogs that have never been allowed to poo on that beach.

Zapperzy

Discodog wrote: »

I reckon that my three are the only local dogs that have never been allowed to poo on that beach.

How do you manage that? You mean not poo on the beach ever? :eek: Mine does but of course I pick it up straight away.

Did you ever find out what that big sign meant that you posted about seeing on your local beach?

Discodog

Zapperzy wrote: »

How do you manage that? You mean not poo on the beach ever? :eek: Mine does but of course I pick it up straight away.

Did you ever find out what that big sign meant that you posted about seeing on your local beach?

Mine are trained to only poo off lead or when on an extended lead. So I walk them across some land, where I have permission for them to poo. Or I walk well past the beach & on to a rocky bit of shore below the tide line. They can poo & the tide will do the clearing up.

No the Council have never replied. However it's not just a Boxer thing. Some signs in Barna are definitely a GSD