No respect for dogs boundaries

twiddleypop · 29-09-2020 3:49pm #1

Just got a doggo that loves his walks.

He is a rescue and I just don't trust him with strangers yet especially kids. However he is still a pup and really cute so have a big problem with strangers coming up and petting him without asking. Not to mention people whistling and clucking at him when I am trying my best to lead train him!

Some woman on my lunch walk said he should be muzzled if he might bite.. I was like no you will only get bit if you approach suddenly from behind (like she did) , as a human might react if surprised.

Same with kids running up. Trying to be nice and explain calmly but their fingers are down I can say anything! Also I know its important to stay calm because he will sense it. He had been surrendered because he wasn't great with kids. So I don't know exactly what that means or what his limits are but he seems fine so far (thank god).

The covid thing is another reason I don't want people approaching...

Title probably should read "No respect for my boundaries"

This is a rant more than looking for advice, I know I should just say, please don't touch him as nicely as possible.

cocker5 · 29-09-2020 5:22pm

twiddleypop wrote: »

Just got a doggo that loves his walks.

He is a rescue and I just don't trust him with strangers yet especially kids. However he is still a pup and really cute so have a big problem with strangers coming up and petting him without asking. Not to mention people whistling and clucking at him when I am trying my best to lead train him!

Some woman on my lunch walk said he should be muzzled if he might bite.. I was like no you will only get bit if you approach suddenly from behind (like she did) , as a human might react if surprised.

Same with kids running up. Trying to be nice and explain calmly but their fingers are down I can say anything! Also I know its important to stay calm because he will sense it. He had been surrendered because he wasn't great with kids. So I don't know exactly what that means or what his limits are but he seems fine so far (thank god).

The covid thing is another reason I don't want people approaching...

Title probably should read "No respect for my boundaries"

This is a rant more than looking for advice, I know I should just say, please don't touch him as nicely as possible.

Ok firstly on the lead training- you need to go so where quiet to lead train with no distractions this is when you will get he best results .. like a quiet car park etc, then move to places with some distractions and so on.

With regard to people approaching I would have no hesitation in saying please don’t pet my dog ..

Can I ask what breed OP?

I too have a rescue and was nervous of people approaching as he was terrified of people reaching down to pet him - so I asked everybody not to touch him

Cherry Blossom · 29-09-2020 8:21pm

A yellow ribbon tied to his collar indicates to people that your dog is not comfortable with people and/or other dogs approaching him.

Google the yellow dog project for more info.

tk123 · 29-09-2020 8:29pm

Cherry Blossom wrote: »

A yellow ribbon tied to his collar indicates to people that your dog is not comfortable with people and/or other dogs approaching him.

Google the yellow dog project for more info.

My experience of yellow ribbon is that 99% of people don’t know what it is so a waste of time.

I had an orange Julius-K9 harness for Lucy with ‘IN TRAINING’ on it and it worked very well in getting people to not let their kids run over and freak her out. (She was afraid of young kids)

Godeatsboogers · 29-09-2020 8:43pm

I walk my mothers dog a lot and have found that kids love to come over and pet him but adults never do. I generally try to keep him away from people by shortening the lead and applying the lead lock so that if kids do want to pet him hes close to me and if he looks like he might bite, which he never has, I can pull him away. I always tell the kids to be careful, hes a timid dog but hes still an animal and thus can be unpredictable to being touched.

DBB · 29-09-2020 11:51pm

Honestly op? If you think your new dog might bite, then muzzle training him would be a very sensible thing to do.
One excellent by-product of wearing a muzzle is that people are very much inclined to leave the dog alone when the dog has it on.
It needs to be a basket-style muzzle (Baskerville is the most common brand), and you will need to teach him to happily wear it...
https://youtu.be/6BjPpXer8IE

con747 · 29-09-2020 11:57pm

In the position we are in with covid a sharp social distance please comment is what I would be doing, you never know if someone has it and you catch it off your dog when petting them afterwards.

Sorry about that · 30-09-2020 12:22am

Your unmuzzled dog should be safe to approach without biting, so what the woman said to you was correct. Some children and adults just love dogs and will try to pet them without even thinking about it; so there's no point in getting annoyed about it. It's one of the benefits of owning a dog for many; it creates human interactions that a person might not otherwise have if they live alone, or have few other activities than taking the dog out for a walk.

If it really bothers you, and you're unwilling to put a muzzle on your dog, you might be more comfortable taking him somewhere else, more deserted, where you're unlikely to meet any people who love dogs.

bobbyy gee · 30-09-2020 1:59am

Dogs love petting people love to pet dogs
Use shorter leash if you think dog will bite

Rubberchikken · 30-09-2020 2:10am

Be aware of people around while you're getting him trained.
People that love dogs find it hard not to approach/pet. I know I so but I would never pet unless the dog actually shows they want to be:)
Our westie, a rescue is fabulous with anyone but we weren't sure at the beginning so we were on our guard for a bit til we really got to know her.

Best of luck with the training.

And a rescue, fabulous:)

tk123 · 30-09-2020 7:06am

Just to be clear my issue was that Lucy would try to move/run away if a kid came near her - if I thought for a second she would have bitten I would never have put her in a situation where that could happen. If we’re in that situation with Bailey eg at the vets - he’s muzzled at my request. I know my dog and I know his limits. I also know the responsibility lies with me as his owner - not others.

Choc Chip · 30-09-2020 9:07am

One of mine isn't great with strange dogs. She wont bite, but she gets upset and people were completely ignorant about it when i asked them to make sure their dogs gave her space or asked them to put their dogs on lead as they charged towards her.

She has a bright red muzzle now and people are far quicker to control their dogs when i ask. And no one wants to pet her.

It's like a lovely bright flag to strangers that she isn't friendly. They come in all sorts of fab colours too OP. I want a pink one from here for my christmas now: https://www.trufflemuzzles.com/products.html

Tabnabs · 30-09-2020 9:25am

Sorry about that wrote: »

Your unmuzzled dog should be safe to approach without biting, so what the woman said to you was correct. Some children and adults just love dogs and will try to pet them without even thinking about it; so there's no point in getting annoyed about it. It's one of the benefits of owning a dog for many; it creates human interactions that a person might not otherwise have if they live alone, or have few other activities than taking the dog out for a walk.

If it really bothers you, and you're unwilling to put a muzzle on your dog, you might be more comfortable taking him somewhere else, more deserted, where you're unlikely to meet any people who love dogs.

Ludicrous response, of course it's reasonable to be uncomfortable with strangers approaching your dog and expecting the dog to just stand there and be manhandled by them.

One of the responsibilities of owning a dog, especially a rescue dog, is to ensure the dog is happy and safe at all times and a lot of work goes into building that level of trust. Anyone with a shred of common courtesy would have the cop-on to ask to pet the dog if they really wanted to and wait for permission to do so. But because the OP is concerned about this unwarranted interaction they are somehow banished to deserted car parks and lonely lane ways.

twiddleypop · 30-09-2020 10:16am

Thanks for the feedback. I live in a populated area of Dublin so finding a quiet area to train him has been a challenge. Have been trying to get out early in the mornings and later in the evenings when its quieter. He's great on the lead until he sees another dog and then he just wants to play.

He has given me no reason to think he would bite but as I've only had him a few days and he is nervous of traffic (hates motorbikes amd sirens) so I'm inclined to be cautious. He actually seems really friendly and loves attention. He has been on a short lead but the lady yesterday called him over as I was crossing a busy road with him in the opposite direction of where I was trying to lead him. So I was the one that snapped ha. He was doing so well on the lead and she distracted him. Not an isolated incident either. I just don't understand why you would call a dog away from their owner.

I'm surprised about the comments on the muzzle. My view is that he is not public property and if you love dogs, you should still respect the boundaries of both dog and owner... Especially with the COVID situation.

The muzzle seems like punishment for no reason but I do see the point that it is better to be safe than sorry. I suppose it is actually for the dogs protection rather than punishment but I had never thought about it that way.

He also seems to love children. He was surrendered due children but I'm not sure if that means he wasn't good with children or they couldn't manage a puppy and children. I would never trust any dog 100% with kids though.

I live on my own and have to say, he is a great talking point and have met loads of people to chat while trying to back away slowly to 2 metres!

He is an absolute joy of a pup although he has a destructive streak &#55357;&#56834;

twiddleypop · 30-09-2020 10:21am

He is a small mixed cute faced terrier so he looks (and probably is) harmless

Paulzx · 30-09-2020 10:24am

It's perfectly reasonable to ask strangers to keep their distance from your dog when you are trying to train it. Every walk or interaction for a young dog is used by an owner as a training opportunity and it's impossible to keep the level of consistancy you require if you allow random strangers to do what they wish with a young dog.

A normal example for me when I'm training a new dog is that i always train the dog to sit before they get rubbed/patted made a fuss of etc. Any jumping etc. receives no attention so the young dog soon learns to put their arse to the ground automatically to receive attention. The result is a dog who doesn't jump up on people.

The problem at the start is strangers not knowing how to adhere to this so i will always politely ask them to wait until the dog sits before rubbing him. With kids its even more important.

OP it is easy to calmly ask strangers to follow your training needs in a calm manner. Most will be happy to do this. The ones that won't you just keep away from them.

You have to live with the implications of your incorrectly trained dog so it should be you that has the final say in how you let people behave around it

tk123 · 30-09-2020 10:28am

twiddleypop wrote: »

I'm surprised about the comments on the muzzle. My view is that he is not public property and if you love dogs, you should still respect the boundaries of both dog and owner... Especially with the COVID situation.

To be fair your OP read like the dog snapped at somebody and you brushed it off? I'm glad that's not the case. You still need to socialise him so I would allow people to greet him if he's ok with that and you can work on getting his attention back / polite greetings etc eg somebody pets him and he moves on. With time he'll learn that not everyone will want to pet him and he needs to stay with you. I was waiting outside a shop last week and somebody pet my dog - both enjoyed the interaction lol!

salmocab · 30-09-2020 10:33am

I always say to kids when they ask to pet him that they can but they always have to ask, I’ve a big fella and he’s not bothered one way or the other at being petted, I have him on an extremely short leash though so he’s always right beside me.

D3V!L · 30-09-2020 10:34am

I had the same problem with my dachshund cross. People got shirty with me when I said it wasn't ok to pet him :rolleyes:

Housebuying · 30-09-2020 10:36am

I've the same issue with other dog owners... My dog is nervous and doesn't like other dogs in her space. She barks and gets agitated. She doesn't bite though. And if a dog ignores her, she's happy to ignore them

Constantly dog owners loosening their lead to let them "meet" or the other dog is unleashed. I do say it all the time but sometimes paths are tight and the dog is on you before you know.

Does my head in. I had a dog try to mount her recently. She went nuts... the other dog owner went off in a mood. :mad:

Control your dog and not every other dog owner you meet on the walk wants to stop and chat about dogs. Ha

Rant over

Damien360 · 30-09-2020 10:39am

We have 2 jack russell crosses. Both house dogs and not out on their own ever.

One is 8 years old and we have no hesitation telling anyone including kids not to approach him on his lead as he might bite. He won't but he growls so I'm not taking the chance.

The other is less than a year old and a destructive idiot that loves attention. Kids love to pet him and he adores it.

If your dog bites, you may have to destroy it. Not taking that chance so never be afraid to stop people approaching.

twiddleypop · 30-09-2020 10:44am

tk123 wrote: »

To be fair your OP read like the dog snapped at somebody and you brushed it off? I'm glad that's not the case. You still need to socialise him so I would allow people to greet him if he's ok with that and you can work on getting his attention back / polite greetings etc eg somebody pets him and he moves on. With time he'll learn that not everyone will want to pet him and he needs to stay with you. I was waiting outside a shop last week and somebody pet my dog - both enjoyed the interaction lol!

Sorry i re-read it and it does actually read that way! No not at all what happened. I said I only have him a week and he could bite. Maybe she just heard he bites in which case I would have to say her muzzle comment was fair!

stoneill · 30-09-2020 10:48am

As people approach a simple "he's not sociable" is enough.

DBB · 30-09-2020 10:59am

twiddleypop wrote: »

I'm surprised about the comments on the muzzle. My view is that he is not public property and if you love dogs, you should still respect the boundaries of both dog and olwner... Especially with the COVID situation.

Your dog not being public property gives you or him no protection when it comes to the dog control legislation.
If your dog bites somebody, no matter what the scenario or situation, he and you are potentially in a deal of trouble. If he bites somebody who decides to take matters further, and it's revealed that you were aware of a propensity the dog has to react badly in certain situations, and didn't take suitable precautions to stop him being able to bite, then the level of trouble you're in is going to escalate. Keeping him on a short lead is NOT enough in these scenarios, nowhere near it.

The muzzle seems like punishment for no reason but I do see the point that it is better to be safe than sorry. I suppose it is actually for the dogs protection rather than punishment but I had never thought about it that way.

Muzzles are not a punishment if, as I linked to in my post above, you introduce him to it gradually and in a positive way.
Think about it. By your dog wearing a muzzle you are
1) keeping everyone safe in all scenarios
2) sending out a clear signal to people to leave him alone
3) by sending out this signal, you are providing him with a safer world in which people are far less inclined do things that make him feel uncomfortable
4) I would consider having my possibly reactive dog muzzled for a short period every day far less of a punishment for him than being approached by people, given he doesn't like this
5) Worst case scenario, I would also consider having my possibly reactive dog muzzled for a short period every day far, far less of a punishment for him than what can, and very often does happen to dogs that bite people.

One last comment on what you say about him being a terrier... terriers are notoriously short-tempered and reactive, and can go from seemingly happy to snappy very quickly. They are genetically programmed to be like this. Be aware too that if they decide to bite, their genetically programmed bite-and-shake can do a huge amount of damage for a small dog. You simply don't know him well enough yet to know how he is across a wide range of situations. The fact that you have been tipped off by whatever rescue you got him from should encourage you to apply the precautionary principle, until you know a lot more.

John Hutton · 30-09-2020 11:00am

When I had a golden retriever it was a magnet for attention, especially from kids. I knew the dog wouldn't bite but was afraid that it would bump or knock the kid or toddler over. So.i trained the dog to sit when a child was petting it. It ended up with the dog sitting everytime it saw a kid approaching and refusing to move until it got its pat lol

twiddleypop · 30-09-2020 11:18am

Housebuying wrote: »

I've the same issue with other dog owners... My dog is nervous and doesn't like other dogs in her space. She barks and gets agitated. She doesn't bite though. And if a dog ignores her, she's happy to ignore them

Constantly dog owners loosening their lead to let them "meet" or the other dog is unleashed. I do say it all the time but sometimes paths are tight and the dog is on you before you know.

Does my head in. I had a dog try to mount her recently. She went nuts... the other dog owner went off in a mood. :mad:

Control your dog and not every other dog owner you meet on the walk wants to stop and chat about dogs. Ha

Rant over

I'm very cautious of this as he is a pup. He needs to learn all dogs don't want to be his friend! He is trying to hump anything he can even though he is fixed.

I do see a lot of dogs off the lead before having perfect recall and it's not ideal for nervous/elderly dogs. If its clear the other dog isn't interested I move him along ASAP.

Hannibal_Smith · 30-09-2020 11:20am

OP have you spoken to the rescue centre? They would have walked him themselves and might be able to guide you as to whether a muzzle would be necessary.

Our guy is a rescue too and is fairly reactive. He is a million times better than he was, but like your dog, motor bikes drive him nuts as do hi viz jackets. He is mainly okay with other dogs now, depending on their size. Initially it was every dog we met he had a problem with, but thanks to a lot of hard work, patience and guidance from some other owners we met, he's so much better. So there is hope!

I have to say, I've never had anyone pet him without asking. He is a gorgeous, handsome boy (biased much

) and kids love him. But they always ask whether they can pet him and I just warn them that he'll jump and get muddy paws on their clothes, so if they don't mind that work away!

There is absolutely no harm in telling people when you see them approach that you only have him a short time and you're just getting to know each other. You'll get people who pass remarks but most you meet will be Ok with that and will give you space.

twiddleypop · 30-09-2020 11:33am

Rescue never mentioned a muzzle. They said he is great with people and dogs- it is me being overly cautious. He's a real pet but he's still a pup and had a big change to his life, so I am just worried about people approaching suddenly.

He loves playing with other dogs in the park-there are a few younger dogs he runs around with. Just wondering how the muzzle would work then as they nip and play with eachother?

DBB · 30-09-2020 11:50am

I'm quite confused now, as on one hand he was surrendered for not being good with children (which, in rescue-speak, usually means what it says op... don't try to read between the lines. I would be asking the rescue exactly what the issue was that resulted in his being surrendered, it's only fair that you know, as it does influence how you deal with things now).
As an aside, if he has been neutered, I'm assuming he's 6+ months old? Just be aware that in developmental terms, this means that he's not a puppy. He's a young adult. There are key differences between the two that influence how to deal with various situations.
As for wearing a muzzle, as a general rule, dogs will tend not to go looking for people to bite. It's generally only when they feel cornered or otherwise have their escape-route cut off (eg when on lead) that they'll resort to aggression. So, he should be absolutely fine to mix with other dogs and run around off-lead with no muzzle.
I hope his recall is very good if you're letting him run off lead after only a few days though!

twiddleypop · 30-09-2020 11:50am

DBB wrote: »

Your dog not being public property gives you or him no protection when it comes to the dog control legislation.
If your dog bites somebody, no matter what the scenario or situation, he and you are potentially in a deal of trouble. If he bites somebody who decides to take matters further, and it's revealed that you were aware of a propensity the dog has to react badly in certain situations, and didn't take suitable precautions to stop him being able to bite, then the level of trouble you're in is going to escalate. Keeping him on a short lead is NOT enough in these scenario

One last comment on what you say about him being a terrier... terriers are notoriously short-tempered and reactive, and can go from seemingly happy to snappy very quickly. They are genetically programmed to be like this. Be aware too that if they decide to bite, their genetically programmed bite-and-shake can do a huge amount of damage for a small dog. You simply don't know him well enough yet to know how he is across a wide range of situations. The fact that you have been tipped off by whatever rescue you got him from should encourage you to apply the precautionary principle, until you know a lot more.

Yeah harmless terrier was not correct to say. I'm aware of terrier temperament and although I haven't seen it in him yet, it is their nature.

twiddleypop · 30-09-2020 12:08pm

DBB wrote: »

I'm quite confused now, as on one hand he was surrendered for not being good with children (which, in rescue-speak, usually means what it says op... don't try to read between the lines. I would be asking the rescue exactly what the issue was that resulted in his being surrendered, it's only fair that you know, as it does influence how you deal with things now).
As an aside, if he has been neutered, I'm assuming he's 6+ months old? Just be aware that in developmental terms, this means that he's not a puppy. He's a young adult. There are key differences between the two that influence how to deal with various situations.
As for wearing a muzzle, as a general rule, dogs will tend not to go looking for people to bite. It's generally only when they feel cornered or otherwise have their escape-route cut off (eg when on lead) that they'll resort to aggression. So, he should be absolutely fine to mix with other dogs and run around off-lead with no muzzle.
I hope his recall is very good if you're letting him run off lead after only a few days though!

They said he was too boisterous for kids and that he jumped and licked faces so they had him caged for most of the day

He was chewing up the kids toys and taking their food. To be honest his discipline was shocking but he has already improved so much since I got him. Doesn't jump up any more because he is ignored when he does. I'm proud as could be of his progress! He is extremely clever- has most of the basic commands learned already.

He probably could have been OK with the family with correct training. He was an Xmas dog not a COVID one.

He is 10 months so a teenager I suppose!

I have an extendable lead so he runs around on that with the other dogs. Not really ideal but we are working on the recall! Terriers wouldn't really be known for their recall either but he is easily bribed with treats. I ordered an extra long lead that just came in the post so we will try that later in a quiet spot.

30-09-2020 12:20pm

Terrier breeds vary in their propensity for sudden mood changes when things aren't going according to their plan. Having volunteered a short while in a rescue centre and from other experience I found that quite a few Jack Russells could turn on you in a thwarted cat-like fashion if you did the wrong thing by them, but not all. They could appear to be enthusiastic and friendly, even submissive one minute, but if you tried, eg, to put them back into the kennel, they became positively hazardous with the teeth. Different breeds come more frequently to rescues for different reasons. I remember some lovely Siberian Huskies kept being returned to the rescue centre because they demanded a lot of attention and energetic walking, but unlike the the small terriers I had not problem physically pushing them away from trying to force their way out of the kennel after walkies. Toy dogs tended to be surrendered because owner had become incapacitated or had died. Salukis, lurchers etc get handed over because if they are hard to control and love bounding away. The more notoriously potentially aggressive breeds sometimes had been in very poor ownership.

tk123 · 30-09-2020 12:21pm

I've never heard anyone describe anything as "boisterous" ...apart from dogs who are batsh1t crazy lol :rolleyes: Sounds like they had no interest in training him OP so he has landed on his feet with you! I'd suggest a harness with lead left trailing rather than letting him run around with a Flexi - I've had my leg cut by somebody's flexi lead when the dog ran in to play with mine

The lead doesn't need to be a mile long - just long enough that you could catch up and step on it if the dog was running off. Another tip would be to carry something squeaky (or just the squeaker!) to get his attention if you need it.

dartboardio · 30-09-2020 12:23pm

Can you not get one of those little signs dog in training do not touch, until you know he's okay with strangers? Think they use it for guide dogs

VonVix · 30-09-2020 6:24pm

Personally, I'm that lunatic who yells "he's contagious" if someone is approaching that I do not want approaching lol... I have to say, it works for me and my dogs are kept safe.

Sometimes, it's just me who doesn't want the social interaction, not the dogs!

tk123 · 30-09-2020 6:47pm

VonVix wrote: »

Personally, I'm that lunatic who yells "he's contagious" if someone is approaching that I do not want approaching lol... I have to say, it works for me and my dogs are kept safe.

Sometimes, it's just me who doesn't want the social interaction, not the dogs!

:pac:

VonVix · 30-09-2020 6:50pm

tk123 wrote: »

:pac:

"I had a German Shepherd years ago, had to give it away/get rid of it/blah blah blah/amazing breed"!

I can only handle so much of the same talk from some folks!!

em_cat · 30-09-2020 7:29pm

twiddleypop wrote: »

Sorry i re-read it and it does actually read that way! No not at all what happened. I said I only have him a week and he could bite. Maybe she just heard he bites in which case I would have to say her muzzle comment was fair!

I always muzzle train any dog that comes to me by way of foster or if my own...merely so they won’t be freaked out if it it gets done by a vet, nurse or groomer. I never knew what it must feel like for them until we started having to wear masks... I absolutely hate, detest and can have a panic attack while wearing one, yet I still do and can tolerate it if needs be, because I got trained...

Our Pom x is wary of people & dogs coming at her/us so if in a park and kids start running toward us while we are playing or training I’ll be very stark and say no, give the hand signal to stop and if ask to be petted I say no flat out. She is well trained to focus on me so I can swiftly move if needs be & I don’t feel bad and generally don’t give a reason. Sometimes I will explain that she’s not fond of being petted by strangers and I don’t want to push her.

We live in a rough enough area & will often be asked does she bite & I say yes. I know it’s not the best thing but I prefer to keep it consistent for her so we can go about our walks and go the places we like.

Just take your time with it, you’ve not had your dog that long and it can sometimes take about 6 months to really understand their limits.

em_cat · 30-09-2020 7:44pm

@VonVix ha ha ha, you’d never know it, but I can be pretty unsociable too...

tk123 · 30-09-2020 8:49pm

VonVix wrote: »

"I had a German Shepherd years ago, had to give it away/get rid of it/blah blah blah/amazing breed"!

I can only handle so much of the same talk from some folks!!

I’ve had people come up Bailey a good few times over the years and ask if they can pet him - then full on put their head to his head and have a little cry as they tell me about their retriever who died!

Bailey is more than happy to be their therapy dog and just wags his tail!
I think he’s fed up of the sight of me at this stage working from home since March - he’s stepping towards random people all the time on walks to get pets off them!

cullenswood · 30-09-2020 11:17pm

Hannibal_Smith wrote: »

Our guy is a rescue too and is fairly reactive. He is a million times better than he was, but like your dog, motor bikes drive him nuts as do hi viz jackets. He is mainly okay with other dogs now, depending on their size. Initially it was every dog we met he had a problem with, but thanks to a lot of hard work, patience and guidance from some other owners we met, he's so much better. So there is hope!

Could I ask what you did? We have a very reactive terrier x rescue who goes bananas when out for a walk if he sees another 4 legged creature. I've taken to walking in secluded areas in order to avoid this, but that is not ideal either....
Curious to know what worked for you.

Hannibal_Smith · 01-10-2020 8:09am

cullenswood wrote: »

Could I ask what you did? We have a very reactive terrier x rescue who goes bananas when out for a walk if he sees another 4 legged creature. I've taken to walking in secluded areas in order to avoid this, but that is not ideal either....
Curious to know what worked for you.

No problem. I watched a lot of Zach George videos on you tube. He said to keep the attention and focus on you. So we started off with treats in our pocket and went the same route every day.

Just as we were walking along when there were no dogs around, I held the treat and used the same word 'look' when he looked at me he got the treat. When we came across the dog, I held the lead tight and had the treat out and said the word and when he looked at me he got a treat. All the time continuing to walk briskly until we were in the clear. If it took 2 or 3 treats so be it. It wasn't always reliable, if he didn't look at me he didn't get a treat, but sometimes he wouldn't care :pac:

Initially, I avoided busy times in the park and over time extended it so he had to keep looking to get the treat. He's a small dog, with a harness so in fairness he was fairly easy to keep moving.

We started to meet the same dog owners and got to know them. They kindly allowed their dogs be Guinea pigs and we started with small little sniffs (well the dogs did... Not us

). Our guy's tail was wagging, which I took to mean he wasn't so angry anymore. When he was good and had a nice happy interaction, he got a treat. He doesn't get treats any more because he's so good, but he still looks to me for a bit of praise when he's had a nice pleasant stop and sniff

Slowly but surely his issue was down to alsations, huskies and blonde dogs, anything else was grand :pac: We got so many. 'it's always small dogs that are the loudest' comments :rolleyes: But we kept at it. Now blonde dogs are on the OK list and some huskies, but alsations still require a treat and work to get by. So he's still a work in progress but a lot better than he was.

It wasn't easy especially in the beginning. It was mortifying to bring him out and have him bark at everything/one. But thankfully he likes his treats and he did really well in fairness to him.

Not sure whether any of that helps and it probably flies in the face of best recommended practice, but it worked for us.

volchitsa · 02-10-2020 10:54am

Housebuying wrote: »

I've the same issue with other dog owners...

Does my head in. I had a dog try to mount her recently. She went nuts... the other dog owner went off in a mood. :mad:

The other dog owner thought it was your fault? Wow.

That's happened us occasionally - my (sterilised) bitch is the sweetest thing ever, but a couple of times a dog has tried to mount her, and by heavens she put them in their place PDQ!

Never occurred to me that the other owner should do anything other than apologise for their own dog's poor behaviour though. And TBF that's what's always happened. I always say (nicely) not to worry, that it'll help him learn a lesson not to be too pushy!

Mind you this isn't in Ireland, maybe dog owners are not so touchy over here.

coathanger · 02-10-2020 12:22pm

twiddleypop wrote: »

Just got a doggo that loves his walks.

He is a rescue and I just don't trust him with strangers yet especially kids. However he is still a pup and really cute so have a big problem with strangers coming up and petting him without asking. Not to mention people whistling and clucking at him when I am trying my best to lead train him!

Some woman on my lunch walk said he should be muzzled if he might bite.. I was like no you will only get bit if you approach suddenly from behind (like she did) , as a human might react if surprised.

Same with kids running up. Trying to be nice and explain calmly but their fingers are down I can say anything! Also I know its important to stay calm because he will sense it. He had been surrendered because he wasn't great with kids. So I don't know exactly what that means or what his limits are but he seems fine so far (thank god).

The covid thing is another reason I don't want people approaching...

Title probably should read "No respect for my boundaries"

This is a rant more than looking for advice, I know I should just say, please don't touch him as nicely as possible.

Well done on rescuing, I have rescued myself & you will be well rewarded by their loyalty.
Have a look on https://www.facebook.com/neondog2016/

they do highvis jackets for you & the dogs & lead covers , all with various messages. I bought them recently after my on-lead dog was attacked by an off lead dog & suffered 2 broken bones in her leg & is now terrified of off lead dogs, these items have been a massive help as we work on her rehabilitation .
Never be afraid to ask people to give you space & not approach your dog , you are his advocate & he has been through a lot of stress & upheaval in his little life already.

Best of luck.

irishlady29 · 02-10-2020 6:46pm

I so get this! I live in a very built up area and as soon as I leave the house to bring my two for a walk we are bombarded with kids.....they literally run up and throw themselves down on the ground, rubbing them etc.
While my two are ok with this, I am not. I can't be sure kids won't pull at ears and tail etc
So as I see them coming my way....I say "hello, doggies a bit cross today" or "doggies have a sick tummy today"
Kids straight away back away. I don't want the kids to be frightened of the dogs, but it's the only way I can keep them away.

twiddleypop · 02-10-2020 7:53pm

Just by way of update, he has come on leaps and bounds the past 4 days. He absolutely loves other dogs.

I always had dogs in the country with miles of open fields and quiet roads. Having a dog in the city is a different experience and he doesn't seem to have an ounce of road sense yet. I have relaxed a lot with him the past few days-we are in a great routine and he is a joyful distraction from the doom and gloom!

No respect for dogs boundaries

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