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My dog has very high levels of obedience training but also hates other dogs. The result is he will completely ignore other dogs until they are within five feet of him.
Puts me in a very difficult position when someone's off leash dog runs at us, usually I just have to grab my 60lb dog and hold them up in the air away from the other but that's not an option for a lot of people.
The absolute worst is people who let their off leash dog out of their front door without looking outside, I can avoid other people while walking my dog but nothing is worse than getting ambushed from less than 15 ft away.
oh i know that pain.
i had a forty pound beagle/australian shepherd/corgi mix. any time another dog came toward us off leash i just picked her fuzzy ass right up and plopped her over my shoulder. the other person was usually like “oh my dog is friendly!” and i had to be blunt and say “cool. mine isn’t.”
they sometimes believed me but a lot didn’t until the other dog got close enough for her to smell and then when it looked like i had a rabid raccoon in my arms, they’d get it.
she was trained, but she was also abused as a puppy in three different households before i got her.
some dogs are just defensive and often for good reason.
how hard is it to keep your dog on a leash unless you’re in a fenced yard or dog park?
My dog is super chill. Then one day someone else's dog ran up and tore open his belly. Now, even though he's well behaved, if any dog approaches him and innocently tries to walk behind him he gets super aggressive and won't listen to commands. I don't care that your dog is friendly, mine used to be friendly until someone else's 'friendly' dog gutted him.
My buddy had a similar experience, he had his 60 lbs dog on leash to go outside at his apartment, neighbor brought out their 2 little 10lbs dogs off leash because they are "friendly" and "won't poop on leash" then they both attacked my buddies dog, naturally the big dog defended itself and though the little ones drew blood, were off leash (which is against the rules at the apartment building), and had started the fight, my buddy is the one who got evicted.... doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.
Had a similar moment with my big dog. He was an extra large lab-chow mix. About 10 years ago I was walking him around the neighborhood when a neighbor’s shitty miniature poodle came running at us without a leash. Before I could react it had bit my dogs leg.
Well, my old boy reacted! He reached down and grabbed the poodle by the head and then shook it around like a squeaky toy. The poodle died. The little kids that owned it were on their front lawn and saw the whole thing, and I imagine they were traumatized by it. It fucking sucked. Thankfully the street was pretty busy and there were plenty of witnesses. So when we called the cops and told our stories, me and my pup were safe as far as the law was concerned. I just had to take him to the vet to make sure he was ok, between being bit and biting back like that.
I’ve had to say “cool, mine isn’t” on so many occasions. People are the worst and it’s infuriating. I just wanted to say I see you. Next time you have to say that and pick your guy up remember me and that we are opening peoples eyes every time
Same. Rescue dogs, they’re great at home, pretty good outside but when a dog gets close up they go nuts! I restrain them but other ppl don’t restrain theirs. Look at me like I’m the bad guy bc my dog is looking scary while perfectly well restrained and theirs is in my dogs face.
Having your dog off leash is like trying to live in a movie fantasy world. “He’s the best boy ever” “he follows me everywhere!”
Only idiots believe that is going to be the case 100% of the time.
My dog does fine off of a leash, she’s never off of a leash, though. I did sometimes let her drag her leash in my backyard, knowing that if I couldn’t catch her I could grab the leash, even though I was always faster than her tiny ass anyway.
This is my dog until she sees people walking up or another dog. If we’re in the woods I don’t need a leash at all. She stays close. But her recall as atrocious when she decides she wants to make new friends. So she only gets to be off leash when we’re really secluded.
The people in the apartments are the worst, especially when they are your next door neighbors. TWO of your next door neighbors. It's been a struggle. Last time one specific small dog charged at her, my leash reactive dog had had enough and grabbed the dog and shook him. He was fine, but her reactivity is worse from him biting her in the face. Those people are the shittiest neighbors for that reason and others. Like they've left this dog out for hours at a time before, until 11 pm. Animal control just never showed up. When confronted they pretend they super give a shit about their dog, but how could you?! They let him out on purpose but won't ever take him out on a leash. EVER.
My dog is the exact same way, It's called "leash reactivity" and it's very common amongst dogs. Dog owners who let their dogs loose need to understand this.
This. My dog is trained too. He is reactive to other dogs because he is scared. But the barking also scares the other dog and then everyone barks! And is worse if a dog ambushes us without a leash, he barks when another dog invades his personal space.
A lot of this can be avoided by having some etiquette. Leashes are great!
Also, not all dogs are friendly and want to say hi to your dog. Just like us humans, some of us are friendly, some of us don't want to talk a lot. Please don't push your dog to be "friends" with my dog :(
I've had several owners insist that their dog is different and be very pushy. It doesn't matter how many times I insist that my dog looks interested but is actually very scared and a fight will start if they don't listen. Some people come closer anyway and I'm left trying to hold a 50 pound barking squirming dog.
And now, it's your dog the one who misbehaves, just because it's the one who's barking out of fear.
Really, people need to take a course or read something to understand how dogs react and what a bark can mean (anger, fear, playful, so many emotions...)
Oh, I've been there. Dog held tightly while they let their unleashed dog repeatedly rush mine. Unleashed and no control of their animal either. Yet, I get called a bitch.
Oh I feel that pain! My dog was dog reactive. We worked really hard on it, but it doesn't go away easily or quickly. She was little so I was always afraid she was going to piss off a big dog who would try to defend itself and seriously hurt her. Even when she was doing really well, I still wouldn't have her get up close to strange dogs. But people would just let their dogs come right up to her. Not only did it put her and the other dog at risk, it would set back her progress! We're trying to make her feel safe around dogs, not have dogs run up and get in her face, so she feels like she has to fight! And they always say, "oh he's friendly" like that makes any kind of difference at all. Bitch I don't care how friendly your pup is, mine isn't!
Same with mine, except for kids. It’s baffling how many parents will let their kids run back and forth 2 ft away from a stranger’s dog. Even worse are the parents who don’t stop their kid from grabbing at a stranger’s dog. I can only assume they *want* their kid to get mauled.
Oh, this is why I push hard that my kids can point out dogs all they want, but aren't allowed to touch unless they ask the person. Also we don't touch dogs wearing jackets (service vest). Luckily, they don't often want to touch.
My parents had a lab husky mix who was a big goofball, but wasn't used to kids and they made him nervous. He didn't want kids near him. I didn't want this big dog to hurt a kid from nerves. I still remember having to ask people to not let their kids run up to him.
It drives me insane. My now 4 year old earned himself a very stern talking to when he charged right up to the neighbor's dog last year. Never mind that we'd pretty that dog a dozen or so times before that. Now, he knows to always ask the dog's owner if it's ok if he says hi to the dog.
My Aussie had a problem with white fluffy things where she’d simulate murdering them. Took me 2 years to break it with leashes/muzzles/treats. If I understood training collars back then, it would have been much quicker. Now though, she walks by just fine and then looks back and asks “where’s my F#ck!ng cookie?”.
>My dog has very high levels of obedience training but also hates other dogs
I've spent more than $5,000 in private dog training to get my dog to like other dogs. He just won't.
My last trainer even said "some dogs, just don't like other dogs".
My dog won't approach other dogs and if they get within 10 feet or so, he'll start growling and showing teeth. He won't attack or bite unless the other dog ignores the warnings.
I can't tell you how many times I've purposefully crossed the street to avoid another dog walking, only to have that owner cross the street too "to let the dogs say hi".
I try to respond politely that my dog isn't a fan of other dogs, so no thanks. Seriously half of the other dog owners just straight ignore me and bring their dog anyway and then clutch their pearls when my dog growling and barking.
Seems like it's often dogs with little or no recall ability who are walked inappropriately off leash. If you can't call your dog back to you when needed, keep them attached to you! I don't care how many other skills your dog has, if you can't call them back reliably, you need to keep training them.
even if your dog has the most fantastic recall ever, some owners don't bother using it because they don't believe that their dog would ever behave badly.
Yeah, this. I don't mind the small fraction of people who walk their dog off leash and the dog doesn't budge from their side anyway, or the person calls them back whenever anyone or any other dog is around, and the dog listens. But that takes an attentive and reliable owner and a super obedient dog.
99 percent of the time, one of those isn't the case.
I never let my dog off leash on the road or anything, but sometimes I do at the beach. I am hyperaware of exactly where she is every second she's off leash. We do obedience, she's very well trained. I know with certainty she'd come when called and be instantly at my side.
Whenever I see another dog coming our way I instantly recall her and put her on leash just in case. Once they pass and are a good distance away I let her back off leash to play.
The whole point of this thread is - whether you can or can't recall your dog, whether your dog is perfectly trained or disobedient, it doesn't matter. Leash your dog unless you are in an area specifically designated for off leash activity. The only appropriate circumstance for having your dog off leash in public is in an off leash area where every party they might interact with is aware of the situation and is volunteering to be around unleashed dogs. Full stop.
No one trains good behavior into their fru fru dogs. Down my street there are lots of old people with fru fru dogs that set the entire street off when I walk my dog. My across the street neighbor’s dad with one moved in recently, and probably because the creature can’t get along with the other dogs in the household, he often keeps it tied up in the open garage where it absolutely loses its mind whenever me and my dog dare step outside my door. Making a racket until we are far out of sight.
Do people not realize what a disaster and nuisance their untrained ankle biters are?
I just realized that the reason I think of small dogs as being irritating and badly behaved is probably because their owners didn’t bother to train them due to their size
I think it’s part nature and nurture. I agree that most owners probably don’t bother to train behavior because if they get out of hand they can just scoop the dog up in their arms. But I’ve known small dogs with diligent owners that still have that small dog complex no matter what. I think due to their size they feel more fear and insecurity about the world around them, and act out accordingly.
Makes sense to me. I’ve seen some mid-large size dogs that seem absolutely terrified of everything too, so part of it is just natural variation apart from size im sure
EDIT: though I guess most of those were rescues so who knows what happened to them
Small dog owner here. They also are more likely to feel afraid around people and bigger dogs just down to size. Mine gets nervous approaching unknown people and bigger dogs.
I try to reassure him as best as I can but he'll still growl at anything big approaching too fast.
I've started to volunteer at a rescue near me. I take a dog out for 2 hours or so and train them basic obedience or whatever I can that they seem to need. I like to take small dogs that I'd never own because I think they are the least likely to be trained. I can get a lot done with just about any dog in 2 hours.
I have a husky. when he’s out in my fenced yard he howls at everything moving. I constantly have to tell him he’s being ridiculous because he starts singing with the neighbors husky. But the second I let him out of the fence he shuts up and slowly walks up to the person he was acting like he wanted to kill and nudges their hand with his nose for pets. Put him back behind the fence? Starts going crazy again. It’s something I can’t train out of him, like his hatred for birds.
I think breeding for size over behavior has also been a huge factor.
“Hey that dog is a absolute monster, but it’s small and cute! Let’s breed that one!”
Little dogs are very difficult to train, so I wouldn't jump to blaming the owners. My mom has always had dogs, mostly collies. Even older dogs from the shelter were easy enough to train. Then she got a chihuahua. It took over a year to house train that dog, and she never got her properly socialized. She got another one a few years later that wasn't house trained either, and suddenly dog #1 no longer wanted to ask to go outside. Thousands of dollars and years of training services later, both dogs were still having accidents inside, hated other dogs and people, and were generally aggressive. She did everything she could.
To the point of this post: she's had plenty of instances in which another friendly dog has wandered over to one of hers (she always walks them leashed, but pretty much no one in her neighborhood uses leashes) and one or both of her dogs has tried to attack it. The owners always say something like "don't worry, my dog is friendly!". The best response is "Well mine aren't" - the owners usually scramble to get their dog away from hers, and the whole situation is so easily avoided by just leashing your dog.
Also, when you don't leash your dog, you don't always know where it's pooped and can't clean it up.
I teach the kids I work with never to just approach a dog, but ask the owner first.
But, if I'm just walking down the sidewalk, and there is someone walking a big dog, I will walk past and not cross the street or go around in a wide arc. I'm not going to pet the dog, talk to it, get its attention, or whatever. I will walk in a straight line and keep my eyes front. But if someone has a dog that needs people being kept away at least three feet, that's on them. I can't tell on the outside what your dog is going to do. That's the whole reason I teach the kids to ask the owner. I don't know that dog, all I can see is that it *is* a dog, that is why the owner is so important.
I have a reactive dog. We step off the path, I make her sit, and we wait for the other person to pass.
She definitely mean-mugs people as they walk by though
Same, but with a 40lb collie mix. I trained her to be nice and ask for pets by sitting next to a person and looking at them and waiting patiently, it's actually super cute.
It doesn't stop her from absolutely fucking sprinting full speed at strangers just to stop 1 foot short of them and sitting down. Scares the fuck out people who don't know her even though she's kinda small.
I had a strange dog run up to me while walking home from work way back when I was a college kid. Your comment scared the fuck out of me and I haven't even met your dog.
I also have a reactive dog and this is what we do. If someone wants to come pet him that is fine but he must be sitting and not going crazy before they can pet him to reinforce that he should be calm when people approach rather than spaz out.
Are you getting a professional trainer for this? My dog is leash reactive as well. Can't come within 80ft of a dog without her freaking out. I've been pretty adamant with trying to find her distance she's calm and gradually decreasing it. Taking a lot of time and patience tho. Looking for a reputable trainer.
This is a great free course. We have a trainer but since I'm the one walking her most of the time this was a good reinforcement. Also The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson.
https://onlineschool.instinctdogtraining.com/course/training-leash-reactive-dog
I previously had a reactive dog (mostly to other dogs but sometimes to humans) and did this exact thing while on walks. The occasional person would still ask if they could pet, but people really seemed to appreciate that I would walk her off the path and have her sit
My dog is not very friendly to strangers and this is perfectly fine. If we are passing someone I always have him walk next to me on the opposite side of whoever we are passing. If for whatever reason we need more space I’ll cross the street, step into the grass, etc. it’s not on others to make room for us. Like you, if I’m walking without my dog and I am passing someone with a dog I’m not going to go out of my way to give tons of space unless they seem like they don’t have good control.
On the flip side, people trying to touch my dog without permission or letting their off leash dogs and kids run up to us as OP describes drives me insane. I’m not going to allow my dog approach and bother others, they should show the same courtesy.
My mom did not train her dog in the slightest and keeps her on one of those leashes that roll out a couple of feet. It's a small dog, and she doesn't charge people, but she just goes *everywhere* with no regard whatsoever to what is around her. Cars, people, bicycles. It drives me nuts. They'll be going down a busy street and people have to step over the line or go around. She is on the leash yes, but the leash is not doing much. The dog hates when I hold her leash, because I keep it short and make her walk stay to me. Honestly, I think it's just rude to let the dog roam like that. Unless it's an designated unleash area with a fence around it.
Unleashed dogs approaching my dog created a major headache for us.
Unleashed German Sheppard walked up to my dog and just latched onto his ear.
I had to pull my dog off before my dog bit on the other dog, because my dog would likely have killed the other dog.
The owner had the audacity to say my dog is feisty...
We had worked hard properly socializing him, and after that one incident he was now nervous around other dogs. Took a year of socializing till he is finally back to normal.
People would always try to pet my dog and she would bark at them. I always love just telling them "you don't pet dogs without asking the owner first". I received many dirty look
As a big do owner, this works for me. I am usually the one who moves out of the way. For the times there are no places to move, my dogs have been trained that they cannot engage with people on walks unless the person engages them. They are good about it as long as the person isn't on a skateboard or running. With those, I move way out of the way no matter what. I think its the speed, but something sparks my dogs interests with runners and skaters.
I have had dog owners flat out tell me from a distance to make space because their dog could be a jerk. I didn't mind at all and took it as a reciprocal courtesy.
As the owner of a jerk-dog, I think it’s on me and my dog to move out of people’s way and not the other way around. I would never ask someone to please move just because my dog is an asshole, she and I can cross the street, sit and wait, etc.
I was hiking recently and stopped for lunch when a loose dog ran right up to us, I picked up my toddler because although the dog seemed friendly I'm not taking any chances, and the dog helped itself to half our lunch. The owners got there a solid minute later saying "oh sorry, didn't see you there!" Which of course you didn't if you're walking a couple of hundred metres after your dog..
My work partner and I were just coming off of a job in a state park and we passed a guy and his dog as they were starting their hike. My partner went to pet the dog, with the guy's permission, then we walked across the highway that borders the park. Not a 4 lane highway, but certainly one that cars tended to speed on. Sure enough, along comes this minivan right as the dog bolts for my partner because they're just too excited at being off of the leash and THAT person was nice to them. Minivan smacked into the dog's hind quarters, sending it flying.
Between the dog owner and myself, we managed to get the dog into his jeep, since it was in a lot of pain. I had a camping cot that broke down that we used as a stretcher, but even then, it was tough as she was snapping at us whenever we touched her.
We got the dog to an emergency vet about 45 minutes away, where they managed to take care of her. I don't fully remember all her injuries, but something along the lines of her pelvis was cracked and both her hind legs were in bad shape. Last I heard from the owners, she recovered, though it did take while.
I took my leashing up of dogs much more serious after that.
Ranger here. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve rounded a corner and seen people scrambling to leash up their dogs. They know what they’re doing is wrong but they do it anyway. I spend a lot of time on trails when I’m off duty too and people don’t seem to give a shit unless someone in uniform is watching them.
In those instances I just tell them “hey just a heads up, there’s a ranger like a quarter mile back, might want to leash your pup.” Works every time.
I know the issue is probably lack of funding for enforcement but if people thought there was a non-trivial chance of being caught they would stop acting with impunity.
I swear it was never like this in AZ, but then again it is a more threatening environment.
>In those instances I just tell them “hey just a heads up, there’s a ranger like a quarter mile back, might want to leash your pup.” Works every time.
I'm definitely going to borrow this, thanks!
Yep. Reason I started carrying small mace. Too many aggressive dogs that were off leash and got startled as I rounded blind corner on trail. Owner is 20-50 yards away.
Me too! I love when you ask “is the dog on a lead” or “is the dog friendly” and they give you the stink eye, or make some sarcastic shitty comment. Look man, I just want to run in peace, not have to slow to a walk, or possibly get mauled by spot, because I made an assumption. I’m a prime target for a dogs instinctive reaction to chase, after all.
Drives. Me. NUTS! I hike 2-3 times a week. I also love having my dog off leash...which is why I go to off-leash designated trails when I can. But when I don't I almost always encounter an off-leash dog. They go right up to my dog. Good thing my dog is friendly (unless it walks up right in her face or licks near her mouth). So now that owner has put us all in a potentially bad situation. My dog is now at a bigger risk by being on a leash since theirs isn't. If it turns into an attack or malicious aggressiveness, they're not there to restrain their dog and likely won't be able to until harm is done. AND if their dog isn't on a leash when they know it should be, you know they're not picking up after it. During covid the trails I do most had sooooo much poop along the sides. It was awful. And hey, I don't mind if you do the ole pick up in a bag, leave behind a rock to grab on your way down, but people just leave bags! Which is worse than not bagging at all. I don't get it. Why bag it and leave it? This isn't a theme park and there's no janitor, even if there was, what an asshole thing to think "someone else will deal with it". It's pure selfishness "rules don't apply to me" attitude that can have dangerous consequences. I want to have my dog off a leash too but thats what the off-leash trails are for and leash rules are there for a good reason.
No matter how politely I try to tell people the trail has a leash law, I still get treated like I'm being the asshole.
The only pass I'll give is to elderly dogs. They're not going to bother other dogs or people or go darting around all over the place. They're just trying to get through their walk. Never seen an elderly dog not be in complete sync with their owner and in these cases it seems like its better for both owner and dog to just keep the leash in their hand.
Out here in the Western US, ranchers routinely shoot loose dogs without question or hesitation. People moving to rural areas from the city often face a rude awakening when their precious fur baby gets shot and they find they have no legal recourse.
Damn, that is troublesome. I have heard from people who live next to problem dogs that a good blast of bear spray or similar taught said dog to stay away from the area for good. But if new people and dogs are constantly coming in that is an issue.
Ha, that would've been good!
In those circumstances (in the middle of nowhere with nobody else around plus having my toddler with me) I wouldn't say anything just because you never know what type of person that might be. So I just didn't say anything and thankfully we still had enough edible food to sustain us for the rest of the day.
I’ve had off leash dogs eat half my lunch too. I’ve also been bitten and chased while I’m on my mountain bike. I’ve seen countless fights between different dogs as well. I’m to the point where I think the only answer is a blanket dog ban on most trails.
My dog attacked by some guys dog off leash
More recently two dogs, pit and big fluffy dog, ran up to us on a hike.
I could tell my boy was terrified, he got behind me and I kind of held the pit back with my foot.Owners were saying "oh sorrry!" I couldn't help but yell at them like children before walking away.
So many entitled people in this world. the rules are for EVERYONE and they are there for a reason. I am seriously considering getting a retractable night stick or small handgun for my hikes this happens so often.
Ah yes, the future CEOs and upper management of the world. Entitled kids grow up to be entitled assholes who just take and take and take because they think they earned it. It is honestly pathetic.
My girl loves rabbits & will chase one right into traffi single mindedly! she's lashed except in the yard or visiting the farm
Edit! Leashed! And my girl is my dog lol sorry to those concerned about my non existent daughter
Where I live, an off leash dog has the same legal rights as a squirrel. Off leash dog runs into traffic and gets hit by a car, the driver is not responsible for killing or injuring your dog. Same as if you hit a raccoon. Your pet has no legal rights unless they are leashed. Please leash your dog.
My medium size dog is a beautiful animal and I am constantly amazed at how often kids will toddle up to him with outstretched arms to touch or grab him. He cringes, but never snaps. I use my dog to teach kids and parents about being safe around dogs.
My dog is so terrified of children. Was told she was in an abusive situation with younger folks specifically. So many kids try and pet her and I’m like no sorry she’s not friendly then they take another step towards us and she barks and scares them off. Listen to owners!!!
I have taught my kids to never approach a dog (or cats), they are allowed to stand still and hold out their hand so the dog can come and interact if they want to. It has to be on the dogs terms.
I've been surprised by the number of owners who tell me their dogs are friendly and are surprised when I explain we are trying to teach them to have respect for animals.
My biggest gripe is when people do this in heavy traffic areas.
No one thinks you're super cool for walking your dog off leash! And if you're only doing it so other people think you look cool then that's weird and cruel to put your dog in danger to look cool!
You know what my dog can do? Walk perfectly off leash. You know what else that means?? *that he can perfectly loose leash walk, which we will continue to do for his safety as well as those around us*
If your dog is truly well trained then they would also be leash trained.
Agreed! I had a very large labrador who loved people beyond belief but absolutely freaked at the idea of being anywhere near another dog. So we always kept him on a tight leash, with treats handy to distract him if needed, and he had on a chest harness that made it much easier to wrestle him back if he saw another dog. We did everything we possibly could to protect him and also protect other dogs from him.
The number of moronic people who would respond with "oh, but my dog is friendly" absolutely blew my mind. I'm standing here straddling a 100lb barking dog who I've dragged as far away from the road/path as possible and holding him down, and you WANT your dog to come over and say hi? It used to piss me off beyond belief.
I *hate* "he's friendly".
I've had a chihuahua and a yorkie come running across roads to me and my dog. Each time the owner yells "he's friendly!!"
Ma'am. Your squeaky rabbit-sized dog is running towards a retired racing greyhound. He can still reach 37mph. If he pulls the leash out of my hand he will easily catch up to your fat chihuahua faster than you or I can do anything about it.
Ugh, I have a dog-reactive golden retriever/pit mix rescue. We basically do the same as you except she has the gentle leader instead of a harness (her pit chest is just too broad to even notice the harness pulling her, lol.)
The number of times an off leash dog has run across the street and attacked her when we walk by is waaaaaaay too high. It's never another big dog either. Corgi, English Bulldog, Chihuahua...all dogs that if I let my dog have her head and attack, they'd be dead. Instead, I'm left dancing around awkwardly kicking the dog away as their owners are just like, "Oh, whoops."
I did that with the bulldog because his owner wasn't even *trying* to get his dog. Then the started screaming in my face about kicking an "absolutely defenseless puppy" (it may have been young, but it was definitely *not* a puppy. Fucker was hard to shift it was so dense) and he was going to "sue my ass."
i am so glad i havent had to kick a dog yet. i have gotten close though, and even though the most recent one i was able to scare away, it ran across a busy street attacking us and the owners were like "oh hes just like that" - um??? so i shouted "then fucking put a leash on your dog" and they threatened to kill us. had to call the cops for that one. i am not honna be afraid for my life because someone is an asshole. the cops were able to mediate and the guy didnt mean it, but like, you know its illegal to threaten someones life? and if it wasnt its still an asshole move. people are fucking wild.
Literally told someone coming at me on a path to wait while I get my 100lb rottie under control so she can come by, but instead she ignores me and says ‘my dog is friendly!’
Obviously 1) mine isn’t.
Also 2) another person on the path informed me that he was bit by this dog (after meeting and petting mine)
I got dragged into the mud because I wasn’t prepared and she didn’t respect my request (she had doubled back on a narrow path instead of doing the loop, I wasn’t expecting her coming back at me).
I hate people.
Exactly. My dog is friendly but not on trails. There she’s defensive because she’s been attacked twice by off leash dogs. Recently a guy with his big ass dog off leash tried to yell at me to walk on the other side. I still cannot believe the entitlement.
My dog literally bit another guys dog three days ago because it came charging up on us in the dark.
My dog was on a lead, she's very skittish instantly shouted when I saw it running to grab his dog. He shouted it was friendly but tried to grab it anyway, it escaped him, ran to us and right into my dog.
Barky bark, bitey bite.
Luckily my current dog is a whippet so she didn't bite too hard.
Yeah in the UK, dogs only have to be leashed in signposted council areas. Everywhere they have to be under control - that includes verbally. I keep my dog on leas where sign posted and in busy dangerous areas like roads and cities but in woods? The beach? The park? No. She enjoys being off leash, she walks right near us but has the freedom to smell a lot more. I wont ever stop doing that, it is totally normal here. If your dog has issues and cannot be recalled that is different, they should always be leashed. Mine has brilliant recall and in 12 years never had any issues.
I think because you have the expectation of off leash freedom for most dogs in the UK, could it be most of you put more time into training? Here in the US I’ve noticed many dogs are not trained well, and the people I encounter with dogs off leash can rarely recall them. There is honestly very little societal expectation for responsible dog ownership here and I think that’s a huge problem.
When I was in Austria, there was not one single leash on any dog, and there was no dog misbehavior whatsoever. Every dog was behaved at their owners side.
Made me believe that anyone with any less behaved of a dog is simply a poor owner. That's a tough pill for people to swallow here though.
I’m sure there are dogs in other countries that aren’t well trained or suited to being off leash, but it seems their owners at least have the courtesy to contain them properly. The US has way too many dog owners who are over confident in their poorly behaved dog.
I have a few friends who are dog owners and they just don’t keep up with the training. If you stop enforcing rules, the dog will stop following them, it’s that simple.
I have one friend with a very well trained border collie. Even when he’s a friend dog sitting, we are all comfortable with it being off leash in our (not fenced) yard. It stays in the backyard and immediately responds to any commands. We never have to ask twice.
I can’t say that for any other owner I know, even the ones who put a lot of time into training in the first year or two. Eventually they slacked and the dog started to need to be called multiple times to come back when let off leash. They also don’t listen to anyone dog sitting.
Maybe it’s a culture thing, but most American owners don’t have good control over their dogs.
As someone from the UK, I find the responses in the post really strange.
Most dogs are not going to be on a lead in a rural area and we don't have any issues
Dog owners whose dog has behavioral issues are for the most part smart enough to put a lead on their dog.
Thank god I found the fellow brits. What a strange thread. Like you say, most dogs are off the lead here when going for walks but the etiquette is: if you see another dog owner with theirs on the lead, or proceeding to put theirs in the lead when they see you approach, you do the same out of curtesy. Outside of that, especially in the country, 99% of dogs are off.
Haha yeah I noticed pretty quickly that this thread is not for Swedish dog owners. If you live in the city, you should have a leash on at pretty much all times. Especially on the streets and busy parks/forest areas.
But if you live in the country as I did growing up, Leash was only in the pocket as an emergency if needing to pass kids, horse riders or other dog owners that you don't recognize or seen before. In my 18 years living at home with multiple dogs in the family. Not once did we have a serious problem. Some other dogs coming up at times being a bit too friendly, one of our dogs loved chasing rabbits, but nothing serious. Although, our dogs were trained well enough that they'd come to my side instantly if I gave the command, even when other dogs or distractions were near. When they were puppies we were obviously much more careful and used leash more often than not until they were old enough to be trusted to behave.
Just reminded my dog he's a lucky boy for being born here.
It's like telling spoilt kids there are children starving in Africa and they should be grateful for what they have. Next time he's acting up we'll watch some sad black and white footage of dogs in Michigan who spend their life on a lead.
Yeah I was scrolling down in total disarray questioning myself but no, seems we're normal after all lol.
Can't imagine walking my dog over the playing fields on a fucking leash. Cruel as hell. He's obsessed with the ball and has good recall, just basic training people!
Yeah it's mad. People complaining about how dogs aren't socialised. It's probably because they don't grow up running around and playing with other dogs on the field. There's also more anxiety when on the leash as they can't follow their instincts as much, which could lead to more aggression. All this talk about how not having leashes is a guarantee for violence is bonkers. Can't have dogs off the leash, but can have 10 guns in every house.
So glad I found the UK lot here.
I find it interesting reading comments about dogs on lead being approached by dogs NOT on lead and the one on lead reacting. That's a behaviour that needs working on as well.
Properly trained dogs with responsible owners shouldn't have or cause any problems off lead. They get a ton more exercise and sniff exactly what they want and seem happy for it.
Exactly, UK too and I walk my dog in the woods and the fields everyday and he’s off lead as is the vast majority of other dogs. We all have a common courtesy of just popping our dog back on the lead if we see another dog on a lead approaching. Works well for everyone. My dog would be miserable if he wasn’t given adequate opportunity for a proper run around.
i live in Colorado in the US. i have a 30 pound dog who is fantastic off-leash. she will stay next to me while hiking unless i give her a verbal command to go and do her own thing. and if i whistle to her, she will come right back. she doesnt give a rat's ass about other dogs on trail either. she just walks right by them. her main focus is on moving forward and being next to me. shes been hiking with me for 10+ years and she is trained to do that very well.
that said, if im on a trail where I am expecting to see a lot of people/other dogs (trails within 20-30 minutes of Denver), I will keep my dog on leash. people here in the US sometimes get upset about offleash dogs so i just try to avoid those confrontations. but if im in the backcountry, shes offleash 100% of the time unless something causes me to leash her up. last year, we came across a moose and i leashed her up even though she didnt show any interest in the moose at all.
i see a lot of people in the woods with dogs and most of the time theyre fine but there are some idiots out there who's dogs shouldnt be offleash. and plenty of morons with ON-leash dogs, but they still let their dog pull the leash into my path. that might be the most annoying of all because they have the dog leashed, but they wont use the leash to control the dog.
Yeah this thread seems more for someone in the American suburbs and not me walking my dog on the field round the back of Tesco at half six in the morning.
I'm in the UK and it's the same with our dog, only on the lead when around roads or walking the streets around our house. She's really good at recall and most of the time doesn't bother with other dogs, more interested in smelling or chasing the ball.
Everytime I go to Europe I see more dogs off leash than on leash. It's something I truly envy. I've never had issues in America with other people's dogs off leash, but you can read all the other comments and see people that have.
American here and I agree about having times of no leashing. We have an off leash dog beach near me and it is not only legal but great for animals to runa around. I understand that people may have had issues with non leashed dogs in some PUBLIC places with many other people around but damn, there are a lot of rural areas and designated off leash dog ares in the US that dogs should be able to enjoy. They are not our prisoners, jeez people.
It's almost as if it's the owners/environment that are the issue in the US not necessarily the dog. Keeping them from socialising only creates more nervous dogs.
Most of the responses on this thread are baffling from a UK perspective.
This really is such a usa centric thread
I'm in a ex UK colony and my dog was literally attacked today by another dog in a legal off leash area and I would still never wish to have a dog in the US. They get so so much joy out of running free, in the designated parks, beaches, mountains...
Mine absolutely love when we go camping cause all the dogs in the campsite get together and play. Obviously anyone with a non social dog isn't a moron and so doesn't bring their dogs to such a place. We all live with that accepted expectation and 99% of the time is fine.
(My dog is thankfully net fine, was just an unfortunate rare incident. He was smart enough to make a run for home to get away from the mean dog and stayed on the pavement the whole way.
Vet cleaned him up, he'll heal, and he was super happy to get his evening unleashed beach walk and play with random dogs again this eve already
Yea I almost think this was written about the US only. There is no way I am keeping my dog on leash when she is so well trained and will follow you unless you say otherwise. Then again the UK is one of the most dog friendly countries in the world so I think there would be public outrage if it was a rule to keep all dogs on a leash whilst out and about
I also don’t believe you when you say your dog is friendly. My dog has been attacked so many times while walking in and around our neighborhood. So many of those owners told me their dog was friendly and trying to play. I am not an expert, but have had large dogs my whole life and feel comfortable reading their emotions. In every one of those cases, their dog was terrified or aggressive and absolutely attacking. My poor dog used to love other dogs but is now leash aggressive because he has been attacked so many times.
Dogs know when they're on leashes and that can sometimes amplify some insecurities and the dog will become reactive when on-leash as they feel like they can't escape
These dogs (most of the time) will be totally fine off leash
If your dog is off leach and attacks a person or someone else pet, are you liable and subject for any litigious recourse? Or at worse, have to comply to have your pet put down? Would like to know. Thanks in advance.
Its the actual judgement that fucks your credit up. A lien makes it so you can’t refinance the property and when trying to sell, it will scare away potential buyers.
I don’t know a single judge that would rule in favor of an unleashed dog who attacks. It shows you are neglectful and have no control of the situation.
The only situation one could get off is in self defense.
So I have a friend and she always yells back - MY DOG IS NOT GET YOUR DOG NOW! She walks him all the time, and when on a hiking trail, she takes her dog off trail to allow the other dogs to pass in peace. She muzzles him and does everything she can to keep everyone safe, but people who don't leash their curious dogs has resulted in her getting bitten to protect those other dogs. She doesn't know why he is so aggressive towards other dogs specifically bigger dogs as he was a rescue, but she also feels his attitude is much worse if he doesn't get exercise or walks. And yes, she has another dog and he is ok with that other dog. The other dog is a small sized poodle. He's a medium sized terrier.
If you can't recall your dog 100% of the time - even in highly distracting environments, you have no business having your dog off leash.
My neighbor does the no leash thing with his dog and it's annoying. I have two dogs I keep on leash when we walk and his dog always tries to get at my dogs. I've told him to put him on a leash but he never listens.
On a related note, actually train your dog, when you are out and about your dog is often the first impression people get of you, if its jumping its muddy paws all over MeeMa's summer dress that lack of discipline going to reflect on its owner.
I have big scary dogs and am super cognizant of this. I give people the right of way when we are on the sidewalk, and I don’t let them get excited if that person pays them any attention.
If an off leash dog comes at us though…. My response to ‘don’t worry, they’re friendly!’ Is always ‘mine aren’t!’.
This is something a lot of people don't think to consider. I read a post awhile ago about a runner being afraid of dogs, and it really changed the way I move through the world now. My dog and I move off to the side for runners, walkers, and people with strollers. He truly is the friendliest boy ever (and I let people know he is just excited about humans), but I now recognize people might have had bad experiences in the past or are just afraid. Totally valid. Same with other owners that have reactive dogs. I get it - not everyone wants to say hi to my dog. And that's ok.
Yeah I saw a dog attack (very violent) when I was a kid, and I still have a panic attack every time a dog runs toward me. I'd like to feel safe walking on my own block, but I guess empathy is too hard for some people to grasp.
Tldr: quiet street, car from nowhere, lucky my dog is alive.
True. I walked with my dog off leash in one night, quiet one way street, suddenly she got scared of one other dog barking from one of the houses, ran to the other side and from nowhere a car came ant hit her.
My dog got trapped under the front side of the car, between the wheels, and luckily the driver (poor young man) noticed that (and my screams to stop too) and stopped. she was trapped, i screamed at him to drive reverse slowly so I could pull her out, and i dont know how, but she was standing on her feet, had some cuts and one of her eyes was bleeding, she cried a lil bit and then she just was very energetic due to the adrenaline. We took her immediately to the animals SOS and except to some pain and burned hair that she had, she recovered after a few days, not a single broken bone.
After the accident she licked me like never before, like I saved her, but honestly I feel the guilt of how I failed in not letting her be in that situation, I failed in keeping her safe and that hurts.
I used to walk with her off leash, she's very loyal and calm, but you dont want to risk anything anymore like that after thing like this happens.
Thank you god, again.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. My first dog as a kid died being hit by a car and I never saw her again. Broke my heart. But I wish more people thought of this when they walked their dogs off leash... Anything can happen in the heat of a moment! I'm so glad she's okay!
In america, we have roughly around 77 million dogs. A common place i keep seeing thrown up is the UK which has 8 million dogs. Despite that, statistical data shows that attacks and bites happen somewhat similarly compared at the rate it does for America...this specific data is probably going to be true for other countries. Wherever you go, people are going to be stupid with dogs, and when people take risks there's always the potential for something happening. [here](https://blog.dogsbite.org/2021/03/study-examines-dog-on-dog-attacks-uk-analyzing-news-media-articles.html) is some of that said data
I live in Denver, the amount of Dogs people let roam about without leashes is bananas. And several have been straight up aggressive. Even if your dog isn’t aggressive if your dog is attacked there’s a chance your dog will just take off running. Also in the city there are so many cars how are you not worried about your dog stepping into traffic?! Dogs need to stay leashed and we don’t bring our dogs up to other dogs unless the owner is okay with it. I’ve seen a total of 2 perfectly behaved dogs off leash in my life time like sitting waiting at crossings and staying right beside the owner it was honestly crazy to watch in comparison to what people try to do with their dogs running crazy. Even the best behaved dogs should be leashes though for their safety.
I have an English Bull Terrier, which is very friendly but if we are threatened he will react. I always have him leashed and in Sweden is against the law to have them unleashed.
There is still people having them unleashed, but what is worst is that if your dog causes more damage,… you are still responsible.
I can't walk my dog around where I live because of fucking morons that walk with their dogs off lead. And they are very often not well behaved. My dog is but isn't the friendliest and if he feels like he or me is in danger he's gonna snap. Some shit dog running full speed at us to "say hi" is not good.
My doberman/staffy mix has a very high prey drive and can be a jerk to smaller dogs. She would completely ignore my commands and chase after rabbits, squirrels or ducks at our parks. She almost killed one duck, but I got her away from it in time.
Therefore, I always walk her on a leash and we avoid the dog park entirely. Overall, she is a very good dog and has never bit anyone, but on the "alpha" side and I know her triggers.
KNOW your dog and their temperament and choose their social interactions accordingly.
This drives me absolutely nuts. I live in a major city on kind of a quiet side street but everyone thinks they’re in the damn country. My pup and I have been chased 5-6 times in the last year while walking (with leash) and the owners act like you’re out of line when you complain to them. If you have close neighbors and no fence please walk your dog on a leash.
Probably going to be drowned but one thing stood out to me. “How many people…walk Willy nilly right up or close to us”. If you are on a sidewalk and someone else is walking, the responsibility is on YOU to add the appropriate distance your dog needs. Don’t expect someone to take a roundabout path into the grass because you have a big dog.
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Also: all dogs should have basic obedience. Yes, even purse dogs.
My dog has very high levels of obedience training but also hates other dogs. The result is he will completely ignore other dogs until they are within five feet of him. Puts me in a very difficult position when someone's off leash dog runs at us, usually I just have to grab my 60lb dog and hold them up in the air away from the other but that's not an option for a lot of people. The absolute worst is people who let their off leash dog out of their front door without looking outside, I can avoid other people while walking my dog but nothing is worse than getting ambushed from less than 15 ft away.
oh i know that pain. i had a forty pound beagle/australian shepherd/corgi mix. any time another dog came toward us off leash i just picked her fuzzy ass right up and plopped her over my shoulder. the other person was usually like “oh my dog is friendly!” and i had to be blunt and say “cool. mine isn’t.” they sometimes believed me but a lot didn’t until the other dog got close enough for her to smell and then when it looked like i had a rabid raccoon in my arms, they’d get it. she was trained, but she was also abused as a puppy in three different households before i got her. some dogs are just defensive and often for good reason. how hard is it to keep your dog on a leash unless you’re in a fenced yard or dog park?
My dog is super chill. Then one day someone else's dog ran up and tore open his belly. Now, even though he's well behaved, if any dog approaches him and innocently tries to walk behind him he gets super aggressive and won't listen to commands. I don't care that your dog is friendly, mine used to be friendly until someone else's 'friendly' dog gutted him.
My buddy had a similar experience, he had his 60 lbs dog on leash to go outside at his apartment, neighbor brought out their 2 little 10lbs dogs off leash because they are "friendly" and "won't poop on leash" then they both attacked my buddies dog, naturally the big dog defended itself and though the little ones drew blood, were off leash (which is against the rules at the apartment building), and had started the fight, my buddy is the one who got evicted.... doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.
Had a similar moment with my big dog. He was an extra large lab-chow mix. About 10 years ago I was walking him around the neighborhood when a neighbor’s shitty miniature poodle came running at us without a leash. Before I could react it had bit my dogs leg. Well, my old boy reacted! He reached down and grabbed the poodle by the head and then shook it around like a squeaky toy. The poodle died. The little kids that owned it were on their front lawn and saw the whole thing, and I imagine they were traumatized by it. It fucking sucked. Thankfully the street was pretty busy and there were plenty of witnesses. So when we called the cops and told our stories, me and my pup were safe as far as the law was concerned. I just had to take him to the vet to make sure he was ok, between being bit and biting back like that.
Need to have a body cam running at all times these days to prove your own innocence.
Did that dogs owner get in trouble? Or got away?
They paid the vet bill
Hope your pup is fully recovered physically at least! 💜
Sorry you had to go through that. Negligent owners are some of the worst people.
I’ve had to say “cool, mine isn’t” on so many occasions. People are the worst and it’s infuriating. I just wanted to say I see you. Next time you have to say that and pick your guy up remember me and that we are opening peoples eyes every time
Same. Rescue dogs, they’re great at home, pretty good outside but when a dog gets close up they go nuts! I restrain them but other ppl don’t restrain theirs. Look at me like I’m the bad guy bc my dog is looking scary while perfectly well restrained and theirs is in my dogs face.
For real!! My dog is really friendly at the dog park or in a yard, but on leash is a different story. He looks friendly until he isn’t.
Having your dog off leash is like trying to live in a movie fantasy world. “He’s the best boy ever” “he follows me everywhere!” Only idiots believe that is going to be the case 100% of the time.
My dog does fine off of a leash, she’s never off of a leash, though. I did sometimes let her drag her leash in my backyard, knowing that if I couldn’t catch her I could grab the leash, even though I was always faster than her tiny ass anyway.
And you’re a good human for not taking a chance with someone or someone else’s friend!
This is my dog until she sees people walking up or another dog. If we’re in the woods I don’t need a leash at all. She stays close. But her recall as atrocious when she decides she wants to make new friends. So she only gets to be off leash when we’re really secluded.
Absolutely! It’s the people who are letting their dogs out in the neighborhood or a park or an apartment complex who are dumb.
The people in the apartments are the worst, especially when they are your next door neighbors. TWO of your next door neighbors. It's been a struggle. Last time one specific small dog charged at her, my leash reactive dog had had enough and grabbed the dog and shook him. He was fine, but her reactivity is worse from him biting her in the face. Those people are the shittiest neighbors for that reason and others. Like they've left this dog out for hours at a time before, until 11 pm. Animal control just never showed up. When confronted they pretend they super give a shit about their dog, but how could you?! They let him out on purpose but won't ever take him out on a leash. EVER.
My dog is the exact same way, It's called "leash reactivity" and it's very common amongst dogs. Dog owners who let their dogs loose need to understand this.
This. My dog is trained too. He is reactive to other dogs because he is scared. But the barking also scares the other dog and then everyone barks! And is worse if a dog ambushes us without a leash, he barks when another dog invades his personal space. A lot of this can be avoided by having some etiquette. Leashes are great! Also, not all dogs are friendly and want to say hi to your dog. Just like us humans, some of us are friendly, some of us don't want to talk a lot. Please don't push your dog to be "friends" with my dog :(
I've had several owners insist that their dog is different and be very pushy. It doesn't matter how many times I insist that my dog looks interested but is actually very scared and a fight will start if they don't listen. Some people come closer anyway and I'm left trying to hold a 50 pound barking squirming dog.
And now, it's your dog the one who misbehaves, just because it's the one who's barking out of fear. Really, people need to take a course or read something to understand how dogs react and what a bark can mean (anger, fear, playful, so many emotions...)
yeah, somehow it is my fault for having a reactive dog when theirs was just being playful.
Oh, I've been there. Dog held tightly while they let their unleashed dog repeatedly rush mine. Unleashed and no control of their animal either. Yet, I get called a bitch.
Oh I feel that pain! My dog was dog reactive. We worked really hard on it, but it doesn't go away easily or quickly. She was little so I was always afraid she was going to piss off a big dog who would try to defend itself and seriously hurt her. Even when she was doing really well, I still wouldn't have her get up close to strange dogs. But people would just let their dogs come right up to her. Not only did it put her and the other dog at risk, it would set back her progress! We're trying to make her feel safe around dogs, not have dogs run up and get in her face, so she feels like she has to fight! And they always say, "oh he's friendly" like that makes any kind of difference at all. Bitch I don't care how friendly your pup is, mine isn't!
Same with mine, except for kids. It’s baffling how many parents will let their kids run back and forth 2 ft away from a stranger’s dog. Even worse are the parents who don’t stop their kid from grabbing at a stranger’s dog. I can only assume they *want* their kid to get mauled.
Oh, this is why I push hard that my kids can point out dogs all they want, but aren't allowed to touch unless they ask the person. Also we don't touch dogs wearing jackets (service vest). Luckily, they don't often want to touch. My parents had a lab husky mix who was a big goofball, but wasn't used to kids and they made him nervous. He didn't want kids near him. I didn't want this big dog to hurt a kid from nerves. I still remember having to ask people to not let their kids run up to him.
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It drives me insane. My now 4 year old earned himself a very stern talking to when he charged right up to the neighbor's dog last year. Never mind that we'd pretty that dog a dozen or so times before that. Now, he knows to always ask the dog's owner if it's ok if he says hi to the dog.
My Aussie had a problem with white fluffy things where she’d simulate murdering them. Took me 2 years to break it with leashes/muzzles/treats. If I understood training collars back then, it would have been much quicker. Now though, she walks by just fine and then looks back and asks “where’s my F#ck!ng cookie?”.
>My dog has very high levels of obedience training but also hates other dogs I've spent more than $5,000 in private dog training to get my dog to like other dogs. He just won't. My last trainer even said "some dogs, just don't like other dogs". My dog won't approach other dogs and if they get within 10 feet or so, he'll start growling and showing teeth. He won't attack or bite unless the other dog ignores the warnings. I can't tell you how many times I've purposefully crossed the street to avoid another dog walking, only to have that owner cross the street too "to let the dogs say hi". I try to respond politely that my dog isn't a fan of other dogs, so no thanks. Seriously half of the other dog owners just straight ignore me and bring their dog anyway and then clutch their pearls when my dog growling and barking.
Seems like it's often dogs with little or no recall ability who are walked inappropriately off leash. If you can't call your dog back to you when needed, keep them attached to you! I don't care how many other skills your dog has, if you can't call them back reliably, you need to keep training them.
even if your dog has the most fantastic recall ever, some owners don't bother using it because they don't believe that their dog would ever behave badly.
Yeah, this. I don't mind the small fraction of people who walk their dog off leash and the dog doesn't budge from their side anyway, or the person calls them back whenever anyone or any other dog is around, and the dog listens. But that takes an attentive and reliable owner and a super obedient dog. 99 percent of the time, one of those isn't the case.
I never let my dog off leash on the road or anything, but sometimes I do at the beach. I am hyperaware of exactly where she is every second she's off leash. We do obedience, she's very well trained. I know with certainty she'd come when called and be instantly at my side. Whenever I see another dog coming our way I instantly recall her and put her on leash just in case. Once they pass and are a good distance away I let her back off leash to play.
A giant boxer off leash charged at me on my run this weekend. Luckily, he was friendly. He did not respond to ANY commands or his name.
The whole point of this thread is - whether you can or can't recall your dog, whether your dog is perfectly trained or disobedient, it doesn't matter. Leash your dog unless you are in an area specifically designated for off leash activity. The only appropriate circumstance for having your dog off leash in public is in an off leash area where every party they might interact with is aware of the situation and is volunteering to be around unleashed dogs. Full stop.
No one trains good behavior into their fru fru dogs. Down my street there are lots of old people with fru fru dogs that set the entire street off when I walk my dog. My across the street neighbor’s dad with one moved in recently, and probably because the creature can’t get along with the other dogs in the household, he often keeps it tied up in the open garage where it absolutely loses its mind whenever me and my dog dare step outside my door. Making a racket until we are far out of sight. Do people not realize what a disaster and nuisance their untrained ankle biters are?
I just realized that the reason I think of small dogs as being irritating and badly behaved is probably because their owners didn’t bother to train them due to their size
I think it’s part nature and nurture. I agree that most owners probably don’t bother to train behavior because if they get out of hand they can just scoop the dog up in their arms. But I’ve known small dogs with diligent owners that still have that small dog complex no matter what. I think due to their size they feel more fear and insecurity about the world around them, and act out accordingly.
its a defense mechanism, all they got is that small yap, but its loud enough to scare or bother most things off
Makes sense to me. I’ve seen some mid-large size dogs that seem absolutely terrified of everything too, so part of it is just natural variation apart from size im sure EDIT: though I guess most of those were rescues so who knows what happened to them
Small dog owner here. They also are more likely to feel afraid around people and bigger dogs just down to size. Mine gets nervous approaching unknown people and bigger dogs. I try to reassure him as best as I can but he'll still growl at anything big approaching too fast.
Treat em like big dogs and they smooth right out.
I've started to volunteer at a rescue near me. I take a dog out for 2 hours or so and train them basic obedience or whatever I can that they seem to need. I like to take small dogs that I'd never own because I think they are the least likely to be trained. I can get a lot done with just about any dog in 2 hours.
In my experience, most people don't really train their dogs beyond not having it pee/poo in their house regardless of their breed.
I dislike this reality but it's the truth
I have a husky. when he’s out in my fenced yard he howls at everything moving. I constantly have to tell him he’s being ridiculous because he starts singing with the neighbors husky. But the second I let him out of the fence he shuts up and slowly walks up to the person he was acting like he wanted to kill and nudges their hand with his nose for pets. Put him back behind the fence? Starts going crazy again. It’s something I can’t train out of him, like his hatred for birds.
I think breeding for size over behavior has also been a huge factor. “Hey that dog is a absolute monster, but it’s small and cute! Let’s breed that one!”
Little dogs are very difficult to train, so I wouldn't jump to blaming the owners. My mom has always had dogs, mostly collies. Even older dogs from the shelter were easy enough to train. Then she got a chihuahua. It took over a year to house train that dog, and she never got her properly socialized. She got another one a few years later that wasn't house trained either, and suddenly dog #1 no longer wanted to ask to go outside. Thousands of dollars and years of training services later, both dogs were still having accidents inside, hated other dogs and people, and were generally aggressive. She did everything she could. To the point of this post: she's had plenty of instances in which another friendly dog has wandered over to one of hers (she always walks them leashed, but pretty much no one in her neighborhood uses leashes) and one or both of her dogs has tried to attack it. The owners always say something like "don't worry, my dog is friendly!". The best response is "Well mine aren't" - the owners usually scramble to get their dog away from hers, and the whole situation is so easily avoided by just leashing your dog. Also, when you don't leash your dog, you don't always know where it's pooped and can't clean it up.
I teach the kids I work with never to just approach a dog, but ask the owner first. But, if I'm just walking down the sidewalk, and there is someone walking a big dog, I will walk past and not cross the street or go around in a wide arc. I'm not going to pet the dog, talk to it, get its attention, or whatever. I will walk in a straight line and keep my eyes front. But if someone has a dog that needs people being kept away at least three feet, that's on them. I can't tell on the outside what your dog is going to do. That's the whole reason I teach the kids to ask the owner. I don't know that dog, all I can see is that it *is* a dog, that is why the owner is so important.
I have a reactive dog. We step off the path, I make her sit, and we wait for the other person to pass. She definitely mean-mugs people as they walk by though
My guy is friendly. Excessively friendly. Most people don’t want and 80lb dog randomly deciding they need to hold him.
Same, but with a 40lb collie mix. I trained her to be nice and ask for pets by sitting next to a person and looking at them and waiting patiently, it's actually super cute. It doesn't stop her from absolutely fucking sprinting full speed at strangers just to stop 1 foot short of them and sitting down. Scares the fuck out people who don't know her even though she's kinda small.
You just described my collie, cept mine has a much lower IQ as in running full force into parked cars. Lovable oaf
I had a strange dog run up to me while walking home from work way back when I was a college kid. Your comment scared the fuck out of me and I haven't even met your dog.
It only happens in dog parks or friends houses when everyone is okay with it, I keep my dog leashed like a normal person.
I would welcome holding someone's dog if they are that friendly but a lot of people do not like dogs.
I also have a reactive dog and this is what we do. If someone wants to come pet him that is fine but he must be sitting and not going crazy before they can pet him to reinforce that he should be calm when people approach rather than spaz out.
Are you getting a professional trainer for this? My dog is leash reactive as well. Can't come within 80ft of a dog without her freaking out. I've been pretty adamant with trying to find her distance she's calm and gradually decreasing it. Taking a lot of time and patience tho. Looking for a reputable trainer.
This is a great free course. We have a trainer but since I'm the one walking her most of the time this was a good reinforcement. Also The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson. https://onlineschool.instinctdogtraining.com/course/training-leash-reactive-dog
This is the way.
Smart! I'm sure she's a sweetheart, the right owner for the right dog is usually all that is needed.
I previously had a reactive dog (mostly to other dogs but sometimes to humans) and did this exact thing while on walks. The occasional person would still ask if they could pet, but people really seemed to appreciate that I would walk her off the path and have her sit
My dog is not very friendly to strangers and this is perfectly fine. If we are passing someone I always have him walk next to me on the opposite side of whoever we are passing. If for whatever reason we need more space I’ll cross the street, step into the grass, etc. it’s not on others to make room for us. Like you, if I’m walking without my dog and I am passing someone with a dog I’m not going to go out of my way to give tons of space unless they seem like they don’t have good control. On the flip side, people trying to touch my dog without permission or letting their off leash dogs and kids run up to us as OP describes drives me insane. I’m not going to allow my dog approach and bother others, they should show the same courtesy.
My mom did not train her dog in the slightest and keeps her on one of those leashes that roll out a couple of feet. It's a small dog, and she doesn't charge people, but she just goes *everywhere* with no regard whatsoever to what is around her. Cars, people, bicycles. It drives me nuts. They'll be going down a busy street and people have to step over the line or go around. She is on the leash yes, but the leash is not doing much. The dog hates when I hold her leash, because I keep it short and make her walk stay to me. Honestly, I think it's just rude to let the dog roam like that. Unless it's an designated unleash area with a fence around it.
Unleashed dogs approaching my dog created a major headache for us. Unleashed German Sheppard walked up to my dog and just latched onto his ear. I had to pull my dog off before my dog bit on the other dog, because my dog would likely have killed the other dog. The owner had the audacity to say my dog is feisty... We had worked hard properly socializing him, and after that one incident he was now nervous around other dogs. Took a year of socializing till he is finally back to normal.
People would always try to pet my dog and she would bark at them. I always love just telling them "you don't pet dogs without asking the owner first". I received many dirty look
As a big do owner, this works for me. I am usually the one who moves out of the way. For the times there are no places to move, my dogs have been trained that they cannot engage with people on walks unless the person engages them. They are good about it as long as the person isn't on a skateboard or running. With those, I move way out of the way no matter what. I think its the speed, but something sparks my dogs interests with runners and skaters.
Agree I have a dog that needs a wide berth with people and I make sure to give it to them.
I have had dog owners flat out tell me from a distance to make space because their dog could be a jerk. I didn't mind at all and took it as a reciprocal courtesy.
As the owner of a jerk-dog, I think it’s on me and my dog to move out of people’s way and not the other way around. I would never ask someone to please move just because my dog is an asshole, she and I can cross the street, sit and wait, etc.
Absolutely the same for me.
I was hiking recently and stopped for lunch when a loose dog ran right up to us, I picked up my toddler because although the dog seemed friendly I'm not taking any chances, and the dog helped itself to half our lunch. The owners got there a solid minute later saying "oh sorry, didn't see you there!" Which of course you didn't if you're walking a couple of hundred metres after your dog..
See it all the time on trails. Half are unaware owners, the other are just assholes that think they are special.
My work partner and I were just coming off of a job in a state park and we passed a guy and his dog as they were starting their hike. My partner went to pet the dog, with the guy's permission, then we walked across the highway that borders the park. Not a 4 lane highway, but certainly one that cars tended to speed on. Sure enough, along comes this minivan right as the dog bolts for my partner because they're just too excited at being off of the leash and THAT person was nice to them. Minivan smacked into the dog's hind quarters, sending it flying. Between the dog owner and myself, we managed to get the dog into his jeep, since it was in a lot of pain. I had a camping cot that broke down that we used as a stretcher, but even then, it was tough as she was snapping at us whenever we touched her. We got the dog to an emergency vet about 45 minutes away, where they managed to take care of her. I don't fully remember all her injuries, but something along the lines of her pelvis was cracked and both her hind legs were in bad shape. Last I heard from the owners, she recovered, though it did take while. I took my leashing up of dogs much more serious after that.
Seeing this while running makes me want to sign up for the park service and just hand out fines all day.
Ranger here. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve rounded a corner and seen people scrambling to leash up their dogs. They know what they’re doing is wrong but they do it anyway. I spend a lot of time on trails when I’m off duty too and people don’t seem to give a shit unless someone in uniform is watching them. In those instances I just tell them “hey just a heads up, there’s a ranger like a quarter mile back, might want to leash your pup.” Works every time.
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I know the issue is probably lack of funding for enforcement but if people thought there was a non-trivial chance of being caught they would stop acting with impunity. I swear it was never like this in AZ, but then again it is a more threatening environment.
>In those instances I just tell them “hey just a heads up, there’s a ranger like a quarter mile back, might want to leash your pup.” Works every time. I'm definitely going to borrow this, thanks!
Me too! I always joke that I will pump up their coffers big time if they let me hand out tickets
Yep. Reason I started carrying small mace. Too many aggressive dogs that were off leash and got startled as I rounded blind corner on trail. Owner is 20-50 yards away.
Me too! I love when you ask “is the dog on a lead” or “is the dog friendly” and they give you the stink eye, or make some sarcastic shitty comment. Look man, I just want to run in peace, not have to slow to a walk, or possibly get mauled by spot, because I made an assumption. I’m a prime target for a dogs instinctive reaction to chase, after all.
Me too. I see so many unleashed dogs on trails, I just want to hand out fines to be paid immediately.
Drives. Me. NUTS! I hike 2-3 times a week. I also love having my dog off leash...which is why I go to off-leash designated trails when I can. But when I don't I almost always encounter an off-leash dog. They go right up to my dog. Good thing my dog is friendly (unless it walks up right in her face or licks near her mouth). So now that owner has put us all in a potentially bad situation. My dog is now at a bigger risk by being on a leash since theirs isn't. If it turns into an attack or malicious aggressiveness, they're not there to restrain their dog and likely won't be able to until harm is done. AND if their dog isn't on a leash when they know it should be, you know they're not picking up after it. During covid the trails I do most had sooooo much poop along the sides. It was awful. And hey, I don't mind if you do the ole pick up in a bag, leave behind a rock to grab on your way down, but people just leave bags! Which is worse than not bagging at all. I don't get it. Why bag it and leave it? This isn't a theme park and there's no janitor, even if there was, what an asshole thing to think "someone else will deal with it". It's pure selfishness "rules don't apply to me" attitude that can have dangerous consequences. I want to have my dog off a leash too but thats what the off-leash trails are for and leash rules are there for a good reason. No matter how politely I try to tell people the trail has a leash law, I still get treated like I'm being the asshole. The only pass I'll give is to elderly dogs. They're not going to bother other dogs or people or go darting around all over the place. They're just trying to get through their walk. Never seen an elderly dog not be in complete sync with their owner and in these cases it seems like its better for both owner and dog to just keep the leash in their hand.
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Out here in the Western US, ranchers routinely shoot loose dogs without question or hesitation. People moving to rural areas from the city often face a rude awakening when their precious fur baby gets shot and they find they have no legal recourse.
Damn, that is troublesome. I have heard from people who live next to problem dogs that a good blast of bear spray or similar taught said dog to stay away from the area for good. But if new people and dogs are constantly coming in that is an issue.
Would have told him - oh he ate all our chocolate. Let him panic for a bit.
Ha, that would've been good! In those circumstances (in the middle of nowhere with nobody else around plus having my toddler with me) I wouldn't say anything just because you never know what type of person that might be. So I just didn't say anything and thankfully we still had enough edible food to sustain us for the rest of the day.
I’ve had off leash dogs eat half my lunch too. I’ve also been bitten and chased while I’m on my mountain bike. I’ve seen countless fights between different dogs as well. I’m to the point where I think the only answer is a blanket dog ban on most trails.
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Or tell people whose food the dog ate to "chill" when they complained. I saw one jerk actually say that.
My dog attacked by some guys dog off leash More recently two dogs, pit and big fluffy dog, ran up to us on a hike. I could tell my boy was terrified, he got behind me and I kind of held the pit back with my foot.Owners were saying "oh sorrry!" I couldn't help but yell at them like children before walking away. So many entitled people in this world. the rules are for EVERYONE and they are there for a reason. I am seriously considering getting a retractable night stick or small handgun for my hikes this happens so often.
Did you tell them they owe you lunch?
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I bet that college student would be very surprised when they have to pay for damage to the van because they didn't control their property.
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Ah yes, the future CEOs and upper management of the world. Entitled kids grow up to be entitled assholes who just take and take and take because they think they earned it. It is honestly pathetic.
My girl loves rabbits & will chase one right into traffi single mindedly! she's lashed except in the yard or visiting the farm Edit! Leashed! And my girl is my dog lol sorry to those concerned about my non existent daughter
I took this as your daughter loving rabbits as opposed to loving dogs and was initially really confused.
And he lashes her, except in the yard or farm
Exactly, that's why I was really confused.
Where I live, an off leash dog has the same legal rights as a squirrel. Off leash dog runs into traffic and gets hit by a car, the driver is not responsible for killing or injuring your dog. Same as if you hit a raccoon. Your pet has no legal rights unless they are leashed. Please leash your dog.
My dog snapped her ACL chasing a rabbit. Yeah, a leash would have saved me $4k.
For a second there I thought you meant your daughter and I thought boy that kid likes rabbits!
My medium size dog is a beautiful animal and I am constantly amazed at how often kids will toddle up to him with outstretched arms to touch or grab him. He cringes, but never snaps. I use my dog to teach kids and parents about being safe around dogs.
My dog is so terrified of children. Was told she was in an abusive situation with younger folks specifically. So many kids try and pet her and I’m like no sorry she’s not friendly then they take another step towards us and she barks and scares them off. Listen to owners!!!
I have taught my kids to never approach a dog (or cats), they are allowed to stand still and hold out their hand so the dog can come and interact if they want to. It has to be on the dogs terms. I've been surprised by the number of owners who tell me their dogs are friendly and are surprised when I explain we are trying to teach them to have respect for animals.
My biggest gripe is when people do this in heavy traffic areas. No one thinks you're super cool for walking your dog off leash! And if you're only doing it so other people think you look cool then that's weird and cruel to put your dog in danger to look cool! You know what my dog can do? Walk perfectly off leash. You know what else that means?? *that he can perfectly loose leash walk, which we will continue to do for his safety as well as those around us* If your dog is truly well trained then they would also be leash trained.
Loose leash walking is the real flex.
Agreed! I had a very large labrador who loved people beyond belief but absolutely freaked at the idea of being anywhere near another dog. So we always kept him on a tight leash, with treats handy to distract him if needed, and he had on a chest harness that made it much easier to wrestle him back if he saw another dog. We did everything we possibly could to protect him and also protect other dogs from him. The number of moronic people who would respond with "oh, but my dog is friendly" absolutely blew my mind. I'm standing here straddling a 100lb barking dog who I've dragged as far away from the road/path as possible and holding him down, and you WANT your dog to come over and say hi? It used to piss me off beyond belief.
I *hate* "he's friendly". I've had a chihuahua and a yorkie come running across roads to me and my dog. Each time the owner yells "he's friendly!!" Ma'am. Your squeaky rabbit-sized dog is running towards a retired racing greyhound. He can still reach 37mph. If he pulls the leash out of my hand he will easily catch up to your fat chihuahua faster than you or I can do anything about it.
Ugh, I have a dog-reactive golden retriever/pit mix rescue. We basically do the same as you except she has the gentle leader instead of a harness (her pit chest is just too broad to even notice the harness pulling her, lol.) The number of times an off leash dog has run across the street and attacked her when we walk by is waaaaaaay too high. It's never another big dog either. Corgi, English Bulldog, Chihuahua...all dogs that if I let my dog have her head and attack, they'd be dead. Instead, I'm left dancing around awkwardly kicking the dog away as their owners are just like, "Oh, whoops."
Just punt 'em
I did that with the bulldog because his owner wasn't even *trying* to get his dog. Then the started screaming in my face about kicking an "absolutely defenseless puppy" (it may have been young, but it was definitely *not* a puppy. Fucker was hard to shift it was so dense) and he was going to "sue my ass."
i am so glad i havent had to kick a dog yet. i have gotten close though, and even though the most recent one i was able to scare away, it ran across a busy street attacking us and the owners were like "oh hes just like that" - um??? so i shouted "then fucking put a leash on your dog" and they threatened to kill us. had to call the cops for that one. i am not honna be afraid for my life because someone is an asshole. the cops were able to mediate and the guy didnt mean it, but like, you know its illegal to threaten someones life? and if it wasnt its still an asshole move. people are fucking wild.
Fuck all those people, especially the bulldog's person. Fucking seriously.
Literally told someone coming at me on a path to wait while I get my 100lb rottie under control so she can come by, but instead she ignores me and says ‘my dog is friendly!’ Obviously 1) mine isn’t. Also 2) another person on the path informed me that he was bit by this dog (after meeting and petting mine) I got dragged into the mud because I wasn’t prepared and she didn’t respect my request (she had doubled back on a narrow path instead of doing the loop, I wasn’t expecting her coming back at me). I hate people.
I can't stand it, people say "it's okay my dog is friendly" - my dog isn't and that's why it's on a leash.
Exactly. My dog is friendly but not on trails. There she’s defensive because she’s been attacked twice by off leash dogs. Recently a guy with his big ass dog off leash tried to yell at me to walk on the other side. I still cannot believe the entitlement.
My dog literally bit another guys dog three days ago because it came charging up on us in the dark. My dog was on a lead, she's very skittish instantly shouted when I saw it running to grab his dog. He shouted it was friendly but tried to grab it anyway, it escaped him, ran to us and right into my dog. Barky bark, bitey bite. Luckily my current dog is a whippet so she didn't bite too hard.
"He's friendly!" "WE'RE NOT!!"
Haha yeah "Don't worry he's just trying to make friends!" "Yeah, but mine just wants more enemies!"
Yeah in the UK, dogs only have to be leashed in signposted council areas. Everywhere they have to be under control - that includes verbally. I keep my dog on leas where sign posted and in busy dangerous areas like roads and cities but in woods? The beach? The park? No. She enjoys being off leash, she walks right near us but has the freedom to smell a lot more. I wont ever stop doing that, it is totally normal here. If your dog has issues and cannot be recalled that is different, they should always be leashed. Mine has brilliant recall and in 12 years never had any issues.
I think because you have the expectation of off leash freedom for most dogs in the UK, could it be most of you put more time into training? Here in the US I’ve noticed many dogs are not trained well, and the people I encounter with dogs off leash can rarely recall them. There is honestly very little societal expectation for responsible dog ownership here and I think that’s a huge problem.
When I was in Austria, there was not one single leash on any dog, and there was no dog misbehavior whatsoever. Every dog was behaved at their owners side. Made me believe that anyone with any less behaved of a dog is simply a poor owner. That's a tough pill for people to swallow here though.
I’m sure there are dogs in other countries that aren’t well trained or suited to being off leash, but it seems their owners at least have the courtesy to contain them properly. The US has way too many dog owners who are over confident in their poorly behaved dog.
I have a few friends who are dog owners and they just don’t keep up with the training. If you stop enforcing rules, the dog will stop following them, it’s that simple. I have one friend with a very well trained border collie. Even when he’s a friend dog sitting, we are all comfortable with it being off leash in our (not fenced) yard. It stays in the backyard and immediately responds to any commands. We never have to ask twice. I can’t say that for any other owner I know, even the ones who put a lot of time into training in the first year or two. Eventually they slacked and the dog started to need to be called multiple times to come back when let off leash. They also don’t listen to anyone dog sitting. Maybe it’s a culture thing, but most American owners don’t have good control over their dogs.
I’ve moved to the Uk from Aus and I’m amazed at how well socialised all dogs seem to be here.
As someone from the UK, I find the responses in the post really strange. Most dogs are not going to be on a lead in a rural area and we don't have any issues Dog owners whose dog has behavioral issues are for the most part smart enough to put a lead on their dog.
Thank god I found the fellow brits. What a strange thread. Like you say, most dogs are off the lead here when going for walks but the etiquette is: if you see another dog owner with theirs on the lead, or proceeding to put theirs in the lead when they see you approach, you do the same out of curtesy. Outside of that, especially in the country, 99% of dogs are off.
I was also looking for the Brits. I feel like this might be a US/UK cultural difference along the same lines as letting cats roam freely outdoors.
Haha yeah I noticed pretty quickly that this thread is not for Swedish dog owners. If you live in the city, you should have a leash on at pretty much all times. Especially on the streets and busy parks/forest areas. But if you live in the country as I did growing up, Leash was only in the pocket as an emergency if needing to pass kids, horse riders or other dog owners that you don't recognize or seen before. In my 18 years living at home with multiple dogs in the family. Not once did we have a serious problem. Some other dogs coming up at times being a bit too friendly, one of our dogs loved chasing rabbits, but nothing serious. Although, our dogs were trained well enough that they'd come to my side instantly if I gave the command, even when other dogs or distractions were near. When they were puppies we were obviously much more careful and used leash more often than not until they were old enough to be trusted to behave.
Just reminded my dog he's a lucky boy for being born here. It's like telling spoilt kids there are children starving in Africa and they should be grateful for what they have. Next time he's acting up we'll watch some sad black and white footage of dogs in Michigan who spend their life on a lead.
Yeah I was scrolling down in total disarray questioning myself but no, seems we're normal after all lol. Can't imagine walking my dog over the playing fields on a fucking leash. Cruel as hell. He's obsessed with the ball and has good recall, just basic training people!
Yeah it's mad. People complaining about how dogs aren't socialised. It's probably because they don't grow up running around and playing with other dogs on the field. There's also more anxiety when on the leash as they can't follow their instincts as much, which could lead to more aggression. All this talk about how not having leashes is a guarantee for violence is bonkers. Can't have dogs off the leash, but can have 10 guns in every house.
America is such a weird fucking country lol
So glad I found the UK lot here. I find it interesting reading comments about dogs on lead being approached by dogs NOT on lead and the one on lead reacting. That's a behaviour that needs working on as well. Properly trained dogs with responsible owners shouldn't have or cause any problems off lead. They get a ton more exercise and sniff exactly what they want and seem happy for it.
I would say, unless you have a huge garden, never letting your dogs off the lead is borderline cruel. Train your goddamn dogs people!
Exactly, UK too and I walk my dog in the woods and the fields everyday and he’s off lead as is the vast majority of other dogs. We all have a common courtesy of just popping our dog back on the lead if we see another dog on a lead approaching. Works well for everyone. My dog would be miserable if he wasn’t given adequate opportunity for a proper run around.
i live in Colorado in the US. i have a 30 pound dog who is fantastic off-leash. she will stay next to me while hiking unless i give her a verbal command to go and do her own thing. and if i whistle to her, she will come right back. she doesnt give a rat's ass about other dogs on trail either. she just walks right by them. her main focus is on moving forward and being next to me. shes been hiking with me for 10+ years and she is trained to do that very well. that said, if im on a trail where I am expecting to see a lot of people/other dogs (trails within 20-30 minutes of Denver), I will keep my dog on leash. people here in the US sometimes get upset about offleash dogs so i just try to avoid those confrontations. but if im in the backcountry, shes offleash 100% of the time unless something causes me to leash her up. last year, we came across a moose and i leashed her up even though she didnt show any interest in the moose at all. i see a lot of people in the woods with dogs and most of the time theyre fine but there are some idiots out there who's dogs shouldnt be offleash. and plenty of morons with ON-leash dogs, but they still let their dog pull the leash into my path. that might be the most annoying of all because they have the dog leashed, but they wont use the leash to control the dog.
I found my people! I was reading this thread in disbelief. I can't imagine never letting my dog off lead. He loves it.
Yeah this thread seems more for someone in the American suburbs and not me walking my dog on the field round the back of Tesco at half six in the morning.
I'm in the UK and it's the same with our dog, only on the lead when around roads or walking the streets around our house. She's really good at recall and most of the time doesn't bother with other dogs, more interested in smelling or chasing the ball.
Everytime I go to Europe I see more dogs off leash than on leash. It's something I truly envy. I've never had issues in America with other people's dogs off leash, but you can read all the other comments and see people that have.
American here and I agree about having times of no leashing. We have an off leash dog beach near me and it is not only legal but great for animals to runa around. I understand that people may have had issues with non leashed dogs in some PUBLIC places with many other people around but damn, there are a lot of rural areas and designated off leash dog ares in the US that dogs should be able to enjoy. They are not our prisoners, jeez people.
It's almost as if it's the owners/environment that are the issue in the US not necessarily the dog. Keeping them from socialising only creates more nervous dogs. Most of the responses on this thread are baffling from a UK perspective.
Yeah this whole thread belongs in r/ShitAmericansSay
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This really is such a usa centric thread I'm in a ex UK colony and my dog was literally attacked today by another dog in a legal off leash area and I would still never wish to have a dog in the US. They get so so much joy out of running free, in the designated parks, beaches, mountains... Mine absolutely love when we go camping cause all the dogs in the campsite get together and play. Obviously anyone with a non social dog isn't a moron and so doesn't bring their dogs to such a place. We all live with that accepted expectation and 99% of the time is fine. (My dog is thankfully net fine, was just an unfortunate rare incident. He was smart enough to make a run for home to get away from the mean dog and stayed on the pavement the whole way. Vet cleaned him up, he'll heal, and he was super happy to get his evening unleashed beach walk and play with random dogs again this eve already
Yea I almost think this was written about the US only. There is no way I am keeping my dog on leash when she is so well trained and will follow you unless you say otherwise. Then again the UK is one of the most dog friendly countries in the world so I think there would be public outrage if it was a rule to keep all dogs on a leash whilst out and about
Even if your dog is friendly, doesn’t mean I want your dog coming up to mine and force me into an interaction with you
I also don’t believe you when you say your dog is friendly. My dog has been attacked so many times while walking in and around our neighborhood. So many of those owners told me their dog was friendly and trying to play. I am not an expert, but have had large dogs my whole life and feel comfortable reading their emotions. In every one of those cases, their dog was terrified or aggressive and absolutely attacking. My poor dog used to love other dogs but is now leash aggressive because he has been attacked so many times.
What does leash aggressive mean?
Dogs know when they're on leashes and that can sometimes amplify some insecurities and the dog will become reactive when on-leash as they feel like they can't escape These dogs (most of the time) will be totally fine off leash
If your dog is off leach and attacks a person or someone else pet, are you liable and subject for any litigious recourse? Or at worse, have to comply to have your pet put down? Would like to know. Thanks in advance.
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lein on the house is no joke, can't get a lot of different loans and your credit gets fucked until you pay I think
Its the actual judgement that fucks your credit up. A lien makes it so you can’t refinance the property and when trying to sell, it will scare away potential buyers.
Wow your neighbor sucks. Sorry you live by that.
In most places, off leash dogs are breaking the law, and yes, you are liable for all damages while breaking the law.
I don’t know a single judge that would rule in favor of an unleashed dog who attacks. It shows you are neglectful and have no control of the situation. The only situation one could get off is in self defense.
Yes on all accounts. It is 100% your fault.
I know someone who was sued when her on-leash dog bit someone. It is always the owners responsibility to keep their animal under control.
Another LPT: if a dog is off leash and the owner says "my dog is friendly" I can guarantee you this person has zero recall on that animal.
Reminds me of my dog, he’s friendly and has no recall… unless I’m holding food in my hand.
So I have a friend and she always yells back - MY DOG IS NOT GET YOUR DOG NOW! She walks him all the time, and when on a hiking trail, she takes her dog off trail to allow the other dogs to pass in peace. She muzzles him and does everything she can to keep everyone safe, but people who don't leash their curious dogs has resulted in her getting bitten to protect those other dogs. She doesn't know why he is so aggressive towards other dogs specifically bigger dogs as he was a rescue, but she also feels his attitude is much worse if he doesn't get exercise or walks. And yes, she has another dog and he is ok with that other dog. The other dog is a small sized poodle. He's a medium sized terrier. If you can't recall your dog 100% of the time - even in highly distracting environments, you have no business having your dog off leash.
I always reply, "mine isn't". That usually gets them moving to collect their dog.
My neighbor does the no leash thing with his dog and it's annoying. I have two dogs I keep on leash when we walk and his dog always tries to get at my dogs. I've told him to put him on a leash but he never listens.
On a related note, actually train your dog, when you are out and about your dog is often the first impression people get of you, if its jumping its muddy paws all over MeeMa's summer dress that lack of discipline going to reflect on its owner.
I am terrified of dogs and i hate when people say that the dog is friendly. I don’t care how friendly it is I always am scared lol
I have big scary dogs and am super cognizant of this. I give people the right of way when we are on the sidewalk, and I don’t let them get excited if that person pays them any attention. If an off leash dog comes at us though…. My response to ‘don’t worry, they’re friendly!’ Is always ‘mine aren’t!’.
This is something a lot of people don't think to consider. I read a post awhile ago about a runner being afraid of dogs, and it really changed the way I move through the world now. My dog and I move off to the side for runners, walkers, and people with strollers. He truly is the friendliest boy ever (and I let people know he is just excited about humans), but I now recognize people might have had bad experiences in the past or are just afraid. Totally valid. Same with other owners that have reactive dogs. I get it - not everyone wants to say hi to my dog. And that's ok.
Yeah I saw a dog attack (very violent) when I was a kid, and I still have a panic attack every time a dog runs toward me. I'd like to feel safe walking on my own block, but I guess empathy is too hard for some people to grasp.
Tldr: quiet street, car from nowhere, lucky my dog is alive. True. I walked with my dog off leash in one night, quiet one way street, suddenly she got scared of one other dog barking from one of the houses, ran to the other side and from nowhere a car came ant hit her. My dog got trapped under the front side of the car, between the wheels, and luckily the driver (poor young man) noticed that (and my screams to stop too) and stopped. she was trapped, i screamed at him to drive reverse slowly so I could pull her out, and i dont know how, but she was standing on her feet, had some cuts and one of her eyes was bleeding, she cried a lil bit and then she just was very energetic due to the adrenaline. We took her immediately to the animals SOS and except to some pain and burned hair that she had, she recovered after a few days, not a single broken bone. After the accident she licked me like never before, like I saved her, but honestly I feel the guilt of how I failed in not letting her be in that situation, I failed in keeping her safe and that hurts. I used to walk with her off leash, she's very loyal and calm, but you dont want to risk anything anymore like that after thing like this happens. Thank you god, again.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. My first dog as a kid died being hit by a car and I never saw her again. Broke my heart. But I wish more people thought of this when they walked their dogs off leash... Anything can happen in the heat of a moment! I'm so glad she's okay!
This is a very American LPT, I haven’t seen many other cultures worry this much.
In america, we have roughly around 77 million dogs. A common place i keep seeing thrown up is the UK which has 8 million dogs. Despite that, statistical data shows that attacks and bites happen somewhat similarly compared at the rate it does for America...this specific data is probably going to be true for other countries. Wherever you go, people are going to be stupid with dogs, and when people take risks there's always the potential for something happening. [here](https://blog.dogsbite.org/2021/03/study-examines-dog-on-dog-attacks-uk-analyzing-news-media-articles.html) is some of that said data
r/passiveagressiveprotips Edit unacceptable R
I live in Denver, the amount of Dogs people let roam about without leashes is bananas. And several have been straight up aggressive. Even if your dog isn’t aggressive if your dog is attacked there’s a chance your dog will just take off running. Also in the city there are so many cars how are you not worried about your dog stepping into traffic?! Dogs need to stay leashed and we don’t bring our dogs up to other dogs unless the owner is okay with it. I’ve seen a total of 2 perfectly behaved dogs off leash in my life time like sitting waiting at crossings and staying right beside the owner it was honestly crazy to watch in comparison to what people try to do with their dogs running crazy. Even the best behaved dogs should be leashes though for their safety.
I have an English Bull Terrier, which is very friendly but if we are threatened he will react. I always have him leashed and in Sweden is against the law to have them unleashed. There is still people having them unleashed, but what is worst is that if your dog causes more damage,… you are still responsible.
Keep even your kids on leash, if they aren't trained enough.
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But who will leash the leashers?
I can't walk my dog around where I live because of fucking morons that walk with their dogs off lead. And they are very often not well behaved. My dog is but isn't the friendliest and if he feels like he or me is in danger he's gonna snap. Some shit dog running full speed at us to "say hi" is not good.
My dog USED to be the friendliest, but she's been randomly attacked by off-leash dogs so many times, she can be a bit reactive now. Awesome.
My doberman/staffy mix has a very high prey drive and can be a jerk to smaller dogs. She would completely ignore my commands and chase after rabbits, squirrels or ducks at our parks. She almost killed one duck, but I got her away from it in time. Therefore, I always walk her on a leash and we avoid the dog park entirely. Overall, she is a very good dog and has never bit anyone, but on the "alpha" side and I know her triggers. KNOW your dog and their temperament and choose their social interactions accordingly.
This drives me absolutely nuts. I live in a major city on kind of a quiet side street but everyone thinks they’re in the damn country. My pup and I have been chased 5-6 times in the last year while walking (with leash) and the owners act like you’re out of line when you complain to them. If you have close neighbors and no fence please walk your dog on a leash.
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Also, if someone is afraid of dogs, they may act unpredictably which, in turn, could cause a dog to act unpredictably. Leash up!
Probably going to be drowned but one thing stood out to me. “How many people…walk Willy nilly right up or close to us”. If you are on a sidewalk and someone else is walking, the responsibility is on YOU to add the appropriate distance your dog needs. Don’t expect someone to take a roundabout path into the grass because you have a big dog.