Dog walking off leash

Her version of "free interaction" with other dogs involves chest-butting, biting, and snarling. She is *not* dog-safe, nor is she child-safe. It's true that she's a small dog, and only 12 pounds. She'd never do any serious damage to another being. She could easily get herself killed, though.

 
My last Siberian used to love females like that.  He would spend an enormous amount of time to win over her heart. 
 
If we walked the beach and the other females were sweet and friendly, he ignored them.  If she growled or snarled, he just was whipped. 
 
He was a very strange dog with his own special learning curve!

Here here! There are some dogs and some locations where it is fine to let dogs off-leash, and the irresponsible idiots who can't figure this out ruin it for everyone. And the ones who let their dogs run out of control at the end of flexis are NOT responsible or in control of their dogs just because they have a leash on the dog. It's not about leashes, it's about control and responsibility.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

I tell ya!  In my experience the smaller breed dogs are the ones I automatically steer clear of since they are usually the most aggressive.  They are also the ones most likely to be on a flexi with an inconsiderate owner.  I'm always prepared to step off the paved path when I see and hear a little yapper coming our way pulling hard on a fully extended flexi.
 
We were in the woods a couple of weeks ago and I saw a yapper up ahead so I put my dog on leash primarily for the comfort of the small dog owner.  The yapper was off leash and charged and started circling.  I had to bend over and run interference, waving my hand between the other dog and mine, so the yapper would not bite my dog which seemed like the intent.  The owners called the unresponsive dog but did not move to get it.  My dog is so dog friendly it seemed like she did not even consider the possibility she would get bitten!  It looked like she was trying to figure out how to safely play with the much smaller dog...or whether it was a dog...or something.
 
My dog never barks when initially interacting with an unknown dog.  She is not a silent biter, just exceptionally polite and has not had incidents that have made her dog aggressive.  She will bark a little after playing for a bit with another friendly dog but virtually never barks when we are on walks except occasionally at squirells after a chase.

They are 'thinking' of making a Long stretch of area where i regularly walk my dogs to an On lead only area.Now,there are people that go there everyday that have been walking various dogs of theirs there off lead since before i was even born,there are loads of us with well trained dogs who never put their dogs on lead.I have spoken to nearly all of the regulars since this on lead rumour came up,and we have decided that we will all be sitting in a row in a prison cell before we put our dogs on leashes!

Why should those of us with well behaved,obedient dogs have to suffer and punish our dogs by putting them on lead because of a handful of stupid,irresponsible dog owners? It's not fair!! [&:]
How am i going to explain to my dogs who have had freedom from day 1 that they will never have that again and their walks will now have to be stifled and they can no longer run around,play or explore.I'm sure they would wonder what they have done wrong and why they are being punished by having to be on lead.

Like i have said before,my dogs do not go charging up to other people or their dogs,they are no bother to anyone or anything.

You know who i think should be completely banned from parks and public footpaths and are more dangerous that any dog i have ever met???? Bike riders!! They fly past you at a speed of knots,dont ring their bell to warn they are coming and scare the bejesus out of you,everyone has to jump out of the way so the precious bike riders dont have to slow down.And i'm talking the majority of bike riders,most are like this..

I walk mine all the time off leash. Only becuase the only walks he gets is at the dog park for about 2 hours a day. No need for a leash there. Although I ALWAYS have one in my hand just incase.
 
Unless it is the weekend then I will walk him on leash down to the school field (we dont do dog parks during the weekend to many irresponsible dog walkers go then) And then he is off leash again playing fetch and such.

A dog that charges up to another (unknown) dog is not being friendly - it is being RUDE. 

Thankfully, I have never gotten to the point of using pepper spray on a dog, but I have carried it.  Both of my dogs were dog reactive.  They wouldn't start a fight with another dog, but they did not take kindly to strange dogs getting up in their faces without proper introductions.  I had some very scary moments when walking my dogs (on leash).  A few times with a large pointer who would aggressively circle us, and a few other times with a delusional frenchie who frequently escaped his yard.  He'd come after us, and I'd graciously keep my dogs from eating him. Not the brightest, that one. 

My favorite "stupid owner" moment was when an off leash golden came straight at me and my two dogs.  My dogs were sending out mad "Back off, rover" signals.  Golden kept on a coming.  I called out to the owner and asked her to get her dog back.  "Don't worry, he's friendly!" she cheerfully replied.  I had very little time before the dogs came nose to nose, so I yelled "MINE AREN'T."  She called her dog back in a flash, and chided me on bringing dangerous dogs out in public.  ROFLMAO. 

I'm less worried now that I have one dog to worry about.  Sasha is reactive, but she doesn't want a fight and I can get myself in between her and a rude dog. 

ORIGINAL: Dog_ma

A dog that charges up to another (unknown) dog is not being friendly - it is being RUDE.

Thankfully, I have never gotten to the point of using pepper spray on a dog, but I have carried it. Both of my dogs were dog reactive. They wouldn't start a fight with another dog, but they did not take kindly to strange dogs getting up in their faces without proper introductions. I had some very scary moments when walking my dogs (on leash). A few times with a large pointer who would aggressively circle us, and a few other times with a delusional frenchie who frequently escaped his yard. He'd come after us, and I'd graciously keep my dogs from eating him. Not the brightest, that one.

My favorite "stupid owner" moment was when an off leash golden came straight at me and my two dogs. My dogs were sending out mad "Back off, rover" signals. Golden kept on a coming. I called out to the owner and asked her to get her dog back. "Don't worry, he's friendly!" she cheerfully replied. I had very little time before the dogs came nose to nose, so I yelled "MINE AREN'T." She called her dog back in a flash, and chided me on bringing dangerous dogs out in public. ROFLMAO.

I'm less worried now that I have one dog to worry about. Sasha is reactive, but she doesn't want a fight and I can get myself in between her and a rude dog.

AMEN. Just tell them that your dog doesn't realize that their dog is friendly!
See, off leash dogs have this wonderful freedom that on leash dogs DON'T have.
So if an off leash dog goes rushing up to an on leash dog, don't think for a second that that off leash dog isn't aware of the limits of the on leash dog and that some, no matter how friendly, won't take advantage of that.

Most people don't get it. No matter how "friendly" an off leash dog is, if he gets up in an on leash dog's face, HE IS NOT BEING FRIENDLY. He's being rude and PUSHY. This is canine behavior that MOST people cannot read/understand.

ORIGINAL: chewbecca

ORIGINAL: Dog_ma

A dog that charges up to another (unknown) dog is not being friendly - it is being RUDE.

Thankfully, I have never gotten to the point of using pepper spray on a dog, but I have carried it. Both of my dogs were dog reactive. They wouldn't start a fight with another dog, but they did not take kindly to strange dogs getting up in their faces without proper introductions. I had some very scary moments when walking my dogs (on leash). A few times with a large pointer who would aggressively circle us, and a few other times with a delusional frenchie who frequently escaped his yard. He'd come after us, and I'd graciously keep my dogs from eating him. Not the brightest, that one.

My favorite "stupid owner" moment was when an off leash golden came straight at me and my two dogs. My dogs were sending out mad "Back off, rover" signals. Golden kept on a coming. I called out to the owner and asked her to get her dog back. "Don't worry, he's friendly!" she cheerfully replied. I had very little time before the dogs came nose to nose, so I yelled "MINE AREN'T." She called her dog back in a flash, and chided me on bringing dangerous dogs out in public. ROFLMAO.

I'm less worried now that I have one dog to worry about. Sasha is reactive, but she doesn't want a fight and I can get myself in between her and a rude dog.

AMEN. Just tell them that your dog doesn't realize that their dog is friendly!
See, off leash dogs have this wonderful freedom that on leash dogs DON'T have.
So if an off leash dog goes rushing up to an on leash dog, don't think for a second that that off leash dog isn't aware of the limits of the on leash dog and that some, no matter how friendly, won't take advantage of that.

Most people don't get it. No matter how "friendly" an off leash dog is, if he gets up in an on leash dog's face, HE IS NOT BEING FRIENDLY. He's being rude and PUSHY. This is canine behavior that MOST people cannot read/understand.

That is the main poinnt the off leash dog owners don't get, no matter how much you try to explain it.  I have seen dogs brought into the dog park, and the owner keeps them on the leash, and a dog will run up to them  and "bam", you have a confrontation. To me, it all goes back to people respecting the law, or thinking that they are above the law, that causes the problems,.

ORIGINAL: Bobsk8


That is the main poinnt the off leash dog owners don't get, no matter how much you try to explain it.  I have seen dogs brought into the dog park, and the owner keeps them on the leash, and a dog will run up to them  and "bam", you have a confrontation. To me, it all goes back to people respecting the law, or thinking that they are above the law, that causes the problems,.

What about when the law does not require dogs to be kept on leashes?

I have seen dogs brought into the dog park, and the owner keeps them on the leash

there is part of the problem right there. dog parks are supposed to be off leash areas. if you keep your dog leashed in one, you are asking for a confrontation. especially if you have a leash reactive dog already.

this is why many people stay away from dog parks. many owners do not know how to handle their dogs in a dog park setting.

ORIGINAL: Benedict
What about when the law does not require dogs to be kept on leashes?

I had a HUGE typed up reply to this and the stinking thing timed out on me!
GRRRR.

Anyway, I went on to say that lack of leash laws in public places, that are heavily populated(cities, towns, neighborhoods, etc..), are setting up dogs (on both sides, leashed AND unleashed) for failure. It's a way for lawmakers to appease people by taking and placing the responsibility of canine behavior onto the canine itself. Instead of placing the responsibility onto the human, where it should be. Dogs don't have as good an ability to reason as humans do. Lack of leash laws is what, I believe, contributes to things like BSL. Because it's SCARY how many humans are in position to make laws that have NO CLUE to canine behavior. And because of that, blame falls onto the dog. This is what happens when there is no leash laws in public areas.

I agree what others above have said.  An issue with the unleashed dog whether it is law or not, one phrase: 
 
Common Courtesy.
 
 

If we are walking in our neighborhood I NEVER let the dogs off-leash!  Not because of my dogs but because of the other dogs that run loose and cause trouble!  I can't believe how many dogs are just running loose around here!  But if we are down by the lake then I do let them off-leash and sometimes during the summer I let them play in the lake for a little while!

ORIGINAL: DogLover.1993

If we are walking in our neighborhood I NEVER let the dogs off-leash! Not because of my dogs but because of the other dogs that run loose and cause trouble! I can't believe how many dogs are just running loose around here! But if we are down by the lake then I do let them off-leash and sometimes during the summer I let them play in the lake for a little while!

So, wait, you don't allow YOUR dogs off leash because of all the other off leash dogs?
And you're complaining about it?

Maybe my coffee hasn't kicked in, but that just seems weird to me.

ORIGINAL: chewbecca

ORIGINAL: Benedict
What about when the law does not require dogs to be kept on leashes?

I had a HUGE typed up reply to this and the stinking thing timed out on me!
GRRRR.

Anyway, I went on to say that lack of leash laws in public places, that are heavily populated(cities, towns, neighborhoods, etc..), are setting up dogs (on both sides, leashed AND unleashed) for failure. It's a way for lawmakers to appease people by taking and placing the responsibility of canine behavior onto the canine itself. Instead of placing the responsibility onto the human, where it should be. Dogs don't have as good an ability to reason as humans do. Lack of leash laws is what, I believe, contributes to things like BSL. Because it's SCARY how many humans are in position to make laws that have NO CLUE to canine behavior. And because of that, blame falls onto the dog. This is what happens when there is no leash laws in public areas.

See...while I agree with leash laws where appropriate, I am not sure that off-leash areas place the responsibility on the dog. Or at least that is not what SHOULD happen, and we do live in a less than ideal world, so it probably is what does happen. All I can talk about is from personal experience....and from personal experience, living in a place where there are no leash laws in parks (dogs have to be leashed on sidewalks, in stores and in a few other circumstances) I can say that it really does work here.

I've had Ben for a year. He gets an off-lead run in any one of a dozen parks every single day and has since the day I was able to take him out. At every park there are multiple dogs off-lead, whatever time of day you go. I have NEVER witnessed a dog fight that resulted in anything more than wounded pride. There was one incident I didn't witness, in which Ben got bitten and had a nasty puncture wound on his face. The dog that did it belonged to a friend of ours, it lives with 2 other dogs and it had never bitten another dog before. What caused it? I dunno, I wasn't there, but there's a good chance Ben was being a brat because he was a young puppy at the time. I DO know that this dog bit Ben within 30 seconds of laying eyes on him, and that both dogs were leashed at the time.

I am not saying the UK is better or worse, but certainly I am saying that attitudes are different. Aggressive dogs are kept away and walked in secluded areas, away from other dogs. (This I know, because I know 3 people with DA dogs and they tell me how they handle it.) I don't know anyone who doesn't take their dog to training classes. I have never heard of anyone feeling the need to carry Direct Stop or any similar product, and I have never encountered an off-leash dog where there shouldn't be one, or had a strange dog come bolting up to me in the street. Things are just, I guess, different here, and the different laws reflect that.

One issue that may affect all this is that there's a lot of countryside here...unless you're in Central London, you don't really need to go that far to be walking your dogs through rolling fields, and many many people do this. Where there are fields, though, there is livestock....even in one park we go to, there are several hundred deer. Anyone responsible for livestock or wildlife (a park ranger, a farmer) is legally allowed to shoot a dog that bothers the animals. Knowing that someone could shoot your dog is incentive to have them well trained.

I am not saying the UK is better or worse, but certainly I am saying that attitudes are different. Aggressive dogs are kept away and walked in secluded areas, away from other dogs. (This I know, because I know 3 people with DA dogs and they tell me how they handle it.) I don't know anyone who doesn't take their dog to training classes.

 
I'll wager that it probably is different (and I'm from the US).  My guess would be that link many things, Americans think of dogs as a right rather than a privilege.  I'm not saying I think this is true of people on iDog, but I don't think people on iDog represent the majority of "normal" American families and their dogs, unfortunately.