Dog owners who won't *own* their dogs

[Bird]

This is just a general grumble, I hope it's OK and in the right place!

We have a three year old Collie, Beck (a rescue, who we brought home at 4 months) who is .... not happy, but willing, to accept other dogs sniffing him; he'll tolerate the initial greeting then he walks away! I do a lot of training with him, and on the advice of a trainer I make sure that I have pockets full of different toys, treats, etc, that I get out sporadically, so that his attention is always on me and my magic pockets (!), rather than him being hyper alert and constantly being on the "lookout" for dogs that might come to him.

The problem I'm having is that increasingly I'm coming across "ownerless" dogs; it seems that more and more people are treating dog-walks as a time to make phone calls, chat to their friends etc, while their dog wanders off doing what it wants.

This morning, a dog of around 9/10 months came bounding over; sniffed at Beck, and Beck walked away. The dog bounded at Beck; I called Beck calmly to come back to me; he did. The dog bounded at him again. I called to the owners, "Call your dog back" but they didn't respond. I walked off with Beck, the dog bounded at him, he turned on it He's never hurt a dog, and he's never had a go at a dog for no reason; but I still hate it each time it happens. The owner strolled over and I asked if their dog was OK; the response was "Well; she's got to learn." I explained to them that I'd asked them to call their dog because I know my dog is nervous when dogs won't leave him alone, and they said "Yeah, I know...but....she doesn't come when we call her."

Like I say, this is just a grumble to other dog-minded people, who perhaps might understand my frustration! I want to get t-shirts made up saying "Dog owners: the clue is in the name. Own your dog"!

[JudyN]

Tell me about it There's also those dog owners who still don't do anything to stop their dog approaching yours even when they see you put your dog on lead, lead him to the side of the path and stick a treat under his nose. Often as not I get the other dog mugging me for treats as well as Jasper

Have you tried firmly telling the other dog to go away? It can backfire, as Jasper thinks if I need to shout at the dog then it really must be a threat so he needs to lunge and growl at it too, but it worked really well with a dog who was decidedly not friendly and who Jasper was already afraid of.

[Bird]

I'm sorry you come up against it as well, but strangely comforted by the fact it's not just me!

Yes, I often tell the other dogs to Stop, Leave, Away, and so on. I didn't used to; I'd never owned a dog before and didn't know the etiquette! But now I'm quite happy to tell a dog to Stop if its owner won't bother! Sometimes it works; and boy, do I feel like Queen Of The Park when that happens! A tiny victory! But sometimes there's nothing I can do, and the dog won't stop until Beck tells it to.

Bird

[Suzette]

I'm right there with you! I keep my dog pretty contained when other dogs are around, but I don't often get the same consideration from other dog owners. Even when they can (or should!) plainly see that I am trying to keep my dog at a distance, they bee-line over to us because "their dog is sooo friendly and just wants to visit". And like Judy, if the dog is loose, yelling won't help as that just fires up Piper and then she feels the need to intervene with the other dog. Ugh! It's something we all have to contend with from time to time I guess, but it is annoying and since getting through to clueless dog owners rarely works, venting with folks who do get it is our next best way to deal with it all.

[delladooo]

As the owner of that no manners dog that just doesn't understand that not everyone wants to play and any dog is more exciting than I could ever be, I just want to tell you I've been on both sides (ish)!

He very rarely gets the chance and if he happens to run at someone I'm right there behind him so I just wanted to assure you that there are some of us out there who know their dog is a pain in the arse! But, as he is kept on lead whenever there are other dogs about I am on the receiving end of this more often than not.
I'm still not at the point of demanding a dog leave us alone although I don't worry that Laufey is going to snark at another dog. I had a westie follow us all the way across the park and his owner completely not understand why I had a problem with it because his dog "just wanted to say hi".

I think a rant about it always helps (although I don't suggest it to people who don't get it, you're often told you're over-reacting and your dog "needs to interact to learn")

[Suzette]

Delladoo, I personally am NOT talking about owners like you. I totally understand that sometimes a dog gets away from us and bounds up to another dog. And when the owner is responsible, such as yourself, I am appreciative that they take steps to regain control of their dog and move on. I too have been that person on occasion.

It's the owner that pays no attention to my body language when I am clearly trying to keep my dog and their dog apart and purposely lets theirs run up to mine anyway and/or the one that is letting their dog run all over the place not caring who it runs up to or how it behaves along the way that riles me.

[delladooo]

Delladoo, I personally am NOT talking about owners like you. I totally understand that sometimes a dog gets away from us and bounds up to another dog. And when the owner is responsible, such as yourself, I am appreciative that they take steps to regain control of their dog and move on. I too have been that person on occasion.

It's the owner that pays no attention to my body language when I am clearly trying to keep my dog and their dog apart and purposely lets theirs run up to mine anyway and/or the one that is letting their dog run all over the place not caring who it runs up to or how it behaves along the way that riles me.

Oh good (I assumed as much ) I generally hope there are a lot of people who are just having an off day and their dog gets away from them but, unfortunately, I suspect that most people just don't get the point.

The people you are describing rile me up too. I've tried confronting a few but they don't listen and it doesn't help that Laufey so clearly wants to interact with their dog that they think I'm being ridiculous which just makes me worse

[JudyN]

it doesn't help that Laufey so clearly wants to interact with their dog that they think I'm being ridiculous which just makes me worse

Do you think they do it on purpose? I must look stupid when I get Jasper off the side of the path as if he's a dog-eating monster and then he behaves like a perfect gent when the other dog comes up to say hello On the other hand, it's probably partly through doing this that he has become (mostly) a perfect gent

It's all about spotting trouble before it happens and doing what you can to avoid it: the muzzled dog, the worried owner, the bouncy puppy. Know your dog, learn to read other dogs. And it depends on the location, as well: I wouldn't expect someone in the woods to keep their bouncy friendly puppy on lead just in case they round a corner and bump into a reactive dog, because the woods are treated as a big dog park where everyone feels safe to let their dogs meet and greet (while the owners stand around chatting for the most part). Then the onus would be on me to keep my dog in order, which is why I avoided it at one time. Even so, if Jasper is being annoyed by a dog who won't take no for an answer, the owner should step in.

[delladooo]

Oh they definitely do it on purpose. I've had many people look at me like I'm crazy because I don't want my 'obviously friendly' dog to say hi.

I know what you mean about woodland, Laufey is either on his long line of off lead but has to be on lead if we come across another dog or he tries to leave with them! It's definitely just knowing your dog which helps immensely and stuff anyone else

[MaeFlowers]

I hate that so much. My 2 older dogs are NOT FRIENDLY at all. With dogs or people, and I always have them on a leash for walks. I cringe as soon as I see an off leash dog anywhere near us, as they always seem to come running straight for us. It's so bad in some places that I couldn't even walk my dogs along the path as all the other dogs were loose.

I take responsibility for my dogs being unfriendly, and ensure they are always under my control. I can't do anything about it though when other people don't keep their dogs under control.