Dogs on lead, dogs off lead - rant

CFC

gemmalouanna wrote: »

I think so too - a lot of the problems stem from over worried owners.

....

What bugs me is the people walking tiny dogs who pick them up when they come towards another dog- of course the other dogs are going to jump up and play the game to get to the small dog!

Then the big dog is not under control if it is jumping up. It is an owner's responsibility to control their dog, and if someone owns a small dog and chooses to control it by picking it up, that is their choice.

It is the attitude of owners with bigger dogs like that that annoy me (or even smaller ones) - if your dog is off lead then it should be under your control hence not being permitted to jump up at people, whether they are carrying another dog or not - if you cannot control it then don't let it off lead!!!

I really don't understand which part of that you don't get.

Royston, as Baggins says, you're another one with an out of control dog running freely around. A dog which is controlled by a lead and is not allowed to approach other dogs or people doesn't need a muzzle - just control your own dog to prevent it approaching other dogs that are on leads - it is YOUR responsibility!

CFC

Person_one wrote: »

Oh no! Not your trousers! That's definitely reason enough to curtail the lives of thousands of dogs!

If those specific dog friendly secure parks existed, or were ever likely to exist, in decent numbers spread fairly evenly throughout the country I could possibly agree with your suggestion, but I don't see that happening.

Yes it is. Quite frankly some people are afraid of dogs. Why should they suffer because someone can't control their dog?

Mind you I love the thought of dog friendly secure parks - pooch is so small that I can't let him off anywhere with his poor recall because he can get through most railings in fenced off areas.

Person_one

CFC wrote: »

Yes it is. Quite frankly some people are afraid of dogs. Why should they suffer because someone can't control their dog?

Mind you I love the thought of dog friendly secure parks - pooch is so small that I can't let him off anywhere with his poor recall because he can get through most railings in fenced off areas.

I'm obviously not saying that people shouldn't control their dogs. But some people never will no matter how much you try and legislate, why should they spoil it for every dog in the country?

Lots of people are afraid of spiders, we should really do something about the fact that they're allowed to run around wherever they want willy nilly!

I'd be fine with dog parks, but I don't see it ever happening I'm afraid.

dontone

I have a Basset Hound. Depending where we are, I keep him on a lead as sometimes he'll get a scent of something and he wants to be off.
Once we were at a place called The Quarry down the road from us and he was off the lead, and he decided he was going to go the opposite way to me and no amount of calling brought him back.
I just managed to grab him before he wandered down towards the road, he made it out of the park bit and stopped to sniff something and I caught him there.
So, on the Quarry = on the lead.
If we go to the big park we let him off as long as there are no other dogs around because it's rather enclosed, and we can go up to the meadow next to the football ground and he can wander all over there.
He's just a pain with other dogs. He is a bit protective of me if he is on the lead and another dog passes, other wise we have to be careful if he's off because he'll bolt if he sees another dog that's off and bound over to play. So as long as there's nothing that can distract him, he's off, otherwise, on the lead till we are 100% sure its ok to let him off.
At lot of folks get a bit scared, so we try and be as careful as we can, he's not vicious, just daft, but he has a bit of weight, and can be too quick for his own good, so if theres kids or older people around we keep a tight rein. Course there are a few round here who have the big breeds like Rotties and Boxers who just let them do as they please, I do my best to avoid them as much as I can.

catkins

bagginslover wrote: »

Report them. Dogs, by law, are required to be on lead on public roads. Walking along a pavement next to a road with loose dogs is dangerous. If the dog were to run into the road, it could cause a serious accident, not only could the dog get hurt or killed, but people too.

I know someone is going to come along now and flame me for saying that, but nothing gets solved by doing nothing.

No, apparently dogs do not have to be on lead on the pavement. I have tried reporting the owners concerned to the council and the dog warden and neither want to know

catkins

bagginslover wrote: »

Wrong.
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/1052

Interesting because my local council say dogs do not have to be on a lead on the pavement!

catkins

My dog has good recall BUT he is a dog not a robot! I cannot guarantee that he will return 100 times out of 100 although I am reasonably confident he will.

He needs to run off lead. The only reason he can be funny with other dogs (although usually only when he is on lead) is because he was attacked by a lab. Is he now meant to suffer because of that dog?

I take him to places where there is plenty of room - large parks, woods, beaches etc and do my best to avoid other dogs, children etc. If I cannot do this then he stays on the lead but plenty of dogs AND CHILDREN run up to him. He is fine with children but I would prefer they did not run up to him and fling their arms round his neck. Children seem to not have to be obedient but dogs do!

As for having different times for dogs to be allowed in parks, on beaches etc this sounds good but what about if the owner works shifts or just cannot walk at set times.

I was on holiday in Cornwall recently. The beach close to where we stayed used to allow dogs on it all the time and I have fantastic memories of going on there with my dog. Now dogs are only allowed before 7am and after 7pm. Before 7am!!! I get up early all year I am not going to be up and out that early on holiday.

There is one part of the beach that is dog friendly but in order to get to it you have to walk up a very steep large hill and then negotiate very large rocks. You cannot walk your dog on the lead over the other beach in order to get to the dog friendly part! I had problems getting to it and for someone elderly, disabled etc it would be impossible.

I don't get why children are allowed on a beach all day and dogs either not at all or only a very short time. Ok probably due to owners not clearing up after their dogs but the number of dirty nappies I have seen on a beach along with food wrappers, empty cans, bottles etc is unbelievable and I don't think it was dogs causing that mess.

lazer

catkins wrote: »

My dog has good recall BUT he is a dog not a robot! I cannot guarantee that he will return 100 times out of 100 although I am reasonably confident he will.

He needs to run off lead. The only reason he can be funny with other dogs (although usually only when he is on lead) is because he was attacked by a lab. Is he now meant to suffer because of that dog?

I take him to places where there is plenty of room - large parks, woods, beaches etc and do my best to avoid other dogs, children etc. If I cannot do this then he stays on the lead but plenty of dogs AND CHILDREN run up to him. He is fine with children but I would prefer they did not run up to him and fling their arms round his neck. Children seem to not have to be obedient but dogs do!

As for having different times for dogs to be allowed in parks, on beaches etc this sounds good but what about if the owner works shifts or just cannot walk at set times.

I was on holiday in Cornwall recently. The beach close to where we stayed used to allow dogs on it all the time and I have fantastic memories of going on there with my dog. Now dogs are only allowed before 7am and after 7pm. Before 7am!!! I get up early all year I am not going to be up and out that early on holiday.

There is one part of the beach that is dog friendly but in order to get to it you have to walk up a very steep large hill and then negotiate very large rocks. You cannot walk your dog on the lead over the other beach in order to get to the dog friendly part! I had problems getting to it and for someone elderly, disabled etc it would be impossible.

I don't get why children are allowed on a beach all day and dogs either not at all or only a very short time. Ok probably due to owners not clearing up after their dogs but the number of dirty nappies I have seen on a beach along with food wrappers, empty cans, bottles etc is unbelievable and I don't think it was dogs causing that mess.

This is a major part of my complaint with a number of dog owners - dogs and children are not comparable. A child is a member of our society, a human being.
Whereas, a dog, at the end of the day, is still only an animal.

As for beach times, Cornwall council, have obviously decided (correctly imo), that the beach is for people and families, however i do agree that 7am is too early, 9 would be more appropriate.
Could you not just walk your dog elsewhere?

dazb75

I've read most of this thread and there really are some idiots about.

I let my dog off the lead as much as possible, where it is safe to do so. Without this, she simply wouldn't get enough exercise. She has good recall, because I trained her well. As a pup, yes she did sometimes jump up on strangers. But training will soon eliminate this.

She doesn't really go towards other dogs if they are on the lead, because in her eyes, that dog can't play with her.

What really annoys me these days is owners of pups not properly socialising their dogs. This is one sure way to create an aggressive dog!

Another bug-bear, is those that will lift up their pup as soon as my dog approaches. I wouldn't let her approach if I thought she was a danger to the pup. Those people really don't understand that they are, in reality, reinforcing the impression that other dogs are to be feared. Even those who yank the lead and pull the pup away, are doing the same thing.

Fear may eventually lead to aggression and that will be your doing.

"He doesn't like other dogs" ... The truth is that when he was young, he probably never got the chance to meet and play with other dogs. If your dog is aggressive towards other dogs for any reason, use a muzzle.

Socialisation of a pup is essential if you want a calm and happy adult dog.

lostinrates

lazer wrote: »

This is a major part of my complaint with a number of dog owners - dogs and children are not comparable. A child is a member of our society, a human being.
Whereas, a dog, at the end of the day, is still only an animal.

I agree, we need to be very considerate to other members of our own species....of animal.

I recognise our society is a society shaped, ruled and subject to the will of only one species...a species that has created many of the animals we now see, and most (all?) of the problems with them but the fact is we are all ''only' animals. All the time research is showing us the divides between ''humans'' and other animals are less concrete than we thought.


edit: fwiw I do expect my dogs to leave a lifted little dog alone, and children, and for that matter people who don't offer a hand, i.e. not bounce at it or its owner. Its harder to convince them to leave a lone a person who is behaving, to their interpretation, as if they want to play, especially if they are holding a small dog.. People who touch, and allow their kids to without first asking ARE a pain but something we work hard to train around...I always remind children who we meet and who stroke the dogs to always ask an owner first. Parents have told me off for that too, even though I am excessively nice about it. ''Yes you may stroke her, let her sniff you hand first please, but you should always ask because not all dogs are friendly, and they might get scared, so you should check with their owner to make sure its ok''...with a big smile and a friendly tone...never ''barking'' at them!

The only person other than us who treatrs our dogs are people we want to dog to consider ''family'' and the vet. The occasional stroke is a good thing, but only when I'm there, I don't want to train them to bowl up to people to demand attention....we work hard to reinforce the opposite!