Control your dog!!

[Darth Penguin]

my 4.5 yo is TERRIFIED of dogs. Multiples times we have dogs bark at us, jump up on him, ect and the dog owner are all like "oooh my dog is friendly, he wont bite, he likes kids....does your son want to PET him?" ummm NO. get your dog away from my screaming, crying, terrified child thank you very much...

A scared child round a dog, however friendly, is always a bad mix. One wrong action can end up with a child hurt and a dog possibly being put down. It's much easier to avoid the situation with a small amount of common sense.

[bluzsuz]

I have to agree with Pumpkin on the big dogs - we have a 110 lb Bernese Mountain dog and she is TERRIFIED of small dogs. I think that the little guys must exude attitude that freaks the gentle giants out. My brother in law has a runt tea cup yorkie and she will make my Zoe drop to the ground everytime.

My oldest was also terrified of dogs when she was young - she would crawl right up you and almost sit on top of your head when she saw a dog. And we heard the 'he's friendly' line so many times. Now that we have a dog I have to remember back and repsect that as well. Our girl would never hurt a fly, she is a big baby but that little kid that is terrified doesn't know that.

[uniquelyme]

Learn what to say when someone's dogs come running towards you off leash (where they shouldn't be):

"Don't let him near! My dog has lice!"

Seriously. It's a thing. Canine Lice (not transmitted to humans) used to be rare, but this year vets are seeing an incredible amount of infestations.

Easy to get rid of, but they don't know that... see how fast they leash up their dogs and move along to avoid you. It's my new go-to excuse when people let their "friendly" dogs start harassing my very large elderly dog or my very scared small one.

[Ciel]

I use a whistle if a dog comes at me at my residence or on a public road and telling the dog to "go home" and motioning as such fails. Big dog? I keep blowing that whistle-doesn't matter if it's daytime or pushing 10pm, some adult related to that dog does not fail to turn up/call the dog even up to three minutes after the fact I used the whistle (nice shrill Fox 40 model). February-someone's little pug in adjoining neighbourhood was at large as male owner was doing something on driveway with vehicle. Dog kept barking and trying to get within 50cm of me as I was walking on the opposite side of road to get to a friend's house. I kept saying "no" and go back and heard owner say he's friendly etc and then fail to get dog to listen to his commands. This kept up for 5 minutes and I maybe got 4m along before the dog headed near home but still on road.

I make a point to thank dog walkers who keep their dogs away from me on sidewalk or even go on the grass. Had more dogs straining to get at me on their leashes than owners keeping their pets to one half of public sidewalk (whether on left side or right side, as long as space is shared, I can keep relatively calm). It annoys me to see someone with two dogs that take up width of sidewalk and not make me room for me-fine, I'll go around on the grass and not take a chance with those dogs.

Any dog biting a human in the face-that's a sign the dog is trying to stop a behaviour as a dog biting a dog's nose means that (from dog behaviour book I read). Don't know how many babies and kids comprehend that action as they are screaming in pain.

[nessa23]

great thread! I don't own a dog (yet) but I can't tell you how many times I've had a mini-heart attack beacuse dogs come RUNNING towards me with no leash or owners in sight!!

I'm glad you are mostly on the same page, dogs should be on a leash all the time (yes, aside from dog parks or places specifically for off-leash walking/roaming)

Heaven forbid a child (or adult for that matter) gets bitten, or attacked!! .....try pleading the 'my dog is friendly' case then.

big shout out to all the owners who take proper care of their dogs including keeping them on a leash!!

[macw1960]

I wish my neighbor could read this thread, maybe she would keep her 3 on a leash.

[Speckled28]

We have a poodle and he's always leashed. And while we do have a retractable leash, if we're near other people or animals it's always shortened enough so that he has to walk right beside us. He does often stretch and pull trying to get close anyone we walk past but we always keep him away....unless of course the person stops to pet him or whatnot. And even large dogs on leashes tend to make me nervous....and I'll pick my dog up. They almost always say how friendly their dog is....BUT my dog weighs less than ten lbs so it would only take one bite to do serious damage.

Ironically when we had our first poodle we had an opposite problem. People running up to pet him....and parents who'd just let their small children run up to pet him. Our first poodle was great with adults...but children made him nervous....and bitey, lol. I remember walking him with my mom and a little girl (about 7) came running up out of no where and reached for Peanut.....and my mom told her firmly and loudly not to touch our dog. I think she scared the little girl, but it all happened so fast and just because my dog is small does not mean that he isn't capable of biting you.....or your child. Animals are unpredictable.....as are children. That's happened more times that I can count and it always blows my mind that parents just stand by and watch their small children run up to a strange dog.....and of course you know those parents would be the first ones to scream bloody murder/lawsuit if their child ever got bitten. I'm 27 and I don't just randomly walk up to other peoples pets....nevermind bending over and sticking my face in theirs.

[i_forget]

I wish my neighbor could read this thread, maybe she would keep her 3 on a leash.

The guy that lives across the street from me had a problem keeping his dog under control and on a leash. I went to the website for my city, printed off the animal bi-law and wrote the phone number for animal control on the top of the page with a little note that said next time his dog s**** on my lawn or goes near one of my kids that I would be calling that phone number. I walked over to his house, rang his door bell and handed it to him. Have not had a problem since

[Sunshyne1]

ok well im going to flip this, I hate when parents ALLOW their kids to come running up to my dog when we are walking.

He's not used to kids, has no experience with them so I don't allow any kids to get close to him. It would only take one wrong move or step for the situation to turn bad.

I also hate when we're walking and see a little dog come barreling towards us and i yell to the owner to call their dog and their response is "oh don't worry! He/She is friendly!! Really?? Do you think that im concerned that you're little 10 lb dog is going to hurt my 80lb dog???? Tucker has DA (Dog Aggression). He is a rescue and although he is 100 % better than he was when we first got him, he has no desire to play or associate with other dogs. His first reaction is to fight. So when i see these little ankle biters running towards me and their owners doing NOTHING to retreive their dog I take matters into my own hands and move forward and yell at the dog. Yes, i look like a fool for doing it but i would rather look a fool than have to try to keep Tucker from thinking this little thing is his new squeaky toy.
For the record, i do not walk my dog in any parks or social areas. Im responsible and know his limits so i always make sure to avoid areas with lots of people or other dogs. These few instances are when we're walking the 2 blocks to the hiking trail we use.

[Tbites]

I loooooooove animals but there's a dark dark place in my heart for dog owners who don't think it's necessary to shorten their leash when a cyclist is approaching. Just happened again on the bike path this morning.... and the owner is looking at me like "I'm nutz"

[xXtiggerXx]

My American Eskimo is a mostly good dog but he's not 100% with hyper dogs running up to him. He can be fine with most dogs but if he feels intimidated he'll growl and/or snap. I keep away busy areas to do my best to avoid free running dogs for this reason. My dog is never off leash, and I never let him near another dog or person unless there's communication that it's ok. At least with leashes if our dogs don't get along they can be quickly pulled apart.

I live in a rural area and we have a huge problem with tourists coming up from the city in the summer and apparently thinking dogs don’t need to be leashed anymore. I hate when I’m at the on-leash beach and a huge free dog runs up and shakes water all over me, or is crapping all over the sand while it’s owner is busy having fun somewhere else. Also, the rail trail is not a dog park; while its a great place to take your dog, there are other dogs, motor vehicles, bikes, and wildlife there all of which are potential dangers to your free running dog. Every other week we have people coming to our door asking if we’ve seen their dog that they took for a walk there, it took off chasing something and now he’s gone. Most of those dogs are never seen again. There are dog at large bylaws here where dogs can and do get shot for going after livestock.

I've seen dog fights at parks and it's not pretty.Bottom line-If you love your dog, keep him safe on a leash.

[Sunshyne1]

I loooooooove animals but there's a dark dark place in my heart for dog owners who don't think it's necessary to shorten their leash when a cyclist is approaching. Just happened again on the bike path this morning.... and the owner is looking at me like "I'm nutz"

Now when im on a trail and I see a biker approaching, I always call my dog, move to the side an put him in a sit. If calling him to me would put him in the path of the biker, I just tell him to sit where he is. That has to be one of the most important commands I taught him (besides come, that should always be #1) a long distance sit. And i always get bikers thanking me when they go by. You can never tell what a dogs going to do when an object speeds by them. Especially a Border Collie...lol...his herding instinct is always trying to kick in!

[CouponLadybird]

I wish my neighbor could read this thread, maybe she would keep her 3 on a leash.

Ditto

My neighbor refuses to walk her dog on a leash, in fact it runs free through the neighborhood most of the time.

[CouponLadybird]

ok well im going to flip this, I hate when parents ALLOW their kids to come running up to my dog when we are walking.

I totally agree! I don't know why people feel it's ok to let their kids run up to/approach or try to pet random dogs (or animals in general).....I don't mind people petting our dog (although usually they want to pet the pig) BUT they need to ask first, and learn the correct manner to approach the animal, not just assume since it is cute and has fur it's up for mauling by strangers......

I would never consider allowing my kids to approach someone's pet without permission!

That's a huge pet peeve of mine....

[pumpkin9211]

[QUOTE=Sunshyne1;4744387]ok well im going to flip this, I hate when parents ALLOW their kids to come running up to my dog when we are walking.

I almost forgot about that. I don't like it one bit when a parent allows their kids to come running up to my dogs. Um.... NOT COOL!! I trust my dogs. They are good around kids (that they have been introduced to, in a quiet and safe environment). I don't trust the "strange kids". How would you react if a stranger stuck their finger in your eyes.... Pulled your ears... was in your personal space?!? Probably with a little bit of anger.

I have been called a few choice names because I say “Get your kid(s) away from my dogs”. If they would only realize I’m doing it to protect MY dogs and THEIR kids.

I move to the grass, put them in a sit position and let folks on bikes, walking with baby strollers, etc pass. I usually do that for seniors too.

My older dog is trained with verbal and hand signals. We are still working with the younger one to “master” just hand signals.

**If (and I am sure we will) get another dog. I will train them with “hand only” signals first and then add the verbal commands. I think it is fantastic to watch other owners control their dogs without a spoken word.

And for EVERYONE who owns a doggie... big or small..... 1 or 8..... Remember to POOPER SCOOP!!!