I do feel sorry for the few other dogs i see walking on a leash as there missing out on so much and to keep calling oscar every time i see one to hold onto him as al he wants to do is play does become a pain on some days :(
I do feel sorry for the few other dogs i see walking on a leash as there missing out on so much and to keep calling oscar every time i see one to hold onto him as al he wants to do is play does become a pain on some days :(
The thing is, you don't know why these others are on leads. Granted, some dogs just don't get enough exercise, or the owner is scared of letting the dog off. Other dogs may not have good recall, some maybe agressive, have fear based issues which make off lead a no no.
That makes very good sense to me. I have just found out it happened at one of those cattle gates so it was hard to see any dogs approaching until your there. Apparently the women said oh oscar is nice and when my partner and the other woman opened the gate to walk though and let the dogs say hello was when it happened.
I do feel sorry for the few other dogs i see walking on a leash as there missing out on so much and to keep calling oscar every time i see one to hold onto him as al he wants to do is play does become a pain on some days :(
Hi
Lately oscar has had a few growls at other dogs he sees if there on their owners leash. Not all the time just the odd occasion but today i was told he really turned a bit nasty and growling and went for this other dog. oscar was off the leash but the other dog was on a leash. Nothing happened as he was then grabbed and put on his leash and of course an apology to the other dogs owner. I wasn't there so can't say for sure what happened but he has growled at a couple of other dogs who are on there leash. Apart from this oscar is brilliant playing with other dogs submissive to little dogs and will more than hold his own with bigger dogs in there mad antics.
Is there a way to stop him growling as i wouldn;t want him to get hurt or hurt another dog
Hi
Lately oscar has had a few growls at other dogs he sees if there on their owners leash. Not all the time just the odd occasion but today i was told he really turned a bit nasty and growling and went for this other dog. oscar was off the leash but the other dog was on a leash. Nothing happened as he was then grabbed and put on his leash and of course an apology to the other dogs owner. I wasn't there so can't say for sure what happened but he has growled at a couple of other dogs who are on there leash. Apart from this oscar is brilliant playing with other dogs submissive to little dogs and will more than hold his own with bigger dogs in there mad antics.
Is there a way to stop him growling as i wouldn;t want him to get hurt or hurt another dog
So presumably you'll be keeping Oscar on-lead and muzzled from now on?? (NOTE, I'm NOT suggesting you should, just making a point about "aggression".) ;)
There are different degrees of aggression... and some "aggression" is actually perfectly normal dog behaviour that the owners seem to feel is unacceptable... If a dog is only going to defend itself from a loose dog bouncing all over them, to me that is not aggression (though plenty of owners would label it as such)... there might be a lot of noise, but damage is unlikely to be caused. The only dogs who need muzzling, in my opinion, are ones who are likely to instigate fights or attack another dog, not those who just won't put up with rude behaviour. Also, some of these "aggressive" dogs might be rescues who's owners are trying to gradually acclimatise them to other dogs... or a whole host of other situations.
The link I posted wasn't supposed to fit your exact circumstances, but I'd hoped it might give you some understanding of the issues you may come across allowing your dog to approach on-lead dogs...
My dog is off-lead for the majority of her walk - she avoids most dogs, but will tell them off if they invade her space too much... though polite dogs she will greet happily, and sometimes go on to play with them. If any dog ran up to her while she was on-lead, she would sound like she was trying to kill them (there would be no injury, but she would sound like she meant business). Not only would this earn her the label of aggressive from the owner of the rude/out-of-control dog, but it would mean I would have to spend the rest of the week on high alert for any potentially "scary" (for her) dogs that we met, as she will lose her confidence to avoid/diffuse situations, and so warn-off first and think later. One of the main reasons for her defensiveness around other dogs is a bad back. However she was also attacked at an adolescent by a German Shepherd. She also guards balls from other dogs.
Some people would call her "aggressive", but she's not, she just needs careful management and space fromrudefriendly dogs.... (when her behaviour started, I was convinced she was becoming "aggressive" and she'd end up needing to stay on-lead etc... but we had great advice from our training school and learned more about how her behaviour is (for the most part) acceptable for a dog (though not particularly tolerant!).
So just because someone says their dog is aggressive, doesn't necessarily mean a muzzle is needed...
And, at the end of the day, by the time you have asked an owner why their dog is on-lead, your dog has already bounced all over them... unless you know 100% that the dog is a) only on-lead because of a no-recall issue AND b) happy to greet other dogs on-lead, it is YOUR responsibility to keep YOUR dog under control.
I do understand your frustration at those owners who simply don't bother to train their dogs and keep them on-lead as a consequence (and we see those at puppy classes all the time - and those are the owners who have, at least, signed up for puppy classes in the first place) - but even if the owners say the reason the dog is on-lead is due to "aggression" or "being a bit funny with other dogs" or "no recall" you can't possibly know the full story. There are many owners on here who have reverted to lead walks while they firm up a recall that has been derailed... again, a rescue dog may have no recall and a high chase drive, and need further training before off-lead walks can be considered.
I think the fact that you stated it was a pain to be recalling your dog for the sake of on-lead dogs has led to this becoming rather more heated than you anticipated, as there are owners here who work very hard to manage their dogs anxieties, and have experienced many absolutely frustrating walks where weeks of training has been undone by one friendly dog... so people are just trying to explain why it means so much to them for you to keep your dog away from on-lead dogs as a matter of course. Most people here share your frustration at the owners who just don't bother to train... ;)
if there dog is aggressive then not only should it be on a lead it should have a muzzle on. no excuse for having an aggressive dog out without a muzzle in any circumstances.
well i guess we will have to disagree on certain points. i still think a dog is a dog and they do what dogs do sniff each others behinds is one of them. if i go to a secluded dog walking/play area then thats what he will do.I fully agree that sniffing other dogs' bottoms is part of the meet and greet process. However, if the dog being sniffed is clearly unhappy with this, then responsible owners should (and do) call their dog off. Most dogs are on lead for a reason.
well i guess we will have to disagree on certain points. i still think a dog is a dog and they do what dogs do sniff each others behinds is one of them. if i go to a secluded dog walking/play area then thats what he will do. if other dogs on leads walk past with aggressive problems then surely there owners should walk them in a less busy dog walking area and muzzle them. aggressive dogs should be muzzled or at least kept away from public areas full stop. i am on about aggressive dogs not ones that warn other dogs away with a growl or a little nip on the ear. i do ask if other peoples dogs are friendly and ok for oscar to say hello before oscar can approach but lately theres to many aggressive ones. funny how most of these aggressive dogs aren't seen on the cold or rainy days.
Well i am not being judgemental as i do know some dogs have problems especially with there hips. i always ask why there on the lead as i talk to everyone (trait of mine!) and the story i hear most is because there aggressive or they think the dogs wont come back. So getting back to my point if i am walking my non aggressive friendly dog in the middle of a disused farm or a 30 minute walk from any road or housing which is what i do as do a of other dog owners near where i live why should i have to put my dog on the lead or recall him if an aggressive dog is approaching without a muzzle. I haven't said a bad health dog who can't be let off the lead.
ps i do go on a bit i know!
And to be quite honest, if something serious happens (god forbid) with your dog off lead, and another dog on lead, the responsibilty (and 'blame') lies with you.
How very rude.
i just get fed up having to call him every time a dog walks past on a lead.Why don't you keep him on a lead then and you won't have to call him back? :shades:
No matter how friendly the on-lead dog, as a general rule you shouldn't let an off-lead dog approach an on-lead dog, as the on-lead dog cannot display the full range of body language, and can't avoid contact if they want to do so. It can make the on-lead dog more reactive as they have no option but to "fight" as they cannot "flee".
It is possible the on-lead dogs are giving off subtle "get lost" vibes which Oscar is reacting to... or another common problem is that an on-lead dog who is pulling even slightly on the lead actually pulls itself into what appears (to another dog) to be an aggressive stance - the face becomes taught, the body-weight is concentrated onto the front legs etc... add this to the fact that an on-lead dog will most likely be approaching in a straight line, with no option of stopping to sniff (which would be a calming signal) or altering pace to put another dog at ease... it's no wonder that being on-lead creates all kinds of problems both for the on-lead dog and for other dogs around them.
;)
i just get fed up having to call him every time a dog walks past on a lead
i just get fed up having to call him every time a dog walks past on a lead.
And I am sure the owner of the dog that your dog is running up to and invading their space is also fed up.
why should i have to put my dog on the lead or recall him if an aggressive dog is approaching without a muzzle.
i have never allowed oscar to approach an on lead dog
i just get fed up having to call him every time a dog walks past on a lead
i have never said i let my dog approach other dogs on a lead
when i go to a secluded place ie fields on abandoned farms to let my dog have a run and sniff why should i have to keep calling my dog back when other dogs approach on a lead.