ollie went off lead today!!!! U/D Change of heart

[Oliver21508]

Hiya

Took Ollie to the park on his long line. He was being really obedient so I decided to let him off completely. He was fab. He sticked really close by and if he did wander, I called him back and ran away from him, and he came racing over.  The park was very quiet, there was no-one there, so I only let him off for about 3-5 minutes. Once he was back on, he was fine and then a dog entered the park. He ran over to say hello. Here's my question, how do you stop them running over to dogs? With people, he can ignore them, just not dogs. I do have to say though, that the difference between him off lead and him on the line, was nothing. His behaviour was exactly the same, so I'm still wondering if there's any need for him to be completely off lead? When he's on the long line, he's allowed to run free. He's not attached to me at all on the long line.

[Joules]

Yes, he does need to run free!    IMO it is cruel to have a dog and never let it run free especially an energetic breed like a spaniel    Why are you so worried about Ollie running up to other dogs to say hello   He will do this of course - it is natural for a pup to want to greet other dogs and play with them too.  As long as they don't make a nuisance of themselves, what is the problem?  Coco used to do it all the time when she was a pup - I would call her back as much as possible but it is good for them to meet other friendly dogs and great socialisation if the other dog and owner is happy with it. She was a bit too friendly tbh and got told off a couple of times but this is how she learned doggy manners - I am not saying that Ollie should just run amok and harrass other dogs you meet but it is good for them to interact especially at his age.  Coco has gradually become more discerning and doesn't bother much with other dogs now other than a quick sniff to say hello.    Surely you are not planning to keep him on a lead or long line for life? 

[Oliver21508]

The long line is not attached to me. He does run free, the long line is trailing and is only there if I need to pick it up if he decides to do a runner. The reason why I don't want him going to any dog uninvited, is cos the other dog may be aggressive, and I don't want Ollie to be injured or anything.

[debsallen]

The long line is not attached to me. He does run free, the long line is trailing and is only there if I need to pick it up if he decides to do a runner. The reason why I don't want him going to any dog uninvited, is cos the other dog may be aggressive, and I don't want Ollie to be injured or anything.

sorry but it is innevitable that from time to time he will meet a 'not so friendly dog', part of growing up, they soon pick up on other dogs body language.

[black taz]

IMO it the owners more than the dogs that are the problem (with the dogs he runs upto not you).

When Taz was about 6 months old, he ran over to two pugs in the park and the owner was waving his arms trying to shoo him away, taz just thought he was playing so carried out.  Then the man got his dogs leads and hit taz across the back a number of times, i shouted at him to stop and he said it was my own fault i should have my dog under control -  he was insisting that Taz should either damage their eyes or break their backs (he was only running around them not jumping on them).  His dogs were off lead to and not bothered by Taz.  In hindsight i should have reported him but i was so upset.  However, about 6 months ago we were on the park together again, and it suddenly hit me that he hardly ever recalled his dogs and when he did they took ages to go back to him!  

Taz is now 18 months and he will go to other dogs but if they are not interested he just comes back, if they want to play he plays.  

[emderpenguin]

the best thing to do in terms of training them to come back around other dogs (imo) is to let them off with as many dogs as possible!

Kye didn't know how to interact with dogs when I got him. He was at least a year old, thought that lying down, storking and charging up and barking was 'good dog language' and used to disappear out of site across MASSIVE fields.

it's only been through taking him on large social walks with lots of dogs (20+ from flyball clubs, german shep rescue etc) that he's learned how to behave around dogs. Now MOST of the time he's not bothered, happy to stick with me in the hopes of getting a ball thrown etc. Has his odd moments but nothing like what he was.

Pepper has been off lead since she was old enough to go out. Never been on a long line (as Kye always knew the difference between being on a line even trailing and being off lead and I figured she'd be the same) She's been told off by other dogs, but she knows when I call her away from another dog (which i do if it's on a lead) that she'll get to say hello to loads of others so isn't bothered about coming back.

Kye used to spot dogs, look at me, think "mum's not going to let me say hello, she's gonna grab me" and leg it. It was only when I totally ignored those looks we managed our recall breakthrough.

[JennyBee]

It could be his behaviour was the same because it was his first time off lead.  I was very reluctant to let Brodie off her longline and did think she would not notice any difference.  However, once I bit the bullet, I could see how wrong I was!  She loves it, she has so much more freedom and interacts much more  with the dogs we meet (she is quite a timid dog at times).  I still use the longline quite a bit, and only let her off in situations I am sure of.  I know that there is always the risk that she could meet an aggressive dog…but the benefits of letting her off the lead are too great xxx

[johndoran]

TBH i enjoy the walk so much more with Bonnie off the lead its great to see her running flat out with her ears flapping .yes there is a chance she might meet a not so friendly dog but its got to be worth the risk. When she meets some of her friends out over the fields and they chase each other round and round  there is no way i could tire her out like that. She just loves running and jumping and sniffing and playing and chasing and being chased thats what being a cocker is all about and she allways comes back gets home wash,dry and sleeps .Bliss

[Joules]

The long line is not attached to me. He does run free, the long line is trailing and is only there if I need to pick it up if he decides to do a runner. The reason why I don't want him going to any dog uninvited, is cos the other dog may be aggressive, and I don't want Ollie to be injured or anything.

How long is the line then - he can not truly run free when he is on a long line.    The long line is for training not for ever!   If it is close enough for you to pick up all the time, then he is not really getting much freedom - you cannot keep him tied to you for ever and nor should you.   Most dogs he will meet are not aggressive - most are quite happy to say hello, play or whatever - some might tell him off with a growl, but this is how he will learn how to interact with dogs.  It is essential that he is well socialised with dogs esp if you are planning on showing him.  Do you never let him meet/play with other dogs when you are out?  When Coco went to puppy class our homework every week was for her to meet 10 new dogs.

I would be interested to hear what your trainer says  

[Helen]

dogs learn manners and how to deal with other dogs by interaction - some good, some not so good, it's all part of socialising them and this is something you can't teach them.

Unsocialised dogs sometimes can't read the body language of other dogs, or are late in maturing because they've not learnt doggy manners from adult dogs...and this is when they get into trouble, or worse, become fear aggressive 

I'm still learning what is 'aggressive' behaviour and what is a warning or a telling off or normal play (rough or otherwise) and I still don't think I can completely make that judgement call for Jarvis - he can, cos he's the dog 

Today he was bounced on by a 6 month old german shepherd - she was very boisterous and a little cheeky, and was jumping on his back.  He bared his teeth and growled at her, and chased her away a couple of times.  Looked and sounded vicious...but there was no attempt to bite or attack her!  It was just a telling off (and I don't blame him )

It is tough, sometimes you are right to avoid certain dogs, but you can still do this with him off lead if you have a solid recall in place.  Jarv would approach most dogs until he was around 18 months old, now he's very selective and if needs be I can call him back.  They change as they mature 

[Oliver21508]

The long line is TRAILING, on the floor, I do not touch it unless there's another dog in sight. So most the time, the line is away from me, but he's not the running around, getting rid of energy sort of cocker. He just loves sniffing and trotting around. Yeah, sometimes he goes away to sniff something about 20m away, but I don't worry as I know if I need to, I can run and grab it. He can run free. He goes to training classes every week and he sees tons of dogs there and says hello to them all, and he meets dogs on walks, and he sees his girlfriend (a little cavalier) regularly. He's very well socialised, and actually we have met a few aggressive dogs, today for example, saw a terrier being very aggressive to Ollie and other dogs whilst on an on-lead walk.

[Joules]

actually we have met a few aggressive dogs, today for example, saw a terrier being very aggressive to Ollie and other dogs whilst on an on-lead walk.

What do you mean by aggressive?  If a dog is too in Coco's face she will growl or bark at them and chase them away - it does sound aggressive but she never bites or hurts them, she just gives them a warning.  It is essential imo that dogs have these interactions to learn how to communicate properly with other dogs.    Plus, 99% of the time, it is fun! 

[emderpenguin]

The long line is TRAILING, on the floor, I do not touch it unless there's another dog in sight.

Kye KNEW he was on a long line BECAUSE it was trailing/getting snagged in things etc... they do know the difference

actually we have met a few aggressive dogs, today for example, saw a terrier being very aggressive to Ollie and other dogs whilst on an on-lead walk.

Chances are a lot of the agression from the terrier is because it WAS on a lead. Many dogs (Kye included) are a lot more agressive on lead (kye's is verbal) becuase they are not in control of their own ability to move away/approach a dog in a way they feel comfortable in.

Dogs approach each other normally in an arch, they can't do this on a lead. Plus a dog pulling on a lead looks a lot more threatening in terms of body language to other dogs, so everyone is more tense.

I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong, I'm just saying that there are reasons a long line can hinder your progress.

PS Kye also walks to heel SO much better off any form of lead

[Helen]

He's very well socialised, and actually we have met a few aggressive dogs, today for example, saw a terrier being very aggressive to Ollie and other dogs whilst on an on-lead walk.

did he bite Ollie? 

[Oliver21508]

This terrier was on another on-lead walk, not the long line. He was barking and trying to get to a staffie on the pavement, and then turned to Ollie. Ollie looked a little taken aback as if to say, what have i done wrong? and he was a little nervous, but he walked past and thought nothing of it again. Exactly the same situation has happened before, with an old collie. It seems to always be with elderly people, they let the dog wonder and just be aggressive to anyone. I had to walk in the road to give enough space between ollie and this terrier.

Even if they know the difference, it wouldn't change the fact that he gets to run free and away from me. On on-lead walks, he wears a halti, or anything other than a halti is freedom to him.

No he didn't bite him, but only cos i gave a wide enough berth to get around him.