Leash Law Etiquette (aka "Don't worry, he's friendly!")

[Camden's Mom]

Hi everyone! I’m new to this forum as a member but I have been actively reading the boards since last September. I am a first time dog owner of a border collie, Camden, who is 15mo. It’s been a wild ride so far and this forum has really been my safety harness!

 

To my question...

 

Here’s the scenario: I am walking Camden (on leash) in an on-leash only area. Suddenly an owner and their off leash dog(s) approach. I ask, nicely: “Can you please call your dog?” They make an attempt, but their dog is paying them no mind. Since their dog isn’t recalling the owner often yells out: “Don’t worry, he’s friendly!” I ask again, more urgently: “Please call your dog!” The owner knows the dog won’t come so just shrugs or makes a few half-hearted attempts at a recall. Clearly, it’s left up to me at this point.

 

In the past I’d found this scenario *extremely* irritating. However, I didn't want to be rude so I’d just let the dogs interact until the owner caught up and regained control of their dog.

 

That’s not an option now. Camden is healing from a growth plate injury and when another dog steers toward us his brain switches to ZOMGCANIPLAYMOMPLZZZZ!!!! I can keep him in a very reliable sit until the other dog is within a couple feet and then I’ve lost him. He bounces, pulls and just goes generally bonkers wanting to play… all of which could re-aggravate his injury.

 

I’ve tried the “superhero stance” attempting to block the dog(s) but usually they still come right up to us or even try to wiggle past me. I almost got my leg bitten last week (not kidding) by one dog I was blocking. I’ve tried picking my dog up but the other dog usually sticks around or even follows me as I walk away. Regardless, in just about ALL of these instances, the other owner has treated me as though I’ve been extremely rude and nasty to them and their dog. As a newbie dog owner am I missing something? What are the appropriate actions to take in this situation? I’d love to hear what you all suggest. I’m finding this is happening to me at least once a week (or more) and I’d like to know the appropriate way to handle it that’s not obnoxious or rude but still allows me to look out for the welfare of my dog. Thanks in advance!!

 

-Camden's Mom

[Liz P]

I pull out my cell phone and take a photo of the person and their dog. I let them know I will report them if they don't leash their dog immediately.

 

For the most part though, I don't walk my dogs in public anymore. I had a dog attacked 2 different times by pit bulls. This has left him permanently fear aggressive. I had another dog attacked by a mastiff. Another dog was attacked by my neighbor's dog while I was standing on my front lawn. In ever case the owners where idiots who didn't have a clue. It's not worth it to me. I do take a dog along while riding on the bike trail. Most of the time people realize that a bike trail is not a good place to let their dogs run loose. The two times I have had trouble I used the photo method. In that case I can see them far enough in advance to stop and get my camera (phone) out.

[Tommy Coyote]

That's kind of what I was going to say. If I had a dog that was recovering from and injury I would not walk it anywhere that there might be other dogs - or other distractions.

 

The same if I had a dog that was afraid of other dogs or who was dog aggressive. I am very careful where we go. You just can't control the situation when you are out in a public area. And you can just figure that all kinds of stuff is just going to happen out there. It always does.

[RichardH]

I agree with the above and I'd add that you might just want to relax and go with the flow. Your dog is young and bouncy and probably won't be perfectly controllable yet, so don't be embarrassed about him not holding a perfect sit outside or not listening to your every wish. Since this is only happening once a week and he likes playing with other dogs maybe just let him sniff and bounce around for a sec - seems reasonable to me? If you see aggression signals from the other dog, that's usually my WTF Y U OFF LEASH?!?! moment where I start kicking ass and taking names.

 

OTOH, If he hasn't actually recovered from his whatever his injury might be, then see a vet about it before taking him out in public, because if he's not recovered and you're always thinking worst case/doom/dark volacano death scenarios, your dog may pick up on your anxiety level and start to react. There's no point risking your dog's health and mishandling a bunch of social interactions if there's actually a risk of him hurting himself again.

 

-Rich

[Smalahundur]

the owner often yells out: “Don’t worry, he’s friendly!”

May I suggest the very loud answer "WELL, MINE IS NOT!!!

[Liz P]

May I suggest the very loud answer "WELL, MINE IS NOT!!!

 

Doesn't work, trust me. Even when my dog was barking, screaming, lunging and snarling they kept insisting that their dog was so friendly that everything would be fine.

[TEC]

I agree that until your dog has recovered, it's probably best to stay away from public places. There's too many people who can't or won't control their dogs. Some owners really don't understand appropriate protocol in a public place.

 

If in the meantime, you are accosted walking into the vet's office or something, this has worked very well for me: 1) I have my dog on leash, 2) I say nothing to the other owner/handler, unless they are close enough that it can be said in a normal tone of voice without having to increase volume. (I think it just excites my dog, and likely the other dog as well), 3) As the errant dog approaches, I calmly reach down and shorten the leash length to about 2-3 feet, and pull my dog's head to face me, as I walk backwards in a big circle. This tactic exposes only my dog's rear to the other dog, allows it to sniff and often go away, 4) Provides time for owner to gain control of her/his dog, 5) My dog is not in position to snap at the other dog who wants to be in her face. -- Best wishes, TEC

[Shetlander]

Sadly, responsible owners end up needing to modify their actions based on less responsible/cluess owners and their dogs. I agree that if bouncing around is bad for him, then I would walk him in a place or at a time where you are unlikely to encounter off leash dogs or else not walk him until he is recovered. Quinn's issue is he has a rather large bubble with strange dogs. While a truly friendly dog would just hop away from his for show snark, there is still a concern that a fight might occur. For that reason, I am firm but pleasant when I say my dog doesn't want to make friends. If the dog is lose and not under the owner's control, I get very loud and mean with the dog, stepping in front of my dog as much as possible. Yes, some people act like something is wrong with you and your dog, but since I'm not planning on forming long lasting relationships with those strangers, I don't particularly care. If they have their dog under control, I am happy to chit chat and be friendly while preventing our dogs from mingling. But if not, my first concern is that a walk in the park doesn't turn into an emergency vet visit.

[Covelo Dogs]

A response I use, when people state " don't worry, he is friendly", is mine are not. My dogs are in a suburban area once or twice a month and while there I walk them in a group of two to four. When I see people with dogs, on or off leash, approaching I lay mine down. One thing I have noticed is when they see mine lying down most are more respectful to my personal space and pleas to control their dogs.

good luck

[Smalahundur]

Doesn't work, trust me. Even when my dog was barking, screaming, lunging and snarling they kept insisting that their dog was so friendly that everything would be fine.

I believe you, it is difficult to deal with clueless people.

Avoidance strategy is probably best, but can be difficult depending on where one lives. I am pretty lucky; my next door neighbors live kilometers from our house (and they are fine people ).

[WildFlower]

I also respond to the "Don't worry, he's friendl!y" with "My dogs are not!". That seems to take most people by surprise but in the end doesn't change much. I guess I still hope that it makes a difference the next time. Probably wishful thinking....

 

Before I had multiple dogs, I walked with my stock stick or a bat. I once had a dog run out while walking my two (I still could carry my stock stick with 2) and the owner was outside and yelled "whack him". I did. I have also pushed dogs away from us with my feet. In a few cases I charged towards the offending dog stomping my feet. That seems to confuse them. (None of the dogs that I have encountered have appeared to be truly aggressive.)

 

I have had one of my dogs attacked (and she was hurt). I do not take it lightly and I have no problem doing my best to defend my dogs from idiots and their dogs.

[Tilly's Handler]

Dogs off leash is one of my biggest pet peeves we have a non motorized trail that splits the farm in half and people are always walking dogs on there that don’t have a clue I have called bylaw enforcement and was told to just shoot the dogs if they were bothering the sheep but I would rather have the owner punished not the dog. I was having problems with one dog coming under the fence and the owner was making no effort to call it back I waited about forty feet from fence and when the dog crawled threw the owner saw the rifle then she started to frantically call the dog up till then she had no intention of calling it back. She was trying to tell me the dog was playing with the sheep and wouldn’t hurt them I said just chasing them can kill a sheep as well as the stress it puts them under I told her that the next time I would shoot it . I had a neighbors dog I tried to stop during an attack and it came at me growling and snarling I went to the house but by the time I got back with rifle it was gone but not the damage I called the neighbor and he admitted that the dog had brought a carcass home the fact he would not have the common courtesy to call around and find out where his dog had got it made my blood boil he then wanted to argue about the price he had to pay I never got an apology or I am sorry he dropped the cheque in the mail box and called me to go down to the road and pick it up. Too many people will not believe there little fluff can be a killer. Now that said many of the people I have meet have control of their dogs and I am glad they have a place to walk them but too often I have seen or heard dog fights or experienced dogs rushing at me hackle up teeth showing while some idiot shouts he is just bluffing and does not mean it.

I feel for you and what you have experienced

[Camden's Mom]

Thank you, everyone, for the responses! I feel a bit relieved that the actions I've taken thus far are not insanely obnoxious and over the top, as I was beginning to worry. On the other hand, the stories of dog fights erupting in these situations is very unnerving. It makes me a little more wary of a strange, off leash dog approaching (whether Camden is healthy or not).

Given that my young, exuberant pup is restricted to on leash walking only, it seems cruel to not allow him a daily walk. Even with training sessions, scent work and some light play I'm afraid he'll go bonkers if he's not able to get out of the house and explore a bit. We still have four more weeks of this. (sigh)

Liz - thank you so, SO much for the suggestion of bike trails!! It reminded me that there's one place I've never had this happen: an actively used equestrian trail. I'll take him there more often since people tend to leash their dogs when a horse might round the corner at any moment. I might also check out a few bike trails in the area and see if I have any better luck on those.

RichardH - I definitely try to remain calm. In fact I'll normally take a few steps off the trail and put him in the sit. Kinda' like Covelo Dogs was saying, this is a clear sign to the other dog owner that I'm not interested in having our dogs meet. Most everyone on leash gets this and is very respectful. The issue is when their dog is off leash and isn't getting the memo.

As to the "Don't worry, he's friendly" phrase, I tried a few times to call out and say "My dog is injured", but again, if they don't have any control over their dog it doesn't matter what I say. The dog isn't listening.

WildFlower - I don't think I could manage Camden and a stick. We still have to do a lot of leash training (we're getting there....) so my hands are usually pretty full. I've thought about carrying a spray of some kind as a deterrent but I'm worried that could backfire? If anyone has any experience with a spray I'd love to hear it.

 

Tilly - That is *awful*!! I can't even begin to imagine allowing a dog to go onto someone else's property, much less kill their livestock!! Good grief, I think what I've had to deal with this past month is in nothing in comparison. So sorry to hear you even have to deal with that. I don't know what people are thinking...

[Gideon's girl]

We have dogs in our neighborhood that I have no doubt would not just bluster but actually attack. When they come charging my way, I make sure they understand that I'm not just bluster either. If I see their owner, I make sure the owner knows I'm not just bluster either. One owner in particular, I told him that his pittie had come on my property and growled and lunged at me 3 times already and that if it came on my property again it would not be coming home, but my lawyer would be visiting. My kids were small then and he had already been told about his dogs behavior and had just shrugged it off. Some people should not be allowed to own animals.

[ncsugrad54]

After my dog was attacked at the lake (mine was on leash, theirs wasn't), I went out and bought pepper spray to carry with me at all times. I have no problem doing whatever to protect my dog from being harmed.

[arf2184]

I'm more afraid of owners than dogs. The dogs I can read body language...the owners are unpredictable. You do what you can, avoid what you can, and hope for the best.

 

While at the lake one day, we were approached by two off leash dogs. This was fine. I saw them coming and so did my two dogs. Meg was off-leash too (which is good...on-leash is when we have issues; off leash we do not) and Bear was on leash (because he's rude so he stays on leash). The dogs were approaching cautiously, but not with any sign of aggression and tails were wagging. Suddenly their owner spots us and starts frantically calling her dogs in a panicked manner. I told her it was ok, they were fine, but she ignored me and continued to freak out. Only then did her dogs show any sign of 'aggression'. Of course they did not come to her but continued to head for my dogs, now worried about their mom, one with hackles raised. So I moved between them and my dogs...hackles-dog turned around and headed back to her still-yelling-mom. The other slipped behind me and headed for Bear. At this point, Bear was also stressed from frantic-yelling-lady so of course he growled at the approaching dog (whose tail was wagging again). Dad had Bear's leash and just pulled him back and took a step in between the dog and Bear. The dog left and all was fine. Frantic lady continued to yell at her loose dog though as we walked away. It would have been much better if the other owner had kept her mouth shut, or if she's so worried, kept her dogs on leash in the first place. (Meg stayed behind me through all this...she has learned to let me handle things.)

 

Staying relaxed is just as important as leashing your dog. If your tense, your dog may become tense and that is where trouble arises. Took me too long to not only learn, but apply that and even longer to teach it to the rest of the family, but really, it works in most situations. Stay calm and be alert.

[alligande]

Let me first say that I do run my dogs of leash all the time, in places I am not really supposed to, BUT they are large park areas, I have a very good recall and do not allow my dogs to run up to strange dogs, unless we get the ok that the other dogs are happy to play, the boys off leash are happy to play with anyone and if they don't like a particular dog they just ignore it.

 

Now when Rievaulx and I go running it is very different story, we run on city sidewalks and very often a scenic path that is also a tourist attraction running between Newports mansions and the ocean, gorgeous place for a run, not under any circumstances a place to have an off leash dog even a well behaved one... But yes there are lots, and R becomes leash reactive when we go running, its very manageable just don't come and stick your nose in his. It's easier to navigate around the tourists in summer than the locals in winter!

I use my best snotty British accent with this and it works sometimes

May I suggest the very loud answer "WELL, MINE IS NOT!!!

But more often I experience what Liz has, even when I very obviously stop running, have him sit, tighten up on his leash so he can't lunge (challenging in a harness) and sort of tuck my very large border collie behind me, they keep coming and smiling telling me how friendly their dog is, I have been known to cross streets, divert across lawns and head up banks all in the hopes of avoiding silly people, with their dogs on and off leash

 

Doesn't work, trust me. Even when my dog was barking, screaming, lunging and snarling they kept insisting that their dog was so friendly that everything would be fine.

[Kelleybean]

 

Thank you, everyone, for the responses! I feel a bit relieved that the actions I've taken thus far are not insanely obnoxious and over the top, as I was beginning to worry. On the other hand, the stories of dog fights erupting in these situations is very unnerving. It makes me a little more wary of a strange, off leash dog approaching (whether Camden is healthy or not).

 

Given that my young, exuberant pup is restricted to on leash walking only, it seems cruel to not allow him a daily walk. Even with training sessions, scent work and some light play I'm afraid he'll go bonkers if he's not able to get out of the house and explore a bit. We still have four more weeks of this. (sigh)

 

Liz - thank you so, SO much for the suggestion of bike trails!! It reminded me that there's one place I've never had this happen: an actively used equestrian trail. I'll take him there more often since people tend to leash their dogs when a horse might round the corner at any moment. I might also check out a few bike trails in the area and see if I have any better luck on those.

 

RichardH - I definitely try to remain calm. In fact I'll normally take a few steps off the trail and put him in the sit. Kinda' like Covelo Dogs was saying, this is a clear sign to the other dog owner that I'm not interested in having our dogs meet. Most everyone on leash gets this and is very respectful. The issue is when their dog is off leash and isn't getting the memo.

 

As to the "Don't worry, he's friendly" phrase, I tried a few times to call out and say "My dog is injured", but again, if they don't have any control over their dog it doesn't matter what I say. The dog isn't listening.

 

WildFlower - I don't think I could manage Camden and a stick. We still have to do a lot of leash training (we're getting there....) so my hands are usually pretty full. I've thought about carrying a spray of some kind as a deterrent but I'm worried that could backfire? If anyone has any experience with a spray I'd love to hear it.

 

Tilly - That is *awful*!! I can't even begin to imagine allowing a dog to go onto someone else's property, much less kill their livestock!! Good grief, I think what I've had to deal with this past month is in nothing in comparison. So sorry to hear you even have to deal with that. I don't know what people are thinking...

 

We encountered a large black lab on a bike trail. Owner hollering "He's friendly" me screaming back "SHE"S NOT" Thank goodness I can pick Asa up, she was terrified! (She had previous experiences being attacked by a cattle dog in our agility class) The owner of the lab had NO control over their dog and couldn't call him off. If could have been an ugly situation!

[Camden's Mom]

Let me first say that I do run my dogs of leash all the time, in places I am not really supposed to, BUT they are large park areas, I have a very good recall and do not allow my dogs to run up to strange dogs, unless we get the ok that the other dogs are happy to play, the boys off leash are happy to play with anyone and if they don't like a particular dog they just ignore it.

 

I have come across a few dogs off leash that, when I asked the owner to call their dog, recalled... immediately! They were able to walk their dog right past mine in a beautiful heel (no leash) and even exchange a few words with me in passing. I have NO beef with an owner who has control over their dog without the use of a leash. In fact, I usually watch them walk away in total admiration.

 

Sadly, this has been the minority. Most people really do need a leash to have that level of control over their dogs. Lord knows I wouldn't be able to walk Camden right past a stranger dog in a heel without a leash. His little brain would not be able to handle that... but maybe one day... a girl can dream, right?