Dog walking etiquette

[Asha]

While on my mornings walk with Stirling i was pondering dog walking etiquette

We go for a little stroll around the lanes every morning, ive noticed that i dont seem to see anyone else carrying poo bags. Maybe their dogs havent pooped, but by now i should have seen someone else with a fresh smelling bag of poop ? What i have noticed however is piles of poop on the verges. So is it deemed acceptable to leave your dogs poop in hedges / overgrown verges etc ?

The other query , if you walk past a house with a dog in the window and the dog barks/gets frantic/jumps up and down etc etc do you ignore and carry on at a snails pace letting your dog enjoy his sniffing ( Stirling loves to sniff ) or do you rush past so as not to upset the pooch in the window? I ask, as Stirlings favourite sniffing spot is right outside a house just like this, the old dear who lives there keeps giving me the just beggar off look. He isnt weeing or pooping, hes just sniffing.

 

[Clarabel]

I cannot stand seeing left dog poo and always pick up,but I do make my dog be clean in my own garden before we go out. Had a non dog owner walk with me and she was surprised that my dog hadn't been while we were out. As for the other dog barking I.would just move on and let your dog sniff somewhere else. I get wound up if I think someone is going to left their dog use the grass in front of my house, and the barking probably upsets the owner. We take the time to look after the grass and don't want other dogs burning the lawn.

 

[Ouch05]

I leave it on a over grown verges or under a hedges (never outside someone property) as better then bagging up and putting in landfill. But anywhere else, no I pick it up even on the grass tracks around our local fields. I would ask my dog to walk on in causing a dog to be worked up in side.

 

[stormox]

How do you know they haven't taken it to the nearest bin? I always pick up after my dog but put in nearest bin (retracing my steps if I have to).
Just walk by the house with the noisy dog normally- there's probably an even better sniff on the next verge.
I let my dog sniff in parks and fields but not if I'm walking through a busy town where sudden stops would cause a people pile-up.

 

[Goldenstar]

I would not let my dog dawdle outside a house with a reactive dog I would feel unkind to the dog and the neighbours.
I pick up poo and will often walk back to to the nearest bin or to my car and leave in by the wheel and then continue .

 

[Morwenna]

I don’t pick up poo if my dog goes deep into the undergrowth but do if it’s to the side of a path as many people (myself included) pull over to let people pass, avoid mud in winter etc.
I wouldn’t let my dog stop and sniff round outside a house with a reactive dog. Having had a reactive dog it’s really stressful for them and there are plenty of other sniffing spots on walks.

 

[ihatework]

Reactive dogs id move swiftly pass. Partly for the reactive dog, but also for mine, I don’t want to tempt them to answer back!

Poo wise, I aim to get it in my garden before I walk. But if it doesn’t happen I mostly pick - anywhere on road/pavement/footpath/field/verge by house. I will leave if it’s deeper in undergrowth and it’s not unsightly or at risk of being walked in.

 

[Belmont]

We have the same issue round our way - lots of poop on the verges in plain sight, really infuriates me.
In regards to the dog at the window, personally I wouldn't let my dog stop and just let him sniff elsewhere.

 

[skinnydipper]

It might be an idea for the owner of the reactive dog to restrict access to the window. It can't be doing her dog's stress levels any good.

 

[AmyMay]

Verges - always pick up.

Frantic dog at the window - move briskly on.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I pick up everywhere, I have stepped in poop on verges where somebody presumably thought 'no one else will be walking here'. I usually wear a training vest with big pockets and just take the bag(s) home/back to car/to nearest bin depending on where I am.

Barking dog - move swiftly on. There are parts of a walk where I let the dogs stop and sniff but not every tree, blade of grass and hole in the hedge, if I want to keep moving, we keep moving.

 

[splashgirl45]

It’s very rude to dawdle past a dog which is barking IMO, I live at the back of the village green and one very inconsiderate owner decided to stop outside my cottage at 11pm, PM!!!!! and throw sticks for his yappy terrier , mine went ballistic and as I had to get up before 6 am the next day and had been asleep , I was not impressed. When I next saw him I asked him not to do it again , but not quite that politely… he has never done it again

 

[Asha]

How do you know they haven't taken it to the nearest bin? I always pick up after my dog but put in nearest bin (retracing my steps if I have to).
Just walk by the house with the noisy dog normally- there's probably an even better sniff on the next verge.
I let my dog sniff in parks and fields but not if I'm walking through a busy town where sudden stops would cause a people pile-up.

There are no bins , it’s just country lanes .

 

[Asha]

Righty ho , so Stirling will just have to learn to walk on by !
He used to be terrified of barking dogs . There’s another house with 2 GSD that used to terrify him. I could t get him past when he was first out for his walks , so spent ages getting him accustomed to reactive dogs . Job is clearly done .

 

[Pinkvboots]

Walkers with or without dogs will stand at our gates having a good look at our house while my dog is going mental, I often go outside and shout out can I help you then they scurry off so flipping nosy

 

[skinnydipper]

Round here people seem to allow their dogs to entertain themselves by kicking off at passing dogs. It isn't nice and I know which houses to cross the road to avoid.

Poo I always pick up. I have an aversion to standing in it.

 

[Annette4]

I pick up everywhere but use a dicky bag so never look like I'm carrying poo bags (and don't have to deal with smelly bags just pop them in a bin as I pass or in my bin at home.

I would be rushing past the reactive dog as well.....but would be putting privacy film up if I was the owner. Its been a total game changer for us with ours and don't understand why more people don't use it was dogs who kick off as people go past.

 

[splashgirl45]

I pick up everywhere but use a dicky bag so never look like I'm carrying poo bags (and don't have to deal with smelly bags just pop them in a bin as I pass or in my bin at home.

I would be rushing past the reactive dog as well.....but would be putting privacy film up if I was the owner. Its been a total game changer for us with ours and don't understand why more people don't use it was dogs who kick off as people go past.

What is privacy film?

 

[malwhit]

I would just walk past the barking dog at normal speed. If it was in the garden and I thought it might get over the fence, I'd cross the road.

 

[Annette4]

What is privacy film?

It's an opaque sticker which goes on the window so you still get the light through but people can't see in/out. It's made a world of difference with ours and there is no residue on the windows. We've used it in 3 rental properties and it doesn't leave a trace.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Tbh, living out in the sticks, many resident dogs will bark when other dogs are walked past, it's to be expected. I just walk on past purposely. It's very annoying if dog walkers dawdle by, or even allow their dogs to come up to the gate to sniff noses to make 'friends' unasked with the resident dog.

I don't allow stopping for sniffs or poos (even if picked up) on the close mown areas just outside people's houses, either. We march on past those, too. Unfortunately we find plenty of poo on ours showing that others are less particular . There are plenty of other opportunities for roadside stopping, pooing and sniffing well away from houses or farms.

 

[splashgirl45]

Does it make the room darker? I’m in an old cottage so need as much light as possible but as I live at the back of the village Green we get quite a few dog walkers and mine do bark quite a bit. I’ve had a bit of success with a pet correcter spray which takes their attention away from outside, I’ve only used it 3 times and they are getting better..

It's an opaque sticker which goes on the window so you still get the light through but people can't see in/out. It's made a world of difference with ours and there is no residue on the windows. We've used it in 3 rental properties and it doesn't leave a trace.

 

[Nasicus]

Does it make the room darker? I’m in an old cottage so need as much light as possible but as I live at the back of the village Green we get quite a few dog walkers and mine do bark quite a bit. I’ve had a bit of success with a pet correcter spray which takes their attention away from outside, I’ve only used it 3 times and they are getting better..

You don't have the cover the whole window, and they're not 100% opaque. We have the lower half of our living room window covered with this:

Amazon.co.uk

Works a treat! Well unless mine's sat up on the back of the chair and can see over it, but overall it's made such a difference!

 

[splashgirl45]

Thanks

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I think it is bad-mannered of dogs to sniff when on the lead, unless expressly allowed to do so. I definitely don't allow it in front of houses.
As for picking up poos, I have a little caddy to put bags in until I spot a bin. Other people allow their dogs to use the unmown verge which on a narrow road with no pavement is a nightmare. Where should I ask my dogs to sit, as vehicles pass us? And what do the children walking to school do?