I wonder what goes through other owners' minds when...

[RuthnMeg]

Their dog is on lead, pulling the owners arms out, they are being ski'd along, but seem to take it with amusment. The dog is on the verge of choking to death, walking on back legs kinda thing. When I come along, dog off lead, just loping about, comes to call, walks to heal and we glide past. Said pulling dog then nearly pulls their owner over backwards! Owner gives us the look of 'how do you do that?' or, 'show off', or 'Rover*, why can't you do that?'
Or anything else?
Just thinking, like you do!

 

[bex1984]

I think some of them don't realise that the dog generally doesn't automatically just behave nicely by magic...you actually have to train it.

We have one at our local park, lovely little terrierist, never allowed off lead because it 'runs off'... "have u tried recall training with sausages?" I ask...owner looks at me like I'm bonkers. I mean, generally I am bonkers, but why would excitable terrier return willingly from adventures without incentive? S'ok now tho...they've bought a puppy to keep it company so it doesn't run off...what's that? They've both run off? Oh.

 

[NicoleS_007]

I must say it makes me laugh I always see teenagers being dragged along by there big brute-ish looking dogs and sometimes think to myself do they think they look cool or something!!

 

[Dobiegirl]

Having 2Dobes at 18months from rescue I can empathise with people who get dragged around by their dog. Mine have got a lot better and even heel now at dog training. But it is one of my pet hates why oh why dont people train their dogs when they are young and a manageable size.

 

[mollichop]

S'ok now tho...they've bought a puppy to keep it company so it doesn't run off...what's that? They've both run off? Oh.

See it all the time!

 

[Broodle]

Oh dear, you could be talking about me! My dogs are super obedient off lead and very well trained generally (if I do say so myself ), but they are thugs on lead. It's entirely my fault for not training them properly, but the trouble is that there is no need for them to go on a lead day to day so we just don't get the practice.

That said, I do use haltis as a quick fix to stop the pulling - I can't for the life of me understand why you'd put up with being literally towed around by your dog. Either train it or cheat like me and use some sort of training aid!

 

[lexiedhb]

personally I would be thinking "if you had just given me a touch more space, with your older, better trained dog, instead of insisting on walking under my nose, then my arms would still be intact!"

Due to the fact that he does walk to heel, unless another dog is within spitting distance!

 

[jsr]

Oh dear, you could be talking about me! My dogs are super obedient off lead and very well trained generally (if I do say so myself ), but they are thugs on lead. It's entirely my fault for not training them properly, but the trouble is that there is no need for them to go on a lead day to day so we just don't get the practice.

Me to, with 6 on lead it's like the Hounds of the Baskerville!! Mind you most of my dogs I've adopted as older dogs with behavioural issues so in the scheme of things I really don't care if they don't walk on lead.

One lurcher who wasn't out of a cage until he was 7 months old so can't be expected can't walk on lead without melt down let alone walk nicely. 2 rescue staffy crosses who's previous owners ideas of walkies was throw out the door or kick around the block, a JRT who didn't even wear a collar til he was 3 let alone walk on a lead and a 17 year old who can't walk fast let alone keep up with 5 younger dogs!!! My standard poodle walks lovely on the lead..if he has to, he's the lucky dog I adopted at 8 weeks old, but who didn't get lead trained because I didn't need him to be on lead so sometimes he forgets himself and tried to eat the lead but I don't care cos for the few short seconds he's on lead it's really not an issue.


Needless to say I never walk mine on lead unless absolutely necessary and then it's usually just the lurcher and the staffies. So great for those who got their dogs as puppies and the luxury of training them, but maybe the dog dragging the owner around has just been adopted or a rescue with more pressing issues than walking to heel.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Yep, lots of sideways dogs and people with long arms around here

If people only put the work in, their lives would be a lot easier!

 

[littlemisslauren]

You would all enjoy seeing me walk Betsy!

The first 5 mins consist of full strength pulling, some of it done whilst hopping on back legs and hanging herself. Me changing direction 7454 times and her just running in the other direction while I wave a chunk of cheese/ chicken around in hope that I will break her.

6 months ago that is what the whole walk was like So we are getting there... slowly.

 

[ThePinkPony]

I always feel a little smug with the really good dog of ours. He does everything by vocal comman, and the only dog i would ever have off the lead as he will not leave your heel unless sent away to pick up or search. He was bred for crufts and the like, but his legs are shortish and queen anne bless, their loss as he is fabulous and completely in love with the OH.

My friend used to do dog training and i would take him up as a demo dog, and on the shoots have been offered a fair bit of money from other people for him, ''oh yes well we bought our laab fully trained you know, but he seems to have forgotten what he learned you see, a dog like thaat would be waanderful darling'' *bite tongue, this man paid alot of money to shoot here and does not need a lecture on upkeep of gundog training*

 

[Cop-Pop]

I'll never forget teh first time I dog sat as a teenager. I was used to Bear who was as good as gold (until she saw a squirrel ) and I had to walk a Cavalier King Charles - it pulled me over! I was so embarrassed lol

 

[Pix]

"smug feckin barsteward" is what goes through my mind!



Naw, my current dog is good on a lead, but he's only 13 months and we have had a teenage period of "Sqwerl! I Kill!" and "OMG MUM LOOK! A DOG! IF I BOUNCE UP AND DOWN AND HOWL THE FATES SHALL SURELY HEAR MY PLEA AND ALLOW US TO MEET! MYSELF AND THIS STRANGE DOG SHALL PLAY FOREVER IN SUNBATHED MEADOWS, WHERE THE KONG BALLS ARE THROWN WITHOUT DELAY, AND SHEEP POO IS SCATTERED LIBERALLY!"

Fortunately for me he's a very overgrown GSD, so if he does share the love in a speshul, vocal kinda way, people helpfully walk away or give us space. Makes calming him back down and getting back his focus much easier Ironically, off lead he's fantastic with his calm, polite greetings, but I'm fed up of other (off lead- he's not allowed near dogs on lead) dogs chewing his face. And people do tend to panic at the sight of him bursting out of the treeline if I recall. Wusses