It's all my fault for keeping my dog on a lead, is it?

[Magnetic Sparrow]

I had an unusual walk with L, my too-small-to-be-a-greyhound-too-big-to-be-a-whippet sighthound in the woods today.

I was wishing I could let her off the lead, but her recall is still very much work in progress, when I came across a lady calling for her Westie that had taken off after a deer. I think that answered the question for me about letting L off the lead. About ten minutes later I met a man and a woman with a GSD off the lead. The man called the GSD who ignored him completely and bounded towards my poor hound with evident ill intent. I shouted 'Will you please get your dog under control' to which the man responded 'He is under control'. Yeah, right. There was a brief exchange of words once the GSD man had grabbed his dog, then GSD man told me that it was all my fault that his dog had attacked because I had my dog on a lead and dogs on leads upset his dog and 'I should let my dog be a dog'.

My verbal response at that point could probably be considered a technical breach of the peace as I used some bad language. However, I do need to know from you more experienced dog folk, do dogs on leads upset other dogs? It's not something I've ever come across before.

The happy news is that a few minutes later I found a bewildered looking Westie, caught it, managed to track down the owner I had met earlier and reunited them. Unfortunately I have a really poor sense of direction so by the time I had reunited dog and owner I was disoriented and it took me ages to find my way back to the car park so L got a longer walk that we both expected.

 

[DabDab]

No, of course it's not your fault that he hasn't trained his dog.

There are many things that can be distracting/disturbing/exciting/whatever else for a dog....that's why you have to train them, or put them on a lead.

The guy sounds like a turd....just less useful

 

[Pinkvboots]

No not your fault at all and his basically talking out of his backside

 

[Moobli]

He was absolutely wrong! His dog was not under control. Your on lead dog was.

 

[Annette4]

Not at all your fault, entirely the fault of the owner with the out of control dog.

I have all the sympathy and patience in the world for those who apologise and try and get their dog under control (I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t as Dobby has had his moments and now is not allowed off a long line except at Flyball) but those who think it’s their right to have an out of control dog or who don’t realise the impact of their recklessness I have no time for.

 

[Nari]

Surely if his dog is upset & becomes aggressive at the sight of a dog on the lead then it should be on a lead?

 

[Tiddlypom]

He was in the wrong.

Once it was apparently entirely our fault that a canal boater's mutt followed our on lead dogs for a mile down a footpath, despite our efforts to shoo it away.

 

[CorvusCorax]

No, those are classic lines that people say when they have no control over their own dogs. See also 'IT'S OK HE'S FRIENDLY!' while dog is charging over with hackles up and a stiff tail.
I keep both my GSDs on lead around other dogs as a courtesy, the vast majority of other dogs do not automatically attack them because they are on lead.
This morning the younger one enjoyed a 'hiya' and a sniff with quite a few others while still on lead.
There is a small minority who have come over and attempted to attack, but that's not my dogs' fault or because they are on leads, it's because the other owners are knobs.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I think my response would have been along the lines of explaining what he was actally letting his dog be... And what he himself was being. There would have been words beginning with C involved I'm sure.

It's his job to make sure his dog is sufficiently trained to not attack another dog because it's on a lead! What rubbish to blame the person with the dog on the lead. I'm sure letting your dog be a dog would be all lovely until he ran in front of a car while chasing something! Glad you found the naughty Westie!

Just keep doing what is in the best interests of your dog. And ignore the idiots as best you can.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I do think you can sometimes get strange reactions when one or both dogs are on leads for an interaction, because they can't get away and body language can get a bit confused. But a dog running up to attack another dog because it's on a lead is not normal/excusable because of the lead. He has an aggressive dog and needs to learn to manage it properly!

 

[Nari]

No, those are classic lines that people say when they have no control over their own dogs. See also 'IT'S OK HE'S FRIENDLY!' while dog is charging over with hackles up and a stiff tail.
I keep both my GSDs on lead around other dogs as a courtesy, the vast majority of other dogs do not automatically attack them because they are on lead.
This morning the younger one enjoyed a 'hiya' and a sniff with quite a few others while still on lead.
There is a small minority who have come over and attempted to attack, but that's not my dogs' fault or because they are on leads, it's because the other owners are knobs.

The bit in bold sums it up nicely!

 

[{97702}]

As TiddlyPom loves to point out, Millie lurcher is not always at close quarters with me on a walk. I accept that (sometimes) because I know 100% that there are certain parameters - (1) she never catches any wildlife (2) she cannot get anywhere near livestock (3) she always comes back, just not as quickly as I’d like her to and (4) if she happens to encounter another dog walker, she never EVER shows any sort of aggression towards another dog.

I don’t think that this makes it “OK” for her to try and play with another dog she meets (although inevitably the other dog also wants to play) but it does mean i don’t have to worry about nasty consequences. Without being there I can’t comment on whether the GSD really had ill-intentioned ideas, and it is a fact that a dog on a lead will attract the interest of a dog off the lead (similarly please don’t pick up your small dogs to ‘protect’ them as it makes them a total target) but the GSD owner was totally out of order to react as he did.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

That man needs an education. I had three racing greyhounds try to tear my cavalier King Charles apart after the got away from their handler with no muzzles on! The Border Collie engaged two (she was a brawler if she felt her pack was threatened) and I had to repeatedly boot the greyhound that had my CKC by the back legs in the face in order to get it to let go. It finally did as the owners came rushing round the corner and I went to scoop my dog up as her back leg was badly broken and it went to go for her again. Ended up with a broken jaw as I saw red. Owners tried to get the money for their dogs op from my parents but after the police went to see them about haveing their racing hounds out without muzzles they seemed to see the error of their ways.

People who don’t know how to handle dogs of any breed and just do as they please don’t deserve dogs. Breach of the peace or not I’d have done the exact same thing.

 

[Magnetic Sparrow]

Thanks, all. I assumed at the time that the man with the GSD was a total <expletive deleted> but since you get such a variety of opinions on here I thought I'd check my reasoning.

 

[DabDab]

Sorry Lev, I'm going to have to disagree with you - I'm not going to not put my dogs on leads or pick them up so that someone else's uncontrolled mutt might be good enough not to attack us.

I've had a small dog attacked by two labs. They had already said hello to him and all seemed fine, they were family dogs with no history of aggressive behaviour. If little dog hadn't been by me when he was attacked he would have been dead - I knocked one out to get it off him, and broke a rib of the other. He still lost his leg though. I will never let that happen to a dog in my care again, so I will pick up my dogs I'm afraid.

 

[deb_l222]

People make up all sorts of crap to cover up their own incompetence especially when it comes to dogs. Some silly chap once told me his spaniel was having a go at Rufus only because Rufus was on a lead. Bloomin clever dog to know the difference between a dog on a lead or not.

People are potty, don’t let the idiots grind you down 😃

 

[SadKen]

That's horrendous BB.

OP that man was clearly an absolute prat with no self awareness.

My husband had this with a man on a walk once. Our two GSDs were on leads when his lab and Springer attacked our old lad, no warning or even vocalisation. The man blamed the attack on the fact that our dog was big. He also made no effort to stop his dogs. My husband and our two successfully saw the other dogs off, and my husband 'knocked that dick on his arse', at least that's how he put it.

Nothing gets me more enraged than out of control dogs with pathetic non-apologists for owners. Except maybe kids kicking the back of your seat on a long haul flight, but that's two sides of the same coin.

 

[{97702}]

Sorry Lev, I'm going to have to disagree with you - I'm not going to not put my dogs on leads or pick them up so that someone else's uncontrolled mutt might be good enough not to attack us.

I've had a small dog attacked by two labs. They had already said hello to him and all seemed fine, they were family dogs with no history of aggressive behaviour. If little dog hadn't been by me when he was attacked he would have been dead - I knocked one out to get it off him, and broke a rib of the other. He still lost his leg though. I will never let that happen to a dog in my care again, so I will pick up my dogs I'm afraid.

Ok sorry, I’ll amend what I said....what I should have said is not “don’t pick them up” but “don’t be surprised when the “aggressor”
dogs then jump up at you to try and get to the (?smaller) dog” - it’s dog nature unfortunately

 

[{97702}]

That man needs an education. I had three racing greyhounds try to tear my cavalier King Charles apart after the got away from their handler with no muzzles on! The Border Collie engaged two (she was a brawler if she felt her pack was threatened) and I had to repeatedly boot the greyhound that had my CKC by the back legs in the face in order to get it to let go. It finally did as the owners came rushing round the corner and I went to scoop my dog up as her back leg was badly broken and it went to go for her again. Ended up with a broken jaw as I saw red. Owners tried to get the money for their dogs op from my parents but after the police went to see them about haveing their racing hounds out without muzzles they seemed to see the error of their ways.

People who don’t know how to handle dogs of any breed and just do as they please don’t deserve dogs. Breach of the peace or not I’d have done the exact same thing.

Personally I would not be boasting about acting like that on a dog forum.... the greyhound was following natural instinct, humans are supposed to be better than that

 

[DabDab]

Ok sorry, I’ll amend what I said....what I should have said is not “don’t pick them up” but “don’t be surprised when the “aggressor”
dogs then jump up at you to try and get to the (?smaller) dog” - it’s dog nature unfortunately

No that's fine, I completely appreciate that - I'd rather the owner just had it under control. I shouldn't have to have more of an understanding of a dog's nature than the person who is legally responsible for it.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Personally I would not be boasting about acting like that on a dog forum.... the greyhound was following natural instinct, humans are supposed to be better than that

Not boasting telling the truth. I’m an animal person through and through but I don’t know anyone who would stand by and watch they dog being torn apart whilst screaming in pain. If they had been muzzled as per requirement I wouldn’t have had to protect my poor dog. She was traumatised for the rest of her life, screaming in fear of another dog approached, before that she was perfectly happy to meet other dogs.

I protect my own.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

It is true that leads does sometimes/often distort our dog's body language, and it is the cause of many dog meeting misunderstandings. But usually those problems occurs when the dogs is closer to each other, and by the sound of it, his dog had already reacted on a good distance away from your bitch.

Either way, since the other owner knew that his dog has a problem with even only seing another dog on a lead, when he is off lead, then that is his owner's problem, not yours.

 

[{97702}]

Not boasting telling the truth. I’m an animal person through and through but I don’t know anyone who would stand by and watch they dog being torn apart whilst screaming in pain. If they had been muzzled as per requirement I wouldn’t have had to protect my poor dog. She was traumatised for the rest of her life, screaming in fear of another dog approached, before that she was perfectly happy to meet other dogs.

I protect my own.

There is no “requirement” for greyhounds to be muzzled, I’m not sure where you have got that idea from? I have had sighthounds (whippets, lurchers and greyhounds) for 30 years now, and I’ve never had a problem like this, it is down to stupid ownership not the dog.

Incidentally I “protect my own” too, and if anyone broke one of my greyhounds jaws they would be going home with FAR worse injuries - to that individual who was to blame, not to their dog who was merely acting by instinct. For a human to inflict that injury on a dog disgusts me

 

[meleeka]

If his dog is offended by dogs on leads then he ought to keep it on a lead too!

It’s quite possible for a dog to have fun without being off the lead. My terrier has selective hearing, there’s nothing I can offer better than that thing in a bush so she stays on a lead. It’s either a short lead, a lungeline or 50m lead which was under a tenner on eBay. Obviously I can only use that in big open spaces with few people about, but she’s not missing out and I know she’s safe. It amazes me how little regard some people have for their dogs safety.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Yet another rhymes with banker who is a clueless twunt. He was wrong and you were right, OP.

I got utterly fed up Jake being attacked whilst on lead recovering from a cruciate OP. No matter how much I told the owner, one bloody obese aggressive lab kept going for him. The owner had no control/recall.

You're entitled to walk your dog on lead in a civilized manner. The GSD owner was an idiot. I got bored of recalling my dogs so other people could grab theirs. Why don't people teach a solid recall? Drives me nuts.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

There is no “requirement” for greyhounds to be muzzled, I’m not sure where you have got that idea from? I have had sighthounds (whippets, lurchers and greyhounds) for 30 years now, and I’ve never had a problem like this, it is down to stupid ownership not the dog.

Incidentally I “protect my own” too, and if anyone broke one of my greyhounds jaws they would be going home with FAR worse injuries - to that individual who was to blame, not to their dog who was merely acting by instinct. For a human to inflict that injury on a dog disgusts me

Your attitude that I should leave my dog to be torn apart disgusts me so we shall just have to disgust each other shan’t we? You won’t shame me so go look for a fight elsewhere

 

[{97702}]

Your attitude that I should leave my dog to be torn apart disgusts me so we shall just have to disgust each other shan’t we? You won’t shame me so go look for a fight elsewhere

Oh I’m not “looking for a fight” - if I were, I’d be looking for people of my own level 😊 I have never said that you should “leave your dog to be torn apart” I have said that the fact you broke a dogs jaw because “you saw red” is unacceptable - if you can’t see that, I fear that is your failing not mine....

 

[NinjaPony]

Drives me nuts when people let their dogs race over to my on lead dog. My small dog was attacked and nearly killed by an off lead dog a couple of years ago. Hundreds of stitches later and emergency surgery, it was a miracle she survived, and even more of a miracle that she has bounced back quite quickly. However, she is now afraid of other dogs approaching her, and quite frankly so am I. I wouldn't wish having to watch another dog savage yours on my worst enemy. So she is on the lead at all times, and I avoid other dogs as much as possible. Known dogs at home or training classes are obviously fine. But people cannot seem to understand that she is on a lead for a reason, and I don't want other dogs racing over to her out of control. They get offended if I pick her up out of harms way, but I don't care-there is no way I am letting her get harmed again if I can avoid it and I don't care if that hurts peoples feelings. My dog is under control, on a lead, and for a damn good reason. Just wish people would respect that and let us be.

 

[bonny]

Some of you seem to inhabit a different world, full of crazy, aggressive dogs who are only intent on doing you or your poor dogs harm ! I walk my dogs off lead, often in busy areas, and never seem to encounter any problems with other dogs. I would say just about every dog I meet is also off lead, every owner is a normal human being, often stopping for a chat or a friendly greeting and all is well.

 

[DabDab]

I don't think so bonny, if you compare the amount of times I've walked dogs around others in comparison to the one time I've had one attacked it's a very very small percentage. But given the repercussions that can come from that very very small percentage of occasions I simply choose to do everything I can to mitigate against it ever occurring again.

I get to talk to lots of people in the rest of my life so fortunately don't need to use my dog walks for human interaction.