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

Rowreach

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It's one of the big problems at work - the locals tend to use the estate for dog walking, the visitors are usually dogless, clean and tidy, and want to do a bit of sightseeing without being pounced on (or treading in a pile of dog poo).

It's odd how many dog walkers cannot seem to accept that not everyone likes dogs, whether it's because they simply don't, or they are allergic to them, or scared of them, or frail and afraid of falling over and hurting themselves, or they are small children to whom any dog approaching can be scary.

Like I said before, it's plain manners to control your dogs and prevent them from annoying any other dog or person or random bit of wildlife.
 

Pearlsasinger

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Our Rottweilers have a very high prey drive and excellent recall, so long s nothing else takes their attention. They are walked on their leads. They get plenty of exercise off-lead at home, on our own land. They are very well socialised and would never dream of attacking another dog without provocation. I certainly don't get tense and panic when we meet another dog, as I know full well that my dogs will simply walk past but I do expect other dog-owners to have their dogs under control. I do think we probably have fewer incidents with loose dogs because most (but not all) owners realise that if their fluffy thing attacks a Rottweiler it will probably come off worst. Fortunately the girls are well-mannered and dog neutral except under extreme provocation.
 

splashgirl45

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i try to be as thoughtful as possible and as i know my little terrier loves everyone i am very careful if i see someone with small children or people without dogs, he goes on the lead just to be sure but most of the time once the children get near him they cant wait to stroke him, prob because he is about the size of a yorkie and his tail is wagging furiously...the same if i see a dog on the lead because although he is a friendly chap its not fair to let him jump up at other peoples dogs...i am lucky as where i walk i know most of the people and dogs so mine are off lead most of the time but if i go elsewhere i am much more likely to keep him on the lead...my older dog ignores other dogs and people unless they come to say hello so she is always off lead unless next to a road....
 

TheresaW

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Don’t get me started with jumping up! Luna was a terror for it as a puppy. Jumping up the door as we went out, again when we got back, people we passed. Have worked really hard with it, and she does know down. My problem is when people want to stroke her, which is fine, I will tell her down, and they encourage her to jump and say “oh I don’t mind”. No, you might not, but the next person may well. I tend to cross roads etc now to avoid people.
 

SadKen

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If a dog gets mildly aggressive then he will react, and in our experience they're 90% on lead, and partly fired by the anxiety of their owners. So he is much more likely to have a minor fracas (usually just hackles and grumbles) with a dog on lead.

Yeah, sorry, I don't agree with your approach here sbloom.

If your Dane approached my old GSD and got in his space then he would certainly react due to experiences he'd had in the past. He also carried his tail high which prompted attacks from other dogs. As soon as I saw other dogs he would go straight on the lead because his recall wasn't reliable around other dogs, and so I could avoid them and remove risk. I don't know you or your Dane (and in the event of an attack either or both dogs, plus humans, could be seriously injured). So yes, I am wary when meeting off lead dogs i don't know, which aren't under close control, which are capable of inflicting serious damage on mine.

A 'minor fracas' could escalate into a catastrophe. Even if it remains a minor fracas to you, it may not be minor to the other dog or the other owner. There is zero benefit in allowing that interaction and many potential risks.

I do appreciate that you walk rurally to try and mitigate.
 

DabDab

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Don’t get me started with jumping up! Luna was a terror for it as a puppy. Jumping up the door as we went out, again when we got back, people we passed. Have worked really hard with it, and she does know down. My problem is when people want to stroke her, which is fine, I will tell her down, and they encourage her to jump and say “oh I don’t mind”. No, you might not, but the next person may well. I tend to cross roads etc now to avoid people.

God yes, the jumping up thing drives me nuts too. I've never managed to train my jrt x not to do it, and ok, at 4kg she's never going to bowl anyone over, but very few people want muddy paws on them and she also hand licks in an attempt to get people to stroke her, which I should think could be extremely unpleasant to a non dog person.
Unfortunately, she's small and cute looking so people have always inadvertently encouraged her to jump up, so I'm fighting a losing battle. But I do feel awful when I've got her in a crowd and she picks the wrong child to try to convince to love her. Although when she was a puppy she used to fairly regularly pee on people's shoes in excitement, so I guess we're a step on from there 😂
 

skinnydipper

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I totally agree with this. We have a soppy, entire male Great Dane. Well, he was soppy until he was attacked twice between one and two years, a Border bit his cheek when being held in his owner's arms and she bent down to say hello. Then by a poodle, and he was just minding his own business, he likes meeting other dogs but isn't especially playful.

SO he went from absolutely 100% dappy, now not so much. If a dog gets mildly aggressive then he will react, and in our experience they're 90% on lead, and partly fired by the anxiety of their owners. So he is much more likely to have a minor fracas (usually just hackles and grumbles) with a dog on lead. And yes, if you possibly can avoid it, picking up a small dog may lead to a Dane's head still being able to reach it even without leaving the ground. Luckily ours is 100% that he does not go up on his back legs.

What you can't do with a Dane, or most scent hounds, is have 100% recall. So we walk in very rural, usually quiet, places where 90% of dogs are off lead, and we read the dog's and owner's body language before deciding whether to call him back and put him on the lead. Sometimes he will not come back, but he has literally NEVER started anything. We won't choose to walk him on the lead, Dane's need to run and he'd be damned miserable.



Older people should never have large puppies, or keep large dogs later in life. I am 11 stone and fit, in my forties, and ours pulled me clean off my feet when a spaniel was aggressive, on lead. I put my hand through his collar and sadly he took that as needing to protect me. I kept hold of the bugger but the spaniel owner will now think he's aggressive. I am as sure as I can be that if he left the spaniel off lead they'd have met and been fine, ours gets himself out of the way if anything has a pop off lead, not interested. We see it all the time, and OH will often try and persuade people to stop, chat, let the dogs see each other and hackles go down and everything calms down. Next time they meet they stay off lead with no problem. This has worked even with a persistently aggressive pointer that OH meets at the woods.

I freeze when things go wrong so I try and avoid trouble, OH is always the one wading in if there's ever any bother, amazing instincts.

So it depends on the breed, it depends where you walk, it depends how you are with your dog. To say no dog should be off the lead if it doesn't have 100% recall might apply to your busy local park, but would be totally ridiculous for some breeds and many very rural locations. We have discussions with several people where the deliberately drive to these places because most dogs are off lead and owners are understanding.

I am not directly questioning the OP but I do wonder how many people misinterpret "evident ill intent ", get tense and make the situation worse. I probably would which is why I hardly ever walk him on my own, especially since he pulled me off my feet.


I am not sure I understand your post.

Are you saying you have a giant breed who is not 100% around other dogs?
Who has pulled you off your feet?
Who is allowed to approach other dogs that are on lead and will react if the other dog does not like your dog in its face?
You freeze when things go wrong?
You allow him off lead when you know you don't have reliable recall knowing that "he is likely to have a minor fracas" with a dog on lead?
YOU decide whether to allow him to approach another dog but sometimes HE will not come back?
You think an older person should not have a large breed when in fact you are unable to control your own giant breed? (WOW)
You do have problems because OH has to wade in?

I am glad that you don't bump into me with your dog because I am not an "understanding owner"
 

GreyMane

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Two more memories this thread has triggered...
1) An Open Day at the big local vet training school. Hundreds of people with their dogs of all breeds and sizes: and it was *totally* peaceful. Did not hear so much as a bark all day; shows it can be done. Lovely.
2) Not so lovely; three drunks, 2 men and a woman, approaching me with their dog, a Staffy type, running ahead. This unfortunate dog has been encouraged to tear off nearly all the lower bark from a tree next to the kids' play area in our local park. It ran across the road directly towards me, growling quietly. All I had was an empty shopping bag which I held in front of my legs. Felt the hair standing up on my arms; a weird sensation. The woman yelled "He's all right, he always does that when he's being friendly". (What? Runs towards people growling?)
No lead, no attempt to recall. I froze, the dog reached me, bumped my thigh once with its nose and ran off. Phew. No apology either.

What do you carry with you "just in case" on walks?

[Talking of recall, remember Fenton ?]
 

PapaverFollis

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I wouldn't want to have a minor fracas with a Great Dane myself. Never mind my 17kg spaniel.

Mine are never allowed to approach on lead dogs. Dogs being on lead, their owner's body language or whatever included, are therefore not a problem. Simple really. My dogs are perfectly friendly and basically dog neutral but the most they get to interact with others is a quick sniff in passing with other off lead dogs. I have achieved this by essentially bribing them over the years with lots of biscuits. I have no problem with this. 😂

I don't see a need for any interactions between my dogs and an unknown dog.
 

DabDab

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I am not sure I understand your post.

Are you saying you have a giant breed who is not 100% around other dogs?
Who has pulled you off your feet?
Who is allowed to approach other dogs that are on lead and will react if the other dog does not like your dog in its face?
You freeze when things go wrong?
You allow him off lead when you know you don't have reliable recall knowing that "he is likely to have a minor fracas" with a dog on lead?
YOU decide whether to allow him to approach another dog but sometimes HE will not come back?
You think an older person should not have a large breed when in fact you are unable to control your own giant breed? (WOW)
You do have problems because OH has to wade in?

I am glad that you don't bump into me with your dog because I am not an "understanding owner"

Add on to this...
I should clarify that when I pick my small dogs up it is not so that I can stand there holding them in your dog's face, it is so I can turn back on your dog, shielding mine and walk away.
 

planete

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I walk in a very rural area to avoid numpty owners. Unfortunately owners who cannot control their dogs sometime think a rural area is an ideal place to let their dog exercise his right to run off lead (there is no such thing by the way). My high prey drive dogs are on lead minding their own business. What I think of people who cannot recall their dogs when they meet us is unprintable. Should any incident occur because of this kind of idiocy I would do everything in my power to make the owner pay for their mistake by all legal means available. I am over 70, have three under control dogs and if anybody think it is ok to have a giant dog and let him approach me and my dogs they are totally irresponsible. Sorry sbloom, just pray you never meet me. As to my right to own my dogs, how dare you after admitting you cannot control your own dog?
 

Cinnamontoast

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I'm glad not to have seen the old 'Mine just wants to play/you should let them sort it out amongst themselves' trotted out on here. I think we sound-mostly-like sensible owners with some glaring exceptions!

I have no need, as PapaverFollis says, to give my dogs interaction opportunities with other dogs. I'd rather not risk it.
 

Tiddlypom

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Skinnydipper, you missed this bit out
see it all the time, and OH will often try and persuade people to stop, chat, let the dogs see each other and hackles go down and everything calms down.
So your OH actively tries to get folk to remove the lead of their onlead dog so that it can interact with your poorly controlled, unreliable and extremely large dog? What a numptie. I would tell him exactly where to s0d off to if he tried it with me.

ETA As Rowreach, MoC, milliepops and others have said, many folk either don't like or are scared of dogs. They don't appreciate a dog of any size gambolling up to them. Many dog owners simply don't get this, it seems to be more socially acceptable to admit that you dislike children than that you dislike dogs.

Even though the JRT is always walked on a lead, I make sure that I give an extra wide berth to anyone walking without a dog as I presume that they are dog dislikers. Actually the JRT loves people (especially if they may be carrying sandwiches in their backpack!).
 
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skinnydipper

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Skinnydipper, you missed this bit out
So your OH actively tries to get folk to remove the lead of their onlead dog so that it can interact with your poorly controlled, unreliable and extremely large dog? What a numptie. I would tell him exactly where to s0d off to if he tried it with me.

Sorry for the oversight, Tiddlypom (and DabDab). There was just so much wrong with that post that it was difficult to assimilate.
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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I think my hackles would be up if such a large dog was growling hackles up at any dog I was walking. I work with someone who shows Great Danes and she’s not exactly a big lass but as she said it all in the training and handling.

Not a good idea I’d be staying well away. I live rurally so even when I’m out hacking I don’t meet many dog walkers, however I have gone hacking to large country parks and I have to say I was impressed with those dog walkers, very considerate.
 

blackcob

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I have had a minor fracas with a great dane while out riding. Bastard thing could have killed me. It later went on to badly hurt a runner on the same stretch of track and the police ended up being involved.

I have two strictly on-lead by warrant of breed/prey drive dogs, one reactive in the sense that he's terrified of anything bowling up to his face at full speed and will scream and lunge (fair enough!), one increasingly elderly and grumpy. I have two off-lead completely dog neutral dogs. I have one tiny pick-up-able dog who will also hopefully have good recall and be dog neutral.

There is no reason or benefit for any of them to come into contact with random dogs out walking, neither do I need to unclench and 'let them sort it out themselves'. I'm out walking to walk my dogs, not to pander to people who can't provide their dogs enough exercise and stimulation themselves without having to inflict them on everyone else. Short of a great big neon sign saying 'I don't want to interact with you', a lead and a big shouty voice will have to do.
 

sbloom

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Our Rottweilers have a very high prey drive and excellent recall, so long s nothing else takes their attention. They are walked on their leads. They get plenty of exercise off-lead at home, on our own land. They are very well socialised and would never dream of attacking another dog without provocation. I certainly don't get tense and panic when we meet another dog, as I know full well that my dogs will simply walk past but I do expect other dog-owners to have their dogs under control. I do think we probably have fewer incidents with loose dogs because most (but not all) owners realise that if their fluffy thing attacks a Rottweiler it will probably come off worst. Fortunately the girls are well-mannered and dog neutral except under extreme provocation.

The only difference with ours is that we have nowhere to run him off lead and Danes don't play with balls (on the whole) or otherwise play to exercise, they need walks to run. Opinions on Danes seem to be polarised with half thinking they must be vicious and avoiding them/him, and the other half knowing they're dappy on the whole so don't bother watching their own dogs around him. Hence he's been bitten (one tooth hole/mark each time) by two other dogs, both times they actively went for him, it wasn't any kind of 50-50 interaction.

Yeah, sorry, I don't agree with your approach here sbloom.

If your Dane approached my old GSD and got in his space then he would certainly react due to experiences he'd had in the past. He also carried his tail high which prompted attacks from other dogs. As soon as I saw other dogs he would go straight on the lead because his recall wasn't reliable around other dogs, and so I could avoid them and remove risk. I don't know you or your Dane (and in the event of an attack either or both dogs, plus humans, could be seriously injured). So yes, I am wary when meeting off lead dogs i don't know, which aren't under close control, which are capable of inflicting serious damage on mine.

A 'minor fracas' could escalate into a catastrophe. Even if it remains a minor fracas to you, it may not be minor to the other dog or the other owner. There is zero benefit in allowing that interaction and many potential risks.

I do appreciate that you walk rurally to try and mitigate.

We chat to the owners, all the time, we usually meet the same dogs, we watch their body language and act accordingly. We avoid parks etc. He does not bound right up to other dogs even if he IS off the lead and they are not, he has been trained not to, but ultimately occasionally he closes his ears to us, usually just standing and waiting for the other dogs that are approacing, often giving us time to get to him anyway. He does not go bowling in, he reads the other dogs as much as we do. If he did not then perhaps we'd have to put him on lead all the time, but it would be a damned miserable life for most Danes, and this Dane in particular.

I appreciate things can escalate, but they haven't in five years. We see the same owners over and over. There is one whose dog will not stop having a go (ie growling and barking and stressing) at ours, she walks three off lead, one very large lurcher type which is the problem dog, and they spoke and agreed not to walk at the same time as she walks at the same time and place every day.

I am not sure I understand your post.

Are you saying you have a giant breed who is not 100% around other dogs?
Who has pulled you off your feet?
Who is allowed to approach other dogs that are on lead and will react if the other dog does not like your dog in its face?
You freeze when things go wrong?
You allow him off lead when you know you don't have reliable recall knowing that "he is likely to have a minor fracas" with a dog on lead?
YOU decide whether to allow him to approach another dog but sometimes HE will not come back?
You think an older person should not have a large breed when in fact you are unable to control your own giant breed? (WOW)
You do have problems because OH has to wade in?

I am glad that you don't bump into me with your dog because I am not an "understanding owner"

Nicely edited, wishing I had written even more of an essay with even more detail. These are the reasons, as I said, that I avoid walking him on my own. He once pulled me off my feet, once. He can't do so on the lead. He weighs 12 stone. However I do know that he is much less likely to react if I put a lead on rather than holding him by the collar, and as he seems to be slightly more defensive if it's me walking him alone I really don't walk him on my own any more.

The places we walk are nearly all off lead for nearly all dogs in practice and most other people walk there (three locations) because of it. Once in a blue moon does an incident happen and never anything significant, he's 5 and has never harmed another dog or owner in any way. He has a ton of dog walkers who know him from walks and love him, he's known as being very soft and gentle. Doesn't mean we rest on our laurels.

I never said he was "likely to have an issue" with a dog on a lead. He's not likely to, at all. However, where we walk and in our experience, other dogs are more likely to get aggressive when they see him if THEY are on the lead meaning we are more likely to get some sort of reaction from him. Everything stays much calmer if they meet off lead. That is what I said, and stand by it. Doesn't mean we just leave him off the lead willy nilly.

Sorry sbloom, just pray you never meet me. As to my right to own my dogs, how dare you after admitting you cannot control your own dog?

I overstated it saying "never", I was reacting specifically to the comment about the elderly couple who had had a thoroughly out of control/nuisance Irish Wolfhound, and now have a puppy of the same breed. I had always managed to hold ours, not that we often need to. I weigh about as much as he does. Now that he has pulled me off my feet, ONCE, I am even more circumspect than I was. I bet we've all seen labradors or similar that can pull someone off their feet in the "right" ie wrong circumstances. Lots of older people have dogs they can hold, no problem, though I certainly know plenty that wouldn't be able to cope with the strength of their dog if anything did kick off. I posted my experience as an illustration as to why older, less strong owners shouldn't take on giant breeds. All dogs can be stronger than people think, so it's taking that into account when buying/adopting any kind of dog, and taking into account one's strength and fitness.


---


I totally understand that you think my post is all wrong, but it's our genuine experience.

I should have quoted but can't find it now, in response to my OH trying to "tell" people to let their dogs off the lead.....I think we all exchange brief words with owners we pass on rural walks (ie not where there are tens of dogs at a park), and whether he suggests this entirely depends on the situation and the owners. I wrote an essay as it was, and was only writing what we both observe, to go into every single detail was OTT. Where he does suggest it, and as I say, it's far from every encounter, it works a treat. With a couple of entrenched cases that he has got to know well he simply spends time chatting to the owner to let the dogs calm down a bit, and it does help for the next encounter and they've ended up with no issues if they do meet off lead now. You don't have to believe me but I have no reason to lie.

We all have different experiences and OH totally respects it if people want to keep their dogs out of the way and we frequently put him on the lead. We also realise some people and dogs are scared of large dogs, we get it, and we act accordingly.

He is not my choice of dog, not my dog at all in fact. I would happily stick to cats, and a horse if I had the time, but there's someone else in my life who adores Danes and has had them before.

In addition, let me stress that he never even growls first. And has never ever inflicted damage on any other dog, even those two times he's been bitten.

Regretting posting as usual, I'll stick to offering advice on saddles. I don't have time to respond further to this having agonised over it for far too long.
 

Blazingsaddles

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The only difference with ours is that we have nowhere to run him off lead and Danes don't play with balls (on the whole) or otherwise play to exercise, they need walks to run. Opinions on Danes seem to be polarised with half thinking they must be vicious and avoiding them/him, and the other half knowing they're dappy on the whole so don't bother watching their own dogs around him. Hence he's been bitten (one tooth hole/mark each time) by two other dogs, both times they actively went for him, it wasn't any kind of 50-50 interaction.



We chat to the owners, all the time, we usually meet the same dogs, we watch their body language and act accordingly. We avoid parks etc. He does not bound right up to other dogs even if he IS off the lead and they are not, he has been trained not to, but ultimately occasionally he closes his ears to us, usually just standing and waiting for the other dogs that are approacing, often giving us time to get to him anyway. He does not go bowling in, he reads the other dogs as much as we do. If he did not then perhaps we'd have to put him on lead all the time, but it would be a damned miserable life for most Danes, and this Dane in particular.

I appreciate things can escalate, but they haven't in five years. We see the same owners over and over. There is one whose dog will not stop having a go (ie growling and barking and stressing) at ours, she walks three off lead, one very large lurcher type which is the problem dog, and they spoke and agreed not to walk at the same time as she walks at the same time and place every day.



Nicely edited, wishing I had written even more of an essay with even more detail. These are the reasons, as I said, that I avoid walking him on my own. He once pulled me off my feet, once. He can't do so on the lead. He weighs 12 stone. However I do know that he is much less likely to react if I put a lead on rather than holding him by the collar, and as he seems to be slightly more defensive if it's me walking him alone I really don't walk him on my own any more.

The places we walk are nearly all off lead for nearly all dogs in practice and most other people walk there (three locations) because of it. Once in a blue moon does an incident happen and never anything significant, he's 5 and has never harmed another dog or owner in any way. He has a ton of dog walkers who know him from walks and love him, he's known as being very soft and gentle. Doesn't mean we rest on our laurels.

I never said he was "likely to have an issue" with a dog on a lead. He's not likely to, at all. However, where we walk and in our experience, other dogs are more likely to get aggressive when they see him if THEY are on the lead meaning we are more likely to get some sort of reaction from him. Everything stays much calmer if they meet off lead. That is what I said, and stand by it. Doesn't mean we just leave him off the lead willy nilly.



I overstated it saying "never", I was reacting specifically to the comment about the elderly couple who had had a thoroughly out of control/nuisance Irish Wolfhound, and now have a puppy of the same breed. I had always managed to hold ours, not that we often need to. I weigh about as much as he does. Now that he has pulled me off my feet, ONCE, I am even more circumspect than I was. I bet we've all seen labradors or similar that can pull someone off their feet in the "right" ie wrong circumstances. Lots of older people have dogs they can hold, no problem, though I certainly know plenty that wouldn't be able to cope with the strength of their dog if anything did kick off. I posted my experience as an illustration as to why older, less strong owners shouldn't take on giant breeds. All dogs can be stronger than people think, so it's taking that into account when buying/adopting any kind of dog, and taking into account one's strength and fitness.


---


I totally understand that you think my post is all wrong, but it's our genuine experience.

I should have quoted but can't find it now, in response to my OH trying to "tell" people to let their dogs off the lead.....I think we all exchange brief words with owners we pass on rural walks (ie not where there are tens of dogs at a park), and whether he suggests this entirely depends on the situation and the owners. I wrote an essay as it was, and was only writing what we both observe, to go into every single detail was OTT. Where he does suggest it, and as I say, it's far from every encounter, it works a treat. With a couple of entrenched cases that he has got to know well he simply spends time chatting to the owner to let the dogs calm down a bit, and it does help for the next encounter and they've ended up with no issues if they do meet off lead now. You don't have to believe me but I have no reason to lie.

We all have different experiences and OH totally respects it if people want to keep their dogs out of the way and we frequently put him on the lead. We also realise some people and dogs are scared of large dogs, we get it, and we act accordingly.

He is not my choice of dog, not my dog at all in fact. I would happily stick to cats, and a horse if I had the time, but there's someone else in my life who adores Danes and has had them before.

In addition, let me stress that he never even growls first. And has never ever inflicted damage on any other dog, even those two times he's been bitten.

Regretting posting as usual, I'll stick to offering advice on saddles. I don't have time to respond further to this having agonised over it for far too long.

You have as much right to post as anyone else. I think some posters have been particularly judgemental to both you & Lev.
 

Rowreach

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You have as much right to post as anyone else. I think some posters have been particularly judgemental to both you & Lev.

You are quite right that everyone has a right to post and to have an opinion, even if it may be a judgemental one!

sbloom came back and expanded on her previous post, and was very gracious about the comments that were made about her first one. No reason not to carry on posting.
 

SadKen

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I for one have enjoyed reading this thread, it's been very interesting to hear different perspectives.

The forum would be very boring if we all agreed.

I think it's fine to disagree and even to be judgemental, as long as everyone is polite. I think that has been mostly the case on this thread and long may it continue.
 

gunnergundog

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Just a non-judgemental word of warning for all who allow their dogs out of sight when walking in public .

Firstly, a couple of dogs locally in the last six months have 'disappeared' whilst walking and bogging off in the woods. It's rumoured, but not 100% proven, that they were friendly enough to approach/be enticed to approach a stranger and were put on a lead and whisked away, who knows to what fate. :(

Secondly, I am aware of another instance where a dog was out of sight for some time (30 mins?) and encountered a family who then caught said dog and rang the police complaining that it had been attacking them and their child and that it was dangerous, they were fearful and showing pictures of alleged scratch marks. No bites. This is on-going.

Finally, I have myself caught an errant 'stray' dog that was harassing mine; put it on a slip lead and walked around asking who owned it. I knew damned well who it belonged to but the owner didn't have the balls to own up when I encountered him....what a façade! I had previously had words with this person, so dog warden was rung, dog was delivered to pound and he had to cough up to reclaim. It appears to have taught him a lesson as said dog hasn't been seen off a long line since to the best of my knowledge - 2.5 years on.

If you love/value your dog, PLEASE don't let it out of sight in public places - there are too many people who will deliver up dogs for baiting for dog fights or whatever, sell them in the local pub/motorway station for peanuts to who knows whom and god knows what else.

If you don't have a dog with a good recall there are secure canine fields that you can hire to let your dog have a good leg stretch in safety if you aren't lucky enough to own XXXX acres of ring fenced land yourself! (I wish!) http://securedogfield.co.uk/
This is just one website advertising such fields....there are plenty more, plus adverts on Facebook for those that dabble in such media.
 

TheresaW

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Gunnergundog, my biggest fear is of my 2 getting stolen. Luna is never off lead unless in a secure field as her prey drive is just too great to risk it. Aled is let off, but is always within sight and just bumbles along in his own little world anyway. Both of them however would be friendly to strangers and easily be taken away I think.
 

Cinnamontoast

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An awful lot of terrier types were discovered on a site in Cambridgeshire a couple of weeks ago, along with various quads, horse boxes etc. I'm always very wary of my lot, a great many people stop to watch when we're out training. Mostly they're just interested because of the showy stuff they do, but I'm paranoid!
 
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