(Rant alert ...!) it's NOT my dog's job ...

ThoroughbredStar said:
But dogs need to learn to be off the leash.....Yes you train at home/enclosed areas etc, but there is a time when coming off the leash for the first time, be it in a park, open field, agility show etc, has to happen. Some dogs can show huge amounts obedience when trained in controlled areas like a garden but that first time, or even second time off the leash can be very exciting, ie may take longer to recall. I find it incredibly unrealistic to expect dogs/horses to do exactly what we say every time- after all they are animals.......
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And probably why there are so many neurotic dogs out there. My mum can make any dog aggressive in minutes - if she sees antoher dog she puts the lead on, pulls it tight, and starts squarking, you can pretty well guarantee all dogs will at least growl, if not come to blows. Dogs can usually work things out themselves perfectly well without our intervention.
 
Clodagh said:
And probably why there are so many neurotic dogs out there. My mum can make any dog aggressive in minutes - if she sees antoher dog she puts the lead on, pulls it tight, and starts squarking, you can pretty well guarantee all dogs will at least growl, if not come to blows. Dogs can usually work things out themselves perfectly well without our intervention.
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Totally agree with this.
 
amymay said:
Phew, thank goodness for this post.

I've heen feeling like a pretty poor owner reading this thread....
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Me too.

I have an 8 month rescue pup who is learning to be a useful member of canine society. On our own his recall is good, but if he see's another dog before I do he will run over to say hello. I dread meeting people as I don't want to be 'that' owner with the misbehaving dog but until we actually meet other dogs I can't reinforce his training. Our other dog is very good, I don't recall ever having a issue but we drilled it into him from day one.

I took them both out together this am to a local field where they get to run of the lead. Met a woman with 2 spaniels who wanted to play as much as my 2 did. Chaos ensues, dogs running about playing happily, I start walking away and my guys go with the other dogs. Thankfully the woman laughed it off, stopped, grabbed her two and allowed me to pop mine on the lead and head the opposite direction but in a different situation with a different owner and dogs it could have gone very wrong. Its the first time my recall has failed. I have a plan for tomorrows walk should we meet anyone - part of the plan is going earlier as there will be no one about - but it's only by being in the situation I can see what I need to do and what we need to work on.
 
My usually well behaved Welsh terrier will just run if he sees something that moves fast such as a rabbit, I can get him to leave something if he grabs it but while he is running I may as well be talking to myself. He has had training and most of the time would have no problems stopping and coming back but anything small flapping or running sets him off. I personally do not see this as a deficiency in my training but as powerful instinct for him though I am sure some will insist that a dog should have 100% recall

Hasten to add that because of that he is walked on a lunge rein which gives him enough freedom. He runs free in my field but only in the part that is securely fenced
 
bonny said:
I agree with this, with so many of you on here having the same problem with other dogs it's hard not to think the real issue is the paranoid owners not their pets.....the vast majority of dogs that I meet are totally fine, either say hello or just meander past and I simply don't ever meet dogs that ever cause a problem.
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My collie is fine with other dogs.....until they jump on him then he will have them.

He has hip dysplasia and is protective of himself, he ignores othe dogs, comes back on command even if something really interesting is going on over there. It's not his fault if another dog goes to jump on him when he is just minding his own having a run and he flattens them.


A lady up the yards puppy did that and he snapped it it, the lady got scared he would go for her, I explained about his hips but she still was worried even though the pup had understood and backed off. People need to control their dogs from going up to other dogs simple as that. But I also know from experience that some dogs take longer to learn off lean. I just tell people 'we are still in training' I don't expect other dogs to teach mine manners, that's my job.

Right I'm now off to walk the young collie and three month old up the feild to practice on her recall.....been going great so far but I know there will be hiccups.
 
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I agree that not every dog has 100% recall.

Not every dog is 100% happy with the approaches of unknown dogs.

Both are behaviours we don't necessarily want, and if we are accepting of one we ought to be accepting of the other.

I for one fully understand that not every dog has full recall, and expect others to accept that my big GSD would prefer not to have other dogs in his space, and IF POSSIBLE to give us a wide berth. There's a big difference between the people who try to do this and those who don't bother.
 
ThoroughbredStar said:
But dogs need to learn to be off the leash.....Yes you train at home/enclosed areas etc, but there is a time when coming off the leash for the first time, be it in a park, open field, agility show etc, has to happen. Some dogs can show huge amounts obedience when trained in controlled areas like a garden but that first time, or even second time off the leash can be very exciting, ie may take longer to recall. I find it incredibly unrealistic to expect dogs/horses to do exactly what we say every time- after all they are animals.......
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And in my experience the people who expect their dogs/horses to behave are not the ones with dogs/horses that cause problems. It's the ones who say "oh just let them get it over with" that end up with my dog limping and me bleeding while my dog is on a leash and can't get away. Or injured at the dog park because some people think that's the time to just turn them loose and ignore them for an hour. The people who are actually training their animals to behave will watch them and correct them on or off leash. I had a husky, and they aren't known for listening well. My dog was not off leash unless I knew for sure he was going to pay attention to me, for his own safety. And when he was older and blind I did not take him to dog parks, and I always asked people to keep their dogs at a distance. Because the last thing he needed was to get attacked.

It's inappropriate for both the dog and the owner to expect that a dog outside of their family group is going to "school" any other dog. Never mind the liability if that "schooling" results in the dog being "schooled" to get hurt.
 
nianya said:
It's inappropriate for both the dog and the owner to expect that a dog outside of their family group is going to "school" any other dog. Never mind the liability if that "schooling" results in the dog being "schooled" to get hurt.
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So I should not allow my dog to interact with any other dog who may or may not 'school' her? (She's an only dog).
 
amymay said:
So I should not allow my dog to interact with any other dog who may or may not 'school' her? (She's an only dog).
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you could hang out with friends with dogs, or take her to classes be that agility, obedience etc. Or ask the owner of the other dog first if you don't know them.

I don't think impromptu interaction with random dogs is overly helpful; isn't it better to minimise risk so everyone has better chance of a positive experience?
 
Daisy hangs out with all sorts of dogs. Friends dogs (who I've met through walking), random dogs, dogs at training.

She is incredibly well socialised, exactly because of the above. I don't take risks with her, but her social skills haven't come from me - but the dogs she's met and interacted with.

I do get what a lot of posters are getting at, and I guess I'm lucky to have a dog of a happy and sociable nature. I'm also thankful that I'm not a neurotic small dog owner.

Today's playmates were a stunning GS dog, and a Husky.
 
I always set a dog up to succeed....never to fail. Therefore, to those that say there is always a first time for it being in the wide open space, I would suggest that you haven't prepped your dog sufficiently.

I always start my dogs in the house, then in the garden, then in the paddock,then on the village green....and so on, upping the gameiness of the environment as mine are gundogs. HOWEVER, when I wish to introduce distractions (other dogs) I go back to base level one! In other words, I invite someone and their dog around for tea! I then use this carefully selected stooge dog in the house to establish recall away, rewarding with an immediate return to play. This then moves on into the garden., the paddock etc etc. At any stage where I have ANY element of doubt of the dogs complicity it is on a harness with a long line such that I can reinforce the command. That way the dog learns that obedience is paramount and that debate is not an option.

People nowadays rarely seem prepared to spend the hours necessary to get an obedient civilized dog IMO.
 
gunnergundog said:
I always set a dog up to succeed....never to fail. Therefore, to those that say there is always a first time for it being in the wide open space, I would suggest that you haven't prepped your dog sufficiently.

I always start my dogs in the house, then in the garden, then in the paddock,then on the village green....and so on, upping the gameiness of the environment as mine are gundogs. HOWEVER, when I wish to introduce distractions (other dogs) I go back to base level one! In other words, I invite someone and their dog around for tea! I then use this carefully selected stooge dog in the house to establish recall away, rewarding with an immediate return to play. This then moves on into the garden., the paddock etc etc. At any stage where I have ANY element of doubt of the dogs complicity it is on a harness with a long line such that I can reinforce the command. That way the dog learns that obedience is paramount and that debate is not an option.

People nowadays rarely seem prepared to spend the hours necessary to get an obedient civilized dog IMO.
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Good advice and so true
 
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