Rant alert - why isn't it on a lead?

fankino04

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Today I was walking a friends lab for her as she is recovering from surgery. Cooper is a fab dog, totally dog neutral and just bumbles along in his own world. Owner walks him on a flexi lead which I hate but hey had to use it. So we are wandering along a walk that's really popular for dog walking when we meet an off lead cocker spaniel, go to walk past it and it suddenly starts snarling at Cooper. The woman with it shouts of it and it lies down and we just walk past it. As we get to the woman she says "sorry its not good with other dogs, I don't know why. I've only had her 3 days but she's not mine otherwise I would fix it". Honestly if you know it isn't good with other dogs why isn't it on a lead or at least recalled when you see a dog? Met her on the way back too and exactly the same thing except this time we tried to keep our distance and got followed by it!!!
 
For some reason people see leads as an insult. It's stupid. Put them on a lead, keep your friend safe from traffic, unwanted disappearances, and attacks by other dogs.

I've encountered many, many people without them whose dogs are blithely out of control, either pleasantly or not pleasantly. Either way my big GSD doesn't like dogs in his space.

I have stopped worrying about what would happen if the other dog got up in his face - that's the owners fault. I try to avoid where I can, but if I can't, so be it.

And no, I won't muzzle my dog. He has never bitten anyone but he will lunge and snap if another dog approaches him and he deems it a threat. I will always ask the owner to remove said dog and put it on lead. If they choose not to, I will not deprive my dog of his only defence, given I don't know the other dog's intentions.

Leads. Great idea. Use them.
 
i think we are not far from you....we often meet a dog like you describe,mine are on lead and this other one comes rushing up to mine in a very rude manner,gets to about 4foot away then rolls over and squeals.
the owners are quite oblivious to their dogs bad behavour as too busy chatting but have shot me a black look when it squeals as if mine have done something wrong which they have not.
i now shout out to them to call it away and just carry on walking,the owners only seem to worry when it starts to follow me as it has no recall.
numpties :(
 
We complain regularly about the numpties who walk their dogs along the pavement-less 40mph road near us without a dog lead. It is a quiet road but still..... apart from anything else, there is a bye-law which states that all dogs must be on a lead on the highway or council-owned land. This evening we saw the numptiest of numpties, riding a grey horse, which was well-mannered, with a black Labx dog running from the verge to the middle of the road and back again. Why would you risk your dog like that? And what if a driver had to swerve to avoid your dog and hit your horse instead?
 
I can see both sides of this, having a fear aggressive dog. He’s fine as long as nothing comes up to him, he’ll try to kill it if it does. He won’t go over to other dogs. He isn’t muzzled because we train every time we go out. He stays in a sit with other dogs going past.

Equally, if he’s on a lead walking back to the car or when I had one recovering from surgery, keep your nasty untrained obese lab away from mine! Drives me absolutely nuts. Saying that, deaf dog is a bit dodgy with recall now he can’t see the hand signal from his blind side so I’m forever following his erratic path to ensure he doesn’t go near other dogs.

I would consider myself liable, however, if Zak attacked another dog. It would be my fault ecause I hadn’t kept my eye on the ball. It’s not helpful that I can run about as fast as a snail!
 
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Anything that will 'try and kill' another dog should always be on a lead unless on private property. At least muzzled but tbh on lead as a muzzled attack is still stressful for the attacked dog
It's not fair for off lead dogs as the unwritten rule generally is off lead is safe to be off lead, on lead may have a reason, keep dogs away from so you give owners no chance to judge the situation
I have no sympathy for anyone whose dog is attacked by one on a lead that their off lead dog has approached.
 
Nope, don’t understand it either. If your dog isn’t good with others keep it on a lead. Simple.

As for the offlead dog that gets a telling off by an on lead dog, I also hold the off lead dog’s owner entirely responsible.
 
Nope, don?t understand it either. If your dog isn?t good with others keep it on a lead. Simple.

As for the offlead dog that gets a telling off by an on lead dog, I also hold the off lead dog?s owner entirely responsible.
yes,surely every dog has a right to be walked on a lead without being harassed by a loose dog?
 
I would consider myself liable, however, if Zak attacked another dog. It would be my fault ecause I hadn?t kept my eye on the ball. It?s not helpful that I can run about as fast as a snail!
Accepting liability for an attack won't alter the fact that someone's poor dog has been traumatised and possibly injured, it's too late once it's happened. If there is any thought at all that a dog might attack another it is totally irresponsible to have it off lead in a public place.
 
Then there was the idiot woman at Bramham with another Rottweiler bitch on a lead. She brought the dog up to our Rotts and started to say "She isn't very good with other dogs but I think she'll be ok with your Rottweilers". She got as far as ok and her blasted dog snapped at one of ours, who broke her lead snapping back, I'm not sure how sister managed to keep hold of her, although the back-up lead attached to the harness was still intact. I couldn't believe that any-one could be so stupid, or that she had managed to pick the more reactive one of ours!


Fortunately there is a very nice stallholder, in the bottom corner, who sold us a new lead - and gave us two new collars because they were pink and our girls wear girly colours.
 
Accepting liability for an attack won't alter the fact that someone's poor dog has been traumatised and possibly injured, it's too late once it's happened. If there is any thought at all that a dog might attack another it is totally irresponsible to have it off lead in a public place.

I think i was unclear. There is no way Zak would be able to attack another dog. For example, today, he was sent on multiple retrieves but only after I’d checked that there were no other dogs in the vicinity. He’s walked at a time when the park is normally empty. He is put on his lead if another dog comes near. I am ultra careful. He does not run over to other dogs.
 
I think i was unclear. There is no way Zak would be able to attack another dog. For example, today, he was sent on multiple retrieves but only after I’d checked that there were no other dogs in the vicinity. He’s walked at a time when the park is normally empty. He is put on his lead if another dog comes near. I am ultra careful. He does not run over to other dogs.
Yes CT I think your original post didn't come across quite as you intended. You are obviously quite the opposite to how I read it and I wish more owners were as conscientious as you when out and about with their dogs.
 
Our deerhound lurcher is a real scrapper and reacts with aggression if a dog approaches him so anytime we meet another dog that isn't on the lead we tell the dog owner he is not good with other dogs whilst holding on to Finnegan's collar. Most people completely ignore us and do nothing to control their dog.
 
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