Walking etiquette- dog loose in garden.

[HopOnTrot]

What is the etiquette in this situation?

Dog loose in garden. Dog in lane off lead. Dog in garden barks, so dog loose in lane runs up to the fence barking and snarling at the dog in the garden. Both dogs are threatening to rip the other’s throat out but separated by a wire fence.

My dog was the garden dog. I heard the sound of dogs fighting, came out, removed my dog from the situation.

Other owner wasn’t even calling their dog, one stood there holding 2 other dogs and one wafted around doing nothing.

My already reactive dog will now have another breed on her shit list.

My reactive dog will bark at our neighbour’s dogs in their garden if we walk past but no way would I let her go up to the fence and snarl and bark in their faces.

 

[Birker2020]

What is the etiquette in this situation?

Dog loose in garden. Dog in lane off lead. Dog in garden barks, so dog loose in lane runs up to the fence barking and snarling at the dog in the garden. Both dogs are threatening to rip the other’s throat out but separated by a wire fence.

My dog was the garden dog. I heard the sound of dogs fighting, came out, removed my dog from the situation.

Other owner wasn’t even calling their dog, one stood there holding 2 other dogs and one wafted around doing nothing.

My already reactive dog will now have another breed on her shit list.

My reactive dog will bark at our neighbour’s dogs in their garden if we walk past but no way would I let her go up to the fence and snarl and bark in their faces.

That's typical of dog walkers today though. I'd be horrified if mine started doing that to someones dog in their own back garden, she would soon get short shift for her trouble, we'd pull her away from the situation and put her on her lead.

But in my Mums garden when we let her out for a wee, she zooms out and barks like crazy to the fence between Mum and her neighbours garden and they let their dog out and both dogs are launching themselves at the fence barking ferociously. But when they actually meet face to face out on the front they ignore each other totally. Its more the fun of the chase and the fun of asserting dominance. Its a once a week occurrence when we visit Mum so I don't see it as any bother.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I just keep my dogs in a leash in their own garden, the wall is too low, the lane is too busy and there are too many cats for me to allow them out loose or unattended safely. My middle dog was a good boy but if someone started him at the gate, he would give it back and the optics of an angry German Shepherd are never good.

Fence fighting/aggression is not unusual (the 'hold me back' syndrome, the barrier makes them brave) so it's best avoided where possible. There are dogs on the other side of the fence to the side (not visible) and mine are not allowed to engage/interact/bark back. During hot days of lockdown one was allowed to go biccies barking all day, mine were just lying beside me, chilling.

Of course, as above I would never allow my dogs to approach someone else's boundary but I've not only had that but dogs jumping or walking into my garden, my young dog is a reactive nightmare due to being chased by a spaniel round her own garden in her imprinting phase and lots of crap on the verge and in some of the open plan gardens on the main street.

 

[splashgirl45]

If I was walking on the pavement my dogs would be on leads anyway and if a dog in the garden kicked off I would try and stop mine from responding , not easy with 3, and would cross over to the other side of the road as soon as I could. It’s very unfair to hover outside someone’s garden if their dog is kicking off..

 

[CorvusCorax]

To add, there is one really annoying older guy who walks past my house at a glacial pace while his offleash dogs sniffs and does its business on my verge so I have to wait until he is gone before taking the young one out or in, I have seen him walking elsewhere in the town and he can march on just fine when he wants to. It's not as if people don't know I have dogs, he sees me coming and going enough, the young one often gives off and I have signs denoting that there may be German Shepherds on the property.

 

[Tiddlypom]

The correct etiquette is to firmly march the dog being walked past the resident’s dog garden/house, preferably on the other side of the road. No allowing the dog being walked to come up close to the resident dog through the fence so that the dogs can ‘make friends’ .

We’ve got a few similar dogs in gardens to walk past hereabouts, but the JRT is always on lead so it’s easy to march on by. She doesn’t bother with most of them. Tbf most of the dogs are hot air only, but the psycho collies would defo have both me and the dog, and she knows it and scuttles past .

 

[cauda equina]

Is the lane a public road? If so

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is a criminal offence for a dog to be on a designated road (ie. a public road) without being held on a lead.

 

[Jenko109]

I wouldnt dream of allowing my dogs to rush up and kick off at another dog in it's own garden.

 

[Goldenstar]

Common sense dictates that you walk smartly past a garden with a dog in it at a smart let’s go pace .
But common sense does dictate quite a lot of what people do last week I saw two Labrador dogs who live in the village who I assume to have a litter mate syndrome thing going on milling about loose and alone ie no human on the road both wearing muzzles usually it’s one rangeing about while the other works at taking out passers by with it extendable leader .
They are so alike I can’t work out if they take turns on the lead .
Then loose on street on lab and two JRTs owner ambling along the road he did even have leaders this is a busy place next to a children’s parks traffic.
Then as I left a dog in my garden who would not return to its owner

 

[Goldenstar]

Just adding I am putting gates in my garden at either side of the house so my dogs are allowed up the back and sides of the house when loose it’s just safer .

 

[skinnydipper]

This business of dogs barking at the fence/gate at people and passing dogs (and at the postman ) is this is another of those acceptable by size things again or you defend the right of dogs to bark at the gate because you have a dog that does it?

 

[Goldenstar]

I think dogs bark but they should not be left to bark .
It’s antisocial .
It’s one of the reasons for the side gate thing at the new house I don’t want my dogs to own that front space .
People leaving dogs to bark and form the habit of high energy noise making is really silly and I think it’s often very linked to lack of exercise and other stimulation .

 

[AmyMay]

I would never allow my dog to go up to someone else’s gate and bark at their dog. It’s just rude.

Hopefully you had strong words.

 

[skinnydipper]

It’s one of the reasons for the side gate thing at the new house I don’t want my dogs to own that front space .

^This^ Most sensible thing I have read so far.

 

[skinnydipper]

I know this won't go down well but I think people should be able to walk down the road, with or without a dog, without having to run the gauntlet of dogs barking at their gate, whatever the excuse.

 

[Goldenstar]

So do I , I also think homeowner should be able to have the expectation that people walking their dogs down the street will have them behaving in a sensible way.
That includes them being on leads and I don’t mean extendable ones which are used as an excuse for having a dog on a lead but doing it’s own thing .
Dog should not be set up to learn to bark at humans walking past .

I know some people want dogs to develop guarding behaviour but it’s a difficult thing to manage without it being anti social.
I really don’t understand how the owners can stand living with persistent barking let alone inflict it on anyone else .

 

[Tiddlypom]

This business of dogs barking at the fence/gate at people and passing dogs (and at the postman ) is this is another of those acceptable by size things again or you defend the right of dogs to bark at the gate because you have a dog that does it?

That comment, with the special mention of the postman and the winking emoji, will be aimed at me . You deleted your earlier snark about it on another thread .

Does the JRT bark at the postman if she is out in the garden when he comes? Yes. Can she get to him or get out onto the road - no, our gates are locked and our postbox and doorbell are outside the gate.

Do I think that the barking is acceptable behaviour and we facilitate it? No. I have tried and tried since we got her as a rising 3yo to install a solid recall, but have failed. That is why she is always walked on lead.

Do I let her have free rein out in the garden especially when I know that the postman or other deliveries are due? No. But our post delivery window is at least 3 hours long, so sometimes she is inadvertently briefly out when he comes, or we think that he must have gone past without stopping.

Do we let her freely bark at other passers by, and let her get on with it? No, we try and call her back and get her in. Funnily enough, if it’s a horse going past she will recall quite easily.

Is she ever out on her own roaming around the local area? No.

Does she have to walk past other dogs in gardens barking at her when out on a walk? Yes, quite a few. It is my responsibility to walk her calmly and purposely past, and not fuss about how other people manage their dogs, as long as the dogs are contained.

I have never pretended, on here or elsewhere, to be anything other than a regular and relatively responsible pet dog owner. AAD is not known as the scariest board on the forum for nothing.

 

[Jenko109]

I don't think anyone has a concern with dogs who have a bark within the confines of their own garden, providing that the owner is actively doing something to stop or discourage it.

When my dogs are let out in the back garden for the toilet, if they can hear someone behind the fence, they will bark. They are of course immediately told to pack it in and get on with their business.

Likewise in the summer, when the back door is open and I am in the house, if they get silly and start barking, they they are brought back indoors. The message sinks in pretty quickly in summer, if they want the freedom of going in the garden and having a sunbathe, then they must do so quietly.

It's the owners who just leave their dogs to gob off, annoying the neighbours and being a general noisy nuisance, that are the problem.

 

[AmyMay]

Tbh I couldn’t care less if my dog barks in the garden.

 

[Jenko109]

Tbh I couldn’t care less if my dog barks in the garden.

You're in serious trouble.

 

[twiggy2]

I dont allow my dogs to have access to a fence line that people walk along, boundary aggression and frustration is a nightmare.
One of my collies can be reactive and that started when we were walking along a narrow pavement and 2 small dogs scared the living daylights out of us by erupting at the gate as we welked past, we cant have been further then 2 feet away from them.
We had no idea they were there till qe qere right next to them.
I also wouldnt let my dogs run a fence line kicking of from outside.
I wouldnt say one is worse than the other to be honest and i would be fencing my garden so my dog cannot get to a boundary with other dogs on the other side of it.
I do however hate dogs barking so would stip the fence gaurding for myself too.

 

[DabDab]

These days my dogs are separated from the property front gate so can't get to the perimeter fence. There is a footpath that runs up to our front gate then turns right and along our whole front boundary, so once the youngest one started showing interest in other dogs walking along there I made an inner garden to keep her well away and I rarely get any barking.

There are occasions in the day when Phoebe is out of the inner garden but still within the property but because she is hanging out with me she tends not to notice anyone at the front. However there was one occasion a few months ago when she did notice and ran down to the gate (not barking), sniffed the big labrador (on lead with person stood next to it) through the front gate and then started barking at it. I made my way down to the gate to collect her, in which time the owner had put his labrador in a sit, still right by the gate and he and the labrador were staring at Phoebe barking at them. As I got close I called P, she ran to me, I picked up and we walked off, all the while the man and his dog were still right up against our gate, still starting at us. It was a really bizarre encounter, and fortunately I have never seen the same man since, but I have really no clue what he thought he was doing

 

[skinnydipper]

That comment, with the special mention of the postman and the winking emoji, will be aimed at me . You deleted your earlier snark about it on another thread .

Does the JRT bark at the postman if she is out in the garden when he comes? Yes. Can she get to him or get out onto the road - no, our gates are locked and our postbox and doorbell are outside the gate.

Do I think that the barking is acceptable behaviour and we facilitate it? No. I have tried and tried since we got her as a rising 3yo to install a solid recall, but have failed. That is why she is always walked on lead.

Do I let her have free rein out in the garden especially when I know that the postman or other deliveries are due? No. But our post delivery window is at least 3 hours long, so sometimes she is inadvertently briefly out when he comes, or we think that he must have gone past without stopping.

Do we let her freely bark at other passers by, and let her get on with it? No, we try and call her back and get her in. Funnily enough, if it’s a horse going past she will recall quite easily.

Is she ever out on her own roaming around the local area? No.

Does she have to walk past other dogs in gardens barking at her when out on a walk? Yes, quite a few. It is my responsibility to walk her calmly and purposely past, and not fuss about how other people manage their dogs, as long as the dogs are contained.

I have never pretended, on here or elsewhere, to be anything other than a regular and relatively responsible pet dog owner. AAD is not known as the scariest board on the forum for nothing.

Extreme, I think you said when I was complaining about dogs being allowed to kick off at people walking on the pavement outside their house. Barking through gates at passersby is even worse.

There are some lovely walks within easy walking distance from home, now I travel by car. I would have to pass 4 dogs kicking off before I got to the end of our road. Where is the pleasure in that?


ETA. If you remember I was responding to people who thought it was amusing that their dogs were going nuts at people passing their home.

 

[skinnydipper]

Tbh I couldn’t care less if my dog barks in the garden.

a. you don't have neighbours
b. Your neighbour is deaf
c. You don't care that your neighbour has to put up with your dog barking

 

[HopOnTrot]

For context, we are the only house on this side of the lane, so we aren’t overlooked, I want the dogs to bark if they hear someone on the drive to alert us, (rural theft hotspot) I’m fine with that. If reactive dog is going mad she gets called in and door closed (they have free access to about an acre of fenced garden most of the time as I wfh and just leave the door open). We rarely have anyone other than locals walk past which is why it was so unusual to find a gobby collie on my driveway snarling at reactive dog!

I have never seen yesterday’s dog walkers before so likely they could have been guests of a neighbour so I didn’t have a word with them, just removed my dog.

Postman is marked as safe from the terrier, Waitrose delivery man is keen to take them home

 

[CorvusCorax]

I already keep my dogs at the back of the house, have them leashed in their own garden, hang back when exiting and entering my own property to let other people and their dogs past. I have never, ever been extended that same courtesy by anyone walking past my house, yet and all we are the ones who live here. People frequently see me coming up to my own gate and let their dogs hang around, make no effort to move on, as if *we* are disturbing *their* dog taking a leak on someone else's property, how inconsiderate of us. I don't know what else I can do, to be a responsible member of society! I did let the young one bark at a group of lairy male youths hanging around in the dark outside my house a couple of weeks ago, being a lone female I don't really see why anyone would have an issue with that.

 

[splashgirl45]

I live at the back of the village green where people walk their dogs , my dogs will bark from inside the house which is about 12 feet away from the green but I tell them to be quiet immediately as my cottage is terraced and I’m aware that I have neighbours. If mine are in the back garden and kick off they are bought in immediately… as I live on my own in a quiet village I want my dogs to alert me if anyone is hovering round my cottage, as far as I’m concerned it’s good that people know I have dogs so they may not think of tampering with my car or robbing me… there is one person who used to stand outside my place and throw sticks for his terrier who was barking all of the time, it sent my lot bonkers . He actually did this one night at 11pm when I was asleep, I mentioned that I was not happy in a pretty forceful way and suggested I would do the same to him at 6.30am on my way to the yard. He never did it again

 

[Caol Ila]

At every place I have kept my horses where we have to hack past houses, there's always at least one dog in a garden that goes ballistic when we ride past. Neither my old horse nor my current two horses give a damn, and I only have to tolerate it for a minute or two while we pass the house, but that must get super annoying for the nieghbours if those dogs bark at everything.

An ex-flatmate used to have a German Shepherd-Malamute cross, a sweet dog but not the most well trained thing in the world. Ex-flatmate was pretty useless. You always had to go with him if letting him into the garden for a wee, because he'd charge the gates barking like an idiot at anyone walking by, and we are in suburbia here, so a lot of people bimble past the garden.

We also had to attach a postbox to the side of the flat because the dog would lunge and snap when the postman shoved mail through the slot in the door. That was nae bother, but then OH had to glue the slot closed because posties unfamiliar with the house would ignore the sign that said don't use the slot, and use it anyway.

 

[Clodagh]

Mine don’t have free access to the front gate but that is mainly my neurosis about theft. They are not allowed to bark outside at length as my neighbours, who have lots of dogs and teenage children (the latter are far noisier) have complained in the past about my dogs.
When I’m out and they are kennelled they are pretty quiet but I’m afraid they do bark at the postie and any delivery drivers that come.

 

[Goldenstar]

Tbh I couldn’t care less if my dog barks in the garden.

But do you let your bark persistently , I have no issue with a dog barking because someone comes to the door but they need to understand to stop.
My dog bark when someone comes to the door , they stop when I tell them to sit away from the door . They don’t bark in the garden when someone comes in I think because we have people and dogs arriving in the garden all the time.

Anti social barking is a habit that dogs get into .
I actually don’t mind the barking hedges we get when riding things like teach horses to get on with life .
But people should be about to walk about without nutty barking dogs .
People who allow this are allowing dogs to get used to bad energy .
It’s foolish .

I want calmly confident dogs who allow me to set the energy level .