Why cant people keep dogs under control.

I completely sympathise with everyone who has trouble with out of control dogs, they're the bane of my life! I've had two dogs who needed veterinary treatment after being attacked through absolutely no fault of their own, both on lead. My poor girl needed 3 operations, including a skin graft. My current boy is happy to sniff noses with quiet, mannerly dogs, but since being attacked hates dogs charging up to him/in his face, unsurprisingly! He's kept on lead as he's a greyhound, so there's a fair chance he'd take off after wildlife.

I'm sick of people who know their dogs are aggressive but let them off lead, don't muzzle them, and don't do anything while they're attacking other dogs. The latest attack last year has ruined my confidence, I can rarely pluck up the courage to walk in places where we're likely to meet off lead dogs. If a dog runs up to him I'm terrified, and my legs turn to jelly. We now mostly just walk round the streets, and I've got lovely country and woodland walks on my doorstep, which I really miss doing, and it makes me angry that we can't enjoy doing them any more. I now carry a walking stick and will have no hesitation in using it to defend my dog, I'm not prepared to stand by and watch my dog getting hurt again. ?
 
Odyssey said:
I completely sympathise with everyone who has trouble with out of control dogs, they're the bane of my life! I've had two dogs who needed veterinary treatment after being attacked through absolutely no fault of their own, both on lead. My poor girl needed 3 operations, including a skin graft. My current boy is happy to sniff noses with quiet, mannerly dogs, but since being attacked hates dogs charging up to him/in his face, unsurprisingly! He's kept on lead as he's a greyhound, so there's a fair chance he'd take off after wildlife.

I'm sick of people who know their dogs are aggressive but let them off lead, don't muzzle them, and don't do anything while they're attacking other dogs. The latest attack last year has ruined my confidence, I can rarely pluck up the courage to walk in places where we're likely to meet off lead dogs. If a dog runs up to him I'm terrified, and my legs turn to jelly. We now mostly just walk round the streets, and I've got lovely country and woodland walks on my doorstep, which I really miss doing, and it makes me angry that we can't enjoy doing them any more. I now carry a walking stick and will have no hesitation in using it to defend my dog, I'm not prepared to stand by and watch my dog getting hurt again. ?
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Maybe you could find an enclosed field nearby? I take my pup to one once a week or very early to the dog park. I love it when it rains because it doesn't bother my dog and the park is more likely to be empty.
https://www.dogwalkingfields.com/fi...er=pjListings&action=pjActionMap&listings_map
 
I don't have a dog myself but I do regularly pet-sit for a friend and her wee terrier mix is an anxious, fear-aggressive mess around other dogs she doesn't know. She's much less anxious off-lead but I wouldn't even think of it as it just wouldn't be safe. If people would control their own dogs and she didn't have to deal with them running up with no brakes she would probably have been able to get over her anxiety but for every positive dog-neutral interaction you can praise her for there are two interactions where she either has to be put behind me while she panics and barks her head off or has to be scooped up for everyone's safety when the other dog won't take a hint!

If I were to get a dog in the future I would be getting one I can comfortably lift out of danger as a last resort, even if they have to be slung round my 5'2" neck like a scarf. So if I want anything bigger than a cocker spaniel I'm also going to have to get back in the gym!
 
Out of control dogs are one of my biggest hates. I've been attacked twice by other peoples dogs myself and had lots of poor encounters with the horses/other dogs.

The most recent was with a couple of dogs that regularly walk on our farm and are consistently out of control. I was riding in our field (which is NOT a footpath!!) and my dog was with me, the owner walked towards us and his two dogs started going for my dog. Our dog is a big GSD x lab and is well socialized and friendly but he recognized that these two weren't playing nice and ran and hid under a bench with them still going for him. I shouted to him to call his dogs off and he tried but they totally ignored him so I ran them down with the horse and swished my dressage whip at them to get them off my dog. They soon moved and I didn't touch them (not for lack of trying!) and received a torrent of abuse from the owner as a result.
After my ride his wife had the audacity to come and find me while I was getting my horses in and complain about me whipping her dogs! I said if you had any control over them then I wouldn't have to and wasn't about to stand and watch my dog being attacked and would do it again if needed. Funnily enough they have managed to keep them on leads since then!
This was the final straw after a series of incidents with the same dogs, their staffie will run and jump at you if you are walking and has knocked people down in the past and they never acknowledge you or apologize.

But then, my friend has recently (last year) bought a lab puppy, is allowed to run and jump at you as a friendly greeting! She is an animal physiotherapist and thinks the sun shines from this dogs ***, though did tell me they now pen the dog in on their driveway as it does it to her neighbors as they walk by and her elderly neighbor who is on warfarin has got lots of bruises from him. I told her she should be ashamed and should know better than to allow him to do that. But if she cant do it as a professional what hope is there for the rest of them!!
 
If you were riding on your own land and it isn't a footpath what were they doing there!! I would have given them hell for trespassing and for having dogs off lead. Would also be reporting them to the police and dog warden.
 
I have two dogs . . . one elderly, fear aggressive dog who has been attacked by a dog who lived in our house which left him very damaged (it's a long story), and the other who was adopted specifically to be his companion who is the kindest, most tolerant and amenable dog to all dogs she meets EVER. Guess which one we walk in public areas?

I can walk her off lead only because her recall is impeccable. I am always aware of other dogs around us, and if I see someone walking a dog on the lead I will always recall her to me and either put her on the lead, or ask her to stay with me and then wait for the other dog and owner to move on.

I'm neither smug or showing off . . . it's just basic dog etiquette to keep your troublesome dog away from other people and dogs, or to make sure that your dog is either muzzled or has impeccable recall - and if it doesn't walk it on either a long line or a lead and possibly in some sort of vest that lets other dog walkers know that yours is particularly sensitive/needs space. Oh, and if you're lucky enough to have a dog with good recall/manners, be aware that not all other dog walkers are so lucky and recognize when someone and their dog needs space and act accordingly.

Not all dogs are easy to train - not all dogs have been in their present home for very long so haven't had the benefit of consistent training. Just because yours is well-trained, don't assume everyone else's is . . . and don't judge those who don't yet have perfectly biddable dogs.

Daisy (companion dog) wasn't easy to train . . . the corgi side of her brain can kick in and make her very, very stubborn. Oddly, her brother (the fear aggressive boy who is part collie) taught her alot. My point is that she didn't come to us well behaved . . . we worked hard.

PS
 
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