Advice on how to deal with issue on dog walk.
Discussion
Trying to keep it simple few weeks ago during a walk we encountered two women walking two dogs just after rounding a bend. No warning. All dogs on a lead.
Our one year old Golden just wants to go up and say hello, give a play bow and see if there's any chance of a game of chase.
Anyway one of these dogs, some sort of mastiff thing starts snarling and pulling like crazy to get to us. Ours backs off a bit but isn't exactly helpful in getting away. He's a bit slow in reading doggy "just gtf away" language. Too friendly for his own good.
Anyway I'm gradually getting him further away, this woman is at full stretch almost screaming I can't hold him I can't hold him. Gradually get outside this mastiff's threshold distance, and he calms down a bit. We go another way and from a distance our dog sits down watching the show and still probably hoping he gets the chance to say hello. They clear off on their original route and we go another way to the one intended.
Fast forward a few weeks and we see the same group from a distance. We're just sat down minding our own business taking the sun, but "in the way" of the route this lot want to take.
So I try to make a move to get out of the way but himself has decided his bum is very comfy thanks and wants to stay put. It's a habit he has and currently working on it as he can be a pain. Anyway these woman stop and start shouting you'll have to drag him out of the way. I flatly refuse to drag him. To which the woman shouts it's not my dog and can't hold him. I still refuse to drag him and say they should take a slight deviation. It's a flat open field with multiple paths across it.
Anyway they refuse and continue on their walk, coming closer. Ours is sat on his bum calm and just looking at this mastiff bouncing around and growling at him. Ours just behaving himself and under control until they're past at which point he decides to now move on his walk. Thanks mate! Timing.
So ideally I'd have much preferred if our hooligan would move the instant he is told to and in chosen direction. No doubt the usual lot will say it's all my fault for being arsey and demanding these women are in control of their charges.
Since then whenever seen from a distance managed to keep him moving in the desired direction to keep other side of field, but it's clear from their actions that these two intend to take a certain route and will not deviate from that route in the slightest, others have to get out of their way.
Suggestions welcome as the situation is likely to reoccur. Treats as an incentive to get him to move quickly don't work btw. The reward of saying hi and sniffing is clearly much too strong. Obviously we continue to work on leash reactivity.
So help welcome.
Our one year old Golden just wants to go up and say hello, give a play bow and see if there's any chance of a game of chase.
Anyway one of these dogs, some sort of mastiff thing starts snarling and pulling like crazy to get to us. Ours backs off a bit but isn't exactly helpful in getting away. He's a bit slow in reading doggy "just gtf away" language. Too friendly for his own good.
Anyway I'm gradually getting him further away, this woman is at full stretch almost screaming I can't hold him I can't hold him. Gradually get outside this mastiff's threshold distance, and he calms down a bit. We go another way and from a distance our dog sits down watching the show and still probably hoping he gets the chance to say hello. They clear off on their original route and we go another way to the one intended.
Fast forward a few weeks and we see the same group from a distance. We're just sat down minding our own business taking the sun, but "in the way" of the route this lot want to take.
So I try to make a move to get out of the way but himself has decided his bum is very comfy thanks and wants to stay put. It's a habit he has and currently working on it as he can be a pain. Anyway these woman stop and start shouting you'll have to drag him out of the way. I flatly refuse to drag him. To which the woman shouts it's not my dog and can't hold him. I still refuse to drag him and say they should take a slight deviation. It's a flat open field with multiple paths across it.
Anyway they refuse and continue on their walk, coming closer. Ours is sat on his bum calm and just looking at this mastiff bouncing around and growling at him. Ours just behaving himself and under control until they're past at which point he decides to now move on his walk. Thanks mate! Timing.
So ideally I'd have much preferred if our hooligan would move the instant he is told to and in chosen direction. No doubt the usual lot will say it's all my fault for being arsey and demanding these women are in control of their charges.
Since then whenever seen from a distance managed to keep him moving in the desired direction to keep other side of field, but it's clear from their actions that these two intend to take a certain route and will not deviate from that route in the slightest, others have to get out of their way.
Suggestions welcome as the situation is likely to reoccur. Treats as an incentive to get him to move quickly don't work btw. The reward of saying hi and sniffing is clearly much too strong. Obviously we continue to work on leash reactivity.
So help welcome.
If it's not her dog then I assume she's walking it for a friend for some reason? Hopefully it's a short term thing and you wont bump into them too many more times. Personally, I don anything I can to keep me and my dog away from any aggressive animals, but I can understand the though of not wanting to jump out their way with the attitude on them.
I disagree with the "two owners can't control their dogs" statement simply because one dog is completely non-threatening.
If she can't control the dog she shouldn't be walking him.
I can't move a bloody wardrobe that doesn't mean I'm a bad wardrobe owner!*
If she can't control the dog she shouldn't be walking him.
I can't move a bloody wardrobe that doesn't mean I'm a bad wardrobe owner!*
- I struggled with this for some time, I'm not convinced it works but hopefully you get the "non-threatening but impossible to move anyway" point I'm trying to make
It's upto her to avoid conflict as she has the aggressive dog (obviously not if a dog bounds upto hers, she can't do much about that) not tge other way round.
I also have serious concerns about someone walking another persons dog when they can't control it, disaster waiting to happen!
I also have serious concerns about someone walking another persons dog when they can't control it, disaster waiting to happen!
Your dog is off lead. If the mastiff got it but was on lead, your dog would
a) Be injured
b) possibly be dead
And you would not have a leg to stand on because your dog was out of control (off lead = out of control) and went over to an aggressive but on lead dog. Now, if you are happy for your dog to possibly get badly injured or killed because you can't recall it when it is off lead then fair enough.
So, control your dog for it's own good. Don't let it go over to other dogs, you have no idea what they have been through and why they are aggressive, some of them have likely been attacked by the "he just wants to say hello" brigade..
Sorry if that is harsh.
a) Be injured
b) possibly be dead
And you would not have a leg to stand on because your dog was out of control (off lead = out of control) and went over to an aggressive but on lead dog. Now, if you are happy for your dog to possibly get badly injured or killed because you can't recall it when it is off lead then fair enough.
So, control your dog for it's own good. Don't let it go over to other dogs, you have no idea what they have been through and why they are aggressive, some of them have likely been attacked by the "he just wants to say hello" brigade..
Sorry if that is harsh.
Didn't he say all the dogs were on a lead so the above comment is irrelevant in this case.
Very first paragraph of the first post ALL dogs were on a lead.
And neither is it right that the Walker of this mastiff dog should be blameless, she openly admits she can't control it so she shouldn't be walking it.
Very first paragraph of the first post ALL dogs were on a lead.
And neither is it right that the Walker of this mastiff dog should be blameless, she openly admits she can't control it so she shouldn't be walking it.
Edited by bexVN on Friday 21st August 18:02
bexVN said:
Very first paragraph of the first post ALL dogs were on a lead.
My mistake. No point editing my post now to remove it.And I mean legally, if an off lead dog wanders up to an on-lead dog that then hurts it, the on-lead dog is not deemed out of control as a rule. IF the dog dragged her over the road to attack it wold be a different ballgame however.
Jasandjules said:
Your dog is off lead.
Nope ON lead all the time.Repeat ON lead.
Just to be clear we don't go near this dog. We actively try to avoid it. This other dog walker doesn't wish to deviate even 10 yards from their route and appears to expect everyone to get out of their way. Not just us btw.
Accept we have an issue when matey sticks his arse down and refuses to move but working on that.
Sometimes wonder why bother with PH when people don't read posts properly. Thanks to all those so far who have read it properly and input.
Jasandjules said:
bexVN said:
Very first paragraph of the first post ALL dogs were on a lead.
My mistake. No point editing my post now to remove it.And I mean legally, if an off lead dog wanders up to an on-lead dog that then hurts it, the on-lead dog is not deemed out of control as a rule. IF the dog dragged her over the road to attack it wold be a different ballgame however.
This situation is what makes me so cautious letting Vinnie off his lead, he just loves other dogs, he goes charging over, normally goes all flat to the ground once he's there until they play then he's off on one playing with them, which is all fun and games until he meets the wrong dog. We met a aggressive dog the other day on the other side of the road, he initially pulled to go over until the dog started going mental (with a 14 year old girl walking it, fantastic) then decided he didnt want to say hello. I hope he'd do this off lead too but dont fancy taking the risk.
It can't be too pleasant for the woman walking the mastiff to have him pulling and snarling so why isn't she the one to change direction?
It could be she is being paid to walk the dog and has been told to follow that route. You've said there are various paths out of the field, presumably the path they choose to take is the shortest route or connects to another path they need to go down to return home? Is it the same time each day when you see them? Has the mastiff got a muzzle on?
I'd choose the easy option which would be to avoid them, start your walk a bit earlier or later if possible. Ask other local dog walkers if they've had a problem and if they know the owner. It could be the mastiff's owner thinks the dog is in capable hands.
It could be she is being paid to walk the dog and has been told to follow that route. You've said there are various paths out of the field, presumably the path they choose to take is the shortest route or connects to another path they need to go down to return home? Is it the same time each day when you see them? Has the mastiff got a muzzle on?
I'd choose the easy option which would be to avoid them, start your walk a bit earlier or later if possible. Ask other local dog walkers if they've had a problem and if they know the owner. It could be the mastiff's owner thinks the dog is in capable hands.
Very reasonable points condor.
No muzzle on the mastiff. We see them at very irregular times and days. Thankfully days and weeks go by with no sight then they're back. See below.
The field is bounded on two sides by river /water but there are numerous access points including a couple of bridges to cross. Whilst there are some metalled paths there are a good few that are rough mown paths through longer grass and quite a few simply trodden by use. The whole field is open access so you can walk where you want, though admit some won't wish to walk in the longer meadow grass.
They always take the same route and enter /leave by the same opening and use the same paths without deviation. Been a couple of times where they are there already and we just go about face and head in a completely different direction. But it's a bit rich if you're sat by the river watching boats / wildlife etc and they deliberately don't avoid contact for the sake of walking twenty yards.
As for finding out the owner and having a word, completely without hard evidence admittedly, but their demeanour and direction of travel suggests they may be of, errr, the caravan dwelling persuasion. Hence the
No muzzle on the mastiff. We see them at very irregular times and days. Thankfully days and weeks go by with no sight then they're back. See below.
The field is bounded on two sides by river /water but there are numerous access points including a couple of bridges to cross. Whilst there are some metalled paths there are a good few that are rough mown paths through longer grass and quite a few simply trodden by use. The whole field is open access so you can walk where you want, though admit some won't wish to walk in the longer meadow grass.
They always take the same route and enter /leave by the same opening and use the same paths without deviation. Been a couple of times where they are there already and we just go about face and head in a completely different direction. But it's a bit rich if you're sat by the river watching boats / wildlife etc and they deliberately don't avoid contact for the sake of walking twenty yards.
As for finding out the owner and having a word, completely without hard evidence admittedly, but their demeanour and direction of travel suggests they may be of, errr, the caravan dwelling persuasion. Hence the
FiF said:
Just to be clear we don't go near this dog. We actively try to avoid it. This other dog walker doesn't wish to deviate even 10 yards from their route and appears to expect everyone to get out of their way. Not just us btw.
Yes, already spotted my mistake (well, Bex did).No, that is annoying and I have myself moved over for an aggressive dog - mainly because otherwise ours would kill it. I am not kidding when I say the same couple walk their aggressive little rats on sticks off lead the same route and they will cheerfully (jolly hocky sticks) keep on walking towards us despite our dogs (9-10 stone 30" to the shoulders) start to go mad to defend us... One day we won't move out of the way quickly enough and they will lose one dog.
So I know what you are going through and it irritates me too. I would find out where the dog lives and go and have a word without your dog, personally I'd tell them if they don't want to deviate from their path then they can walk elsewhere.
FiF said:
Very reasonable points condor.
No muzzle on the mastiff. We see them at very irregular times and days. Thankfully days and weeks go by with no sight then they're back. See below.
The field is bounded on two sides by river /water but there are numerous access points including a couple of bridges to cross. Whilst there are some metalled paths there are a good few that are rough mown paths through longer grass and quite a few simply trodden by use. The whole field is open access so you can walk where you want, though admit some won't wish to walk in the longer meadow grass.
They always take the same route and enter /leave by the same opening and use the same paths without deviation. Been a couple of times where they are there already and we just go about face and head in a completely different direction. But it's a bit rich if you're sat by the river watching boats / wildlife etc and they deliberately don't avoid contact for the sake of walking twenty yards.
As for finding out the owner and having a word, completely without hard evidence admittedly, but their demeanour and direction of travel suggests they may be of, errr, the caravan dwelling persuasion. Hence the
this is a Mastiff if he wanted to tear the owners arm off he could. In reality they are far too lazy to do anything but eat and sleep. No muzzle on the mastiff. We see them at very irregular times and days. Thankfully days and weeks go by with no sight then they're back. See below.
The field is bounded on two sides by river /water but there are numerous access points including a couple of bridges to cross. Whilst there are some metalled paths there are a good few that are rough mown paths through longer grass and quite a few simply trodden by use. The whole field is open access so you can walk where you want, though admit some won't wish to walk in the longer meadow grass.
They always take the same route and enter /leave by the same opening and use the same paths without deviation. Been a couple of times where they are there already and we just go about face and head in a completely different direction. But it's a bit rich if you're sat by the river watching boats / wildlife etc and they deliberately don't avoid contact for the sake of walking twenty yards.
As for finding out the owner and having a word, completely without hard evidence admittedly, but their demeanour and direction of travel suggests they may be of, errr, the caravan dwelling persuasion. Hence the
FiF said:
Well not being an expert at dog breed identification this is a photo the nearest I can find.
Is this not some sort of mastiff?
the reason I posted this is because there are still alot of Dogs out there that should be banned or they have restrictions placed upon them.My BullMastiff was never agressive to any living creature unlike his owner who is overly protective of his pets .Have a look at some of these to see if you can recognise the Dog.Is this not some sort of mastiff?
http://listverse.com/2011/08/23/top-10-banned-dog-...
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