Should violent dogs be walked in public places?

[Guest]

even though my dog has just suffered an attack from a dog like this i still think it's the fault of the owner's not the dog. And keeping thier dog's on leads and at least one of them wearing a muzzle say's they are responsable dog owners and yours should learn better recall. They still have every right to walk the dogs if they are kept under control.

[addylewis]

Too right Jan!

[MARY POPPINS]

My dog doesnt like other dogs, loves people but just not happy with dogs running up to him, so he is always on his lead, hes never bitten anything or anybody, hes nine now, its not a training issue, or has he been mistreat, ive had this breed of dog all my life,and they have all been treat and trained the same, and he is the only one who has every been like this.

 

So i think if he is on his lead, i dont think other dogs off lead should be allowed to run up to him, as he pulls like crazy to get to them, and ive heard it so many times he only wants to play, well sorry he doesnt want to play.

 

On the other side, ive also got a small friendly little dog, and because i know my othervdog needs all my attention I walk them seperately, now if i see a dog on a lead, i assume its on a lead for a reason, and wouldnt dream of putting my little one at risk by letting him run up to it, so then i put him on his lead,

 

We all know or should know our own dogs its up to you to take care what happens with it, and to keep it safe, and be responsible, which i do think this person was being.

 

Can i just asking what the owner did to lock the dogs jaw, ive never heard of it been done before

Edited June 23, 2012 by MARY POPPINS

[froggi]

Dogs are not the problem with so called "dangerous breeds", it's the owners in the majority of cases and the need for "status pets" IMHO..... But back to this case, as previously stated in this thread, the owners of the other dogs, which were on leads (therefore under control) were acting as responsible dog owners.

 

The OP was the person at fault here I'm afraid and while Archie might be a friendly animal, other dogs can and will revert to a threat response when faced with a "loose" dog situation.....

 

We always either take hold of Jacks (our dog) harness, which he always wears during his walks or reclip his lead when another dog is either coming towards us or in close proximity and divert his attention when possible, unless we are surprised which may happen from time to time....

 

Really the only way to stop this sort of situation is to be vigilant at all times or keep your dog on a lead at all times, sorry

[libuse]

I also think the OP was at fault here. Both my dogs are very aggressive toward non-sighthounds, and as a result are always walked on a lead. They are muzzled if we go somewhere busy (eg, walking through a town when there might be a risk of having another dog very nearby) but when walking in parks, etc, I think that off-lead dogs' owners should have sufficient recall to keep their dogs away from leashed/muzzled dogs. It would appear that the OP didn't have that recall.

 

It has happened to me a couple of times, and it's been a struggle to keep mine away from the ill-controlled dog that was running around them. (Once, the owner said her dog wouldn't come back when she called because he was deaf! Unbelievable)

[angel22]

They had their dogs on leads and under control..... you didn't!

 

You're in the wrong, not them.

 

Glad Archie didn't get hurt though.

[angel22]

if a dog cant mix with other dogs then surely its a training issue

 

If a dog thats off lead doesn't come back to it's owner when called, thats also a training issue.

[ccit]

The law states that you should have your dog under control in public places; if it is off lead and doesn't perform a perfect recall then it is not under control. It is etiquette to put your dog back on its lead when you see someone coming towards you with their dog/s being walked on leads. This is because it is a dog's natural instinct to feel disadvantaged and therefore nervous when it is confined by a collar and lead and the other dog is loose. This is made manifestly worse if the loose dog is a bit OTT but perhaps not overtly aggressive.

I have been a dog owner (small breed) for many years and I am still immediately worried by off lead dogs - quite simply, you can have no idea whether they are good or bad.

The OP speaks of his Jack Russell as being a 'cheeky sod' but this is simply not acceptable. Terriers are notoriously hard to train to a perfect recall but I would say work on it and in the meantime exercise him on a long training lead - they can be brought on eBay and are not expensive - less than £10 for 50 metres.

[springsteen_]

theres never a bad dog, only bad owners, i have a 7 year old staffy, he weighs about 5 stone and hes huge, hes soft as a brush, my 20 month old daughter pulls his ears and plays with him and he's never growled or anything, because he knows if he does he'll get a crack, ive always brought him up like that, if the dogs are violent its the owners fault.

a dog came upto me and my dog a while back in the park, both dogs off the lead, so ill called mine to my side but the women didnt and her growled at mine so i shouted at it and was ready to kick it, the woman went mad and told me not to tell her dog what to do, obviously i told her a few choice words and if it growls at me again ill give it what for.

[Evei]

Am i right in questionning the fact that it right to walk aggressive dogs in a popular area at a common time for dog walkers?

 

I managed to get archie but im shaking like a leave!

 

As an owner of a dog that used to be aggressive to other dogs I can say it used to drive me mad that my on lead and muzzled dog could be jumped all other and circled by out of control dogs. At the time he had come out of rescue and we were trying our hardest to train him with support from trainers. Unfortunately were ever you walk there is always dogs so trying to completely avoid them never works. It used to put the training back every time an out of control 'friendly' dog came up to us, it was very frustrating.

 

4 year later I have a well behaved dog. However I never allow him to go up to on lead dogs, I know how upsetting it is for the poor owner and dog who are trying their hardest to train it out of them and I know the risk that an on lead dog could pose.

 

I'm glad you and Archie are alright but I can also see it from the other point of view too. To train dog aggression out you need to be near other dogs but a comfortable distance for the dog.

Edited June 23, 2012 by Evei