Discussion
^ They'd take it out bro. You're absolutely right about the bravodo. People already in combat mode just in case something may happen ffs, it's ridiculous.
When in a public place accept the unexpected, go with the flow, be polite all round. It's not hard but expecting everybody else to accomodate them will never work unless they relax a bit.
When in a public place accept the unexpected, go with the flow, be polite all round. It's not hard but expecting everybody else to accomodate them will never work unless they relax a bit.
ben5575 said:
It really doesn't seem very hard.
Letting your dog run off lead near children is not good for the children or as pointed out in earlier post, not likely to be good for your dog or indeed you. I'm fairly sure I would not take kindly to a dog being allowed to run up to my kids when they were small. It would be removed from the situation sharpish - shame as it's the owner's and not the dog's fault. Same dog on a leash coming up and being introduced responsibly, regardless of breed; fantastic.
Same rules generally apply to dogs being walked on leads.
So if my 17 year old border collie wandered up to you or your children what are you really going to do? You going to chance it? Somehow I think not. You'll adapt to the situation and become less fixed in your attitude. Your're already locked into panic mode, what's the matter with you? Letting your dog run off lead near children is not good for the children or as pointed out in earlier post, not likely to be good for your dog or indeed you. I'm fairly sure I would not take kindly to a dog being allowed to run up to my kids when they were small. It would be removed from the situation sharpish - shame as it's the owner's and not the dog's fault. Same dog on a leash coming up and being introduced responsibly, regardless of breed; fantastic.
Same rules generally apply to dogs being walked on leads.
Edited by Boosted LS1 on Saturday 7th January 22:39
Marvtec said:
Also does it make a difference to your imagined reaction who's with the dog? Are you 'fairly sure' you'd take the same action whether its a 6'4" bloke (me) or a 70 year old woman? Worth noting that if you were to punch or kick my dog, I'll be punching you which is a really unpleasant scenario however it goes.
My post was making a general point and I used the phrase 'dog being allowed to run up to my kids' for the sake of brevity rather than list out every type of interaction. I think that most people are capable of understanding that. But for the sake of clarity, and also in response to Boosted, of course you adapt to the situation.Edited by Marvtec on Saturday 7th January 21:57
Also no bravado in my post. You're the one talking about punching me
. Enjoying the vino are we? But in answer to your direct question; nope, it wouldn't make any difference who was with the dog. Big strong sexy boy like you 
or no.So, in summary, I know that my Rottie/Staffie/Ridgeback/Pit Bull cross (Mr Wuffles) is PERFECTLY HARMLESS. And here is a picture of it licking my 3 year old.
Therefore everyone else in the world knows it is perfectly harmless and I have the right to let it run about off the lead, growling and snarling in a friendly way at other people's dogs and children.
Anyone who disagrees with this knows nothing about dogs and is clearly a moron.
Therefore everyone else in the world knows it is perfectly harmless and I have the right to let it run about off the lead, growling and snarling in a friendly way at other people's dogs and children.
Anyone who disagrees with this knows nothing about dogs and is clearly a moron.
Interesting topic.
I've got a Rottweiler, he's just turned 1 and is a little over 50kg. He's also a big teddy bear and wants to be friends with other dogs and everyone.
I'm always conscious that those with no experience of the breed will most likely consider him dangerous and usually intimidating but people with dog/animal experience quickly see he means no trouble and is friendly.
I usually keep him on lead until we get to the park and if there are other dogs there I will often ask the other owners if they mind him playing with their dogs. I know most of the dogs + owners now and they know he's a good boy, in fact often a lot of the little dogs will chase him around which always makes me laugh. He doesn't show aggression but is protective of me, my other half and anyone he considers part of his family. It's not always perfect, he will sometimes go and greet people/other dogs if he sees them but I do try and keep it to a minimum.
When these dogs are raised responsibly they pose far less threat to biting people/other animals than a lot of small dogs, in terms of aggression they are a low aggression breed although clearly they can be dangerous if for whatever reason they do attack. As for anyone who says they'd attack a dog that approaches, I think we know that is nothing but internet talk.
I've got a Rottweiler, he's just turned 1 and is a little over 50kg. He's also a big teddy bear and wants to be friends with other dogs and everyone.
I'm always conscious that those with no experience of the breed will most likely consider him dangerous and usually intimidating but people with dog/animal experience quickly see he means no trouble and is friendly.
I usually keep him on lead until we get to the park and if there are other dogs there I will often ask the other owners if they mind him playing with their dogs. I know most of the dogs + owners now and they know he's a good boy, in fact often a lot of the little dogs will chase him around which always makes me laugh. He doesn't show aggression but is protective of me, my other half and anyone he considers part of his family. It's not always perfect, he will sometimes go and greet people/other dogs if he sees them but I do try and keep it to a minimum.
When these dogs are raised responsibly they pose far less threat to biting people/other animals than a lot of small dogs, in terms of aggression they are a low aggression breed although clearly they can be dangerous if for whatever reason they do attack. As for anyone who says they'd attack a dog that approaches, I think we know that is nothing but internet talk.
K8-600 said:
Interesting topic.
I've got a Rottweiler, he's just turned 1 and is a little over 50kg. He's also a big teddy bear and wants to be friends with other dogs and everyone.
I'm always conscious that those with no experience of the breed will most likely consider him dangerous and usually intimidating but people with dog/animal experience quickly see he means no trouble and is friendly.
I usually keep him on lead until we get to the park and if there are other dogs there I will often ask the other owners if they mind him playing with their dogs. I know most of the dogs + owners now and they know he's a good boy, in fact often a lot of the little dogs will chase him around which always makes me laugh. He doesn't show aggression but is protective of me, my other half and anyone he considers part of his family. It's not always perfect, he will sometimes go and greet people/other dogs if he sees them but I do try and keep it to a minimum.
When these dogs are raised responsibly they pose far less threat to biting people/other animals than a lot of small dogs, in terms of aggression they are a low aggression breed although clearly they can be dangerous if for whatever reason they do attack. As for anyone who says they'd attack a dog that approaches, I think we know that is nothing but internet talk.
Very sensible post and inline with my thoughts. If you own a dog and particularly a more 'contentious' breed such as a Rottweiler, you have an opportunity to educate and change people's perceptions if you act responsibly (as in this post) by making any interaction a positive one. I've got a Rottweiler, he's just turned 1 and is a little over 50kg. He's also a big teddy bear and wants to be friends with other dogs and everyone.
I'm always conscious that those with no experience of the breed will most likely consider him dangerous and usually intimidating but people with dog/animal experience quickly see he means no trouble and is friendly.
I usually keep him on lead until we get to the park and if there are other dogs there I will often ask the other owners if they mind him playing with their dogs. I know most of the dogs + owners now and they know he's a good boy, in fact often a lot of the little dogs will chase him around which always makes me laugh. He doesn't show aggression but is protective of me, my other half and anyone he considers part of his family. It's not always perfect, he will sometimes go and greet people/other dogs if he sees them but I do try and keep it to a minimum.
When these dogs are raised responsibly they pose far less threat to biting people/other animals than a lot of small dogs, in terms of aggression they are a low aggression breed although clearly they can be dangerous if for whatever reason they do attack. As for anyone who says they'd attack a dog that approaches, I think we know that is nothing but internet talk.
Also I'm not sure anybody on here has mentioned or is condoning attacking dogs. I mentioned removing a dog from a situation sharpish in an earlier post which seems to have got people's backs up. So here's an example of precisely such a situation from yesterday:
Leaving playground in park with my kids and spaniel. To do so involves walking past a bloke and his two dogs; a malamute that is tied on a short lead to a picnic table, and a terrier also tied to the same table but who is on top of it, barking at everything and everyone that goes past.
As I walk past, the malamute goes mental, barking, jumping and pulling at the leash. This however is nothing compared to the terrier who gets so upset that he jumps off the table. Unfortunately for the dog, its lead is caught between the lathes in the table top so it is stopped by its neck mid air, dangling, being choked by its collar. As you can imagine it is panicking and writhing around all over the place. As it does so, it slips its collar, lands on the floor and makes a bee line from my dog. This is accompanied by the obligatory shout of 'don't worry he doesn't bite', just before he sinks his teeth into the side of my dog.
This is the point at which I remove the dog sharpish. I pick it up give it to the owner and exchange a few words. If it had been a bigger dog, it would have been grabbed it by its collar and given back you its owner, most likely on its hind legs. No punching or kicking involved.
ben5575 said:
K8-600 said:
Interesting topic.
I've got a Rottweiler, he's just turned 1 and is a little over 50kg. He's also a big teddy bear and wants to be friends with other dogs and everyone.
I'm always conscious that those with no experience of the breed will most likely consider him dangerous and usually intimidating but people with dog/animal experience quickly see he means no trouble and is friendly.
I usually keep him on lead until we get to the park and if there are other dogs there I will often ask the other owners if they mind him playing with their dogs. I know most of the dogs + owners now and they know he's a good boy, in fact often a lot of the little dogs will chase him around which always makes me laugh. He doesn't show aggression but is protective of me, my other half and anyone he considers part of his family. It's not always perfect, he will sometimes go and greet people/other dogs if he sees them but I do try and keep it to a minimum.
When these dogs are raised responsibly they pose far less threat to biting people/other animals than a lot of small dogs, in terms of aggression they are a low aggression breed although clearly they can be dangerous if for whatever reason they do attack. As for anyone who says they'd attack a dog that approaches, I think we know that is nothing but internet talk.
Very sensible post and inline with my thoughts. If you own a dog and particularly a more 'contentious' breed such as a Rottweiler, you have an opportunity to educate and change people's perceptions if you act responsibly (as in this post) by making any interaction a positive one. I've got a Rottweiler, he's just turned 1 and is a little over 50kg. He's also a big teddy bear and wants to be friends with other dogs and everyone.
I'm always conscious that those with no experience of the breed will most likely consider him dangerous and usually intimidating but people with dog/animal experience quickly see he means no trouble and is friendly.
I usually keep him on lead until we get to the park and if there are other dogs there I will often ask the other owners if they mind him playing with their dogs. I know most of the dogs + owners now and they know he's a good boy, in fact often a lot of the little dogs will chase him around which always makes me laugh. He doesn't show aggression but is protective of me, my other half and anyone he considers part of his family. It's not always perfect, he will sometimes go and greet people/other dogs if he sees them but I do try and keep it to a minimum.
When these dogs are raised responsibly they pose far less threat to biting people/other animals than a lot of small dogs, in terms of aggression they are a low aggression breed although clearly they can be dangerous if for whatever reason they do attack. As for anyone who says they'd attack a dog that approaches, I think we know that is nothing but internet talk.
Also I'm not sure anybody on here has mentioned or is condoning attacking dogs. I mentioned removing a dog from a situation sharpish in an earlier post which seems to have got people's backs up. So here's an example of precisely such a situation from yesterday:
Leaving playground in park with my kids and spaniel. To do so involves walking past a bloke and his two dogs; a malamute that is tied on a short lead to a picnic table, and a terrier also tied to the same table but who is on top of it, barking at everything and everyone that goes past.
As I walk past, the malamute goes mental, barking, jumping and pulling at the leash. This however is nothing compared to the terrier who gets so upset that he jumps off the table. Unfortunately for the dog, its lead is caught between the lathes in the table top so it is stopped by its neck mid air, dangling, being choked by its collar. As you can imagine it is panicking and writhing around all over the place. As it does so, it slips its collar, lands on the floor and makes a bee line from my dog. This is accompanied by the obligatory shout of 'don't worry he doesn't bite', just before he sinks his teeth into the side of my dog.
This is the point at which I remove the dog sharpish. I pick it up give it to the owner and exchange a few words. If it had been a bigger dog, it would have been grabbed it by its collar and given back you its owner, most likely on its hind legs. No punching or kicking involved.
K8-600 said:
Interesting topic.
I've got a Rottweiler, he's just turned 1 and is a little over 50kg. He's also a big teddy bear and wants to be friends with other dogs and everyone.
I'm always conscious that those with no experience of the breed will most likely consider him dangerous and usually intimidating but people with dog/animal experience quickly see he means no trouble and is friendly.
I usually keep him on lead until we get to the park and if there are other dogs there I will often ask the other owners if they mind him playing with their dogs. I know most of the dogs + owners now and they know he's a good boy, in fact often a lot of the little dogs will chase him around which always makes me laugh. He doesn't show aggression but is protective of me, my other half and anyone he considers part of his family. It's not always perfect, he will sometimes go and greet people/other dogs if he sees them but I do try and keep it to a minimum.
When these dogs are raised responsibly they pose far less threat to biting people/other animals than a lot of small dogs, in terms of aggression they are a low aggression breed although clearly they can be dangerous if for whatever reason they do attack. As for anyone who says they'd attack a dog that approaches, I think we know that is nothing but internet talk.
Agreed a great post from a responsible owner, rather than the powerful built director types, who think that everything including their pets bow to their beck and call, if life Was only that simple.I've got a Rottweiler, he's just turned 1 and is a little over 50kg. He's also a big teddy bear and wants to be friends with other dogs and everyone.
I'm always conscious that those with no experience of the breed will most likely consider him dangerous and usually intimidating but people with dog/animal experience quickly see he means no trouble and is friendly.
I usually keep him on lead until we get to the park and if there are other dogs there I will often ask the other owners if they mind him playing with their dogs. I know most of the dogs + owners now and they know he's a good boy, in fact often a lot of the little dogs will chase him around which always makes me laugh. He doesn't show aggression but is protective of me, my other half and anyone he considers part of his family. It's not always perfect, he will sometimes go and greet people/other dogs if he sees them but I do try and keep it to a minimum.
When these dogs are raised responsibly they pose far less threat to biting people/other animals than a lot of small dogs, in terms of aggression they are a low aggression breed although clearly they can be dangerous if for whatever reason they do attack. As for anyone who says they'd attack a dog that approaches, I think we know that is nothing but internet talk.
Seeing as we're talking about Rotties, two locally. One is younger than our Golden, they play happily, chase, bit of gentle rough housing, only slight issue is that his owners get a bit stressed when the Rottie gets dirty, and ours, bring a retriever, well water and puddles are magnets, the muddied the better, never happier than as a two tone Golden.
The other one is a nightmare, even the owner admits that, dog walkers reluctant to walk it, he's brilliant at working with others in keeping it on lead and reasonable separation distances.
Yet on appearance, it's the friendly one that looks far more intimidating at first glance.
The other one is a nightmare, even the owner admits that, dog walkers reluctant to walk it, he's brilliant at working with others in keeping it on lead and reasonable separation distances.
Yet on appearance, it's the friendly one that looks far more intimidating at first glance.
As far as I'm concerned the main rule should be that you only ever let your dog off lead in public if it obeys recall. Under all circumstances. One of our three, Wilson, a Viz/Dobe has none when he sees another dog, and we'll never be able to train it in to him. He therefore never goes off a lead. It also doesn't matter if your dog, however small or big is a 'big softy', or whatever. The other dog it bounds over to may not be, or the person it runs over too maybe petrified of dogs.
Beni997 said:
This does my head in!
We have 3 big dogs, one is always on a lead because he is so naughty off it. One is on and off the lead as he is that old that he's deaf and just wonders off so it's easier to have him on the lead. The other is never on his lead as he's the youngest and is very well behaved off his lead so he needs a good run round.
He is a big powerful dog but loves attention and people and other dogs. So when he see's another dog/person he goes running over to just say hello and has never shown any aggression, but jesus christ some reactions we get is ridiculous. It's normally people with little dogs who start screaming when he comes over and pick their dog up and run away!!
He then thinks it's a game and chases them until i get to him or shout him and i get the he should be on a lead comment in an aggressive manner! Why i ask and the normal reply i get is that he's big and could do some damage!!!
If he was nasty do you think i would have him off the lead???
Some people are just brain dead
This is absolutely my experience and spot on post.We have 3 big dogs, one is always on a lead because he is so naughty off it. One is on and off the lead as he is that old that he's deaf and just wonders off so it's easier to have him on the lead. The other is never on his lead as he's the youngest and is very well behaved off his lead so he needs a good run round.
He is a big powerful dog but loves attention and people and other dogs. So when he see's another dog/person he goes running over to just say hello and has never shown any aggression, but jesus christ some reactions we get is ridiculous. It's normally people with little dogs who start screaming when he comes over and pick their dog up and run away!!
He then thinks it's a game and chases them until i get to him or shout him and i get the he should be on a lead comment in an aggressive manner! Why i ask and the normal reply i get is that he's big and could do some damage!!!
If he was nasty do you think i would have him off the lead???
Some people are just brain dead
I have 2 german shepherds and it pisses me off no end when people start to do as you say
If the majority of small dog owners wouldn't start screaming and yanking on their dogs lead when a bigger dog comes over to sniff they would find there would be no issue. Dogs don't care about size, a small dog can intimidate a big dog with its energy - but by doing what they do they make their own dogs nervous.
In my experience the majority of small dog owners need some form of training to understand how to handle these situations.
In my experience the majority of small dog owners need some form of training to understand how to handle these situations.
BigLion said:
This is absolutely my experience and spot on post.
I have 2 german shepherds and it pisses me off no end when people start to do as you say
I really don't think it is spot on.I have 2 german shepherds and it pisses me off no end when people start to do as you say
If a big dog came running over to us and our bulldog was on a lead it would likely result in our dog having a go at it - that could then lead to something very nasty as our other dog could then get involved and he is over 70kg.
IF you can't stop your dog running away it should be on a lead.
FFS there's some stupidity on this thread. It's not just big dog little dog syndrome or owners with a problem being inexperienced or stupid.
Already mentioned ours isn't reliable round horses. He started off thinking they were simply big dogs, and something happened with one of the 3.141key horses grazing locally when a puppy and he became curious but scared.
So daughter is on the field training him to behave better around horses, and had made real progress in that he would not chase the horses and would walk by quite close, in lead, perfectly under control. So she's there clearly training the dog, when a couple walk towards with a terrier of sorts off lead. A at this point ours is close to his threshold with the horse, so she asks the owners to not let their dog approach as it will be too much for him to deal with.
Their response was to laugh and say "if anything happens she'll just run away." Of course the terrier comes up, spooks the horse, which now spooks our dog, who is a strong devil, and the lead is ripped out if my daughter's hand, not a kid, twenty odd. Of course the flicking terrier runs away, the owners p
s off thinking it's everybody else's fault bar theirs. Now the horse is chasing our dog round the field and all that training has been wasted, at minimum a considerable setback.
So all you folks saying it's not the fault of owners who don't respect others and just let their dogs wander up regardless, personally I'd be tempted call you a set ofs, except you have neither the depth nor the warmth.
/rant . 2/10 insufficient swearing.
Already mentioned ours isn't reliable round horses. He started off thinking they were simply big dogs, and something happened with one of the 3.141key horses grazing locally when a puppy and he became curious but scared.
So daughter is on the field training him to behave better around horses, and had made real progress in that he would not chase the horses and would walk by quite close, in lead, perfectly under control. So she's there clearly training the dog, when a couple walk towards with a terrier of sorts off lead. A at this point ours is close to his threshold with the horse, so she asks the owners to not let their dog approach as it will be too much for him to deal with.
Their response was to laugh and say "if anything happens she'll just run away." Of course the terrier comes up, spooks the horse, which now spooks our dog, who is a strong devil, and the lead is ripped out if my daughter's hand, not a kid, twenty odd. Of course the flicking terrier runs away, the owners p
s off thinking it's everybody else's fault bar theirs. Now the horse is chasing our dog round the field and all that training has been wasted, at minimum a considerable setback.So all you folks saying it's not the fault of owners who don't respect others and just let their dogs wander up regardless, personally I'd be tempted call you a set of
s, except you have neither the depth nor the warmth./rant . 2/10 insufficient swearing.
A couple of years ago we took our big fella away with us for a long weekend in a pub / hotel where the owners clearly state "if you don't like doges then don't come in". Not to everyone's liking I know but dogs were given access to all areas and they are genuinely welcomed and not just tolerated. At a guess I would say there were about 8 dogs there at any one time which changed over the time we were there.
The bedrooms were up a set of stairs which directly faced the main entrance doors. One evening I was coming down the stairs with the dog on a lead in front.....just as he got to the bottom step the door opened and we came face to face with a mahoosive male Rotty...........cue lots of sharp intakes of breath from most inside, many with little dogs I might add.
To everybody's amazement (except mine, my wife's and the owners of the Rotty) they fell instantly in love, had a right bromance and followed each other everywhere for the rest of the night....whilst others kept their little dogs, tucked under the tables or on their laps...however there was a couple that said they go there just to see dogs as they had stayed previously with theirs which had since died.
I will add the staff / owners suggested we let the dogs off their leads and allow them to wander as their own, Irish Wolfhound, just lay in front of the fire all day and didn't mingle with the customers.
IMO moral of the story: Clearly there are exceptions, but in the main problems with dogs (big or little) are caused by humans, either in their actions or reactions and that applies to both owners and non owners.
Here he is with 2 of the staff.
The bedrooms were up a set of stairs which directly faced the main entrance doors. One evening I was coming down the stairs with the dog on a lead in front.....just as he got to the bottom step the door opened and we came face to face with a mahoosive male Rotty...........cue lots of sharp intakes of breath from most inside, many with little dogs I might add.
To everybody's amazement (except mine, my wife's and the owners of the Rotty) they fell instantly in love, had a right bromance and followed each other everywhere for the rest of the night....whilst others kept their little dogs, tucked under the tables or on their laps...however there was a couple that said they go there just to see dogs as they had stayed previously with theirs which had since died.
I will add the staff / owners suggested we let the dogs off their leads and allow them to wander as their own, Irish Wolfhound, just lay in front of the fire all day and didn't mingle with the customers.
IMO moral of the story: Clearly there are exceptions, but in the main problems with dogs (big or little) are caused by humans, either in their actions or reactions and that applies to both owners and non owners.
Here he is with 2 of the staff.
Edited by alfie2244 on Sunday 8th January 11:57
Logan's recal is spot in I can stop him in his tracks. If he's about 20-30 meters away and another dog appears he will come back. He's very rarely further way from me than a few meters and I tend to walk were I have a good view because he can be aggressive to dogs that stare him out.
So when I see another dog I call him and make a big show of putting him in the lead so the other owners can see me doing it.
They don't bother putting theirs on which now creates a problem as on the lead he's more likely to feel cornered.
So I shout can you put your dog in a lead mine can be a bit funny. they usually reply is oh they'll be alright .
No they won't he might look cute but he's very powerful.
Last time this happened black lab came up to the front I was crouched pushing it away holding Logan back asking the owner to call he didn't .
The lab went around the back of Logan, Logan snapped but as I had my hand I front of his mouth he got me. I'm in blood thinners it looked like a horror scene.
Oh your dog not friendly then. He said, blood everywhere.
It seems simple to me if the other dog is off the lead and yours is friendly leave it off. If the other dog is on one put it on.
Not hard.
I also won't let Logan run up to strangers without dogs, you don't know if they would appreciate it.
So when I see another dog I call him and make a big show of putting him in the lead so the other owners can see me doing it.
They don't bother putting theirs on which now creates a problem as on the lead he's more likely to feel cornered.
So I shout can you put your dog in a lead mine can be a bit funny. they usually reply is oh they'll be alright .
No they won't he might look cute but he's very powerful.
Last time this happened black lab came up to the front I was crouched pushing it away holding Logan back asking the owner to call he didn't .
The lab went around the back of Logan, Logan snapped but as I had my hand I front of his mouth he got me. I'm in blood thinners it looked like a horror scene.
Oh your dog not friendly then. He said, blood everywhere.
It seems simple to me if the other dog is off the lead and yours is friendly leave it off. If the other dog is on one put it on.
Not hard.
I also won't let Logan run up to strangers without dogs, you don't know if they would appreciate it.
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