Minor rant

[Dingo]

Why is it that every stranger seems to think they know better than me what's good for my dog?

I often walk my dog in the park on a 30 foot leash. This gives him quite a lot of freedom, allows him to run at his own pace and go more or less where he wants to, and still gives me control.

Seeing a dog leashed in the park, however, is evidently very upsetting for some people. People are always questioning me about why I don't let my dog run free.

A little background information. My dog:

* is still a puppy (10 months)
* doesn't come reliably when he's called
* is very excitable and easily distracted
* is of a breed that is known for not being reliable off-leash
* is of a breed that was created to control vermin and foxes, and therefore will often chase anything that moves
* has been attacked by larger dogs before

People are always asking me why I don't let him off his leash, and it really annoys me. The implication is that either I'm being cruel, that I don't really understand the needs of my dog and that I'm not meeting my dog's needs. Obviously I have my reasons. I'm tired of politely dealing with these idiots: I'll decide what's good for my dog.

And while I'm at it, I also hate it when my dog runs up to greet someone and jumps up at them, and when I tell him not to they say "oh it's ok." No, it isn't ok. Again: I'll decide what is and isn't ok for my dog. I've had people get very upset about this too: one guy tried to make out like I was mistreating my dog because he was struggling so much to jump up at him that he was choking on his collar. Why can people not understand that THEY might not mind a strange dog jumping at them, but other people don't feel the same way? It's my dog, I have to live with him, so I'll decide what behaviour is and isn't appropriate.

Gah!

[katherine93]

Well, I have the same problem dingo.When somebody Critisizes how you 'mistreat'() Your dog, Start telling them how they are mistreating theres by letting them run loose and do what they want, without anybody watching them. telll them about your bad incounters with offleash parks. And then they shut up. Lol.. Maybe it may open some of these peoples eyes? Good luck with these idiots DIngo! And goodl uck with you puppy! May i ask what breed he is?

[Winston]

Dingo! Dont worry about others! YOUR doing the right thing! When my boy was a pup I took him to obediance training! the trainer told me then (8 1/2 yrs ago!) that if I didnt trust him off leash not to let him off! To this day I never leave him off leash and I get the same thing at the dog park! But I cant do it! I dont trust him off leash period!

Cindy

[allymack]

your defiantely doing the right thing for your dog! if you feel that he cant be trusted off leash, you are being a very responible owner by not letting your dog off leash. just try to ignore there comments and try to educate them that not all dogs are ok to be off leash.

[Dingo]

He's a Border Terrier.

It always annoys me, but I usually try to politely brush people off without bothering to go into too much detail. I'm pissed off today because the guy who was questioning me this morning was really persistent, and had this attitude of gently trying to show me I was wrong, like you might with someone well-meaning but misguided. And to make it worse, it was only after I walked away that I realized we were in the ON-leash area of the park!

[rainbow]

LOL....too bad you didn't notice it was the on-leash area sooner.

Since one of my dogs is a husky I've had to put up with the 's that think they know it all too.

[Jim Hall]

lol a 1o month old terrier without a leash yeah that would work u figure what about 4 hrs for the guy to get tired and come back?

[Dingo]

Oh, and there's another thing I forgot to mention: he's not fixed either.

[hazelrunpack]

Originally Posted by Dingo

Oh, and there's another thing I forgot to mention: he's not fixed either.

Hmmmm...I don't think they'll let you neuter the guy in the park, Dingo.

[Dingo]

Just one more reason not to let him run free.

[dragon_queen]

Originally Posted by Dingo

People are always asking me why I don't let him off his leash, and it really annoys me. The implication is that either I'm being cruel, that I don't really understand the needs of my dog and that I'm not meeting my dog's needs. Obviously I have my reasons. I'm tired of politely dealing with these idiots: I'll decide what's good for my dog.

And while I'm at it, I also hate it when my dog runs up to greet someone and jumps up at them, and when I tell him not to they say "oh it's ok."
Gah!

I'd probably be one of those people asking, not because I think you're cruel, but just out of curiosity, after all you are in a dog park where they can run free. Although, reading some of the posts that have been on this forum, maybe more people should leash their dogs at the park until they are sure of the dogs reactions.

As for the jumping, I've had it happen, and I don't say it's ok that the dog jumped, just that it's ok, I'm not going to yell at you because your dog just dirtied my pants. I say this as I gently push the dog down.


DQ

[Dingo]

I would never ask someone why they didn't let their dog off leash. It's obvious, if they haven't done it, that there's some reason why they can't or don't want to. Asking them implies that you think they're doing something unusual or wrong, and the fact is that, for various reasons, many dogs should not or cannot be allowed to run off-leash.

[katherine93]

True dat Dingo!

[Dingo]

Also, with regard to the the jumping up, I know the difference between someone saying "I don't mind that your dog muddied my clothes" and "I don't mind if your dog jumps up at me." The guy I mentioned in my original post was offended that I was keeping a tight hold on my dog's leash to prevent him from jumping up, resulting in the dog choking himself as he continued to struggle to get to the guy. That's not cruelty, as the guy suggested. It's training.

That particular guy, but the way, was also offended that I wasn't letting my dog off his leash that day. He was a very young puppy at that time, maybe around three or four months old. At that point, he had never once come when he was called, even inside the house. This guy wanted me to let him loose in a 28 hectare park with a major road adjacent to one side and smaller roads on two other sides, hiding places everywhere, a large lake, and dozens of other dogs and people throughout. I may as well have just driven him out to the countryside and left him on the side of the road.

[kigndano]

i also deal with people like that sometimes, although some also simply ask me if he has taken off before and i answer "yes" and thats the end of it.


being that there is a strict leash law in the state i live in, you would think people wouldnt mind that i followed it. but i see a lot of people with dogs off leash roaming around the park that cause some chaos and they seem to get less gripe from people than i do for having mine on a 20 foot leash( i just chain like 4 or 5 leashes that you get from the vet for like iams or whatever in a row).

[Dingo]

I think a lot of it comes from the belief that dogs need to run free to get proper exercise and to be able to play properly. Thre may be some truth to that in lot of cases (although just being off leash probably isn't enough to exercise most dogs), but my reasons for not letting him off trump those reasons. Some people just seem to think it's their absolute right and responsibility to tell me how to treat my dog, without bothering to think that I might be just a little bit more familiar with my own dog's particular situation and needs. The way some of them behave you'd think I was using a shock collar on him and forcing him to walk only on his hind legs.