Off leash meets On leash

[TrishB]

I have one woman who walks her two dogs off leash. Both are Border mixes. They've never done anything, but I'm not comfortable with them. They move like a pack (which they are). Movements are stiff, ruffs are up and they tend to approach and flank the new dog.

Parker loves other dogs, but I'm very well aware that he is a young, intact male that might not always be so accomodating. The fact that these two dogs approach and essentially surround him is unnerving. Even though they've met Parker since he was a pup, the greeting is never silly fun. It's always a little uneasy.

I've given this owner looks before and have mentioned the leashes. She simply says that 'they never go far' and keeps walking. If her dogs were a little more friendly in their greeting, I might not be as concerned. But one of these days, a fearful dog or 'up and coming' male might not want to accept their surrounding / dominant approach. It might not be with Parker, but darnit I hate it every time it happens.

I'm always very careful to give Parker some extra leash to move as he sees fit. I also do my best to control my voice to an easy, cheerful tone. I also let Parker move out of the 'surround' on his own. I don't want to mistakenly add anything to his body language by pulling the leash. He's done okay so far, I have to trust that he knows what he is doing better than I do.

I guess the question is then if my level of uneasiness is worth a call to Animal Control or not. Do we have to wait until something happens or do we just quietly hope that it doesn't? The dogs have been in the neighbourhood since I moved there 2 years ago. I haven't heard of an incident - but then again, I doubt that I would. Toronto is a big city.

[Judi W]

BCs make many people uneasy because of their body language. It is not something most people feel able to read. I'm sure Parker understands it.

[Karlan]

Assuming that I am in an off leash area:

My dog is on leash and an unleashed dogs approaches us: There isn't a lot I can do.. the off leash dog most likely will come right up and greet. The dogs will work it out.
IF we are walking in a neighborhood the same applies EXCEPT I am concerned for the off leash dog because it is unsafe for a dog to be roaming around in a residential area with cars whipping around. I would look for the owner and suggest that this might endanger the dog. Hopefully they will do the right thing.

My dog is off leash and an on leash dog approaches: Same, they will work it out. Again, presuming I am in an off leash park. If I am not in an off leash park then my dog is not off leash.

You have to realize that ANY time you are around other dogs on leash or off there is the possibility of a problem. People need to be responsible with their dogs... if you have an aggressive dog no matter what the breed you need to be responsible with it.
It is like getting behind the wheel of a car, you can be the most responsible driver in the world, but that doesn't guarantee you won't get into an accident. You never know who is out there. Does that mean I won't drive because of the possibilities of what might happen? No way.
Nor will I stop taking my dog for hikes or swims because of what might happen.

[Katie's-Mom]

Originally Posted by Judi W

dogs speak dog quite well and few want to mix it up with a Rottweiler, they are simply running up in greeting.

lol :-) Wow! Why is it that every dog on my street wants to "mix it up" with Katie! There's a chihuahua (always on leash) who acts likes he wants to wants to draw blood, to the Shih Tzu next door (tied to the front step) who goes into "postering mode" whenever he sees her, to the German Shepard dog who will charge at as when I walk Katie pass it's house. This has happened 3 times now, twice the owner was able to recall the dog before it reached the street, but the last time, the dog crossed the road, got into Katie's face, and oh boy, they went at it I was terrified! (Yes, I'm calling the police the next time it happens). Oh, I can't forget about the intact 8 yr. old Pekingese who is madly in love with her! Alas, Katie will not give her the time of day!

[Karlan]

Dogs react differently when they are in or around their own home vs. when the same dog is at a park. They are less territorial in a neutral environment and therefore less aggressive.

[Judi W]

This is absolutely true. Sometimes dogs "claim" territory beyond their own property, but that is pretty rare. I have a friend whose dog was claiming the entire hiking trail against any and all dogs and being quite nasty about it (on leash) and she asked me to follow her on a hike to see what was going on. Well, he started marking the second he neared the trail and continued ....... With some dogs (certainly not all) this is claiming action. I noticed it right away, because it was one of the things William Campbell talks about. I suggested she stop all marking and although I didn't expect it to be that easy - guess what? It worked! Of course this was an owner who did really care about the issue as she had been drug through the cactus a few times when he tried to attack another dog. (self preservation?)

[Canadianrotti]

I walk our pup every morning arround our neighbourhood and run into several people with dogs along the way. Most are on a lead and under control, a few are on lead and out of control (usually the little ones ). There are a few that let their dogs off lead because of the area we walk through. It is a electrical power right of way that has a path paved through. Ususally the ones that are there to let their dogs off lead are there to "exercise" them. They will sit at their car, or stand arround smoking while their dog craps all over the path .
I deal with every situation differently, it depends on how their dog and my dog reacts. Because we have been walking at the same time, in the same general area, we see the same people and the same dogs so it is not much of a issue.
If I don't feel comfortable with the way their dog is being handled, or if I feel that mine or my dogs safety is at risk, I will say something. I start with being plesant and gague their reaction. If they are going to throw me some attitude, I have no problem sending some back.

[Canadianrotti]

Originally Posted by Karlan

Dogs react differently when they are in or around their own home vs. when the same dog is at a park. They are less territorial in a neutral environment and therefore less aggressive.

We found the opposite to be true with our dog. When we took him out, he was always trying to be the top dog with dogs outside our home. We stopped going to leash free parks because his agression was escilating. Someone at training said to me "every time he goes to a park with strange dogs, he has to find his status in that pack. He will challenge and fight to become the top dog every time he enters a new pack, and this causes a lot of stress".
I dont know about the stress part, but I can tell you that once we stopped going to leash free parks, it was a much more calm house and he was a happier dog.

[Mojave's Mom]

Originally Posted by TrishB

and we see a person who has their dog on leash. If I see that, I'll put Parker on his leash - because I figure that there's a reason that they have their dog on leash (I assume dog aggression, whether it's right or wrong, I figure better safe than sorry). But then I wonder why they would bring their dog to an off leash park and leave it on leash. There are 98% more parks with leash requirements where you won't be approached by an off leash dog, why not go there? Then you won't have to worry about being approached at all (or at least, you shouldn't ).

Around here there are more on-leash than off-leash parks. But it's amazing to see how many people love breaking that rule...and how many issues arise because of it. Just because there are rules doesn't mean people always follow them. At least around here.

I don't believe it is fair to assume that just because someone is walking a dog on-leash in a designated off-leash area that it means their dog is aggressive or has issues. Perhaps that person just feels better knowing that their dog is under control, especially since they can not predict what anyone else's dog might do. I see that all the time in areas we hike...it's usually the dogs OFF-LEASH that have the issues because the owners don't have a clue.

We don't have aggression issues with any of our dogs. They're under control anytime they are out with us. However, we keep them on flexi-leashes on hiking trails that have a bunch of off-leash dogs running around. If we reach an area where there is no one around (and it's legal to do), we might let them off leash for awhile but will quickly place them back on if another off-leash dog enters the vicinity. I can't assume that just because the owners think their dog is safe to be around off-leash that they are right. Therefore I rather worry about keeping my own dogs safe than trust anyone else to know what they are doing.

Just my .02.

[Luvs]

Today while I was walking Akasha around the block the neighbors two border collies came charging out at us. Just moments before I had decided to do some heel work with Akasha. She was focused on me so we did not even notice the BC's until they were almost upon us. Akasha looked at them, so I quickly reminded her she was supposed to be heeling. She turned her attention back to me and we crossed the street ignoring them while we continued on our way. As soon as they saw we were going to ignore them they lost interest and went back into their yard. We walk past these dogs all the time and this is the first time they have ever ran all the way out to the road like that.

I was really happy that Akasha was able to keep her focus and continue to heel even with the distraction of the two border collies barking and growling at us

She has had ALOT Of practice since we walk past our neighbors two labs who are kept in one of those invisible electric fences and they come charging up to the road growling and barking at us. I always make her heel past them. I do carry pepper spray just in case, because the one lab they have is VERY aggressive and their fence has failed in the past when we rode by on the horses. He actually went after my daughter's horse who won't take any bull from a dog and she did her best to nail him. Unfortunately she missed

I have been fortunate and have not had any loose dogs come and actually make contact with mine. After what I have learned here, I like to think that I would try my best not to interfere if that ever does happen.