Today on 'the common', we took our two for their daily walk.
Most days we go to the common as they can run free, get into the sea as well as run through miles of land.
Sometimes it is closed in parts where there is a shooting range.

Today a man was unloading stuff into a bunker, his wife was standing alongside the car and as I got there she was jumping and waving and schreeching....ooh I hate little dogs that run around like this! They went to her and jumped up !!
They left paw prints on her white jeans....I know I should have been a good owner apologised, put them on leads and offered to pay her laundry bill.......I didn't. I hang my head in shame, but know that she irritated me so much by behaving like a small child, thtya it was safer for me to bite my tongue and deal with my self later.
I might add there was NO aggresion, she really did invite it..........

Karen

:-D

:-)  :-)  :-) !!!

good stupid c*w.  people like her make their kids have dog phobias

Whilst I understand how irritating it is when people over react to dogs, I also understand that some people really don't like them or are afraid of them for whatever reason.  Technically, your dogs were out of control and the woman would have legitimate grounds for making a complaint under the DDA if she felt at all threatened by them whether they were behaving in a threatening manner or not.

I'd suggest that you only get away with allowing your dogs to behave like this because they are small.  I, and other large breed owners, cannot as there would almost certainly be repercussions beyond paying someone's laundry bill.  Frankly, it really annoys me when any dog owner allows their dog to pester people as it gives us all a bad name.

[Whilst I understand how irritating it is when people over react to dogs, I also understand that some people really don't like them or are afraid of them for whatever reason.  Technically, your dogs were out of control and the woman would have legitimate grounds for making a complaint under the DDA if she felt at all threatened by them whether they were behaving in a threatening manner or not.

I'd suggest that you only get away with allowing your dogs to behave like this because they are small.  I, and other large breed owners, cannot as there would almost certainly be repercussions beyond paying someone's laundry bill.  Frankly, it really annoys me when any dog owner allows their dog to pester people as it gives us all a bad name. ]

Echo this completely.

Totally agree with ShaynLola. Non-doggy people do react like complete idiots some of the time, however that's no excuse to let your dogs jump up. I think if you had posted the same thing, but said you had a large breed then other people's reactions may have been different. Obviously larger breeds may have the ability to cause pain due to their size/weight, but for a person who is frightened of dogs, ANY dog is scary. IMO you just reinforced her opinion of dog owners as being irresponsible and dogs as being a nuisance.

I find the worse scenario is small children who say 'doggy!!!!!!!!!!' then start running around hysterically waving their arms! Storm LOVES children and thinks this is an invite to chase them and play... I have to be so quick to snap on a lead if their are cheeky kids around! Thankfully I haven't had a bad incident thus far, but I can imagine how scary 30kg is Weim hurtling towards your 5yr old child could be!! 

I have to agree with the others, Karen, and feel you rather ought to have offered to pay for cleaning or at least have been appologetic.

I agree.....(I did say I was hanging my head in shame) however, had I got large dogs, I have had in the past, it probably wouldn't have occured.
If a large dog is a allowed to jump it is bad. I defy any small dog owner to completley control jumping in theses circumstanses.

Karen

> I defy any small dog owner to completley control jumping in theses circumstanses.
>

Why?  Surely they are no harder to train.

<Non-doggy people do react like complete idiots some of the time, however that's no excuse to let your dogs jump up>>

I do my best to prevent my dogs jumping up, and they very rarely do--but when a dog off the lead sees someone capering about making a lot of noise it looks like a fantastic new game to one of my spaniels in particular, and I always apologise if he jumps up.

The other day we had the child with outstretched hand scenario--Diesel was very interested but will never go up to a child. What he does do is crouch down and bark in the hope that this small animal is going to chase him, completely confusing for the child and unfortunately not too many parents get it either. In fact I find they are usually the ones who encourage the child to pet an unknown dog in the first place. I haven't been able to train him out of this so if anyone has good ideas I'd be grateful to hear them.

I speak as the parent of a child who 20 years ago developed a total fear of dogs as a 2 year old in a pushchair when he had his meat pie snatched out of his hand by a pit bull.I'm glad to say he's grown out of it because of our two WSS.

no dog large or small should be aloud to jump on anyone whether they like or dont like dogs. to this lady your actions may be what she thinks all dog owners let their pets do.im not having a go but i think were all adults here so lets show some respect,to other people when we go out for walks with our dogs.they our responsability not anyone elses.

I agree with all that's been said above but other people can be annoying.

Out in Sutton Park yesterday with our three we hear shrieking ahead of us 'Dad! Dad! Dogs coming, dogs coming!' And there is Dad and three kids about 10, 6 and 3 - it's the 10 year old girl who's making all the noise - about twenty yards ahead on the path.

We stop, put the two big dogs on leads (not because they're out of control but because I realise big dogs can be scarey) and call the little one to heel. And then we wait. And wait. And wait.

The family don't move and the girl continues shrieking, with the two little kids now starting to get upset as well.  They must want us to pass, we think and so start moving forward - at which point the family starts moving in same direction.  We stop again and so do they.  No eye-contact or comment from Dad at any point, just continual yelling from kids.  We finally turn round and take another - more circuitous route - back to the car.

I still don't know what that was about.

I know....I've had bad thoughts and my actions weren't much better.
My husband was with me, he did say sorry, he took down the registration of the car and said (to me not them) , We should offer to pay.
I say to any one here who is 'telling me off'. Have you never had dogs out off lead who have done anything similar or would do faced with a similar situation. She was not afraid of dogs and as we came into view she started backtracking her tone a little. Thgis area is a dog and family walking area used by families with and without dogs, runners, and we generally all respect each others right to be there. This woman didn't spot us immediatly and she behaved like a spoilt child. My dogs dont jump up at other common users though should other walkers greet them with the same schreeching and arm waving I have no doubt they would do it again.
Karen ;)

again sorry if i offended you,and i love my dogs but my kids kids have been on the local park and jumped on by overfriendly dogs and although my children have been brought up with dogs and they respect them it can be frightening for a child or anyone else whos nervous of dogs,and the least i expect an apology.sadly children cant be put on a lead in publc places but dogs can.again i say respect,as not only dog lovers enjoy walks  in public places.

> IMO you just reinforced her opinion of dog owners as being irresponsible and dogs as being a nuisance.
>

I agree, I think you may just have possibly made a 'non-doggy' person even more non-doggy! :-)
Would/could have been a completely different outcome if a different breed had done the same?

:)
if it runs, he'll want to see what the fuss is about
:)

I totally agree, small dogs shouldn't be allowed to jump up at people.

BUT...

How many people/children actively encourage larger breed dogs to jump up???     I face this EVERY time I take my dogs out :(   Oooh lovely dog/s (high pitched squeaky voice) and before you can say SIT! the dog's jumping up again with full encouragement from the person.   I thought I'd managed to train the 2 oldest ones not to jump, then along comes an especially exciting person and it's all down the pan :( :(   I despair of ever getting the 'pup' to stop - she adores people with a passion and they only have to look at her and she's wriggling :(

I've tried telling people to leave my dogs alone but it doesn't work, they just ignore me :( :(

There's also the logistics of stopping them - larger dogs are easier to grab and hold - the collar is within reach.   I'd like to see most people on here trying to catch hold of one of mine (while on-leash) once they start wriggling - it's like trying to catch a ferret on acid!

I never had this problem with my last dog - despite being absolutely stunning, most people were content to admire from afar - but then he was Black, and many people were wary of him - especially children

I deal with this by ALWAYS keeping them under close control and putting them on their leads whenever there is anyone about, but it does mean that they don't get as much off-lead time running about as they should :(

I remember walking with (then) my 2 dogs near my house which is a rough old lane that leads near to a nature reserve wood & reservoir very popular with dog walkers. Snoop my BT on his flex lead as usual and tinkerbell as usual walking free.
In the distance I saw a middle aged couple and has soon as she saw me I could see the fear in her face and she grabbed her husbands hand /arm I could tell that she didn't just not like dogs but had a phobia so before my tinker who I know would of said hello with tail & bum wagging like mad called her back to me and i clicked on her lead, when I walked past the couple the woman had her eyes closed clinging on to her man like death. Her husband made eye contact with me and silently said thank you! I thought crikey about 30 people are walking up these woods behind with dogs a plenty, that woman would be in a right state!

The other day in the vet I met a woman with her young son, when I walked in with tinker with her kennel cough the mother grabbed her son on to her lap. He said really loudly- I don't like dogs they bite. So I made tinker lie down and not go near him.  I said to the little boy she would only try to lick you, not bite you she's a very friendly loving dog.I thought I would try and be friendly and said as he had a little box- oh so your a cat man are you? his mum said no its a rabbit. Sadly the meeting was going well and the boy was getting brave with my dog until a collie came in- then some random woman tried to pet this old collie and it went for her! so much for the kid & its mother having a good dog experience.
  
Even though I love dogs some have a serious distrust and think they are vile unclean things? Tinker is so friendly with everyone especially kids and will seek them out and gets over excited leaping up and then try to lick their face. I do tell her off for that severely.

We must insure are dogs are respectful of all strange people they meet outside our homes. Even if we can not understand there strange attitude.

> Have you never had dogs out off lead who have done anything similar or would do faced with a similar situation.

Certainly.  I try hard to train my young ones to sit when they want attention and we generally get to the point fairly soon where they will do this when people show them any attention but it has happened in the past when it has all gone to a bag of worms and they have jumped up but the fault will always be with the dog owner I am afraid and appologies must always be made.

>I agree.....(I did say I was hanging my head in shame)

Perhaps the thread title should have been 'Thoroughly Ashamed' then ;-)

> Have you never had dogs out off lead who have done anything similar or would do faced with a similar situation.

Yes, I do have a dog that likes to greet everyone like they are the best person in the world ever  - paws on their shoulders and tongue in their mouth.  She doesn't know nor care whether the person likes dogs or is utterly phobic of them.  Unlike you, I cannot simply allow her to bounce around people to teach them a lesson about their 'irrational' behaviour - she is a 55kg Newfoundland and there could potentially be very serious injury inflicted and even more serious repercussions for her and me :-(  However, to someone who doesn't like dogs, it matters not whether it is a chihuahua or a great dane that harrasses them - a dog is a dog is a dog. Heck, I love dogs but I don't like to be jumped all over by an unruly one whose owner is doing nothing to correct it's behaviour and isn't even apologetic for it.  Do you?

There is already such overwhelming anti-dog sentiment amongst the general public, I guess I just can't understand why someone who appears to be a responsible dog lover in other regards would want to do anything to reinforce the bad feeling towards us.

Karen these things happen ,when one of mine was young i was passing a couple in a small path and she jumped up to the chap,his trousers had a big paw print on them,i appoligised and walked on.
I was very aware after that,and made sure it didnt happen again.
I find some people over the top with affection to my dogs and others dont want to even speak to them,which is up to them of course.
But try telling the dogs that.

Diffecult one this, this weekend my OH was doing a forresters course with about 13 scouts aged about 12. Jake (BC) goes everywhere with Colin and 1 kid was scared. My first instinct was "parents are to blame for making kids scared of dogs". OH replied when he was 4 he was knocked down by a dog and attacked! made me feel very small. OH got said kid to feed Jake biscuits, Jake is very, very gentle. All going fine until two Ladradors arrived in our private woods off lead and kid had hysterics.

Jake was then put on a long piece of rope and sat there most peed off! owners told to take their dogs and go away. Why do people feel they can wander onto private land willy nilly and let their dogs off lead when they do?

I immediately want to defend dog's and owners, but sometimes being in ignorance as to why people act they way they do is no excuse for bad dog control method's.

Just a point of view.

Oh dear,> Unlike you, I cannot simply allow her to bounce around people to teach them a lesson about their 'irrational' behaviour - she is a 55kg Newfoundland and there could potentially be very serious injury inflicted and even more serious repercussions for her and me :-(

This isn't quite right, I didn't allow it so that I could teach her a lesson.
Dogs were slightly ahead, woman changed her tone when she saw us, implying to me she was not afraid just embarrased at her childish behaviour. Which is why I chose to remain tight lipped as opposed to my husband apologising.
The point was, if anyone jumps up and down in this manner ANY dog, large or small would see it as a fun invitation.
She wasn't 'jumped all over', but up at.
I certainly have no wish to reinforce bad feeling against dogs and dog lovers.
I had a friend (she died) who was terrified of dogs, I know when I was a child there was a dog that I was really afraid of as it was allowed to roam free. I do have respect for the feelings of others in this regard and can only say to you, maybe it is harder for me to describe than I thought. Had you been able to see the situation for what it was you may not be frowning on me quite so much.
Karen

>> How many people/children actively encourage larger breed dogs to jump up???     I face this EVERY time I take my dogs out :-(   Oooh lovely dog/s (high pitched squeaky voice) and before you can say SIT! the dog's jumping up again with full encouragement from the person.

Dill, I have found the solution to this - I tell people that he eats poo and no-one wants him jumping up near their faces after that.  If only I had thought of that one when my staffy was a pup!

I think all non-doggy people or parents should teach their children how to react when a dog comes towards them. I take my two small dogs to the beach every weekend. It is swarming with dogs of all sizes. My six year old son did have a dog phobia after two of my friends young german shepherds came running over to his buggy barking when he was small. Our dogs have solved the fear but it is still there when big dogs are around.

In this instance he was on the beach with a stick and a collie x came running over and was clearly after his stick. He paniced, screamed and was running hysterically with us shouting "stand still, drop the stick" at the top of our voices!

When it was all over we sat him down and explained what the dog was seeing. Fun and games, shreaking and playing. We taught him to stand still with his hands by his sides and drop whatever he has in his hands if he is approached by a strange dog.

The next trip to the beach he remembered this and problem calmly resolved. A basic lesson to teach our children as young dogs especially can get over excitable but not a boring people!!!

> I have found the solution to this - I tell people that he eats poo

That did make me chuckle - i can just imagine peoples faces :-)

I know it isnt right for any dog to jump up but some dogs are more bouncier than others and more prone to jumping up. I do find that smaller dogs jump up more because many encourage them to do it to make it easier to smooth.
I can understand why the lady reacted in the same way. We are all dog lovers but not everybody is and i would probably react the same way if someone threw a spider at me.
I always avoid these sort of situations by simply clipping Fred back on the lead. Although he is fine 99% of the time it is safer than taking the risk.

I am trying to stop my pup jumping up, he is loads better with us and people visiting, but when out in public some people encourage him....they don't mind but i do!! :)

>> I have found the solution to this - I tell people that he eats poo

> That did make me chuckle - i can just imagine peoples faces :-)

He reached a new low tonight and tried to eat missys poo before it had even left her bum properly.  Talk about fast food!

>> He reached a new low tonight and tried to eat missys poo before it had even left her bum properly.&nbsp; Talk about fast food!

is he still doing enormous ones of his own ali?

>>> He reached a new low tonight and tried to eat missys poo before it had even left her bum properly.&nbsp; Talk about fast food!
> is he still doing enormous ones of his own ali?

Nothing like as big.  He is on Orijen at the moment and this is supplemented with raw when I want to get a few hours peace.  He had a lamb neck with ribs attached on saturday night so I got 3 hours peace while he scoffed in the garden. 

His poos are far more manageable although he is still scavenging for food but I think this is due to being on approx 1/3 volume of food he was on before and is taking bad.  He has been munching loads of carrots but looks great. 

I think the poo thing is habit now but most mornings at approx 7am I can be spotted running through campy screaming 'noooooo' as oberon the s**t seeking missile heads off to find some of missys poo to scoff before brekkie.

i'm glad the pooping is better

pmsl, i'll have to come and skulk about campy one morning and keep an eye out for you lol

I totally agree that its our responsibility that our dogs are under control, and some people who do not understand dogs can do exactly the OPPOSITE to what they should!

When my dog was a pup I would take her to the park without my other dog to practice training and to help with socialisation. She was probably about 5 months old when she trotted up to a family very calmly, wagging her tail, to say hello. What happened next will stay with me forever!!! One of their children, aged about 8 I'd say, picked up their toy and proceeded to run screaming into the middle of the park with my puppy trotting behind, wagging her tail! At no time did she get over excited, jump up or do anything wrong!

I was mortified and started to run, the child was holding her interest far more than I, and after a few frantic calls she came back. When I had a hold of her, I invited the children to come and say hello, but the father was very angry with me. I wanted so much to tell him he needed to teach his children to stand still, but also knew I was in the wrong for letting my puppy approach his children... as I walked away I cried because who would find a 5 month old Golden Retriever puppy (a VERY calm one at that!) in any way threatening... clearly they did!!!

The point I want to make is that we as doggy people really must respect the fact that not everyone likes or even wants to tolerate a dog in their space. We do not have more right to be there than they do... we really dont! And if you have large dogs who need to run off steam who may potentially frighten children or other people, then find somewhere quiet where they can do this. No dog however big or small should be allowed to jump up on a strange person... what makes it alright because they are small dogs???

Doh! :(
I never said it was all right for small dogs.
I never said it was okay for big dogs or any dogs,the single point was.......If you are in an area that is predominantly dogs and nature...Then dont behave in a way that is 'teasing'.
Karen

> If you are in an area that is predominantly dogs and nature...Then dont behave in a way that is 'teasing'.
>

I'm sorry, Karen, but we simply do not have the right to ask the rest of the population to accomodate our dogs.   Itsafdogslife has made an excellent post which says all that can be said about our rights I think.  Things will happen but the onus must be on us to make sure our dogs do not inconvenience others and if they do we really should appologise and make any adjustments to the freedoms we allow them until we can reasonable expect it not to happen again.

0h Isabel...I AGREE...
My husband apologised to her.
It was not the behaviour, expected of my dogs, nor are they allowed to do it.
BUT, it happened to me, and again I defy anyone to say that their dogs have not 'let them down' on occasion.
They were not aggresive, they show no signs of, or of course even there, I would not allow them to be off lead.
Karen.

> I defy anyone to say that their dogs have not 'let them down' on occasion.
>

I have already owned up :-)

:)
  :)

> I defy anyone to say that their dogs have not 'let them down' on occasion

On the way through the park, one of ours pushed his way through someone's broken fence and jumped in their swimming pool I had to crawl through the gap myself and pull him out! I apologised profusely and slunk off with one sodden dogue in the middle of January. I have to say it made me smile all the way home (at a quick jog), and luckily they are still speaking to me.

I will never forget the time I was out walking my stepmums Golden Retriever, George. He decided to take a dip in a very stagnant canal and then dashed into the new conservatory area of the local hotel, I was only ten and I hid outside like a coward, it wasn't long before George was assisted back out with a boot in his rear and we both ran away :)