 Barked: Wed May 30, '12 2:19pm PST |
 | |  | | If a dog is clearly under their owners control and LEAVING my dog alone so I can get or keep him under threshold, that's fantastic and kudos to that person, even if they're breaking the law(that part is their problem, not mine unless that dog is harassing me and mine).
But let's be honest, this is talking about dogs that AREN'T under their owners control and do come up and harass other dogs and people.
I keep seeing people, even those with reactive dogs saying to stay calm and just keep moving or keep walking in the opposite direction, etc etc. But the problem is that I DO NOT have a problem with off leash dogs IF they're not harassing me and mine. If they are, then they have sent Charlie way over threshold already and he's already at the point of lunging, barking, growling, etc. I do my best to watch for loose dogs and even those on a leash, because I LOVE to use EVERY situation as a learning curve and training opportunity for Charlie to work down his threshold and teach him a little more control. Walking in the opposite direction calmly while another dog is off leash sending him over threshold DOES NOTHING for creating a 'friendly greeting' when he's spun around on his leash and I'm having to drag him because he's lunging in that dogs direction.
In my experience, in my city, it's rare you find someone with full control of their dog when it's off leash. Heck, if your dog is off leash ignoring mine and leaving us alone, I'll use it as an opportunity to get Charlie back under control and calmed down so we can continue our walk and he doesn't have to feel threatened by that other dog.
Differences between aggression and reactivity or not.. Yes, Charlie is reactive and isn't nearly so likely to fight with another dog, but his reactivity can get him worked up enough that if it set off another dog(which it typically does with off leash out of control dogs in my area- please note that I'm not calling anyone here's dog out of control, just those in my own area), then a fight is bound to happen.
And Sabi - I'm absolutely NOT surprised. I live right by an industrial area too and a bunch of fields right by the highway and stray dogs always end up wandering our neighborhood, nevermind the sheer amount of irresponsible owners who just don't bother training their dogs a reliable recall, if they've got them off leash. Ugh. |  |  | |  |
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That goes for other livestock too, but sometimes for different reason--I know it's legal for farmers to shoot any dog they feel could threaten their livestock, so I don't take chances with that either.