Dear Neighbor...

CaliTerp07

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#1
When we are walking towards each other on the same path through the park, and I very deliberately step to the side of the path and shorten my dog's leash, that should be your first clue.

When you say, "Wow, I guess these two aren't friends, huh?", and I concur that no, they definitely aren't friends...that should be clue number two.

So when you say, "Okay, how 'bout you just sniff then" and allow your dog to immediately draaaaag you across the path to "sniff" my dog (who I am rapidly feeding string cheese to in order to distract and keep focused on me), please understand why I am visibly upset when your dog BITES the back of Lucy's legs and the two start snarling at each other.

ARGHHHH.

His comment? "Wow, I wasn't expecting that!"

Lucy's fine, no battle scars. But ughhhhhhh we've been working intensively on "look at that" and increasing her threshold for MONTHS and MONTHS, and I'm so afraid this is going to be a major set back. It all happened so darn fast I didn't have time to process and react quickly enough to yell at him to stop (not that it would have done anything). I just feel like I failed her :(

Just in case someone hasn't seen this before:


Space Etiquette For Dogs by lili.chin, on Flickr
 

Emily

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#2
I seriously want to post this poster all over a local park by my house. I'll take a dog (on lead) into the middle of the park (grass) to work OB in some open space and it's like they take it to be an invitation to the dog park. "Oh, she's on the grass, she must want to let the puppies play!!!" Um... no.

I'm really sorry about your asshat neighbor... I've gotten really good at actually holding up my hand like a traffic cop and saying, "She's not friendly with strange dogs." I find that even if the words blow over their heads, the hand motion makes them pause. It's not a very friendly thing to have to do and it can make things awkward but... you do what you gotta do.

ETA: you also have the curse of having a cute, unassuming, smallish dog. LOL. I feel your pain. Once a lady with Chi started to let her dog approach and says, "oh, is she friendly?" clearly thinking that such a cute little doggy must be. I said, "No, sorry." You should have seen her face!
 

JessLough

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#3
What I love is when somebody has their DA dog on a flexi, letting it out all the way and then they yell at *me* for my dog sniffing at your dog.

Yah, sorry, if your dog is on a flexi coming towards my dog, I'm not going out of the way to avoid a dog that I think is friendly since it has been allowed to come up.
 

CaliTerp07

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#4
Oooh, I like the hand motion--I'm going to try to remember that!

In all honesty, almost everyone in this neighborhood is fantastic about walking dogs. Just about everyone crosses to the other side of the street if they see you coming, or pull their dog up a driveway into a sit until you pass. It's so nice!

The other good news is that it's a pretty small neighborhood, so I recognize all the people and dogs and can make a mental note to stay far away from this ding dong in the future.
 

HayleyMarie

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#5
I hear yah, the amount of off leash dogs that I run into are enough to cause me to have an anger melt down one of these days.

I would love to post that poster all over my little mountian town, although I am pretty sure it would do no good.

People seem to think small rural town=their crazy off dog is allowed off leash its making it slightly difficult to train Mitsu a good leave it or look at that.
 

CaliTerp07

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#6
I'm very grateful that other than one completely well behaved sheltie, everyone in the neighborhood walks their dog on leash (and only a few with really tiny little dogs use flexis). I was thrilled when I found out that for the most part people were so responsible around here.
 

FG167

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#7
Ugh, had the same thing happen to my GSD as a puppy. I was VERY angry. So sorry this person was an "asshat" as someone else said (I enjoy that word).
 

Bailey08

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#8
Poor Lucy -- I hope she is okay and doesn't have any setbacks! That really sucks. You've worked so hard and were doing everything right.

I generally just pull my dogs over to the side now and put them in a stay while another dog passes. They aren't even reactive, but Bailey doesn't feel any particular need to say hi to every dog, and Grace needs to learn that she can't -- and it just makes life easier when are too many stupid owners with "friendly" dogs choking themselves out trying to "just say hi." (As an aside, I feel like I inadvertently offend people fairly regularly when I'm praising my dog(s) for being calm and collected while they yank their out of control dog by us. Someone just made a snide comment the other day. I promise I don't care how well behaved or reactive or over-excited your dog is -- I just don't want him/her meeting mine!)

I fully support forgetting the niceties and just telling people to keep their dog away from mine.
 

yoko

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#9
I need to make a sandwich billboard out of it for Yoshi to wear.

Yoshi actually loves everyone, person, dog, inanimate object but I've run into way too many people who weren't willing to admit their dog wasn't friendly to not be super safe about it now.
 

CaliTerp07

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#10
Ugh, had the same thing happen to my GSD as a puppy. I was VERY angry. So sorry this person was an "asshat" as someone else said (I enjoy that word).
Hehehe, that may have been me. I love that word too :) (So much so that in high school a friend gave me a knit hat with a donkey on it...)

Poor Lucy -- I hope she is okay and doesn't have any setbacks! That really sucks. You've worked so hard and were doing everything right.
Thanks, I hope so too!

I didn't realize how stressful it was to say "hi" to every dog we passed. In our old neighborhoods, that was common and Lucy was generally fine with it (save 1 or 2 dogs), but it is SO MUCH CALMER to walk her knowing we can skip that step!
 

Lyzelle

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#11
So sorry your neighbor is stupid! I've had issues with the same thing. Zander doesn't mind other dogs, and he's actually pretty friendly, but any random dog just running up to him out of no where doesn't sit well with him - or me. It's so annoying to have to tell other people to keep their dogs under control. Heck, some PEOPLE can't even keep themselves under control.

LOVE that poster, by the way. I've seen it before, but I love it more every time I see it shared. I like the one about approaching/greeting a dog too.

I'm sure it won't set her back too far, though. :) It's crappy to have all your hard work on the line, but I'm sure it'll pay off.
 

xpaeanx

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#12
I'm sorry, I hope Lucy isn't negatively impacted at all.

I have a very similar problem with Walsh. He is very protective over his personal space and this includes both people and dogs... I shout this at people and pull him away, but they corner both of us...if he goes off, then they look at me and say, "Wow, your dog is nasty. You should put him down before he hurts someone or another dog."

Um... I can pretty much fling him over my back holding his back legs and he's fine. He just takes stranger danger very seriously... and he's always leashed.... Maybe you should stop thinking the world revolves around you and go away when people tell you too.
 
K

Kaydee

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#13
I wish some people would get the message a bit faster too. I've read during service training you pull your dogs face into your crotch to avoid them seeing another dog. From what we've gone through on some walks that doesn't sound to drastic really. If I am hiding behind a parked car or a bush or have crossed the street and have both hands firmly on the leash...MOVE IT PEOPLE, don't just stroll on through, obviously there is a method to my madness and I shouldn't need to wave a danger sign.

I do try to not walk in such situations but if somebody freezes with their dog they want you to go way around them...ideally turn around completely, easier for all concerned
 

xpaeanx

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#14
I do try to not walk in such situations but if somebody freezes with their dog they want you to go way around them...ideally turn around completely, easier for all concerned
Meh, I don't think it's fair to also expect someone to just totally reroute their walk because your dog has a problem.

When I see a dog, I shorten my leash and step off the path to clear the way for them to pass. If I see a dog going in the same direction as me, I will reroute myself to avoid them.

The main thing is that if someone shortens their lead, or steps off a path, or freezes, or pulls their dog close that means keep your dog out of their space. Hell, I don't even like when I'm out walking alone and people let their dogs jump all over me. There's a general lack of respect for personal space out there.
 

Kayota

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#15
Roxie's had a setback recently with her man reactivity (lmao) and I haven't noticed in years how much people seem to require my dog love EVERYONE... She let out one (1) bark at a man on our hike the other day and he said "wow, I guess she's still in training" in the rudest tone possible...
 
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#16
Gambit has a neon (eyesearingly so) yellow vest with a stop sign on it and the words "Scared Dog- Do Not Pet" In inch high letters.

People still try and touch him. Even children too young to read can see the stop sign and pause. Some back up, but at the very they least ask my why it's there instead of rushing up blindly.

Too bad the adults who are old enough to read can't seem to interpret the words.
 

JessLough

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#17
Meh, I don't think it's fair to also expect someone to just totally reroute their walk because your dog has a problem.

When I see a dog, I shorten my leash and step off the path to clear the way for them to pass. If I see a dog going in the same direction as me, I will reroute myself to avoid them.

The main thing is that if someone shortens their lead, or steps off a path, or freezes, or pulls their dog close that means keep your dog out of their space. Hell, I don't even like when I'm out walking alone and people let their dogs jump all over me. There's a general lack of respect for personal space out there.
This. There is no way I'm turning around and rerouting (in most cases for us turning around would be ending, there's no other entrance to where we walk) my dogs walk because your dog has dog issues. I will shorten my dogs leash and pass quickly, but IMHO, if your dog can't even be passed by a dog on leash, a) you should be questioning if you should be walking a dog that would be stronger than you to get to my dog and b) rethink walking your dog in that area/that time without taking proper precautions.
 
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#18
That's one of the reasons I tend to walk Kharma late at night. When there aren't so many idiots abroad. That's a luxury though, that most people don't have and I will never understand what is so difficult about getting that you and your dog aren't entitled to invade anyone else's space just because YOU or YOUR DOG want to. She's been jumped by rogue Yorkies several times and now she absolutely hates them. She's not overly fond of BCs either, after a few run ins.

I'd probably turn into a snarling beast if I had to deal with it too much.

Poor Tallulah! She IS friendly and likes other dogs (as long as she doesn't get too excited) but most people give her a wide berth, which I suppose, in the general scheme of things, is good. It's really been sad, though, to see my outgoing little socialite become aloof.

*sigh* like the song says, "the world is full of stupid people." :wall:
 

sillysally

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#19
Even if I have my non reactive dog out I give dogs with iffy body language a very wide berth. I don't turn around, but I don't assume that the other dog walker recognizes their dog's discomfort/aggression and is planning on keeping the dog under control. I know that sounds cynical, but we've had several bad experiences.
 

Bailey08

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#20
I've read during service training you pull your dogs face into your crotch to avoid them seeing another dog.
I'm not trying to pick on you, because this doesn't seem to be your approach, but this is really bugging me, lol. Do they really do this? It would make my non-reactive dog crazy to have his head stuck somewhere when he could hear/smell but not see another dog. How vulnerable must a dog feel then?!?!?! I don't understand how that's even remotely a good idea.

Even if I have my non reactive dog out I give dogs with iffy body language a very wide berth. I don't turn around, but I don't assume that the other dog walker recognizes their dog's discomfort/aggression and is planning on keeping the dog under control. I know that sounds cynical, but we've had several bad experiences.
I don't think it's cynical, I think it's smart! My dog walker officially has a "no greeting" rule because I trust no one. LOL, maybe I am a cynic.
 

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