It’s ok s/he only wants to say hello or its ok s/he wants to play.
How many times have you heard the above? Probably every walk. Do you have a dog that will run over to other dogs? Or Are you the owner who has dog(s) running up to you and your dog?
Well this short blog will hopefully get a message across:
It’s not ok to allow your dog to run up to other dogs. They are not just wanting to say hello or play. It is losing control of your dog in a public area.
Of course, some dogs are overly friendly, some aren’t and then we have all the mix of dogs that fall in-between these two variables.
Remember:
- Both owners need to take responsibility in a dog to dog meeting. This means not allowing your dog to run up to another dog or just allowing the approaching dog to meet your dog and hope things work out for the best.
- If an owner has a dog on a lead or calls their dog back and walks off in a different direction, do not assume they are being unfriendly or have an issue with you or your dog – you do not need to know the reason and you do not need to get upset that they have done this. Do not allow your dog to run after the other dog or go up to the other dog.
- Allowing your dog to approach or go up other dogs is just not safe or fair – if you wish your dog to run free and have a good run, then take responsibility and work on the control of your dog. If not then put your dog on a lead and train your dog to come back when called.
Remember do not set your dog up for a potentially bad situation on a walk. Think of the three “A’s”:
- Assess – assess the situation – is it safe for your dog to approach another dog or person? The answer is probably no – so call your dog back.
- Adopt – look at your options – think about the course of action you will take (should you put your dog on the lead, should you think about walking in a different direction, etc). Again, if you cannot control your dog then the situation could end up out of control – who is therefore to blame?
- Act – take action on the situation. Call your dog back, clip its lead on and allow your dog off lead when it is safe to do so.
- Do not allow your dog to practice behaviours to try and get the other dog to play such as barking in the other dog’s face, pinching a ball, nipping at the dog’s leg, jumping on the dog’s back and so it can go on. These are not games and they are not acceptable.