Diary of a Nervous Dog Owner: Introduction

I'm desperately trying to overcome my anxiety associated with owning, and particularly walking, my two dogs.

I have two teeny Jack Russell type terriers, aged 7 and nearly 9. They are really lovely dogs, very well behaved (most of the time) and affectionate. They have been living with me and my partner in Nottingham for just over two months now, before that they were in London with my mum and sister, as for my first three years of uni I was not allowed pets in my accommodation. When I lived back at home I took most of the responsibility for looking after the dogs, and was generally the only one to walk them. I used to take them to my local common where I, and they, made loads of human and doggie friends who we met up with regularly. Unfortunately, although my Mum has made sure that the dogs have been fed and loved over the past three years, she and my sister were both hopeless and walking them and both dogs seem to have lost a lot of the confidence that they had previously developed.

It seems that my confidence has also decreased. I'm living in a new area and don't know anyone with dogs nearby. My dad lives on the other side of Nottingham and he occasionally comes and picks us up for a walk with his two dogs, which is great as I feel much more at ease while walking with other people. I find, however that I'm very nervous when walking around my area, especially when it's just me walking them. The majority of people where I live seem to not want to socialise their dogs at all. Most of the dogs I see are staffies, and the occasional rottweiler.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't believe that certain breeds are 'aggressive' breeds of dog, and I think that BSL is ridiculous to say the least, but I do think that there is a lot of misunderstanding about some breeds of dog, especially bully and guard breeds, and unfortunately a lot of it seems to come from the owners. So many people I've seen walking their dogs around here lately have turned around and walked in the other direction when they've seen me coming with mine. A man I saw yesterday actually walked his staff into some bushes because it started yelping when it saw us walking past. The dog didn't even seem aggressive to me, but if it isn't now, surely its owner's behaviour is going to make sure that it will be soon? The other day in the park a guy had another staffy type dog on a lead, and when a spaniel ran over to say hello, even though the dog was not acting aggressively, the man was dragging it away by its lead, to the point where he had lifted the poor thing off the ground. It seems such a shame to me that people have so little understanding of their dogs. I've met so many staffs and other bully breeds that are lovely, and probably one of the most friendly, playful types of dogs. The only problem I see with them is that the combination of being quite bulky and also extremely energetic due to being terriers can lead to them being quite rough when playing, but in my experience as long as they are SOCIALISED then they should be able to learn to play nicely with smaller or older dogs, and to read other dogs' body language and recognise when they've had enough. I think that in many cases, owners mistake their dog's eagerness to play for aggression and keep them away from other dogs, which MAKES them aggresive. This is just my interpretation of things, I may not be right on this but I find it really upsetting that so many people seem so uneducated when it comes to their own dogs. I'd love to know other peoples' opinions on this.

Anyway, the main point is that a combination of me not having lived with my dogs properly for three years, living in a new and unfamiliar area, and the way I've seen some dog owners acting lately, has led me to feel quite frightened of walking my dogs and a fear of them being attacked. I suffer from anxiety anyway and am a terrible worrier. I'm trying to overcome this generally in my life, but I thought the dog issue would be a good place to start. I'm determined that my dogs will be walked twice a day, every day and that I will make sure that I am able to take them to the park to meet other dogs and play.

I'd love to meet other dog owners in my local area, it would be great to maybe even get a dog walking group going. I'm also interested in getting in touch with anyone who is experiencing similar problems or who has opinions they'd like to share on this issue, even if you live nowhere near me!

Try checking out the "Walks" section on the forum - someone has recently started a thread for arranging a Notts/Derby walk which may be helpful
http://www.dogsey.com/forumdisplay.php?f=114

I would just like to say that unfortunately it's not as black and white as saying Staffie/Rottie/etc owners should not mistake eagerness with aggression - we're in a time where everyone feels the need to blame someone and I bet if these eager Staffies etc were allowed to mingle, and did act aggressively, even in self-defense, it would be the Staffie that undoubtably got the blame. Also worth bearing in mind that lots of dogs can be worse on-lead - my GSD can be very reactive, lungy and barky on-lead so if we meet other dogs on a normal on-lead walk, I will cross over, turn around, or head down another route. If I arrange a group walk I can turn up and know he'll be fine with the dogs. These dog owners may socialise their dogs but it's important that socialising is done on your own terms - in an ideal world every dog would meet & greet strangers just fine but this isn't natural for an animal and it can be recipe for disaster because you can't know how a stranger's dog will react, whatever the breed is.

Thanks for the link I posted there this morning.

I know that this is such a difficult topic - I appreciate what you are saying, and obviously when you see a stranger and their dog it's easy to judge on their behaviour without knowing their situation. But it does seem to me that a lot of people get puppies without doing any research on the breed or even on dogs in general, and do not understand the importance of socialising their dogs from as early an age as possible. I don't think it's fair to attack these people and call them stupid or ignorant - I'm sure that the majority of owners do their best and aren't aiming to make their dogs nasty. I guess it does all link back to the issue of people being able to breed dogs for a quick profit with no regard to the kind of homes they go to.

It does make me quite upset and angry though when I see people punishing their dogs just for looking in the direction of other dogs. Distracting the dog by calling it and leading it in the other direction is one thing, but shouting, tugging on the lead etc is surely just going to encourage the dog to be fearful and defensive around other dogs. I've even seen one or two owners actually smack their dogs for showing an interest in other dogs, even though they were on the lead and not showing any signs of aggression.

There seems to be a rise in the anti-social dog walker around here, with people reluctant to let their dogs meet other dogs. Obviously if the dog(s) in question are not good with other dogs then it is understandable, but otherwise I just don't get the paranoia.

A couple of weeks ago I saw a guy with what appeared to be a Lab type or a black GSP type puppy on lead walking towards us. When he got closer to us, he stopped and put the puppy behind him. The pup was obviously desperate to say hello to my dogs and was up on it's hind legs bouncing, while the man grappled with the lead and shouting at it to 'sit'. All a bit odd...poor pup.

I have a similar problem in that we have had a rescue dog since Easter of last year and I get myself in a real state about taking him for a walk on my own because of fear about what will happen when he encounters other dogs. He has been in what to me are quite serious fights since we've had him - I don't think he is aggressive as such, but if another dog tries to start something he will retaliate rather than back off. This only seems to have with dogs that are larger than him, and usually larger males (he is a German Shepherd cross, about the size of a lab). Apparently he was bullied by another dog in a previous home but I don't know the details, so suspect these situations arise when he's frightened of the other dog - we've never had a problem with small dogs or puppies. I really don't know where to go for help with this problem - I had envisaged my walks with him being a joy, instead of which they're becoming an ordeal, and I'm sure my anxiety isn't helping his behaviour either!

My dog is 1 yr old and was attacked at 5-6 mths by a Greyhound. Luckily not badly, but it did make him slightly nervy around much bigger dogs ( he's a CKCS X bichon)
He absolutely loves playing with other dogs when I take him to our small enclosed park. But I am very nervous for him, as, because he is so trusting, it really upsets me when other dogs are rough or too full on with him. I try not to pick him up ( although a few times he has implored me to) because I don't want to re- inforce the fear he may be feeling.
I know he loves the park and is so obeidient off lead, but sometimes Im too worried to go over there as I'm looking over my shoulder all the time to see if a dog is going to fly up to us and do to him what that Greyhound did, so I find myself walking him on lead on the pavements near home- a bit boring for him.
The other problem I have is my husband! He loves our dog soo much that since he was attacked he tells me if ever he was set on again he would have no hesitation but to do damage to the other dog, in order to protect ours. I understand how he feels, as when Ted was attacked, I thought my husband was going to cry- it upset him so much, but obviously it makes me nervous when he wants to come with us over the park. He tells me I should carry a large walking stick in case the situation should ever occur again, and I could protect Ted better.
If only all dogs were as dog friendly as ours we could all walk the parks and pavements in peace.