I cant get Dogs to play with Parker when he first meets a dogs he has a growl and his hackles go up, but that's it, if the owners game.... Parker than will happily play chase for Hours

But 9 times out of 10 the Dog is called away and I usually get some stupid comment


Parker is a Lab x... not a Leo, I can understand people being a bit unsure of the Giant Dogs.

It's a shame that Amie and I do understand totally. Biffters is quite a vocal dog and his play involves lots of growling etc...but it is just that, play, he just like you to hear him...people do shout their dogs away when they hear him start, shame they don't notice the play bow huh?

I think that's so sad.

There's definitely one guy like that in our village; he says that dogs always pick on his (he thinks its because of the dog's hair which covers his eyes), but he won't even get close enough (even with both dogs on the lead) to see whether a problem is going to occur.

I have to say though, with the exception of him & one or two others who do have dog aggressive dogs (yet who still manage to wave good morning from a distance), most of the people I come across are all very friendly and let their dogs get on with it.

I do think it partly down to people not understanding dog signals so not having a clue when there might or might not be a problem and of course, its a self-perpetuating thing - the more they avoid other dogs, the less their dogs will know how to interact with their own kind.

yeah I have had the same experiences myself. Once Lona went up to another dog (a lab) and it ran behind its owner and yelped and she was nowhere near it, and the owner is shouting get that f..... dog away, yet she always runs up to say hello, neurotic owners are turning their dogs neurotic and I can't tell you the relief I feel when I meet a normal dog person now, they are so few and far between

Similar to Jake, he really doesnt know how to greet other dogs, normally stands over them and barks. But after a minute or two he is fine and will play like a puppy. So sadly there is only a few who know this and dont bother.

People worry so much, I see them with pups, picking them up as soon as a dog comes near... It's such a shame for all concerned isn't it?
Me too.

can i join the "no-one want to come near me gang"?????

its being doing my head in lately cos i find people are definitely more and more inclined to drag their dog away from me and mine! While on a lovely walk on saturday with a yorkie, collie x, bichon, ckcs and a jrt we were made to feel like nutters - with one couple frantically trying to lift their (overweight) cocker up and away from us! another dragged a gorgeous yorkie x away so roughly he must have hurt him A guy walking a hyper lab told us that our dogs might hurt his as he was only a puppy (our Yorkie was the size of his head - what did he think she was going to do to his puppy??) worst of all tho' was when we met a dope with a staffie who was shouting stay away from him hes deadly (meanwhile the dog looked at us as if to say "he wishes")

Only thing that made my day was how good all the dogs were - even my mums yorkie who up to this walk was way too unreliable to leave off-lead. I think they kept each other in check! The only dog that was anyway allowed near us and them was a huge black lab - lucky him they all had a great time sniffing and peeing around oneanother.

I did take my two to a car booty yesterday and that was a total different story - my oh was totally frustrated with me asking how could i talk to so many people for so long about dogs!!!!! so there may still be hope out there for us dog loving gasbags

Do you think that dogs are less well behaved now or that people expect dogs to behave like humans and be reserved?
Or do you think that people are more unfriendly than they used to be?

I am very interested as I am trying to socialise Beau at the moment and on some walks he hasn't been allowed to meet any other dogs by their owners despite me explaining he is just a bouncy pup

If you heard some of the stories that I hear around here, you might end up being one of those (the keep your dog away from mine briggade!), it's all very sad, not like it used to be is it. I must admit, because I've heard so many stories of late about other dogs around here, I will always keep Georgie right by my side or maybe put him on his lead if I see any strange dog about.

The other day, I was standing chatting to about 4 people with all our dogs playing around us, and a lady came past jogging with a gsd at her side. Now, it was my fault for not paying attention to Georgie, who is normally just rolling around with his ball near me, but because he hadn't met this gsd before he made a bee-line to go and say hello. As soon as I noticed he had done this, of course, I called him back, he came back and the other dog trotted off with it's owner. THEN the others tell me that I was very lucky, because that dog had attacked another dog up there recently and bit it's tail off!!!! The woman rushed it to the vets and it's cost her hundreds of pounds, so I thank my lucky stars that it didn't take offence to poor old Georgie! This wasn't hearsay, because one of the women actually SAW it happen, she was there, and they were moaning about WHY this woman still insisted on jogging with her gsd offlead when it had attacked another dog. That's not the first time I've heard of a gsd attacking something on the green either, so there's another one about which Ihaven't met yet. So you see, I'm always erring on the side of caution, and unless an owner has specifically said to me that her dog is fine with other dogs, Georgie does not go near them, he's put on his lead. Sad as it is, I'd rather have him safe. I wasn't so particular about Cassie coz she was so smart, she would know if another dog was unfriendly, unlike Georgie who thinks all dogs should be friendly, but then again, he can get a bit too friendly with SOME males and try to mount them (all his best friends are like this with him too!!!)So that's another reason for me to avoid anything new that we see, just in case he does his party trick on them!

I suppose if I had a cocker spaniel I might feel differently, but then again, I would still probably want to keep him/her close to me for fear of him/her getting attacked by something we didn't know? Not all people are sensible like us and keep dog aggressive dogs either on leads or away from busy dog walking areas are they? Some people are just plain stupid, or lack the necessary manners!

I think it has something to do with society, if you think everyday you here about people being beaten up/killed over the smallest things, so maybe not wanting to let there dog play incase something happens.