Jeremy Vine on beeb radio 2 Discussing dogs in the park

There's some stuck up cowbag on BBC R2 Jeremy Vine show talking about owners who think it's ok to let their dogs jump up at people.

Now I am in agreement that you should train your dog not to - neither of mine do, but I have a feeling this is going to up the 'dogs should always be on leads' brigade even more...

I've emailed in anyhow and asked if I can control my dogs not to approach people why can't people keep control of their kids to stop them running up screaming and throwing themselves on my dogs?? I wonder if they'll read it! LOL

Doubt it - i missed the last 10 minutes as i had to switch off to stop myself yelling at the radio!

Loved the "how would a dog owner feel if a sticky small child ran up to their dog and got gunk all over it" - like that doesn't happen!! I am sick of children pestering my dogs, waiving sticks at them, generally either trying to strangle them or screaming in fear at them for no reason (yes they are on the lead whilst this happens).

What happened to balanced journalism - Jeremy Vine gets more and more one sided each week - though dogs with him do seem to be a personal issue as he brings up how badly behaved they all are, how all owners don't know how to say "sorry" and believe their dogs are totally wonderful and without fault.

oh and as an aside, didn't the Animal Welfare Act actually state that we have to allow dogs to act naturally........

He never read it out... perhaps my email got there too late... he did read out a couple of balanced points from others.

I am having to work damned hard with my youngest thanks to people who can't control their children and have allowed their children to scare the hell out of her when she was only young and now she barks at them to keep them at a distance. So I'm so very sorry if my dog gets anyone muddy (which she won't unless she brushes past them after swimming in mud - she doesn't jump up) but I doubt it'll cause long term behaviour problems like people's kids have to her!!

In fact... I get adults doing exactly the same to my two - which is where I really draw the line!

As for stealing food... well - I try my best! I don't think people should just expect to have their picnic stolen but I keep her away it's only on the occasion we've turned a corner whilst she's offlead and there's been someone there with food that I've had a problem. And usually the person with the food thinks it's hilarious to wind her up with it instead of just ignoring her or telling her no until I get to her!

I tell you what really gets my goat - people who encourage my dog to jump up! Oscar thinks he's a jack-in-the-box. He's 9 months old and I'm working hard to get him to not jump. However, in the park, so many people say "let him jump, it's fine" or "I don't mind". No, but I do!! In the past week, 3 different kids have tried to coax Oscar to leap up at them. He doesn't need that much convincing, he loves to make muddy pawprints of people's trousers. Jumping up is not behaviour I want to encourage. I know he's small and fluffy but that's not a reason to let him get away with it or even worse, make him do it!

Once, when Kali was still a young pup, I took him for a walk, which ended in one of the village pubs ( ). Kali was quite the centre of attention, and one guy invited Kali up on his knee. When Kali took him up on it, he knuckled Kali on the nose and pushed him off! However, he got his comeuppance two years later, when he was found frozen to death outside the pub. I shed no tears.


Snorri

I remember you telling that story before Snorri... there are some idiots out there! (One less now...)

Sophie* I know just how you feel! People would laugh at a baby Takara running towards their picnic and throw food to her... now she just runs up and takes it because that was fine when she was small and cute!

There's a few people Takara jumps up at because I can't get them to stop reinforcing her for it, no matter how hard I try... my dad being one of them...

And I've given up with KateM

In fairness, I don't like dogs jumping up at me either. Fine if I have my gross winter dog walking gear, not-so-fine at this time of year when I am not. So I can completely understand those who are walking through the park minus a dog not wanting to be jumped on.

There wouldn't be people on the radio complaining if people didn't let their dogs do it, so it swings both ways. Yes, every time stuff like this gets publicized in radio/TV/newspapers it adds fuel to the 'ban dogs'/'keep dogs on leads' fire, but irresponsible owners are the only ones to blame, not the people that complain about them.

I know that... I don't let mine jump up and I can totally understand those who don't like it.

However, I don't automatically say someone's irresponsible for allowing their dog to do it... perhaps the dog's only young and still learning and they thought it had stopped it?

Okay - so if you get someone's dog jump on you and they don't even bother to ask if you're ok or apologise but I've been there with mine when she was learning and I've gone over, apologised and explained that she's still in training and hardly ever does it - I didn't know she was going to etc. and you still get a mouthful of abuse.

Similarly I don't think it's all down to the owner of the dog - if people didn't encourage it, then the dogs wouldn't do it either and people wouldn't need to complain.

If everyone had a bit more consideration for each other, understood that accidents happen, apologised when their dog was a nuisance and others allowed owners to train their dogs then the world would be a much happier place.

Oh I wouldn't abuse anyone for their dog jumping up on me.

Annoyed (depending on what I was wearing!), but certainly not worth abusing anyone for it...that would be a little hypocritical of me as my dog used to do it when he was a pup.

As you say, tolerance works both ways. Sadly there are not enough tolerant people either side of the pro dog/anti dog fence.

I thought it was too one-sided. There didn't appear to be anyone to counteract what that journo was saying like there usually is. ie, a fair 2 sided debate.
I agree it's not great to let your dog jump up at people and sensible dog owners try their darndest to train this out. As usual we all get tarred with the same brush because of the idiot owners out there who can't even say sorry.

I think someone else said this will only encourage the "dogs on leads" advocates and does none of us any favours.

What made me laugh was quite a few comments from people saying "I remember two years ago a dog ran up blah blah blah......." well it clearly doesn't happen that often then if the last thing you can remember was from 2 years ago!!!!