First of all thanks everyone, this is turning into a really,really lovely thread. It is so nice to know that for the vast majority of people, the walks are good (and their dogs of course!)

No...please don't be sorry, we all have bad times and it is often easier to post about them, I think once there is one negative thread...it all spirals and i was just trying to address it as I could feel myself getting nervous.
Beautiful pictures, thankyou xxxxx

Thanks Dani, that is a lovely story. By the same token, I have to tell you about a staffi we met the other day. My son had been playing with Cosmo and another Flat Coat we had met up with, then the other dog left and my son was heading down a hill. A staffi spotted him and her tail went mad...my son totally blanked her and ran off...he hadn't spotted her. I apologised to her owner, turns out she is 12 and soft as anything, I didn't want him to think my son was running away from her...he just hadn't seen her, he was chasing Cosmo! She is such a sweetheart!

Thats so refreshing and lovely....thankyou.
Awwwww... you know how to cheer me up!!!! Thank you. I see one of them everyday and he really is lovely!!!! Ta xxx
That is exceptionally thoughtful and a great example of the camaraderie that can exist between dog walkers. x

Beautiful photos, thankyou...lovely lovely dogs. xxxxxx
Thanks Shona xxxxxx
Thanks BB...it was starting to all feel very negative about walking. I think it may be the time of year...but it still freaks me when it gets like this. I start to feel like I am constantly looking over my shoulder.

Sounds perfect Pidgey fanks xxxxx

An interesting theory was put forward on another forum that location can be a big factor.

We know that the handler's mood can be transmitted down the lead so it is not implausible than a bad experience or two might cause some owners in a paticular walking spot to be more nervous or guarded - which in turn can author further incidents, more people keep their dogs on-lead or avoid other walkers, the dog's become less socialised and a downward spiral could begin that is very much specific to that spot.

Dunno - not impossible, I suppose.

Today was Kismet's first walk off lead in two weeks. She had her spaying stitches out today. So as a treat we went over to the park where the most dogs walk. She had a great time playing and romping and along the way we collected a pack of doggy friends (and their owners), we had a black lab, two beautiful dalmatians, a weimeraner, a terrier heinz57 a beautiful english bull terrier puppy and her bestest friend a beagle called Darwin, plus Selkie and Pharaoh of course... Then across the field she spotted her puppy pal oscar the English mastiff who also hasn't been around for a while due to his neutering op... Well. She took off at a flying run. Whoo wooing her joy at recognising her friend... "Incoming!" I helpfully shouted to alert Oscar's owners that looney Kismet no brakes, no brains was inbound on the Oscar...

It became clear as she barrelled up to Oscar that a lot had changed since they last met... Oscar had got bigger and more muscly and Kismet... well... hadn't... As she came level with this enormous mandog she performed the most hilarious brakes and roll and ended up skidding to halt belly up under his nose right between his front legs! It had all watching in stitches!

We let all the dogs have a big silly play, Selkie mugged everyone for treats and Pharaoh chased anything that moved we all went home shattered and happy.

Well as you may know Ailsa, Isla has had a couple of really nasty experiences in this past year (on two occasions being pinned down with her legs in the air while a not so friendly mutt was chowing down on her butt )

I've been working very hard to try and put things right and give her only good experiences, not always easy as you can't prepare for the large variety of numpty dog owners out there, but I have to say lately it really does feel like it's all been worth it.

We went to a Game fair on Monday and she met lots of lovely doggies, one particular humongous black Staffie thought he'd found himself a new girlfriend!

We then spent a couple of hours walking around Osmotherley and Cod Beck Resivoir on Tuesday where she met some lovely Collies and a very friendly Bearded Collie, at which point Isla proceeded to do her impression of Pepe Le Pew!

Last summer when Chloe was small I was walking with her across the Common (she was on her lead) and a very large Staffie came towards us followed by two concerned looking owners with a terrier on a lead.
I bent down and the Staffie ran to me and licked my hands and wagged its tail excitedly at Chloe and they chased each other around .

The owner had looked concerned because he said people walking with dogs nearly always expected his Staffie to be aggressive and he was surprised when I bent down. I told him I could tell from the dogs body language that it wasn't the least bit aggressive and I was please my puppy had a chance to play with another breed of dog. The terrier was on a lead because it tended to wander off and the cattle on the common can be nasty (one attacked a dog and owner not long ago).

Most days when out walking I meet some of the following neighbours dogs; two Whippets Tear and Ellie, Oliver the Visla, a black Lab, Perdie the Cocker Tessa and Golden Retriever, two GSPs, three Springers and Angus the Westie. There is never a cross word between any of them

Nice thread, never really had a bad experience on a wlak with mine, they are all good girls and will play with anything, that wants to, they have never been atacked or caused any bother with others, and we walk in some popular places, always makes me grin when i see the smile on peoples faces when they see four mad spaniels running at 300 miles an hour

I was out with my BSD yesterday and came across a staffie bitch with 2 young guys. The staffie stopped politely so my dog could sniff her nether regions, and then both walked on (and the 2 guys said morning to me too).

A few days ago we came across a young whippety type dog who played chase with mine for a while, both dogs thoroughly happy and having great fun

Ailsa, I do know what you mean. I think because we love our dogs, we tend to focus more on the things we fear could hurt them

Wys
x.

99.9% of ours are great hun.

Luckily these three are very sociable and we have a rule to read the signs of other dogs owners, as i have said before if we see someone putting thier dogs back on a lead, we call ours ''close'' and let them walk by.
I admitt we have come across owners who have said that they put thiers on a lead because they saw three dogs coming towards them, but that can soon be rectified by saying '' these are fine'' and away they go all playing together.

Fortunately the gang themselves don't rush over to other dogs, so we don't have problems there.

Personally I'll introduce mine to anyone dog if they so wish.

The gang seem to appreciate ''the more friends the merrier''

Can't say I have had any bad experiences in all the years I have walked round here with Max, then Zanta and now Ollie.
Ollie sometimes goes back on lead with dogs I don't know not because of them but him he can be unpredictable with new dogs he meets now, and I let the owner of the other dog know it is my dogs behaviour I am concerned about not theirs. But the majority of the dogs round here all get on well.
I think its like all the bad things that go on in the world we read it and hear it and hear about it so much we start to think the world is such a bad place and all teenagers are carrying guns or knives when of course they aren't the majority of them are nice well balanced people.

An intesting theory...
That made me smile! Lovely post thank you!
Awwwwww I think Isla and Cosmo would get on well!

Thanks Mini. Sounds like you have lovely walks.
Awwwwwww I would like to see that"
I think you are right Wys xxxxx

Thanks YS. They sound so lovely your gang!
That's right Lynn...I totally agree, I think you hit the nail on the head.





Lovely stories everyone, please keep them coming!