I personally would call over to the owner and ask them to come and collect their dog. It is very annoying but I don't like to see people walk off with another dog following (irrespective of the fact that the owner is standing around chatting or doing nothing).

I once witnessed a man getting 2 dogs out of the car, an older dog and a youngster. The older dog landed awkwardly as they got out and as the man was checking them over the youngster jumped out. Now the youngster had little recall and was not meant to be off lead, the gentleman hurredly put his elder dog back in the car (as he could not chase the youngster with the older dog) and ran after the younger dog. In the meantime the youngster had run up to someone else walking their dog and was being a bit of a nuisance but not aggressive (yes I know I dislike this however ...). This dog walker carried on walking, right towards a fast road, the owner of the youngster was running over but it was a very large stretch of land and meanwhile their youngster was getting closer and closer to the road following someone who refused to wait for the man to catch up. He got his dog back in the end, right by the road. Whilst he was in the wrong initially for his dog leaping out of the car whilst he was distracted I was appauled that someone could carry on walking, knowing a young dog was not responding to their owner but they were doing their best to get them back, and lead the dog right close to a road.

I was up at the top end where he was parked so couldn't do anything myself (as he could run a lot faster than I could), but it was horrible to see.

I know you wouldn't do this Ailsa, as you say you were going to walk the dog back to the owner, but it has always stayed with me, so no matter how annoying the dog is being I always call out to the owner and ask them to come and get their dog before we walk off.

She was a good girl I was proud of her...mind you she managed to see off another dog in no uncertain terms this morning. We are still getting to know her and her reactions so it's hard when things like that happen....
I was tempted...I had just taken the lead and was about to go and give the owner a piece of my mind...then she appeared and it took the wind out of my sails a bit
I know I was thinking of saying it...but in the end I think mine and OH's absolute silence said soooooooo much more....
I know Lynn...we are amazed....this is a park we don't normally go to and we were really shocked by some of the dog behaviour that was being accepted. Don't know what it was....and it was all people who should know better if you see what I mean.

That's it...we could easily have disappeared with her. I panic if one of mine is too far ahead.
Yes...the dogs that hump Cosmo...the owners always blame it on him...'she must be in season' 'it's because he's castrated and giving off a funny smell' (he isn't) 'my dog never does that it must be something about your dog' It's infuritating....
I wonder if she would have been so forgiving if she hadn't been onlead. She told a dog off in no uncertain terms today...he did deserve it, but she didn't hesitate....
It was a different park to the ones we normally go to and it was all older, middle class people (that sounds awful I know...) and they all had quite small dogs. Some of the behaviour was just awful.
Hmmmmm I know...

Poor man must have been frantic.
This park is fully enclosed...and where we were the dog was totally safe (with it's nose glued to Tango's ladybits.. ) We walked off as in all honesty we had stood waiting for ages and the owner was oblivious,and we just naturally started walking slowly...then we got further and further away and spotted the owner starting to follow out of the corner of our eyes... We knew she was coming...but hardly hurrying and we also knew the dog was totally safe and yes, after a while I was about to lead the dog back (with it's nose still glued to Tango) and lecture her about her being a rescue and blah di blah.... In the cirumstances you described I wouldn't dream of walking off, it was just that this lady was talking and letting her dog do whatever...she didn't even notice it was being a pain and even when we had walked off she was in absolutely no hurry to come and collect her dog.

I do totally agree with you about the situation you decribe though...I wouldn't dream of doing that. I knew this dog was safe and had it wandered off I would have ensured it got back to it's owner safely.

I don't say anything but I don't walk off and out of sight either. It's not the dogs fault the owner is a tw@t, so I usually just carry on playing with my lot in the vague vacinity of the other dogs owner until they come and collect their dog. When your entertaining 5 a few more make no odds to be honest. The other day I had 5 extras joining in, they were with a dog walker she had 5 off lead and 1 on lead and no flipping control of any of them tbh. I even managed to retrieve all my balls at the end of it.

Generally we do the same....but to be honest I was that hacked off that the woman hadn't even attempted to call her dog, she hadn't even noticed he was being a pain....I just thought 'blow it' which was probably wrong of me. I have to say though that we were only behind some bushes on another piece of open ground and the dog was totally safe with us.

do you know what, as a first time dog owner I always feel disheartened and like a failure when I read threads like this.

We work really hard with Montys training and at 7 months he's got a long way to go but how can I teach him without letting him off the lead and
giving him a bit of trust. I've had to retrieve him from other dogs on countless times because he's too easily
distracted by other dogs unless I have a frisbee in my hand.

However if we see another dog on the lead or an owner grab their dog, I ask monty to sit and wait and hold his lead up so he knows he'll be going back on it
and he does that. In time he will come back or ignore other dogs - he already does 75% of the time.

It's just sometimes disheartening to read these threads and think that because me and my dog aren't perfect then we are a nuisance to the world of
dog ownership.

I know what you mean as I have felt that way at times too.
Would you stand chatting with someone else though whilst MOnty was off playing and doing what he wanted? For 10 minutes would you let him follow an onlead dog round with his nose stuck her ladybits???? I know the answer is that you certainly wouldn't.
I have no problem with peoples dogs running up to say hi...non at all...what I do have a problem with is the person then not doing anything for 10 minutes, because they are too busy chatting to notice their dog is being a pain in the butt.

Don't feel disheartened...you go and get him...we've all been there...
I remember one of my pups charging up to two...well let's just say for the sake of argument...staffi crosses...who were onlead and snarling before he got anywhere near...their young, male owners were fantastic and held their dogs back...it was MY dog that was being naughty and a pain. I apologised profusely because had anything happened, it would have been their dogs that ahd got the blame and that would be so unfair, as it was my dog that was the out of control one. Theirs were totally and utterly under control...they were smashing about it too.
We have all been in that sort of situation, but this was different as the woman didn't give 2 hoots where her dog was, she didn't know us and she didn't know why Tango was onlead....10 minutes, honestly....

The difference is you are paying attention to your dogs behaviour and are in control of the situation I can live with that and so can most others.
Its the people who are not paying attention and having a natter and letting their dogs do what they like that is frustrating, especially if they see a dog on lead Ollie can sometimes be aggressive with other dogs and thats why I prefer it if people are paying attention as it stops any problems.
Mind you they soon move to collect their dog if Ollie starts to growl and bark.
All dogs have to learn. Ollie did but you can do it it is nice if people have a little courtesy to one another I think you have nothing to worry about.

It happens to us regularly but not for 15 minutes!

Once I was walking both of mine and T had just been in season or was about to come into season and we had a dog follow us all around the park - the owner was nowhere to be seen, I knew where he was - fishing by the lake. Definitely couldn't see us or his dog.

I walked and walked and the dog was hanging around, upsetting Eddy and winding Takara up- eventually I shouted into mid air 'COME AND GET YOUR DOGGGG!'

Nothing. Tried again... eventually:

'GET THIS SODDING DOG BEFORE I CALL THE WARDEN!'

At this point someone who was running through the park jumped up to look over a privet that lined the lake and told the owner to get the dog at which point I heard..

'Dingo, come ere'

That was it! As if the dog was ever going to pay attention!

I dispair at some people!

Takara's been out of my sight before (and can go out of my sight on occasion) but never for that long! I also always know where she is even when I cant' see her... if she goes out of my sight in our local park I know she's trying to get into the bins behind the cafe (which she always fails to do) and if she goes out of my sight at the park up the road she's milling about in the bushes by the bowling green - no dogs in there! (Although there once was an unattended sandwich - that cleaner now knows not to leave her lunch unattended )

A friend of mine often fosters dogs that aren't particularly keen on other dogs and need training without other dogs coming upto them. She's found that people don't listen if she says 'this dog's not friendly' or 'can you call your dog back?' but she says what always gets results - and fast results at that is...

"We've got Kennel Cough!"