i'm getting really annoyed!!!

hi all,

sorry for the rant but some people just make my blood boil!!! for the last couple of weeks while out walking with my dogs on the field some people just seem to have been letting their dogs run riot! i tell them to watch sam because he can be aggressive (he's always on the lead incidentally). there reply is "he/she only wants to play", or "he/she is fine with other dogs", my reply is "thats fine, but mine isn't". then they faff about trying to recall their dogs, who most of the time totally ignore them. they charge over to sam, who then gets really stressed (prob cos i am!). what do i do, let the lead loose so sam can defend himself if necessary? i've tried walking away but the dogs just follow us!

yesterday was the last straw! a lady with a GS and a doberman were on the field, her dogs were running over to every other dog on the field. i called over to her to watch her dogs with sam. her GS started running over to us, she managed to call it back though. she then let the doberman off the lead after we had passed (i was on the other side of the field by this time), and the doberman came flying over to us. i had to quickly gather the lead (he was on his long line), and i just walked quickly away. luckily the doberman ran back to her owner.

whats it going to take to make some people control their dogs while out walking. i'd never let mine go running over to other dogs, even if they know then, cos you just never know if something's going to happen do you?

sorry for the rant again

ps. i also carry sam's muzzle with me at all times.

Try and rise above it SG. I know that's easier said than done

I used to have this all the time. Shaan hates dogs running up to him and usually makes his feelings more than clear. I've lost count of the amount of times I've ended up with a sore throat shouting at other owners to get thier dogs under control before they end up being bitten

Thankfully I don't have that problem now.

I do feel sorry for all of you who seem to regularly come into contact with out of control or aggressive dogs As I have said in other posts, I must be really lucky in my area as I very rarely have problems with other dogs or their owners. My favourite walks are fairly isolated ones though so that may have something to do with it

Try not to let it get you down springergirl - just remember that you have your dogs under control and so are being a responsible dog owner. Would it be possible to change your walking routines and go to less frequented spots?

In an ideal world hey?? This exasperates me too, especially when I've got 2 big dogs on a lead (luckily not aggressive, BUT if something went for them, they will stand their ground!) Why do people do this??? Don't they realise SOME dogs just don't like other dogs running up to them no matter how friendly! It's just plain bad manners in my opinion to let your dog/dogs go running up to other dogs, frighteing the life out of the dogs and the owners!!! Grrrr. I feel the same way as you do Springirl, but it's not worth getting all het up about it, coz stupid people still exist I'm afraid and always will!

When I had an aggressive gsd who I always kept on a lead, I had one of those old english sheepdogs come bounding over to us, in OUR space with the owner gaily walking along totally oblivious of my shouting at her to call her dog back! Needless to say, my dog managed to take a chunk of fur off her dog (thankfully, no skin!) and the woman comes over to MEEEEE shouting abuse! I told her in no uncertain terms, that me and my dog were minding our own business walking in our own space when her dog chose to invade it so suffered the consequences, to which she replied "well, she only wanted to play"!!!!! Tcht! You'll always get them I'm afraid, try not to let it worry you too much, or do like I do and go out early in the mornings when there's not many people about if you like to go where you do, or change your dog walking area if it gets you down.

I get the same - Hollie is only aggresive towards some, not all dogs, but I always call out to owners as you do Sue. I also get the same replies, I now answer it with "lets hope nothing happens then." So far, the few times I have done that they have instantly got their dogs on leads!

thanks everyone for your replies, glad its not just me who feels this way . and glad its not only me who's got an aggressive dog!

sam is doing really well at the moment and as much as i hate to keep him on his lead i'm afraid that i'm probably never gonna trust him enough to let him off. i dont want to go backwards in our training, and he hasn't attacked another dog for ages, but i know its going to always be there. the problem with sam is he doesn't growl or anything he just jumps in. only seems to be certain types or colours of dogs though. most of the time he just ignores them and just wants to sniff and run in the long grass!

hopefully we wont be put into a situation whereby sam does attack another dog as i will be absolutely gutted.

the walk where i go is about 2 mins from my house so is very convenient. i can go a week without seeing anyone, but if its a nice day they all come out!!!