Silly, Silly Lady

[urchin]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Digit, Audrey, OH and I naturally know all of the other regular dog walkers in 'our' park.

Recently a 'new' lady has started walking a 6 month old lab puppy there, and my gosh is she storing up problems for herself, her dog and possibly the rest of us!

The last couple of times we've met, lab puppy has been on a lead and Digit and Audrey off theirs. My 2 run over to puppy, tails wagging, Audrey pronking like a springbok and Dij barking his happy 'come and play puppyboy!' bark

Her reaction is to pull puppy close, shriek, literaly leap in the air like a cartoon and run off! ...think Penelope Pitstop on acid!

Now being a person with a conscience I'm thinking I really ought to say something to her, and in my head conversations start off with

'do you really think the pair of you can outrun a whippet?'.....too confrontational!

or

'if you react like this to these two, you risk making your pup scared and unpredictable around other dogs'......too know it all!

or

'this is my dogs way of being friendly and introducing themselves -why don't we just let them get to know each other'.....

what do you think? any ideas for a pleasant and friendly open gambit - bearing in mind I'll be saying it to the back of her head as she runs away round the pond! :- "

 

[kim & Tilly]

the third one sounds the best...... :thumbsup:

 

[JAX]

How about , `wouldnt it be nice for tham all to play together ` :huggles:

 

[~Helen~]

Maybe she's really nervous, and a complete dog novice... what about putting yours on leads when you see her coming, and go up with a friendly smile and a "Hello, why don't we let the dogs make friends on leads and see how it goes?" kind of thing?

Poor thing, I feel sorry for her, and the dog. I bet it really fancied a good play with yours...

 

[noo]

Definitely agree with Helen here. Could be any number of reasons for her reacting the way she does. Maybe she just needs a bit of gentle guidance. See if it gets you anywhere?

 

[urchin]

I think you've hit the nail on the head Helen - she seems to be very very scared of dogs!

:wacko: Unfortunately, if I put Dij on his lead, the chances are he'll switch from playful barking, to 'full on, let me at em' mode :wacko:

 

[kim & Tilly]

Could be she is frightened of your dogs :- " and think they are going to chase and eat her dog :- "

Or she could just be some paranod numpty who wont let her dog mix with others?

 

[OEH]

Its infuriating isn't we've got quite a lot like that around here and I've never had the nerve to say anything to them. Occasionally I mumble that mine are really very friendly and would their pup like to play, but they normally look aghast at me and run off.

How about just putting Audrey on the lead as people do tend to be more scared of greys and then go up to her?

 

[Rae]

Have you ever thought how it might feel to her to see 2 dogs bounding up to her if she is nervous? She might be thinking that you are irresponsible and cant control your dogs Perhaps she / and / or the puppy has been 'attacked'

I agree she is making problems for the puppy but if she is nervous you mightn't he helping letting yours run up to her.

At this point I should confess that mine do exactly the same..and if I put Leia on her lead she bounces so wildly she looks like a maniac - off lead she doesn't jump......

What is the puppy doing? Does it look like it wants to play?

I'd do what Helen has suggested.

On the flip side I had all 5 of mine on leads last week (as I spotted a deer :angry: ) and a woman allowed her lab puppy to charge up to mine. Mine are freindly - but how did she know that? Mine could have been savages, and there are 5 of them. I asked her to get her dog away as they were all pulling me wanting to play and she said 'she's friendly just let them off' without knowing who were , why they on leads etc ...another stupid woman :blink: I could have punched her. :b

 

[~elizabeth~]

Its infuriating isn't we've got quite a lot like that around here and I've never had the nerve to say anything to them.  Occasionally I mumble that mine are really very friendly and would their pup like to play, but they normally look aghast at me and run off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Yes, ditto. I just avoid anyone who isn't a regular now if I can.

My dog ran up to a couple with a lab and JRT when he was about a year old. They were all just making friends, tails wagging, when the couple caught up and started kicking him violently, effing and blinding all the while. I gave them a lecture about how most people in the village bring dogs onto the meadow for socialising, just got 'keep your effing dog on a lead you :rant: ' (note that they weren't practising what they preached either). It's very much an off-lead culture here, someone even put a 'all dogs off leads' sign up on the gate recently!

It's not really worth it, sociopathic dogs usually belong to sociopathic owners

 

[mazza]

To be honest if I was out walking and two dogs raced up leaping about and barking I would feel a tad anxious too. She does not know your dogs....hers was on a lead , yours were not.

You know and I know your dogs were just wanting to be friendly but obviously she wasn't sure what was going on. She may have had a bad experience previously or maybe she's just nervous of dogs she doesn't know, even Whippets.

Could be lots of different reasons why she reacted in defence like that.

As said in earlier posts a more gentler approach would probably be the best way. If yours are on a lead under control then she would probably be a lot more relaxed about letting them say Hello.

It would be good all round if they could be allowed to make friends. :luck:

 

[quintessence]

Wow, don't know how to respond except to say I was that woman. Well not quite but how is she supposed to know that your dogs are perfectly fine. I keep Sparky on his lead most of the time unless I'm really sure everthing is ok. I let him off to have free running if I know the other dogs but I don't take chances with dogs I don't know. He was chased down by two dogs from behind and he couldn't cope with the trauma of it. It's not much fun having your dog crying in pain with two other dogs using him as target practise and he's trying to get to you but he can't because they are too powerful and you can't run fast enough to help him because you're not mobile enough. He was four and a half months old and even now is still not sure how to act in difficult situations.

Please don't think too badly of this lady or her dog.

Jenny

 

[Paula Roberts]

Hi Jenny Exactly the same happened to us about 8 years ago and this has now ruined free running my dogs for me. I will only let them off if i am 100% sure that there are no dogs better to be safe than sorry.

 

[fallenangel]

well after the flyball dog biting cally last week i have got very wery were i let her and lacey off now they used to be off lead all the yime but i am very couses now and there dog were supposed to be very well socialieds

 

[Janimal]

Please don't think too badly of this lady or her dog.
Jenny

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

No - I think the same too --- I never ever let Chip off his leader after his accident with the staffy, ....... maybe shes had a similar problem in the past or an incident with another dog of some kind. I think it would be wise to stop and chat with her and maybe she will open up and relay her fears if any.

 

[urchin]

am still waiting to bump into her again, so I can try talking to her - but she's not been around lately