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Choose Your Own Dog Walking Adventure
You are walking in the woods with your four large dogs pottering along around you. One of them barks, causing you to look around and see two people and a dog a little way behind you.
The people are standing with their backs to you, between you and their dog, but you can see that they are talking to it and getting it to sit.
Do you:
a) think "They don't want their dog to meet other dogs, for whatever reason," call your dogs and and keep walking; or
b) turn back and go to have a chat with them.
You chose b! As you and your dogs get closer to the people and their dog, you see that they are having increasing difficulty keeping their dog sitting quietly. You make a vague and fruitless attempt to call your dogs to you but also, reassuringly, tell the other people that your dogs are all friendly.
When the people reply to tell you that their dog is not good with other dogs, do you:
a) call your dogs, turn around and keep walking; or
b) see if you can start a conversation with them about their dog.
You chose b! The people seem a bit short with you, and more interested in making their dog sit and pay attention to them than in having a chat. You put one of your dogs on a lead, explaining that you're walking it for a friend, but leave the others where they are, creeping closer and closer to the strange dog and occasionally barking and growling at it.
Suddenly and without warning, the strange dog leaps, snarling and with teeth bared, at the closest of your dogs (the one that was growling, as it happens) and is only stopped by the owner hanging grimly on to the lead and then grabbing the dog's head.
At this point, the other people turn around and quickly take their dog back in the opposite direction.
Do you think:
a) "Oh dear, maybe I should have made different decisions earlier"; or
b) "They weren't terribly friendly, were they? And you'd think they'd do something about stopping their dog trying to go for other dogs!"
Sigh.
Still, no harm done, other than to my trousers (which Bob tore a hole in with a stray claw).
In fact, Bob is doing really well. Today, for example, I was watering the plants in the back garden and he was pottering around with me. There were people talking next door, but he didn't bark at them. When I was weeding the front garden, TWWOTV came outside with her noisyrats pugs, and while he *did* go over to the gate to bark at them it wasn't as full on as it has been, and not only did he come when I called him but did so straight past the runners, who were running around in a flustered fashion at the time. We also seem to be making progress on the doorbell: while I was out in the garden and he was inside, I rang it a couple of times and Mike reports that he barked and ran to the door but then just sat quietly.
I've also tracked down a nest belonging to Zu Zu and containing two eggs. I'm carefully not saying "Zu Zu's nest," because there's every chance that she's got several, but I'll keep an eye on it....
The people are standing with their backs to you, between you and their dog, but you can see that they are talking to it and getting it to sit.
Do you:
a) think "They don't want their dog to meet other dogs, for whatever reason," call your dogs and and keep walking; or
b) turn back and go to have a chat with them.
You chose b! As you and your dogs get closer to the people and their dog, you see that they are having increasing difficulty keeping their dog sitting quietly. You make a vague and fruitless attempt to call your dogs to you but also, reassuringly, tell the other people that your dogs are all friendly.
When the people reply to tell you that their dog is not good with other dogs, do you:
a) call your dogs, turn around and keep walking; or
b) see if you can start a conversation with them about their dog.
You chose b! The people seem a bit short with you, and more interested in making their dog sit and pay attention to them than in having a chat. You put one of your dogs on a lead, explaining that you're walking it for a friend, but leave the others where they are, creeping closer and closer to the strange dog and occasionally barking and growling at it.
Suddenly and without warning, the strange dog leaps, snarling and with teeth bared, at the closest of your dogs (the one that was growling, as it happens) and is only stopped by the owner hanging grimly on to the lead and then grabbing the dog's head.
At this point, the other people turn around and quickly take their dog back in the opposite direction.
Do you think:
a) "Oh dear, maybe I should have made different decisions earlier"; or
b) "They weren't terribly friendly, were they? And you'd think they'd do something about stopping their dog trying to go for other dogs!"
Sigh.
Still, no harm done, other than to my trousers (which Bob tore a hole in with a stray claw).
In fact, Bob is doing really well. Today, for example, I was watering the plants in the back garden and he was pottering around with me. There were people talking next door, but he didn't bark at them. When I was weeding the front garden, TWWOTV came outside with her noisy
I've also tracked down a nest belonging to Zu Zu and containing two eggs. I'm carefully not saying "Zu Zu's nest," because there's every chance that she's got several, but I'll keep an eye on it....
no subject
I particularly hate the "oh, my dogs are friendly!" thing. Bonus points for the dogs being visibly not friendly, e.g. hurtling straight at your dog, shoulders forwards; barking a lot; growling.
Pete & I both now have great experience with the "apply lead, walk smartly in a different direction" thing. Interestingly I have also found that doing Canine Not-Interested Signals, despite being a human, helps at the point when another dog is eyeballing us and trying to decide whether to zoom over. (Their person, IME, is never, ever paying attention at this point.) Look pointedly away, chin up, slightly raise the shoulder nearest to the curious dog (like you're really obviously turning your back on them). Not much use when they're close-up like you describe, though. UGH.
no subject
They weren't obviously non-friendly until they got close to Bob and (presumably) saw his hackles, which were UP*. We were pointedly doing both Canine and Human not-interested as soon as he turned back towards us, but no joy. Even so. Sigh.
* One definite advantage of a short coated breed over Jo: it is *very* obvious when he's unhappy!
no subject
Unfortunately, many people are extremely clueless and unthinking in all sorts of situations. They tend to be the type of people who, when you say "Excuse me, may I get past?" will turn around to look at you, while still blocking the way, instead of just stepping aside, and the sort of people who will stand in line at the bank or checkout or wherever and not bother to actually look for their purse or wallet until they are told the total, when they could have had it ready in advance, paid, and got out of the way of the next person in the time it takes them to rummage through their bags and pockets to find the thing...
Teddy
no subject