Why don't you go somewhere else!

[BEF]

So I own a reactive lurcher, I keep her on a bright yellow lead at all times to let other dog owners know she is nervous of other dogs.
I take her to a park twice a week where people let thier dogs off lead, most owners are great and call their dogs when they see she's on a lead. But I have had afew that just let their dogs jump around her despite warnings/pleadings from me and Whisper.
I then get comments such as "why do you take her here if she doesn't like dogs" and "he's used to saying hello to dogs go elsewhere"
It's a shame because on the whole it's good for her training to see other dogs from a distance and it's a beautiful place.
The only other option is a road walk and that's boring.
Am I being silly or selfish taking her there ?

 

[Ari_RR]

My 2 cents... and my previous boy spent most of his life on a long lead because he was not great with other males, and they were not great with him.

It’s unreasonable to let a dog loose, roaming around, coming over to meet and greet others where other dogs are on leash.
And it’s just as unreasonable to bring a leashed dog to an off leash dog place.

On and off leash dynamics and interactions are very different.

Yes it may be good for her training, but the other dogs are not her training props.
So, I would not advise to bring her to off-leash places.

If there are some selected dogs with whom she gets along - I would suggest trying to find a way to have play dates with those specific dogs, in a secure area. I know, this may be much easier said than done, but worth the stretch of making such arrangements.

 

[JoanneF]

I think desensitisation can be achieved by keeping her at the distance she is aware but not reacting to other dogs; and rewarding that behaviour. So dogs that are off-leash and being space invaders are downright rude imo! I find owners are far more likely to get their dogs back under control if you shout out she has fleas (semi-joking, if you are uncomfortable both that you could say you have another one at home with kennel cough).

 

[BEF]

Sorry I didnt explain that very well. This is not an "off leash" place it's a public park where people walk thier dogs on and off leads.

 

[Caro Perry]

So I own a reactive lurcher, I keep her on a bright yellow lead at all times to let other dog owners know she is nervous of other dogs.
?

Many, if not most, dog owners will not know what a yellow lead means.

 

[JudyN]

In an ideal world, no one would let their dog go up to an on-lead dog - that was Rule 101 at the training class we went to. But it's not ideal, not everyone can call their dog back, and a lot of parks have an unwritten rule that their dogs can just all hoon around together.

Sadly, regardless of the rights and the wrongs, if you walk there, some dogs are going to come up to your dog. Is it possible for you to walk at other times of the day, such as really early in the morning, when there won't be anyone else around? If not, is there anywhere with grassy verges where you could, e.g., throw a few bits of kibble to get her sniffing around, just to make pavements less boring?

 

[Mad Murphy]

Sadly the yellow lead or yellow ribbon idea is about as much use as a chocolate teapot because 99% of people have no clue or just dont give a ..hoot.

Here we have on lead areas , basically everywhere not designated for dogs and the off lead areas in some parks and commons. But it doesnt help because there are people who just think they are above the law and let their dogs off regardless.
I have found that shouting out 'hi... my dog is contagious' sometimes helps.. People seem less likely to let their dog near if they think they might end up with a vet bill..

In the meantime try working on her nerves with a few trusted dogs so that she gradually feels happier about walking through areas with off lead dogs. The other point is to remember that all your tension and fear gets transmitted down the lead and she will pick up on it so even if you dont feel happy try to lighten your voice say something playful or playful sounding, that might help her not feel so uneasy and just keep walking. The worst thing is what my OH does... pulling the lead really tight and dragging Murphy in toward his legs almost stopping him from walking. That often sparks a fit of barking, lunging and crazy dog dancing.

 

[BEF]

'hi... my dog is contagious'
Ha! I might use this line today and see what results we get.
We had a small yapster following us for a while yesterday on thewalk, it was completely obsessed with my dog and it's owner was just chatting on her phone ignoring the situation.
Guess wherever you go different rules apply to different people.

 

[merlina]

We rescued a highly reactive lurcher who at 7 y.o would run up to any dog and bark- often circling like an Apache. On the lead he was worse and turned into a lunging pitbull. My OH calculated that during the first few weeks we'd be abused by other owners about every 3.5 minutes. (He's a scientist ). We gradually desensitised our new boy and one wonderful day were abused only twice in an hour and knew we'd cracked it- Bernie the Beautiful became an absolute Quaker and was worth the effort...There's lots of advice out there about walking a reactive dog and believe me it took every strategy we could find. I certainly agree about trying to find other dog owners with laid back dogs to walk with. Really can help.

 

[JudyN]

I was walking along the road with Jasper yesterday, slowly sniffing verges, and I saw a man with a dog behind me slow down. One good thing about having an occasionally reactive dog is that you can recognise others easily just from the owner's body language! So I chivvied J along, and we turned down the trailway for more sniffing. Of course, this had to be where the other dog was going so, as they wanted to go faster than we did, I pulled J well off the side of the path and got him focused on me so the other dog wouldn't be set off by J looking at him. The man thanked me, the dog reacted as they walked past... and then the man stopped and told me how they'd had him for a year and he was getting better.

He'd get better a lot faster if the man just stuck sausage under his nose and walked past as quickly as possible

 

[BEF]

He'd get better a lot faster if the man just stuck sausage under his nose and walked past as quickly as possible

So true!
We didn't see another soul on our walk this morning as it was raining.
Do people just not walk thier dogs on rainy days ?

 

[Mad Murphy]

So true!
We didn't see another soul on our walk this morning as it was raining.
Do people just not walk thier dogs on rainy days ?

Nope .... its one reason I love winter. The fair weather walkers stay home.. Once the sun comes out they hit the parks with their adhd dogs..

 

[BEF]

Whisp doesn't care what falls out of the sky as long as she gets her walk she is happy.

 

[JoanneF]

I cannot drag T out of the door when it's raining (I'm not too upset ...)

 

[Alanward87]

By boy dodsley is strange in that take him a walk on a lead in the rain he will sit and refuse to move take his lead off he will happily walk to heal. If it's dry he will walk beautifully on or off the lead.

 

[niamh123]

My JRT is a reactive dog we have a huge playing fields over the road where I live if another dog invades his space he does misbehave.If a dog is about 100 yards away I can get him to focus on me by showing him his ball,but to be honest I would rather have a relaxed off lead walk with my boys.So over the last few months I have started taking them for their morning run at 5.15am until 6.30am,and then I know I will have a great walk with them before any other dogs are around