Dogs to be kept on lead.

Gransnet I very much doubt that your dog was attacked by 'a pack of gun dogs' -I have five that I work and one of the first things about them is that they have to able to get on peacefully with any other dogs. In the shooting field there are always masses of dogs around - mostly off their leads and in almost 30 years I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times there has been even a minor dispute!

First of all, I AM a dog lover - especially the larger breeds. I'm not over-keen on the 'ankle-biter breeds' - I've had TWO Jack Russells in the past, and found them to be far nastier than any GSDs that I'd previously owned.

I totally believe that ALL DOGS should be kept on leash, whenever in a public place. That should include when being taken into / out off a vehicle that they're being transported in. Dogs can be such slippery creatures, that they're out of your hands - and out of control - before you even realise it. If they see something that they consider to be 'their nemesis' - then they will head straight for it.

If you own a dog - no matter what the breed - then your garden fence should be high enough to keep your animal secure within the perimeter of your property PLUS secure at the base to stop them from digging under the fence.

Public Parks are exactly that - they're for the general public. Only let your dog off it's leash if there's a designated 'Off-Leash Exercise Area' ....................... and even then, you should exercise common sense and be aware of what other dogs are using that space when you want to be in there. If you want to let your Shitzu off leash, and there's a Rottweiller already in there, then THAT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!

I would even go so far as to say that if you have a dog that is so powerful that it can drag you on the end of it's leash, then you should consider 'muzzling it' in public. If you fall over, then your dog is no longer 'under your control' even though it's 'technically' still on it's leash

Respect other dog owners and THEIR rights!

Respect your own animal for its own protection and your safety - do you really want to have to separate fighting dogs?

Respect the general public - they deserve to walk in peace and safety.

DON'T APPROACH OTHER DOG OWNERS TO BE CRITICAL OF HOW THEY MANAGE THEIR OWN DOGS - FIND SOMEBODY IN AUTHORITY AND LET THEM DEAL WITH A SITUATION. When you criticise somebody's beloved dog, it's tantamount to criticising their child and people can become extremely protective - you don't want to start any aggression that might escalate out of all proportion .

My small GS was knocked down by a friendly dog recently and now just freezes when he sees any dog, it simply spoils our walks. Fortunately we are able to buy a season ticket for a local privately owned park where dogs, bikes and scooters are banned. It's £50 per year well spent as far as I am concerned, but it is ridiculous that we have to pay to make ourselves feel safe.
My own sons were terrified when an alsation leapt on their ball and destroyed it when they were young. This was on a playing field where dogs were meant to be kept on a lead and the owner just offered my DH a couple of pounds to buy a new ball, with no apology at all.
I'm perfectly happy to believe that most dog owners are responsible people, but I see far too many look around when their dogs foul the ground in the hope that nobody has noticed and they need not bag it.

The beach where I live has signs advising that dogs are not allowed on certain parts of the beach between 1 April - 30 September. Still owners allow their dogs to run along the beach without leads - some are large enough to be quite terrifying to a small child. Any polite request to take them to a dog friendly beach is usually met with he/she is not doing any harm or they did not know where the dog friendly beaches are!

I've 2 dogs that I watch carefully when out and off lead. They are both trained to reverse and return to me if I shout "Off". Works brilliantly to keep them out of streams, away from toddlers, away from crops etc. Trained them when they were very young and they have never let me down.

None of you are unreasonable in considering that dog owners should keep their dogs on leads in places where signs or bye-laws tell them to.

However, you are wasting your time trying to educate these inconsiderate animal owners.

Start a public campaign instead. Persuade your local politicians to have the law changed making it illegal for dog owners to let their dogs run loose, unless in a fenced area specifically designed as a dog-run.

Here in Denmark these rules are in place and dog owners are fined if they do not obey them. They are also liable for any damage their dogs cause, whether while on a lead or loose and must have an insurance policy that covers this.

Germany has even better laws - there you must attend dog-training classes run by the police with your dog in order to get a dog license and dogs are not allowed to run loose.

The minute you cross the Danish-German border which I do daily as I live practically on the border, you notice the difference.
German dogs walk sedately beside their owner, sit down when approached by other people, never jump up at you, and only bark on command - they even stop barking immediately upon being told "Sehr gut, sehr gut" - roughtly translatable as "all right now"

Try to get these rules made law in the UK - it make life much easier for everyone who is nervous around dogs, for the dogs' owners, and, as far as I can judge, for the dogs themselves.

Another thing, here you are not allowed to take a dog into any place where food is served, consumed or sold, basically no dogs in supermarkets, food shops, pharmacies, restaurants or cafés except guide dogs for the blind and helper dogs for those with mobility issues. Usually neither dogs nor any other pet will be allowed into a hotel. If you travel with your pets, you either make the journey in the course of a day, or if that is not feasible leave the animal overnight in the car.

Several years ago a GSD ‘escaped’ from its lead, chased me knocking my stick from my hand then turned on my dog. My boy was a big elderly dog & his lead was torn from my hand & he was badly bitten. Some men saw what was happening & came over separating the dogs. The GSD’s owner finally strolled up grabbed his dog & left. He came back a few minutes later saying he had taken the dog home & gave it a good kicking! The men helping all told him if he did not leave he would get a good kicking! My poor boy just lay on the field crying with the men trying to help calm him & me. We later found that the GSD was an ex police dog trained to attack. He did not belong to the supposed owner but to his girlfriends Ex! The dog had been taken when she left out of spite & the real owner did not know where they had run off to! My poor elderly boy had a heart attack a few weeks later & we had to let him go. I will never have another dog as I would be worried this could happen again!

Same thing on beaches. We were in Cornwall recently and the sign says no dogs on this particular beach,yet it was overrun with them. People just ignore the notices. Plus on a recent family get together two of my sister in laws brought their dogs along. They know I'm not fond of them and the one with the puppy did her utmost to make sure it kept away from me but the other one totally disregarded the fact that I'm afraid of/don't like dogs. She let it lay on the sofa even though the rules of the house were no dogs on the furniture. When I pointed this out to her she casually said, he's on his blanket so it's ok. He was allowed in the kitchen and nearly caused me to fall over him when carrying a hot tray from the oven and my pet hate ( pardon the pun) allowed to sit under the table where we were eating .Needless to say, that's the last family get together I'm going on. Told hub he can go by himself in future

someone l know had her brothers' girlfriend looking after their dog, it was getting dark outside, the dog sitter thought she would take the dog for a walk without a lead the dog ran into the road and was killed, l rest my case.

There is absolutely no reason for those owners to have their dogs off the lead in an area where it is expressly forbidden, especially as there are areas nearby where dogs are allowed to run free. No, you are certainly not being unfair.

My granddaughter was terrified of dogs, a gentle retriever a family friend bought as a puppy mitigated this but she is still nervous and a dog jumped up and was barking in her face, the reaction from the owner ‘what a lot of fuss, he’s only playing’!!!! I was lost for words but fortunately my husband and son weren’t

I used to enjoy long walks in nearby woodland. Not any more I'm afraid. It's become a dog walkers paradise but sheer hell for people who enjoy quiet solitude and observing nature.

Can't blame the dogs but some of the owners are just plain stupid. Let the dog loose in the woods, dog picks up scent of deer, dog chases deer and either attacks deer or gets lost or both.
Result? Plea on social media for safe return of "fur baby."
All this could be avoided by simply keeping dogs on leads and only releasing them in designated lead free areas where they can be controlled more easily.
By designated lead free area I don't mean open countryside or fields. That land belongs to somebody and if its not yours then have the courtesy to get permission or keep off it.

Rosie your poor friend. Jaxjacky The dog 'doesn't like women in glasses or masks'. What a b****y cheek! It's a dog for goodness sake. I was once walking in wet weather. As I passed a woman with a Labrador, it leapt up at me. Its paws were on my chest. It was terrifying. The owner pulled him away and my coat was dirty and torn from its claws. I was so shocked I couldn't speak. The owner was sniggering. No apology. My coat went in the bin when I got home.

I always keep my little dog on a lead - as her recall skills are unreliable. I do love dogs, but despair at the behaviour of many owners.

I'm so sick and tired of 'It's ok she/he's friendly', usually after the owner has strolled over from some distance away. Meanwhile, I hold my terrified dog in the air, while theirs jumps up at me, no recall attempted - and somehow, it's my problem, not theirs!

Then there's 'They need the off-lead exercise you know!' - often it's the bone idle owner having just a short walk and relying on them flying around to burn off their energy.

Finally 'I only pick it up from pavements.' as if dog pooh elsewhere isn't a problem. (Why, oh why do I always manage to tread in it?)

Yes, again, at 7.30 am, the local walkers meet opposite my house, pandemic or not, unmasked, undistanced, chatting away as usual, off to release their various hounds in the field at the end of the road. They're immune, you know - so the rules don't apply!

Some years ago, in the woods which were local to us, someone was walking their dog on a lead, which was attacked by the local farmer's pack of gun dogs ... all unleashed. Sadly, it died. That is obviously an extreme example due to pack mentality, but so many dog owners don't seem to understand that a dog wearing a lead can feel very threatened by dogs who are unleashed.

I know that our two dogs, who always wear a lead, do sometimes feel threatened if an unleashed dog runs up to them, even if they just want to play, our dogs don't necessarily understand, or want that. And, some leashed dogs feel that they need to protect their owners, which is a natural instinct, if they feel threatened. My dogs have on a couple of occasions been attacked and bitten by an unleashed dog running up to them ... only for the owner to say they don't ever do that sort of thing normally, and one even inferring it must be our dogs fault!

I think all dogs should be on a lead in areas where there are other people/dogs. It doesn't matter how obedient, or docile, you think your dog is, you can never 100% guarantee that they won't turn if either they or another dog feels threatened. I don't blame the dogs, as it's a natural instinct, but owners should be more aware, and responsible.

How dreadful for your friend Rosie! Dogs should be on leads under all circumstances, parks, open spaces, public roads, footpaths etc. Dog owners might think they know their dogs but they cannot foresee random incidents that might trigger actions or behaviour from the dog that could cause injury to people, other animals even the the dog itself.
I'm not a dog owner and whilst I wouldn't call myself a dog lover I certainly wouldn't not cause or wish harm to any dog but dog owners need to accept that not everyone likes dogs, not everyone wants a dog jumping up at them either and those extendable dog leads are a flaming nuisance and should be banned completely!
A neighbour of ours was in a local park recently, her dog was unleashed and some distance away from her whilst she chatted away oblivious to a couple of stray dogs attacking hers. Her dog was alright and made a full recovery but had she had it on the lead surely it would have minimised the risk?

My niece was over from Toronto and screamed at me when we were our one day “Aunty, look, an unleashed dog!”
Clearly other places have far stricter rules.

Valdali, wouldn't a harness solve the problem, to avoid pulling on the neck.
i think a dog needs to be on a lead in a public place, in most circumstances.

I had a friend, late 70s who was "greeted" by an off lead dog in a local park. It knocked her over, and the owner apologised but said he was only being "friendly" and saying hello. Shame that "friendliness" left my friend with femur damage that resulted in three operations (one that was admittedly botched) leaving her disabled and condemned her to a miserable last year of her life. That dog owner is blissfully unaware of the damage her dog did. If he'd been on a lead my friend might have enjoyed a totally different outcome.

My dogs are always on leads but with a harness so there is no pressure on their necks. I do notice a lot of people don't obey the rules.

The breeder I got my dog from told us last year to get our dogs used to people wearing masks, not just for the safety of the general public but because judges at shows, vets etc would be wearing masks. Let’s hope that GSD doesn’t need a mask wearing lady vet with glasses on to save it’s life one day.

I’ve always been ambivalent about dogs, but a few weeks ago a large, male, GS went for me, fortunately on a lead. I was in a pub, the dog owner said he didn’t like women with glasses and a mask on. Two friends, dog owners of many years, said the dog would have attacked me if not on a lead, I’m more wary now. They were barred from the pub.

Mine's nearly 15 and he has laryngeal collapse from pulling on his lead when he was younger. He's a coward and if anyone (dog , cat or child) comes towards him on the path, he makes a perfect semi-circular detour not to get too close.We try not to use his lead, I admit it must look droll as I spend most of my time pushing him rather than putting his lead on and pulling him. He has frequented his local park for 14 years, he can't hear or see well but still loves to have a sniff. I never put him on a lead there (there is no requirement to; in that case it would be different). If I did he would struggle with his breathing, and as he never goes near anyone (except daschunds who for some inexplicable reason delight him) it seems eminently sensible to leave him lead-less.

Sorry Bluebelle but
There are open commons woods and beaches out of season when they can run free but anywhere there are other people they should be on leads ??
I would never walk my dog in woods; this is partly for my dogs' safety (being distracted by an animal and running off), and partly for my personal security.

I always keep mine on a lead