What could be done for dog owners to become more sensitive to people feeling a little uneasy about dogs?

I love the owners who use the kind of lead that muzzles the dog’s snout when out in public.

This isn’t just about people being uneasy about dogs, this is just an irresponsible dog owner. Where I live (and I assume in most cities) it is illegal for your dog to be unrestrained. In my neighborhood I have a neighbor who has an invisible fence system that doesn’t work so his dogs wander, and another who just opens the front door and lets his dog out to relieve itself, and a third who thinks that the open field next to his house is his own personal dog park and lets his dog romp in it unrestrained. Why is this a problem? Some people are nervous about dogs. Most dogs can’t resist their pursuit instinct and will chase people, whether adults on bikes or small children who will panic and run. In this case __someone__ (dog or person) is likely to get hit by a car. Another problem is other dogs. My dog is small and always on a leash. He’s also quite muscular and I’m pretty sure hes a tough SOB. Off leash at the dog park he has no trouble with other dogs, but on leash he is very jealous an protective and will be aggressive with any dog he meets. If the other dog is properly leashed or contained, there’s no problem, I can control my dog with the leash. Even if we can simply move away from the other dog, no problem. But if their dog is pursuing him, what can I do? I’m terrified that one day one of the neighbors little dogs that wander out of the invisible fence are going to get in his face and antagonize him and he’s going to tear them apart. Or that the dog who wanders his front yard or the field will get in his face and either their dog, mine, or both will end up seriously injured. These people all think they can control their dogs, but once they see another dog they promptly ignore all their owner’s calls. If you own a dog, keep it on a leash or inside a fence, period.

preemptive self defense from all overzealous dog behavior “experts”: My dog’s on leash aggressiveness is not a serious issue. The dog has to be seriously in his face for it to be an issue. He will ignore a dog at about two feet away. We can pass dogs on leashes without problem, my concern is a loose dog that becomes aggressive with him and won’t let up or let us move away. Worse yet, suppose someone else is walking a dog that is seriously aggressive. Your dog might be nice, but if he can’t be prevented from getting in the face of another passing dog, there’s a problem

I wish there was an easy answer to your question, but I think the truth is that dog owners are just like any other group of humans, which is to say many, I would wager most, are responsible, but some are not.

There are adequate laws on the books, plenty of education available, and yet some people persist in behaving irresponsibly and selfishly.

For example, my husband had to brake suddenly on Saturday, because a young woman was driving across empty parking spaces at speed illegally in the parking lot. She never looked and saw us (in the travel lane of the parking lot) at all. At the last second, the male passenger gestured toward our car pointing out that we had the right of way.

My point is that irresponsible people are everywhere in our society: littering, behaving poorly, cheating, etc. So, I don’t think an approach to only one aspect of their poor behavior is likely to be effective.

Follow up question: should one say something to irresponsible pet owners? If so, what? Particularly in a situation in which those unrestrained pets are encountered repeatedly.

When a situation like this happens, what is the best way to talk to the owner? Last time I said something like it makes me uncomfortable and dogs who behave like that should be on a leash, but it seemed counterproductive. The owner got very angry telling me I got upset for nothing, dogs need their freedom to run around to stay healthy. And above all, they point out that their dog has never bitten anyone. Not very reassuring.

@mattbrowne I’m also uneasy around large unrestrained dogs. And, well, some small unrestrained dogs. And, uh, exuberant dogs even if they ARE restrained. I don’t remember a particular incident, but I think there may be one that I can’t remember. Anyhow, I wish I had something constructive to add, but I usually get met with slight hostility as well if I suggest that someone’s large and boisterous or aggressive dog should be on a leash. It’s as though I’m insulting “their adorable baby’s” intelligence/self-control/ability to love… Ridiculous. Anyhow, following! :)

There’s something about people and their pets that makes them defensive. I can’t think of a good way to convince someone. I wonder if I told them I was worried my dog would hurt theirs if it would be effective, or just make them think I’m some kind of horrible person. Probably the latter.

Also, I’m not nervous around dogs, but when a large dog is in pursuit mode, anyone would get nervous. When I was a kid their was this little dog that would chase after us barking when we passed its house on our bikes. I only feared for my ankles. Then one day it was joined by a huge boxer. I about wet myself. I decided to stop, interposing my bike between myself and the dog, rather than try to escape. I yelled “no” at the dog. He turned out to be a sweetheart, but how could I know that when he was chasing me? Or know what the results would be if he knocked me down in his exuberance? That little dog was a terror though.

Where we live there is a strict leash law and I have been known to remind people of that. With that said, bear in mind that dog owners are just people. They can’t read minds, they make assumptions, and they sometimes behave badly. If you don’t set them straight they have no idea that they need to change.

All you can do is talk to them about it, and if that doesn’t work, call the authorities.

I took my 2 large dogs for a walk one day with their leashes on. People came out of their house with 3 little dogs, loose, who tore into my dogs. Now I’m sure they just wanted to play but trying to control my dogs who were protecting me took all i had. I’m 5’1”. the owners of the little dogs yelled at me for having such vicious dogs on the street. Some people need their own islands. My dogs didn’t hurt their yappy little fuzzballs.

@faye This is exactly the kind of thing I worry about. I too control my dog (easier because I’m big and he’s small), but what if something happens too fast? I really wish people would restrain their dogs properly.

Great question.

Leashes please! I was bitten by a dog when I was about 16 or so. It wasn’t a bad bite at all, and it was a very little dog, but like you say, you just don’t know. Earlier this year, a stray pit bull charged me while I was at the mail box. I collapsed out of fear and nearly passed out. Luckily he was very nice and just wanted to lick me silly, but, of course, how was I supposed to know?

Also, if you’re dog is going nuts in its pen or on its leash, at least give a small attempt to shush the dog if strangers are around. It makes me feel better that there is some control happening and that you’re aware that your dog is nuts and trying everything in its power to break free and chew my face off.

I love dogs! But, I’d rather know them before they charge at me.

I’m a dog owner of 2. One little 5 lb Papillion and a medium sized 60 lb pitbull. I am always sensitive to people who come over my house. I do not allow the dogs to jump on guests. The first time they do, they are taken away. They’re pretty well trained now but I can definitely understand where you’re coming from. I love dogs and I’m not so much afraid or uneasy with strange dogs as I am annoyed when they continuously jump on me and their owner does nothing! If I were you, I would speak to the owners and let them know the experience you had as a kid. Let them know you aren’t trying to be uptight, you’re just uneasy due to the experience you had. They should understand. If they don’t, they aren’t very responsible pet owners.

@hungryhungryhortence if you’re talking about this sort of collar, it’s not a muzzle. It’s designed to keep a dog from pulling on lead.
In my experience, many people just can’t conceive that their darling baby might not be as friendly as they think. I always keep a close eye on mine, & know which of them arenot to be trusted. Then I make sure they’re not in situations where they can show what little jerks they really are. ;-)

@ccrow I tried to do that with my kids as well!!

I have been training dogs for a long time and I am scared when a big dog charges me. I know I can’t match the strength and agility of any dog that is close to me in weight and I know I can be badly bitten by even a small dog.

I know that usually a command such as back or no will usually slow them down but not always. And a lot of folks don’t have the ability to give such a command and have the dog react. I always carry a couple of rocks in my pocket to chuck at loose dogs who start my way.

Mention choke chains and hear the cries of cruelty, but they work, they give control to the handler not the dog.

The irresponsible owners make it hard for all dog owners.

“The irresponsible owners make it hard for all dog owners.”
@rooeytoo 100 lurve for that!! (if I could :-))

I love dogs, and I even owned a seriously agressive dog (whole other story, please). I always told people to please stay clear of my dog because she is afraid of strangers.

What I do whenever I am approached by any other dog and owner, I immediately ask them if their dog is approachable, and strike up a conversation. In your case, I suggest you simply say “Please stand back because I’m leary of dogs.”

If you are uncomfortable around unfamiliar dogs, it would probably be helpful to educate yourself about dog ‘body language’.

@Darwin – These strict leash laws in Germany seem to be mostly obeyed inside of towns and villages (not always). Outside of them the laws still apply, but many owners feel they have to endure enough. Up to a point I can understand this, actually. There are some dog owners who call their dog as soon as they see other hikers or bikes. Dog obeys and gets put on a leash till they are alone again. The trouble starts when the dogs get stubborn. Instincts are very strong. A few owners resort to remote controls applying tiny electric shocks to make the dog learn. Sounds a bit extreme too me, but I’m not an expert.

@mattbrowne and @Snarp I no longer try to speak to rude and irresponsible people. I have had too many scary incidents. Most people who are confronted about their poor behavior respond defensively. Not just dog owners.

I will give you the last dog owner incident in which I tried this as an example. My husband and I had our dog in a large (about 10 acres) off-leash dog park. Everywhere he went, a huge, young Great Dane followed him attempting to hump him. I mean we walked around the entire perimeter of the park. There was no owner anywhere in sight, even though the rules clearly stated your dog had to be in your sight and under voice control.

Finally, I saw a woman address the dog. She had been sitting at a picnic table talking to someone the whole half hour ignoring her dog as it followed us out of her sight to the other side of the woods. I walked over to her and said that she needed to control her dog. It was following us, attempting to hump my dog constantly, drooling all over his head, and generally wrecking his experience.

She began screaming at me that the dog was not a problem, he was just trying to have fun and that’s what dog parks were for. I pointed out that she was violating the rules. She kept yelling.

I turned to my husband and said, “Let’s leave.” We left, got our picnic lunch out of the car and drove to another parking lot perhaps half a mile away where we found a bench to eat lunch. I was stunned and somewhat frightened to find that the woman, with her dog on a leash, had followed us. She walked up to us and began yelling again, arguing that she and her dog had done nothing wrong.

Telling her to please go away and leave us alone, we got up and left.

@Marina – Quite a scary story, especially the last part. Following you to the new location is extreme. I would have considered calling the police. Some people can suddenly freak out completely. Dog owners can use a well-trained, large and strong dog as a weapon.

OK, since you brought that up @mattbrowne, I’ll go totally off topic (sort of). I once saw a guy use a leopard on a leash as a weapon to intimidate someone.

@Snarp – Well, next time you see them you should have your poison dart frog on a leash with you and let it bite the leopard. Should knock out the big cat.

@mattbrowne Actually, I think it would be quite effective to just let the leopard eat the frog.

@Snarp – I’m sure the toxin is far more effective when working from the inside. Hehe. Poor leopard. Well, actually it’s the owner who deserves the blame. Maybe the frog could bite him a little too.

@mattbrowne – The toxins in poison dart frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) are in their skins. More specifically, they are secreted by venom glands in the skin. If you leave them alone the frogs are harmless, and in fact, don’t have teeth that can really function to bite something like a leopard or a person. But if a large animal bites or eats a frog, then venom is released that makes the animal very ill, possibly mortally so. It was humans who figured out how to take the skin toxin and stick it on sharp points which they then stick into animals to kill them.

That means you won’t see a “Beware of Frog” sign anywhere about, but you might see something that says “Do Not Bite the Frog.”.

@Darwin There are beware of frog signs in some parts of Germany, but it’s because they congregate in huge numbers on the roads in mating season and can create a serious driving hazard. Boy are we off topic now!

@Darwin – Thanks for that. I just wanted to reply in a funny way, because I really liked the leopard story ;-) Is there any animal capable of taking on a leopard?

@Snarp – The frog signs are usually toad signs and it’s not about driving hazards, but safe toad migration. I found this on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Toad

In Germany, Great Britain, Northern Italy and Poland many toads are killed on the roads while migrating to their breeding grounds, in some places special tunnels have been constructed so they can cross under roads and local wildlife groups run toad patrols carrying them across busy crossing points in buckets.

I wonder why this isn’t an issue for American toads…

@mattbrowne That was my first thought for the reason for the signs, and I fully believe you are right, but the first time I saw them massed on the road, I changed my mind. There was no way to avoid them, you would have to stop your car and just wait until they all left, and since they were a writhing mass of mating toads, I don’t imagine they were going anywhere soon. We drove on, it was really gross and disturbing, but what could we do?

@mattbrowne – Man is the only predator of an adult leopard besides another leopard, but you could consider a spitting cobra.

@Darwin Man may be the only predator, but an elephant could take one out.

Also, I think hyenas would need to be in the list of leopard predators. Probably crocodiles on occasion as well.

@Snarp – Hyenas eat baby leopards, but not adults. They may be ugly but they aren’t stupid.

@Darwin It is probably safe to say that a single hyena could not take on a healthy adult leopard and win, but hyenas are pack hunters and could conceivably take a healthy adult as a pack. Not likely, I grant you, but conceivable.

Wait, what was this thread about?

Dogs.

Oh, well, a dog could definitely not take on a leopard. Unless it was a pack of dogs.

This is a list of the 10 most deadly animals found on land and in water. The leopard isn’t among them. While some may seem innocuous – especially number 1, they lead to millions of deaths every year. From least, to worst, the list:

10. Poison Dart Frog

The backs of the poison dart frog ooze a slimy neurotoxin that is meant to keep predators away. Each frog produces enough of the toxin to kill 10 humans, though, strangely, in captivity, the frogs do not secrete thispoison. The frogs are brilliantly coloured and live mainly in Central and South America.

9. Cape Buffalo

Cape buffalos weigh 1.5 tons and, when faced by danger, attack head on with razor sharp horns. They stand up to 1.7 metres high and 2.8 metres long. Humans are virtually its only predator and even lions will avoid crossing their path. Every year the Cape Buffalo is known to maul and kill multiple humans; some believe that it kills more humans in Africa every year than any other creature.

8. Polar Bear

These massive creatures, native to the Arctic, regularly eat elephant seals and could cut off a human head with one swipe of its paw. The Polar Bear is the most carnivorous of all the Bears and will eat walruses, whales, rheindeer, and even other polar beers.

7. Elephant

African Elephants, with their sharp tusks, are not as friendly as many believe. They kill over 500 people per year (either by stomping or impaling). The African Elephant generally weighs in at 16 tons.

6. Saltwater Crocodile

This is the largest of all living reptiles and is found mainly in Northern Australia and Southeast Asia. A healthy adult is typically 4.8 – 7 metres (15.75ft – 21ft) long, weighing up to 1.6 tons. There have been reports of larger. This creature is capable of killing and eating animals up tot he size of a water buffalo. In its most deadly attack (called the Death Roll) the crocodile grabs an animal or human with its mouth and begins to roll. A 1ton stallion is known to have been killed by this method in under 1 minute. In the water, the crocodile can move as fast as a dolphin.

5. African Lion

The African Lion can reach up to half a ton. Lions are thought to kill up to 70 humans per year in Tanzania. These large animals are eclipsed in size only slightly by the tiger.

4. Great White Shark

This shark is an exceptionally large shark found in coastal waters in all major oceans. It can reach lengths of up to 6 metres and can weigh up to 5 tons. The Great White Shark is the worlds largest known predatory fish. It is the only surviving species of its genus. In general these creatures do not attack humans, and (while there have been some fatalities) the majority of attacks on humans are believed to be test bites – the Great White Shark are known to test bite other objects in order to determine what they are. More people are killed each year in the US by dogs than Great White Sharks in the last 100 years.

3. Box Jellyfish

Also known as the wasp jellyfish, this salad-bowl sized jellyfish can have up to 60 tentacles as long as 15 feet. Each tentacle has enough toxin to kill 50 humans. They are found in Australia, the Philippines, and many other tropical areas. Since 1884 at least 5,567 deaths have been attributed to these creatures.

2. Asian Cobra

While the Asian cobra does not have the deadliest venom, it does make the most of what it has, causing the largest chunk of the 50 thousand deaths by snakebite per year. An average cobra is about 1 metre in length.

1. The Mosquito

Due to malaria carrying parasites transferred by the mosquito, it is responsible for the deaths of more than two million people per year. In addition, Mosquitos are estimated to transfer diseases to more than 70 million people per year. Even in countries such as the UK, New Zealand, and Japan, where the more temperate climate has reduced mosquito bites to mostly an annoyance, they still cause some deaths every year.

http://listverse.com/2007/07/13/top-10-most-deadly-animals/

I have 4 of the killers in my back yard, do I get a prize for surviving???

Yes, you’ll pass on your genes.

you can always ask nicley for them to put their dogs in a diffrent room or outside. i have two pits that are not that bright and way about 85 a piece and want nothing more than to get in your lap and like you do death but i have friends that are scared of them so i crate them when they come over amd i slowly interduce them to each other.

For dogs that are running loose, you can always notify the authorities. I had to call the animal control three times about the same pack of dogs running loose before they came out and took them away.

Thanks for your advice!