Running into off-leash dogs can be infuriating. I used to get so huffy when I walked Kaeto and a dog would come bounding toward us. Just one incident could set us back months of training. The absolute worst was when people would yell “oh, my dog’s friendly”. What about my dog? What about me? I’m very lucky with Mauja and Atka because they have never shown any signs of leash reactivity, but there are more reasons for me to keep them on leash.
- I don’t know your life. Do you like dogs? Are you afraid of dogs? Did you have a bad experience with the breed I’m walking? Are you allergic? Maybe you’re on your way to work and you don’t want to get furry. My dogs may be cute and sweet, but not everyone wants to greet them all the time. I need to respect that.
- I don’t know your dog. Reactive dogs are not uncommon. In fact, many social butterflies are not comfortable on leash when approached by an off leash dog. Totally understandable. Just once negative encounter could cost that dog months of training and confidence building. I want to make sure I’m helping every dog to thrive the best they can.
- It’s just dangerous. Little furry creatures are fun to chase. Dogs can run after something and get lost. If you’re in a neighborhood, cars or bikes could injure your dog. If you’re in the woods, hunters have shot dogs by accident and rattlesnakes can be anywhere. You never know what is going to pop up.
- Things can get messy. I frequently have to use the ‘leave it’ command during walks. Whether it be trash, old food, a plant, or some foreign object, I like to make sure I can avoid the dogs ingesting something they shouldn’t. We’ve also walked in areas where I have found broken glass. If my dogs weren’t on leash, I wouldn’t be able to keep them safe from these harmful materials.
- Dogs are dogs. I know my dogs. I know that an off leash dog can approach and we’ll be okay. I know that Mauja gets excited about squirrels and wants to chase them. I know they’re good with men, women, kids, and people of all ages. But. I know that they are dogs and things can happen. They could very well feel ill and act out of character. More than once Mauja and Atka have gotten nipped by one of the dogs running at us off leash and their owner just can’t seem to understand it. Leashes help keep everyone safe.
How do you keep your dog free of mischief?
We have to be on leash being scent hounds. If we catch a wiff of a critter, we are gone. In Germany Katie was off leash most of the time, but that was real different because most dogs were off leash and the area was huge and no roads or cars. She did take off now and then but she always came back. Here she has been mostly on leash. Unless your dog has a perfect recall or you are in the middle of nowhere dogs should be leashed.
I’m surprised Katie was able to be off leash so much! These breeds don’t have stellar recall 😉
I so wish that more people thought about #2 like you do! Thank you for thinking of all the reactive dogs out there and not wanting to set them back in training! 🙂 Sometimes I feel bad and like I should work on an off-leash recall more, but then I realize there’s only really 1-2 times a year that we are somewhere where I feel comfortable letting him be off-leash and his recall then is fine. I wish more people thought about their dogs safety and the safety of other dogs and people before letting their dog go off-leash!
It’s just so frustrating. Maybe if everyone experienced life with a reactive dog they would be more considerate. Not to mention it just isn’t safe!
Yes!!! I SO agree! Not to mention the fact that in most areas, it’s the law. Had a friend who thought she could trust he dog off leash. He saw a squirrel across the road and ran out and was killed by a car. It’s just not worth the risk!
Oh my goodness, that is so sad and one of the many things I worry about.
So true! Mom gives people who walk their dogs off leash (which is against the law in our town) the stink eye. They are clearly either uneducated about dogs or they just don’t care. We avoid these people at all costs, not because my dogs would react negatively towards another dog but you just never know.
Oh we do the same. Drives me nuts!
Awesome post, it seems that no matter where I am whether my dogs are with me or not there is an off leash dog. I don’t see why people think it’s OK!
I don’t either. IT really doesn’t make any sense.
Great post, I completely agree. I always have Kilo on a leash!
It’s so much safer!
We live in a very small town (population 400 small!) on a very quiet street, so it’s not often we run into other dog walkers. However, our neighbors across the street let their small dog out front to go to the bathroom…and he is NOT trained well enough to be off leash! He is constantly chasing things, running into other yards, and even chasing our Riley – which really worries me, because Riley does NOT like other dogs. I wish that everyone had the same views on leashing as you do! It would make things so much safer.
That is so frustrating, not to mention inconsiderate!
It’s so weird as a child I didn’t have a care in the world… Now I definitely agree with all 5 of your reasons; it’s just way too risky. If something were to happen I’d just continually blame myself.
We just don’t have the same understanding as children. I wouldn’t have thought about it either.
Yesterday, we were walking Mr. N and there was this guy who was walking his poodle off-leash. I saw the dog coming so we crossed the (quite busy) street to avoid him and the dog followed us halfway across the street before the boyfriend corralled him.
Mr. N is leash reactive to other dogs so off-leash dogs always send my blood pressure rising!
Owners of reactive dogs shouldn’t have to constantly deter their path to avoid off-leash dogs. People need to respect the space of others!
I often get the ‘he’s friendly’ from people walking their dogs off-leash, but even friendly dogs can sometimes meet another dog they just don’t like for some reason, then you sometimes hear ‘he’s not usually like this, sorry’.
Ugh, I HATE that!!
Great reasons!!!!
So impawtant too.
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
It really is!
What bothers me is when people don’t bother to leash their dog when they see us on the path, and will say “It’s okay, he’s friendly” where clearly the body language and behavior of their dog does not say that.
Thankfully, Bain is a love and he does well with all other dogs. That still doesn’t mean he’ll do well with every single dog, as even with every person you are not going to like everyone you meet. What could end up being started by an off leash aggressive dog could end up being blamed on me who had a stable leashed dog, all because of his breed.
We were even bombarded the other day with 3 off leash Labrador’s who ran up to him, again he did well. Thankfully
Before owning a dog, people should have to take a lesson in doggie body language. I completely understand what you mean about things being taken differently due to the breed. It’s unfortunate that things work that way.
I’m more for following the spirit of the law than the letter of it. The intent behind leash laws is that dogs be under their person’s control.
Which means that some leashed dogs are not following the spirit (I’m talking to you flexi-leash people). While the occasional off-leash dog (probably .00000001%) is.
YES YES YES. I cannot stand retractable leashes!
ok I’m feeling a little guilty here: We have an athletic field behind our house and Maxie and Mia just LOVE running ahead of me. I really enjoy the retractables for those types of outings.They look like they are a couple of kids out at recess! But I’ll admit, I don’t like the retractables for our regular walks. I feel like I don’t have the proper control.
Please don’t get me started on retractable leashes –
Our first two dogs were allowed off leash (the leash was always with us though), but back then I didn’t really know all the dangers of allowing that. Once we got a beagle, that came to an end anyway, since there’s no way they can be allowed off and trusted to stay with us! Now we keep them all on leash, I just can’t risk any of them running off because you just never know.
Great post, and all 5 of your reasons are important.
Great Post! Lots of dog owners, even though they love their dogs as much as we do, could learn from your ‘5 reasons’.
Excellent points. My dogs are always leashed if not contained by a fence.
We do have our dogs off lead when we train or when they hunt, but walking around the neighborhood they are always leashed. They are also not allowed to approach other people or dogs when off lead.
Gosh, reading this list and the comments makes me feel less alone in my daily struggle with walks.
I am fuzzy on the definition of “leash reactive” but I know my dog well enough to know that meeting other dogs on the street is about 80% bad and 20% good. Sometimes it’s good because he doesn’t mind the dog or he doesn’t pay attention. That 80% though….it’s the reason I cross the street when other people approach.
Retractable leads, dogs off leashes, even owners with other dogs that just walk straight towards us with their dog pulling – there just doesn’t seem to be a lot of conscious owners. It’s rough when you live in a doggy world where it seems most people assume that all dogs get along. Do all people get along? Nope.
What a great post.