Newsflash: Its really NOT OK and he’s really NOT being FRIENDLY!

This is one of my biggest “pet peeves”, if you will, of clueless dog owners. You know, the ones who allow their off leash dog to run out to “Say Hi” as you walk by with your leashed dog? Or the ones who have their dog on an
80 foot flex-i-leash at the park zig zagging back and forth across the trail, rushing into your dogs’ personal space? This is NOT OK! This is not OK with me, it is not OK with my dog and it is not OK with others who work
hard with their dogs keeping attention and walking nicely on a leash. And, quite frankly, it is not OK with your dog as (s)he is in a hyper-excited state of mind which could lead to unpredictable behavior from her or the dog
she is rushing toward.

I wish there was a way to communicate some things to these dog owners in a way they can understand. Frankly, I have tried to do so to the family in my neighborhood that allows their 3 small dogs off leash to poop and pee
in everyone’s yard. This is annoying enough, but the real danger that I face is these dogs have no recall no matter how many times said neighbor calls them. When I take my dog out on leash and she is rushed by these
little dogs, I am not quite sure what she will do. I have tried to explain that my dog is fearful, that my dog is not good with other dogs, that my dog was recovering from an injury and had limited mobility, any number of
reasons I did not want my dog rushed by their off leash dogs but none of it mattered to them. I just want them to understand why it is important to me and to many other dog owners. I want them to understand that
because of their off leash dogs, I will not walk my dog in my neighborhood and the rare times I do, I am hyper vigilant and ready to rush back to my home the moment I see an off leash dog. I just want them to understand
that it isn’t safe to allow their dogs to rush my dog-for their dogs or mine. I want them to understand that I have worked hard with my dog to help her overcome her fears and their off leash dogs could cause more emotional
damage to my dog and we would need to work even harder to heal this. I want them to also understand that there may be unnecessary physical damage to their dogs or mine if an altercation may happen.

I want them to know that even though I will be the one to say, “My dog is not good with other dogs!” as their off leash dogs come running up to us, that in reality, she is good with other dogs. We routinely walk with other dog friends, side by side, noses to the ground, group sniffing wonderful smells. If a leashed dog comes even within 12 inches from her she will not react other than turn her head and sniff the ground to tell the dog she is
not interested. However, if an off leash dog rushes toward us to “play” she becomes frightened and possibly reactive. Guess who is then labeled the “aggressive” dog?

I want to educate these dog owners because many times it is the result of a simple knowledge deficit that these behaviors continue. What I want them to understand is this:

In most communities and metro parks there is a leash law that states dogs must be on a leash and some even specify that the leash be no longer than 6 or 8 feet. So get your dog on an appropriate length leash!

If you were a dog on the receiving end of your dog’s body language, you would realize that the signals he is giving are NOT friendly to most dogs. Please see “From a Dog’s Eye View” below why that is so.

Even if your dog is friendly, he isn’t friendly to ALL dogs. That’s just not possible because when he meets a dog that does not like this rude behavior, I am sure he will not like what will be coming his way.

Even though your dog is “friendly”, most dogs do not enjoy having a strange dog rush them and rudely invade their space, so please be compassionate toward us.

Many of us have fearful and or recovering reactive dogs that we have put a lot of time and money into rehabilitating. Please have compassion for us and prevent your dog from rushing us, we appreciate this more than you know.

And what I really want to suggest for all dogs’ sake, PLEASE study canine body language. This is the way they communicate and register their stress level or comfort level. It is THE way to decide if “It’s really OK and if he is
really being FRIENDLY!”

Kind Regards, Your fellow dog parent.

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From a Dog’s Eye View:  Some Signs of Stress, Anxiety or Hyper-arousal:

Lip licking and tongue flick
Yawning
Shake off
Closed, tight mouth
Stiff body
Meeting face to face and nose to nose with a stiff, raised tail carriage
Sniffing the ground
Looking away
Ears raised at the base and perked forward
Weight distributed on front legs
Hackles raisedA “freeze” and stillness of body movement
Hard, direct stare
Whites of the eye showing- “whale eye”
Raised front paw
Furrowed Brow
Ears tightly held to the head

A meeting that shows good manners:

Nose to butt sniffing
Approaching in an “arc” shape, not straight ahead rushing
Loose body
Wiggly
Play Bow
Respect of the other dog’s signs, i.e. turning and moving away if dog is uncomfortable