Submitted by ResponsibleAd4479 t3_y2wcgj in ColumbiaMD
Title. Lots of people walk in the mornings, it's not a good situation for them, you, or your dog. There are less scary/dangerous ways to desensitize reactive dogs. Do your research.
Figure it's a long shot that it actually reaches this person, but if you were near Poplar Glen apartments this morning, this is about you.
Thank you for this incredibly reasonable response. This is exactly what we do. I pull my dog out of the way if necessary.
This is a completely reasonable way to handle this, and is exactly what we do. Our dog isn’t necessarily aggressive but she’s very easily excited, so if I’m passing by someone I will always go wide of them or have her sit and then stand between her and the person until they pass. It’s really not that difficult to figure out.
Obviously none of us were there, so it's hard to judge the situation. However, if you were near apartments, it is pretty safe to think that the original dog walker was just trying to let his dog walk a bit so they would go to the bathroom, probably before work. You say in another comment that the owner stepped off to the side to let you pass safely and without issue, and you still felt the need to post this in a public forum to... what, shame him? Shame the dog? Reactivity in a dog is a complex issue and it's not so black and white. The owner was polite enough to step away and probably realizes most people think his dog is batshit crazy. I can't say what tools or methods he was using to work on it, but again... he's probably doing his best and just trying to ensure his dog doesn't have a full bladder or poo on his floor during the work day.
If you run into him again, or you find yourself in similar situations, consider that it takes nothing to be kind and considerate to your neighbors. Everyone is going through something, and I'm absolutely sure that the owner would rather his dog not be leash reactive to strangers.
I wish I could give you an award, it's so true. I don't know their neighbor but I know my dog was failed and attacked young and I've spent thousands of dollars and countless hours to still break down and sob in my home because my dog still reacts. I agree so much with the being kind because more often than not us with reactive dogs are trying to save their lives (excluding the sucky owners out there).
I'm sure my comment is biased, because my boy is also leash reactive. He's a frustrated greeter, which means he's not aggressive, just... really wants to say hello. Several years and a ton of training, and he's good but still not great. Big public places and dogs too close overwhelm him, and there are some things he's never going to be able to do. It's just a fact of life.
have you checked out the reactive dogs sub? I've found a ton of great advice and help from there. My boy is also on prozac daily, and it's made a huge difference in his anxiety. With that reduced anxiety, he's been able to take to training a lot easier in stressful situations. I don't know you guys or your dogs situation, but it might be something to consider!
I definitely get that.
I haven't! I'll go check it out thanks! I've recently started talking to the vet about getting him on medication he is mostly fed by anxiety as well, big dog big energy and all.
I was so, so hesitant to put our boy on medication because I didn't want to somehow compromise who he was, which is... I know it sounds weird, but I had this imagine of a doped up dog or something. He's on a medium dose of prozac daily and has an as-needed higher dose of anxiety medication. We have seen incredible progress. It's not a magic pill or anything, but he's calmer, sleeps better, and his threshold is much higher. My only regret is that we didn't do it sooner.
I am sympathetic to your point. Dog owners have the responsibility to make sure no one feels threatened by their animals. Your request, though, isn’t realistic - dog owners shouldn’t use public spaces at all? My dog occasionally barks at people. I am working on it. Should I have him shit in my house until I am 100% sure he will never bark at anyone again?
You shouldn’t have gotten a dog that shits. That’s your fault and your problem. /s
I don’t live there so it’s not me but what do you consider to be a reactive/aggressive dog? Some people have very different ideas on what constitutes these descriptions so it may be hard to make a point without giving a bit more info. Did the dog bark? Lunge? Snap/bite? Jump? Growl? I don’t disagree with your request, only looking to find out more about what happened.
It was lunging, barking, and growling. The owner didn't intervene other than to move away from me. It seemed calm until I got a bit closer so I had no warning. I just walked past and ignored it because I didn't want to provoke it further.
That can be scary. My girlfriend’s dog barks and lunges but luckily she is small (11 lb) and easy to hold back on the leash. We try to warn people from a distance that she isn’t friendly so they don’t try to approach, and hold the leash close so she can’t get near anyone passing by. I was bitten by a big dog in the past so aggressive dogs make me a bit anxious. Unfortunately not everyone gives a shit how their dog’s behavior can affect others. I hope you can avoid that dog in the future.
Moving away is reacting. Trying to get the dog out if the situation. Common technique they teach you in reactive dog classes.
As a dog owner, I just stay away from other dog owners. I don’t think what the dog owner did is unreasonable. I do believe Columbia is home to a lot of bad dog owners though.
As the owner of a reactive dog (who’s not actually aggressive - just very scared), I can promise you that for the people actually working on training, a reaction is just as upsetting to us as it is to you, because it means our dog is having a setback in training and will be easier to trigger for the next few days, not to mention that it’s incredibly embarrassing. You get to walk away from that moment believing whatever awful thing you need to in order to feel better and calm your nerves. We know and sense that. And usually I end up crying once we get home because im disappointed and frustrated and ashamed. But you know what I’m never going to do? Abuse my dog so that a stranger thinks I’m “doing enough.” Did the dog injure you? No? Then you’re fine. What you’re describing is an unpleasant experience. We all have them. I’m sorry you had an unpleasant morning. If you need a place to channel that feeling, maybe lobby for something more realistic like banning those really loud cars that sound like gunshots from the roadways.
Most of us take care to make sure this doesn’t happen. I’m nowhere near poplar apts, btw.
You did the right thing by walking past and ignoring the dog.
But if you wanted the owner to “prove” themselves by having a heavier hand with the dog in public, I’m sorry, that’s not a good sign and something you should not want if you want fewer reactive dogs in your community.
Thank you. I have one of these. We walk at midnight for evening, but it the morning, everyone wakes up at the same time and needs to pee. We do our best to avoid the trails with people and dogs.
My dog is super reactive and has been threw over thousands of dollars of training. I don't walk him to desensitize him, I walk him because I live in down town Columbia with no yard. I'm sorry people handle it poorly but my GSD needs to get exercise out, I try to always wait till there's no one and the only time we don't have a lot of distance is when we are coming in and out of our condominium. I definitely don't go in high traffic times for walks except potty breaks tho, I'm not in your area but I hope they are trying to help their reactive pup, it's tough but you have to just adjust your schedule for them.
“bUT mY PittIE wOuLdn’T hURt a fLY”
Dude shut up. My dog has anxiety and is very reactive because of past issues before we adopted him. I have every right to use the same public space as you. My dog deserves to be in a socialized environment. If you’ve got the issue because you’re scared that a dog is reacting, maybe you’re the one that should take the back way.
If you don’t want to deal with the responsibility of having a dog with a bad past then you shouldn’t have adopted.
I’ve raised pit bulls that have had pasts as fighting dogs. They are incredibly difficult to socialize. As a result I took a lot of measure and care when taking them out in public. People should have reasonable expectation of not being lunged at by a dog when using the sidewalk. Maybe you should shut up and take responsibility as a dog owner instead of acting entitled.
You do have the right to use the public space, your dog does not have the right to threaten others in one. You are responsible for your dog. I am not.
Besides that, having them randomly run into strangers is not the way to help the dog with their anxiety. An environment with people in it doesn't magically give your dog socialization skills.
Yea and if he’s growling or barking in his space but you’re still scared, that is a you problem. Sounds like you need the training, not the dog
You're really not helping your case here, but you do you
Yes I will do me. You literally didn’t even have to move in your scenario. You just kept walking. How exactly were you affected then except to come on Reddit being a Karen and then expecting validation
You sound like an owner that forgets to feed his dog all to often.
I'm not a dog person. I'm terrified of them since I've been attacked in the past, however, I completely agree with you. Where are you supposed to go? If I see a dog on my path, I move tf put of the way, and give a wide enough berth to not be reached by a properly restrained dog.
It's the assholes who just let their dogs walk and run off leash that I take issue with. Guy at Lake Kittamaqundi with your big ass dog frolicking free to do as it pleases: use the damn leash!!
freecain t1_is5hud1 wrote
If someone has an aggressive dog I would expect them to step aside when people approach and have the dog under physical control. If I'm with small kids or a dog, I would expect the universal sign of holding the collar or shortening the leash to let me know I should give them extra space.
I don't expect them stay off the trails all together. That is ridiculous.
I hope they are doing something to address the aggressiveness, but it can be difficult with some dogs and in certain situations.