# Friendly Dogs Should Be on Leash - Article



## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

Hi There, I thought this article was really interesting. 
http://opdogblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/even-friendly-dogs-should-be-kept-on.html

It reminded me of a point, I believe it was flynnandlunasmom has brought up about doggy manners and how a dog should approach another dog. 

One thing I disagree with is that dogs who are overexcited when they see other dogs have had little exposure to other dogs either as a puppy or on a day to day basis. That's something I would say a lot of us know is incorrect. 

For the record, I do love taking Oso off leash as often as possible. We are pretty good about calling him back to us and leashing him when we see a dog on leash. 

We have a lot of owners of puppies on the forum, who are still perfecting their voice control. I think it's good to remember the danger that you could be putting your pup into in that circumstance.


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

Great article Luv2laugh. I wish I could have said it as well as this woman did.


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

As a dog owner that was recently involved in a horrific dog related incident, I couldn't agree more with the writer of this article. It is very important to ensure proper dog/dog, dog/human introductions are done. You never know the temperaments of the other dog/owner are going to be. I am now very cautious when we approach or are approached by other dogs. I've recently been training Kauzy to be slow and deliberate during introductions.


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## Phoebejane (May 10, 2012)

I love this article.. Before Harry we Rescued Marley our staffy he was such a gentleman to us and our children but he could never tolerate other dogs, we always had him muzzled on walks and it was sooo disheartening when a calm walk would go up in smoke because a lovely friendly dog approached him. Now owning Harry I leash him when I see any other dog on or off leash and if I start chatting to the other owner we will let him play.. I suppose owning Marley had taught me a valuable lesson to be responsible and respectful to other owners who just want to keep their dog calm and enjoy a walk.


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## littlelulu (Jun 21, 2011)

Great article! Thanks for posting!


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

I agree with the overall sentiments, however, I think the first paragraph set out the scenario and that is, that the area is an on lead area, not an off lead area. To me, if you have a dog that is not dog friendly, then letting it run off lead or even being in an off lead area on the lead is just idiotic. 

Having said that, my dogs are trained not to approach other dogs unless I give the "friend" command.

I am of the belief that if you have a dog who is not friendly towards other dogs and wish to be in an off lead area, then it should be muzzled..........


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## Hbomb (Jan 24, 2012)

I am lucky in that when h sees another dog, he will usually stop and lie down, waiting for it to come to him. When it gets within half a metre of him, he'll stand up, wag his tail and get ready to play! However if the dog is on its lead, this gives me the chance to leash him. 

If he's running too far ahead and I can see people in the distance, I'll tell him to 'wait' and put my hand up. This usually works. So I can get to him, treat him and get him to sit before he's tempted to jump all over the poor people!! 

That said, being a 10 month old puppy, he sometimes gets crazy and his manners go out the window  last week he approached a man with a jack Russell on a lead. He ran round the man and dog, ignoring my commands. To be fair to him, he didn't go near the dog, it was growling at him and he was at least 3m away. However the man kept shouting at him to F off, and even threw a rock at his head!!

Ozkar I was wondering how you teach the friend command as it would be great for me to teach this to h? I know I can't rely on his natural wimpiness all of the time!


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

It's easier to teach starting off on a lead. Once determined that the dog is friendly, you make them sit, undo the lead, and give your release command with friend attached at the end. over time this morphs into just friend. Then when we are out walking and they see another dog, they look to me for a friend command. On occasion, they break the rules and head for the dog. A quick NO, stops them in there tracks and they return to me until I have given the friend command.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

that's pretty much what I do with Ruby Ozkar, I'd hate to think that I couldn't let her off her lead, she won't go to other dogs unless I let her and on the occasions that she does fly off to play 3 beeps on the whistle brings her back. So what if an un-friendly dog approaches? again I'd rather have Ruby off her lead than tethered so she can either bolt or stand her ground.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Harri, I have an incredible hatred of dog introductions on lead. Even Astro who is my most chilled out dog can become defensive and quite aggressive in his own way if forced to on lead intro. Especially if he is unsure in any way of the dog which he is interacting with. 

As an example, recently while driving along, I saw a couple out walking there V who was on a lead. I had the window down in the car, so Astro had his big head out the window, ears flapping in the breeze. The couple pointed having recognised another V and waved to me. So I pulled over down the rod and threw my two on a lead and hopped out of the car. Normally I would have just let them out, however, as we were close to a roadway which is an 80kph zone, I leashed them both.

The start of the intro went along with Astro looking like a vicious, rabid dog who was **** bent on tearing the other V apart. Now Astro normally doesn't have a bad bone in his body and I could see that the other V as wondering what the **** was wrong with Astro, as all the other dog wanted was to meet his new playmates.....  

So, I took a risk and let him off the lead. Immediately he was released, he stopped the barking and snapping and his tail started wagging and he and the other V got on great.


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## Hbomb (Jan 24, 2012)

Ozkar I agree with you. H has not been aggressive but he doesn't like forced intros either. If he sees another dog coming while he's on his lead, he will stop, plant all 4 feet firmly to the ground, and refuse to move till the dog comes near him. The number if strange looks I get from people!!

The other day we met another dog who was exactly the same and I thought we were going to be there all day!! After establishing the other dog was also a friendly pup, we let them both off. Within a few minutes they were charging around together.


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

Ozkar said:


> I agree with the overall sentiments, however, I think the first paragraph set out the scenario and that is, that the area is an on lead area, not an off lead area. To me, if you have a dog that is not dog friendly, then letting it run off lead or even being in an off lead area on the lead is just idiotic.
> 
> Having said that, my dogs are trained not to approach other dogs unless I give the "friend" command.
> 
> I am of the belief that if you have a dog who is not friendly towards other dogs and wish to be in an off lead area, then it should be muzzled..........


I can not agree with you more. If a dog is not friendly and is in an area that is"off lead" then it should be muzzled. Otherwise you are asking all other dogs to have act in a way that suits that dog instead of in a way that is natural for dogs. Dogs by nature are social. I do agree dogs should be trained not to approach any dog until given an "okay" command but come on are you saying that if you take a dog to an off leash space when it is a pup and not trained that it is your fault if it gets bit by a dog with social issues. No way!!!


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## cooperman (Oct 26, 2010)

Like most of these comments, there are some irresponsible owners out there who insist on taking unfriendly dogs to off lead areas. WHY WHY WHY. Walk your unfriendly dogs on a lead anywhere rather than making an issue where the well behaved ones are allowed to run, play and be free under obvious supervision.


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

As for having a non-social dog off-lead, my dog has great voice command, comes when called and never approaches other dogs. So, I'm going to have him off lead sometimes (in legal off-lead area). I'm going to call him if we see another dog approach and he's going to come to me and I'm going to leash him and have him sit. If another dog runs up on him and my dog gets agitated, that is NOT my dog's fault. For those of you saying non-social dogs shouldn't be off-lead, just wait until you have one some day.


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

flynnandlunasmom said:


> As for having a non-social dog off-lead, my dog has great voice command, comes when called and never approaches other dogs. So, I'm going to have him off lead sometimes (in legal off-lead area). I'm going to call him if we see another dog approach and he's going to come to me and I'm going to leash him and have him sit. If another dog runs up on him and my dog gets agitated, that is NOT my dog's fault. For those of you saying non-social dogs shouldn't be off-lead, just wait until you have one some day.


I am not saying that they shouldn't be off lead. I am saying that in a off lead area they should have a muzzle on. It is your dog's fault if it bites another dog in an off lead area even if your dog is on their lead! You state if a dog runs up on your dog and YOUR dog gets agitated to me this your dog getting agitated. What if a young pup runs up on your dog and it bites and hurts the puppy. Is this the puppy's fault???


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## Hbomb (Jan 24, 2012)

I agree with muzzling your dog if you think it may bite another dog. If you thought it was going to take a big bite out of a person, of course you would muzzle it. Why any different with dogs?


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

My dog has never bitten another dog. He growls and he has pinned the down, but he has never bitten another dog in 7.5 years. I have control over my dog. If another dog runs up on my dog then I ask that dog owner to get control of their dog. I say "my dog does not want to play/visit" with your dog. Can you please call your dog back".


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

PS - Born36, in your scenario, it would not be the puppy's fault but it would be the puppy's owner's fault for letting an out of control puppy run up on an on-leash dog. This specific scenario hasn't happened to be because as I said, my dog hasn't bitten ever another dog. He just doesn't like socializing with them.


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

Also, we don't go to dog parks and heavily dog populated areas. But, we do hike in the woods where we occasionally run into other dogs. Those are the scenarios I'm talking about here. I'm an extremely responsible dog owner. I use my judgement as to where I do and don't think is a good place to take Flynn. I'm not going to put him, or any other dog, in an uncomfortable situation. But, I'm still going to hike with him in the woods and when we see another dog, I'm going to call him to me and leash him up. It works for us.


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

I agree with the notion of muzzling aggressive dogs in leashed and non leashed areas. Unfortunately animals can change in an instant and there are quite a few irresponsible dog owners in the world. I'm not trying to say this is the only way to introduce dogs, I think the article was written to put the idea in dog owners heads to just be more aware and cautious with other dogs. My dog is a sweetheart and is the ultimate socialite, but due to his energy level,he can bring out aggression in other dogs that can't keep up. Read my post from our accident and you may start to think differently. Mind you, in this post our dogs had all been running and playing for 5-10 before the incident occurred. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THIS CAN HAPPEN.

http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php?topic=5412.0


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

flynnandlunasmom said:


> Also, we don't go to dog parks and heavily dog populated areas. But, we do hike in the woods where we occasionally run into other dogs. Those are the scenarios I'm talking about here. I'm an extremely responsible dog owner. I use my judgement as to where I do and don't think is a good place to take Flynn. I'm not going to put him, or any other dog, in an uncomfortable situation. But, I'm still going to hike with him in the woods and when we see another dog, I'm going to call him to me and leash him up. It works for us.


I am not questioning you, I agree you are a responsible dog owner otherwise you would just leave it open for the dogs to get into it. I too only let my boy off lead in the woods and not really busy dog areas. Trouble is when he was young he would fly off to meet other dogs often before I even knew we were approaching them. He still does this sometimes when we are out in the woods. What I am saying if a 6 month old pup that can run 30 miles and hour takes off to meet another dog you aren't going to stop it. Rewind to when Flynn was young and all I am saying is if you came across another dog on lead or off lead and it bit Flynn because he approached you would be really upset with the owner wouldn't you. 
If Flynn isn't a biter and but instead is telling the other dogs off than you are fine in not having a muzzle on him and he has the right to tell off other dogs. I am saying if a dog owner knows that their dog tends to nip at other dogs then if they want them to be in an off lead area they should consider muzzling the dog for their safety and that of other dogs.


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

Born36, I totally sympathize with what you're saying. WYes, we have Flynn but we also now have our young social butterfly Luna who loves to run up to greet every dog she sees, which we know isn't ok. We have to work with her constantly on this and we don't take her to the woods off-leash without an electric collar because she still doesn't have it down yet. It's a constant battle. 

Truth be told, if Luna were to be bitten by another dog that SHE ran up on while it was on-leash, I truly would not blame the other dog/dog owner. I would feel it was my fault for not having better control of her. But, I know my perspective is skewed because of Flynn.


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

Dmak, I just read through your story and feel shaken and almost teary. I am so glad that you are ok. I am impressed with what you were able to do. I would have been ill equipped to handle the situation and it could have been the end of us. 

How scary!

As for the dogs off lead... I have a story which applies. Oso and I were hiking at a local hike which we enjoy, he was about 6 months old. Now, he was off leash, but I still called him to me when we approached other people/dogs. Well ahead, I hear noises and call Oso to me. We round the corner to see a huge rottweiler. As we walk by, he lunges at us barking and acting like he just wants to rip us to shreds. He is on lead and the owner is pulling back with all his weight. We scurry ahead and I find myself shaking because had I not called the boy back he could potentially have been a goner. I don't have a reactive pup, but felt it would have been my fault if I hadn't called him back. 

It happens. Dogs die and are attacked all the time because their owners let them off lead before they have the skills to be recalled. We had a chihuahua the other day killed at a local park. He was off lead and walked over to a pit on a leash to say hi. The pitbull killed him quickly. 

While you would hope potentially aggressive dogs would be muzzled we can't assume so. We weren't perfect with Oso, but would practice with Oso on a 20ft lead and also on a regular lead. Before Oso was a pro at recall and when I wanted him enjoy off leash, we would stop at an In N Out and get some unsalted hamburger patties as a reinforcer. For Oso, that did it. Or we would wait until he was tired to let him off lead. I think the responsible owners duty would be to practice practice practice recall and only let your dog off leash in controlled areas until you've got it.

I have always said that if Oso showed aggressive tendencies I would get him a muzzle and we have a dog at the dog park who wears one (although I've never seen him act aggressively at all - I appreciate it!). Not only would it protect Oso from having to be put to sleep if he made a mistake, it would protect another dog. I have little experience with muzzles though. Are there reasons not to put them on?


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## SkyyMax (Apr 5, 2012)

Our town has a leash law, but I don't think it's being reinforced because quite a few people walk the dogs off leash.

I have _no problem_ if they have a full control of their dogs, but it's not always the case. 

Our Skyy is very fearful of other dogs, especially if they do not respect her space.
The owners always shout "My dog does not bite" or " My dog is friendly" and do not attempt to recall their dog (!). So the dog is running full speed towards my two dogs.

I immediately put them on heel and sit (both of them are leashed), but if the other dog gets too close, Skyy starts jerking from side to side and tries to hide behind me. 

On other hand - if the introduction is polite (keeping safe distance at first, sniffing air and only then getting closer), Skyy is fine.

The dogs should be leashed if the owner can not control them.


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

SkyyMax said:


> Our town has a leash law, but I don't think it's being reinforced because quite a few people walk the dogs off leash.
> 
> I have _no problem_ if they have a full control of their dogs, but it's not always the case.
> 
> ...


I know it is annoying that other dogs don't go back to their owners but I won't put my boy on lead when this happens. Often the reason a dog starts to feel like the other dog is in their space is because the owner puts them on a lead. If you put your dog on a lead they instantly feel like they are at a disadvantage to the other dog and can feel threatened. If I leave Mac off lead I have the ability for him to let me know when he feels threatened as he will go behind me and leave me to see the other dog off or if he feels like telling the dog off he will. Although he has never done this. In short putting a dog on a lead when the other dog isn't can be what causes your dog to feel threatened.


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## SkyyMax (Apr 5, 2012)

*Born36* - I have to keep Skyy on a leash for her own safety. If I let the lead go, she might easily jump off a sidewalk into upcoming traffic.

A young lady in our neighborhood walks a huge husky mix, always off leash. 
One time husky charges from 20 feet away towards us, I don't see any other options but to stay put (not enough time to go on other side of the street). 

With only seconds to spare I place myself between my dogs and husky (I know - not very smart). Now I am trying to deal with 3 dogs and the owner.

Max is barking, Skyy is scared, husky's owner : He is sweet and just wants to say"Hi".
I asked her to put her dog on a leash, after a brief chase she was able to get him. 

I told her it's probably as good idea to have the dog on a leash, this morning I see her again with 
the dog running free....


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## Hbomb (Jan 24, 2012)

Flynnandlunasmum, I hope I didn't offend you with my post! I wasn't referring to your dog when I said biting dogs should be muzzled. I was referring to the lady who wrote the linked article, she clearly said her dog may bite. Surely she would enjoy the walks a lot more if her dog were muzzled, as she wouldn't worry about the dog biting. Also, her anxiety may be picked up on by her dog. 

I understand that some dogs may not be good around other dogs for several reasons. If I see a dog approaching on a lead, I put h back on. I will put his lead on if I see people without dogs approaching as he sadly has the tendency to run up to them overenthusiastically. In busy places he has to stay on the lead.


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

My mom's Doberman isn't always friendly to others. We think it is because she is possessive of my mom. (Anyone know how to handle that?) 

I know that if you have a dog that might be unsocial, the worst thing for the dog is keep hem away from other dogs. Keeping the dog separate and away from dogs just makes the aggressive or dominance worse. 
That being said, if you want to keep your dog or other dogs safe it is your right to keep them away from other dogs.

We have been wanting to bring Bella to the dog park withCole, my V...but have been nervous about it. Reading this thread reminds me that we can get her a muzzle!! That makes me feel at ease that she can socialize and learn not to bite or whatever all in one. She needs to be socialized. We got her at one year and was kept in a crate in her old residence. 

She is a great dog, possession issues aside...and we want to treat her like the good dog she is, which means off leash, which she loves. This is a tough subject. 

My vote?

Off leash? YES
On leash? YES
Recall? YES
Muzzle? YES

Tough subject indeed...


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

Hbomb, no offense taken. I just felt the need to clarify that although I have a non-social dog, he doesn't actually bite


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

personally I don't try and second guess other dogs intentions, Ruby is fine off her lead and as I stated before has the ability to stand her ground or bolt. I guess where I live plays some part in my attitude as we have large open areas where Ruby doesn't need to be on her lead. I guess if we were restricted to dog parks (never been to one so I don't know the politics of it) I may think differently.


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Like harrigab, we are lucky with lots of great open places to walk our dogs. Very few people walk with their dogs on the leads. We meet lots of other dogs all off the lead and never have a problem. Half the fun of walking the dogs is for them to meet other dogs and play with them.

In fact on the odd occassion when I have put my dogs on the lead, as a few members have already said, that is when you get problems. Obviously, no dog should be running off the lead near roads, and for those of you that have to walk in built up areas I understand you have no alternative but to walk on the lead.


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

SkyyMax said:


> *Born36* - I have to keep Skyy on a leash for her own safety. If I let the lead go, she might easily jump off a sidewalk into upcoming traffic.
> 
> A young lady in our neighborhood walks a huge husky mix, always off leash.
> One time husky charges from 20 feet away towards us, I don't see any other options but to stay put (not enough time to go on other side of the street).
> ...


Oh I didn't realize you were talking about a on lead area. I agree it really upsets me too when people do this. If around a road way people should have then on a lead. You never know when the dog might get distracted and step in front of a car. 

Also yes for all other owners like yourself it makes their dogs upset that another dog is able to get all in their space.


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