Rant: Tiny Little Puppy - Off Lead

[MalteseLuna]

There is a new puppy owner who lives near me - I've seen the guy "walking" his puppy now a few times in the last week and it makes me

It is a TINY little toy poodle - looks maybe 8 weeks old MAX and he has it off lead near a shopping centre ramp (where cars are driving in and out) and everyone is walking past going to the train. Puppy obviously is excited by all the people and running around - completely oblivious to 'owner' telling it to come and follow him back to his house. Nearly ran into the road. :D

Not only should it not be offlead it's also way too young to be fully vaccinated.

Yesterday I saw him talking to another toy poodle owner about how he hopes that his puppy stays tiny etc (again puppy off lead) and this time playing with other dog (who is on lead).

I nearly said something to the guy - seeing as Parvo has been out in strength this year - but I doubt he would listen.

It is soooo cute though - it's black with tan points - makes me melt!

Sigh I wish there was some sort of test which people were required to do before purchasing a puppy.

[dandybrush]

i hear ya

i was in nsw at the beach (where they film that surf lifesaving show) and there were heaps of pple and dogs, lots of dogs off leash, which as an adult dog if trained and thats what the owner wants to do, doesnt bother me, the off leash dogs were very well behaved.

but i saw a couple with a staffy puppy off leash!! going to walk across the intersection and the pup thinks hey i know how to get over there and starts off across at a trot and the man grabs it pushes it back only comunicating with grunts and growls to this puppy how on earth is that pup supposed to know how to behave!! he should put it on a leash :D:

another instance i have experienced was at 7pm at night at my local dog park, a friend and i were the only ones in the park, a man and a daughter show up with a white maltese, off leash, put it in the park then say to me that if they are not back when we go dont worry about the dog how can they leave their family member in the park at the mercy of strangers like that???? their excuse was that the dog would get run over if they put a stupid leash on the dog it wouldnt would it?? and the morals that man is teaching his daughter :D just not good

[Remarkabull]

Dogs off lead really shit me!

There are heaps of people around here that walk their dogs off lead. It makes it really hard for me to walk my DA dog. I no longer take her out unless my OH comes with me just in case a stupid person with a stupid dog happens to be out and about at the same time.

I just started going to obedience classes up here and have to say that I can't wait to get up to the higher levels cause at least those people have dogs with manners and don't let their 'friendly' dogs jump all over each other like the people that were in the beginners class. On the plus side I will definately get there faster than them as my dog can focus on me and isn't interested in playing with the other dogs.

[TsarsMum]

yep know this one.

I took my pup to the beach (he is fully vax) as i would like him to like the beach as my partner and I with our kids and dog would like to go camping fishing etc.

So we pull up another car pulls up dog gets out no lead on comes straight up to me and i ask them to grab the dog no worries they said sorry move on.

So i get to the beach they go one way there is 2 other dogs off the leads all good i go the other way. so i keep my eye out as i have 3 kids and a dog. next min the lab comes running up before its half way over i yell get ur dog so they slowly come up dog goes back all good does not come back nor does the little dog.

They all leave so i wait 5/10 mins. and decided to leave.

I go over the little hill to then there is a park with gazebos to my right and i look across there is the rotti. NO LEAD no collor no nothing spots my pup and as soon as it did i could see by its body language it was domminate. so it comes flying up i yell out get ur dog. so i keep trying to move to my car with a baby on my hip dog on lead and my 2 older ones in tow. i keep saying gentle my pup is just super excited but u could see the rotti was being very domminate and was trying to be in a position to pin my boy. so i keep getting in its way moving closer to my car. and the dumb ass owner just keeps calling his dog and it was not listern. then proceeds to go "go to mum go to mum: WTF got no recall dont take ur freaken dog off the lead.

Lucky for him my pup is just silly and not a domminate dog also or there would have been an all mighty dog fight. All i thought was u wont have a dog long mate as its going to be ripped to shreds one day when it pulls that shit with the wrong dog.

this dog clearly had no repect for its owners and they are fools.

and that dog will be a cause of a dog fight.

[Simply Grand]

Saxon (at 16 months) sticks close to me in general, especially in unfamiliar locations, whether on lead or off, and has very good recall. We do Obedience and Agility training. He is small, and very good with other dogs, children, adults, other animals, etc etc. I have a 5m extender lead for walks, he generally wouldn't go further than that away from me anyway, and being trained, he doesn't try to pull when he's on leash, and responds well to my voice commands.

BUT regardless of all that, when walking in public I DON'T WANT him more than 5m away from me so why would I not just keep him on the leash? Even though it's unlikely that we need it, it's really no problem for me to have him on it, so why not just do it, just in case?

I really don't get why people feel the need to have their dogs off-lead in public (other than high level training), when there is any possible chance they could cause a problem OR be hurt themselves. I don't see the need for well behaved pet dogs to have everyday walks at large distances from their owner. If they are well behaved/trained they will stay close in public anyway and if not, they shouldn't be off lead when being walked in public.

I hope that makes sense. To me, distance training is beneficial, under certain conditions, but is not as essential as all dogs being under control in public, and IMO any dog that is under control and comfortable at a distance can also be under control and comfortable within leash length.

[emery]

yep know this one.

I took my pup to the beach (he is fully vax) as i would like him to like the beach as my partner and I with our kids and dog would like to go camping fishing etc.

So we pull up another car pulls up dog gets out no lead on comes straight up to me and i ask them to grab the dog no worries they said sorry move on.

So i get to the beach they go one way there is 2 other dogs off the leads all good i go the other way. so i keep my eye out as i have 3 kids and a dog. next min the lab comes running up before its half way over i yell get ur dog so they slowly come up dog goes back all good does not come back nor does the little dog.

They all leave so i wait 5/10 mins. and decided to leave.

I go over the little hill to then there is a park with gazebos to my right and i look across there is the rotti. NO LEAD no collor no nothing spots my pup and as soon as it did i could see by its body language it was domminate. so it comes flying up i yell out get ur dog. so i keep trying to move to my car with a baby on my hip dog on lead and my 2 older ones in tow. i keep saying gentle my pup is just super excited but u could see the rotti was being very domminate and was trying to be in a position to pin my boy. so i keep getting in its way moving closer to my car. and the dumb ass owner just keeps calling his dog and it was not listern. then proceeds to go "go to mum go to mum: WTF got no recall dont take ur freaken dog off the lead.

Lucky for him my pup is just silly and not a domminate dog also or there would have been an all mighty dog fight. All i thought was u wont have a dog long mate as its going to be ripped to shreds one day when it pulls that shit with the wrong dog.

this dog clearly had no repect for its owners and they are fools.

and that dog will be a cause of a dog fight.

was this the hillaries dog beach?? would love to know what beach only has 1-2 other dogs. i often let my 7 month old pup off lead at the beach sometimes she gets excited and forgets her recall i do go after her though and apologise. but she is gentle and normally responds or she isn't allowed off lead and if she doesn't come she gets put on lead. glad your pupper is alright

[TsarsMum]

yep know this one.

I took my pup to the beach (he is fully vax) as i would like him to like the beach as my partner and I with our kids and dog would like to go camping fishing etc.

So we pull up another car pulls up dog gets out no lead on comes straight up to me and i ask them to grab the dog no worries they said sorry move on.

So i get to the beach they go one way there is 2 other dogs off the leads all good i go the other way. so i keep my eye out as i have 3 kids and a dog. next min the lab comes running up before its half way over i yell get ur dog so they slowly come up dog goes back all good does not come back nor does the little dog.

They all leave so i wait 5/10 mins. and decided to leave.

I go over the little hill to then there is a park with gazebos to my right and i look across there is the rotti. NO LEAD no collor no nothing spots my pup and as soon as it did i could see by its body language it was domminate. so it comes flying up i yell out get ur dog. so i keep trying to move to my car with a baby on my hip dog on lead and my 2 older ones in tow. i keep saying gentle my pup is just super excited but u could see the rotti was being very domminate and was trying to be in a position to pin my boy. so i keep getting in its way moving closer to my car. and the dumb ass owner just keeps calling his dog and it was not listern. then proceeds to go "go to mum go to mum: WTF got no recall dont take ur freaken dog off the lead.

Lucky for him my pup is just silly and not a domminate dog also or there would have been an all mighty dog fight. All i thought was u wont have a dog long mate as its going to be ripped to shreds one day when it pulls that shit with the wrong dog.

this dog clearly had no repect for its owners and they are fools.

and that dog will be a cause of a dog fight.

was this the hillaries dog beach?? would love to know what beach only has 1-2 other dogs. i often let my 7 month old pup off lead at the beach sometimes she gets excited and forgets her recall i do go after her though and apologise. but she is gentle and normally responds or she isn't allowed off lead and if she doesn't come she gets put on lead. glad your pupper is alright

No it was Rockingham i live in Baldivis

we have lots of special people down here LOL

I would have no issue with u if u came over and said sorry. I was more annoyed at the rotti then anything and could see a disaster that will happen.

Edited November 10, 2010 by TsarsMum

[Moselle]

It is frustrating that some pet owners are oblivious to the fact that other pet owners may not share the same opinion as themselves. Some people don't like other dogs approaching their own dog for whatever reason, i.e. disease, aggression, etc.

It does make me cringe when I see people taking their dog for a walk OFF LEASH in a busy road/street. Even if they are walking on a footpath....you can never be too sure that your dog will remain where it is safest....anything can happen, what if something attracts its attention and it decides to give chase ??? Such irresponsible people with no foresight to possible risks are most annoying (being polite here!).

[MalteseLuna]

I was more upset because the puppy was soooo young - I mean seriously bordering on 8 weeks (possibly 6-7).

Parvo has been out this year and having had a puppy who died of it I get really worried about it.

Plus it drives me crazy when other dog owners don't have their dogs on a leash in this particular park (which is more of 2-3 paths through a heavily wooded area down a steep hill).

[nikitaken]

Saxon (at 16 months) sticks close to me in general, especially in unfamiliar locations, whether on lead or off, and has very good recall. We do Obedience and Agility training. He is small, and very good with other dogs, children, adults, other animals, etc etc. I have a 5m extender lead for walks, he generally wouldn't go further than that away from me anyway, and being trained, he doesn't try to pull when he's on leash, and responds well to my voice commands.

BUT regardless of all that, when walking in public I DON'T WANT him more than 5m away from me so why would I not just keep him on the leash? Even though it's unlikely that we need it, it's really no problem for me to have him on it, so why not just do it, just in case?

I really don't get why people feel the need to have their dogs off-lead in public (other than high level training), when there is any possible chance they could cause a problem OR be hurt themselves. I don't see the need for well behaved pet dogs to have everyday walks at large distances from their owner. If they are well behaved/trained they will stay close in public anyway and if not, they shouldn't be off lead when being walked in public.

I hope that makes sense. To me, distance training is beneficial, under certain conditions, but is not as essential as all dogs being under control in public, and IMO any dog that is under control and comfortable at a distance can also be under control and comfortable within leash length.

very very well said!

some dog owners really need to pick up the responsibilities for owning a dog. they are good and cute to us but may not be so to some others, and theres lots of unpredictable danger out there in our human society, so in order to keep them safe and happy, why can't we just use the leash in common areas and let them off in off'-leash areas??

I've seen too many ppl walking their dogs on beach when theres signs saying 'dogs prohibited'...

[Erny]

I was more upset because the puppy was soooo young - I mean seriously bordering on 8 weeks (possibly 6-7). Parvo has been out this year and having had a puppy who died of it I get really worried about it.

I would be more concerned about the danger element and the possibility that even accidentally, the pup might receive a fright/traumatic experience which, being inside its critical period of learning, would last for the rest of its life.

Parvo can be picked up even when a pup is kept in isolation at home. During that period of confinement/isolation what is definitely not going to happen is good positive socialisation to 'out in the big wide world' experiences. If the pup's owner had the pup at some frequently dog populated location, then I would be saying different, but at a shopping complex, if done carefully and safely (which it was not) then I would think this a good thing.

Edited November 11, 2010 by Erny

[emery]

yep know this one.

I took my pup to the beach (he is fully vax) as i would like him to like the beach as my partner and I with our kids and dog would like to go camping fishing etc.

So we pull up another car pulls up dog gets out no lead on comes straight up to me and i ask them to grab the dog no worries they said sorry move on.

So i get to the beach they go one way there is 2 other dogs off the leads all good i go the other way. so i keep my eye out as i have 3 kids and a dog. next min the lab comes running up before its half way over i yell get ur dog so they slowly come up dog goes back all good does not come back nor does the little dog.

They all leave so i wait 5/10 mins. and decided to leave.

I go over the little hill to then there is a park with gazebos to my right and i look across there is the rotti. NO LEAD no collor no nothing spots my pup and as soon as it did i could see by its body language it was domminate. so it comes flying up i yell out get ur dog. so i keep trying to move to my car with a baby on my hip dog on lead and my 2 older ones in tow. i keep saying gentle my pup is just super excited but u could see the rotti was being very domminate and was trying to be in a position to pin my boy. so i keep getting in its way moving closer to my car. and the dumb ass owner just keeps calling his dog and it was not listern. then proceeds to go "go to mum go to mum: WTF got no recall dont take ur freaken dog off the lead.

Lucky for him my pup is just silly and not a domminate dog also or there would have been an all mighty dog fight. All i thought was u wont have a dog long mate as its going to be ripped to shreds one day when it pulls that shit with the wrong dog.

this dog clearly had no repect for its owners and they are fools.

and that dog will be a cause of a dog fight.

was this the hillaries dog beach?? would love to know what beach only has 1-2 other dogs. i often let my 7 month old pup off lead at the beach sometimes she gets excited and forgets her recall i do go after her though and apologise. but she is gentle and normally responds or she isn't allowed off lead and if she doesn't come she gets put on lead. glad your pupper is alright

No it was Rockingham i live in Baldivis

we have lots of special people down here LOL

I would have no issue with u if u came over and said sorry. I was more annoyed at the rotti then anything and could see a disaster that will happen.

oh i loved rocko dog beach we were there after an obedience trial wish hillaries was that good

[Ons]

I hate seeing that ;) I always feel like going up and yelling at the owners that the pup is far too young to be out and put it on a leash!

I could take my Flash (a coolie) for his walk everyday without a leash on at all, he would not leave my side or be no further than a metre in front of me, even if there are other dogs around. But I don't because it's against the law and whilst I trust him 99.9% to stay with me I'm not going to take that .1% risk on my boy.