Why do people let their dogs off leashes in public?

Question

Why do people let their dog run wild in public places?the problem is that my dog will BITE the other dog if he comes near it!

Answer 1

Because people don't consider others. They are thinking about their dog. A few reasons I have heard why people let their dog off leash is that they want their dog to be 'free' not chained down. Some people feel that their dog is SO well behaved, it wouldn't hurt anyone, or anything. Some people think their dog listens so well to commands that it will not chase a bunny into the road. And some people don't consider that other dogs might not like their dog, or that some People don't want their dog to come up to them.

I am very against letting your dog off leash in public. I can understand it if you live in the country. But with city living it is just too dangerous for everyone. First of all, you are putting the safety of your own dog at risk, as dog's Don't ALWAYS listen to commands. What if you take your eye off your dog for 5 seconds, it could be off chasing a rabbit, end up in the road, and get hit by a car. And like you said, Not all dogs are dog friendly. Why even risk it? And people like my mom are scared of dogs, she doesn't want some random dog running up to her. She has not idea if this dog is friendly.

And some people might say that you should have a dog out in public if it is not dog friendly. I say if everyone followed the leash laws this would not be an issue.

An example - Stu Pid says: "I let my dog off because she's well behaved & usually run away from agressive dogs like yours." Key word here is USUALLY. What if it for some reason doesn't run away...

Answer 2

Mostly it's ignorance. That and a total lack of understanding of canine behavior.

People think if their big happy goofy lab runs up and jumps on other people and dogs he's "just saying hi, and a bit energetic". What they don't realize is that it is an incredibly RUDE dog in both dog society and in our own. Any dog that acts like that to other dogs WILL be put in his place - sometimes forcefully. Then of course it is the doggie disciplinarian's fault because the lab knows nothing. I'm not picking on labs, it's just that this is what I see so often in our clinic's waiting room.

Dog's like that have no social skills (due to their owners lack of knowledge and lack of training) and are going to invoke a reaction out of a less than tolerant dog (like yours).

Your dog also has some issues that perhaps a behaviorist could help you work on. He might be lashing out because he's scared of other dogs and needs to have his confidence boostered in an unthreatening environment with a professional. He may also be feeding off your anxiety when you get into that situation. They always say that your emotions will travel down the leash, so maybe if you are afraid of a confrontation, he feels your anxiety decides he needs to act on it.

Either way, it drives me nuts when people do this. I even saw an idiot at the video store last night with a chihuahua in their arms. Morons!!!

Answer 3

MAN that SUCKS! I would get the animal control involved, especially in that area... There is a leach law, but people are retarded and think their dog is "good" you cannot tell what a dog is sensing! I know a lot of dog do not like people running around them, then they attack!. I would say if this happens again (which probably will) take paper and pencil with you and make it a big deal because it is, who knows if these people give their dogs all their shots! If the dog attacks again tell the person about the leash law, and take their info down. I did not know we could do this, but when my dog was attacked by another I found out after the fact that I could have pressed charges, I would think it would be the same if a person gets attacked...

Answer 4

Yes.. ignorance it is..
I bring my dogs to the park.. they stay leashed until I am far enough down the trails.. I kinda use the rule that if I haven't seen anybody in 2 minutes, they are safe enough to run free without me being concerned. So, I find a compromise.. a private place in a public setting. I don't have a lake in my back yard. If I did, then we wouldn't need the weekend trip to the park at all. My dogs are very well behaved. I whistle and they come to me. If I had any doubt that they would not listen, they would not be let off their leashes at all.

Answer 5

I totally agree with you! And your dog is so not in the wrong! It is just doing his job by protecting you and itself! I took my sweet little dalmatian puppy to the park, on a leash because i'm considerate of other people and there animals, and some one elses much larger dog who wasn't on a leash attacked my puppy! The owner of the other dog acted like it was my fault saying I shouldn't have brought my puppy to the park knowing there could be other dogs there! Ridiculous! Need less to say we haven't been back to that park! If people can't take the time to teach their pets to behave they should either keep it on a leash or not get a pet at all because they're obviously not very responsible!

Answer 6

Because they are, for the most part, inconsiderate idiots. Leash laws exist because the average pet owner is not responsible enough to teach their dogs how to behave appropriately in public. They allow their dogs to be unruly and to be a pest to others. And they fail to train their dogs to respond to the come command, putting their dog in danger from cars and other, non-dog friendly dogs.

I will admit to being guilty of breaking the leash law occasionally. But my dogs are trained to stay close and come when called. And they are not allowed to approach strange dogs without permission. If the owner of the other dog has not indicated to me that it's ok, I will keep my dogs away. Not all dogs are nice and not all people like dogs so I see no reason to allow my dogs to approach dogs or people that we don't know. In fact, if my dogs are off leash and we run into someone else (with or without a dog) mine go right back on leash unless they indicate to me that they don't mind the dogs running loose. It's only the polite thing to do. And it really irritates me when other people allow their dog to run up to mine and get in their faces...especially when my dogs are on leash.

Answer 7

What exactly is wrong with allowing my dog some freedom to play?

If I saw you and your dog walking in the same field that mine was off lead, I'd call my dog back to me. Besides, he wouldn't be interested in your dog. He doesn't often bother with other dogs at all.

Perhaps you could try socialising your dog so that it is not a problem. Maybe a muzzle too.

Answer 8

Some dog owners give other owners a bad name,when i see other poeple approaching i call my dog and put the lead on her my dog isnt aggresive she would rather ignore any other dog but i dont know what the other dogs going to do.
when i went a walk the other day we counted 9 dogs that the owners didnt put on the lead and all 9 came up to my dog making her spin in circles,yes this p!sses my off too,
next time im goint to such"my dog has fleas!"

Answer 9

I have never put a leash on my dog, ever, other then when we were training. He goes everywhere with me off leash and have never had a problem before. Now here is the difference. between some dogs and mine. Mine has bee trained to respond IMMEDIATELY to my voice command, THE FIRST TIME. I can be in the middle of a pack of dogs and he will look at me only. I have had him hold a down stay while another male layed on top of him. I have recalled him off of at least 20 dogs in the middle of a training session. I knoe for certain that he is rock solid and would not take him off leash otherwise. This of course did not happen overnight. It took about a year of solid training with proofing and corrections before he became solid. So, not all people are ignorant when they walk their dogs off leash. Perhaps the ones that are having problems with their dogs ON leash should spend the same amount of training and also have a dog that can go anywhere, and be trusted off leash.

Answer 10

In any given situation, focus on what you do want your dog to do instead of on whatever he’s doing wrong. Learn how to train your dog https://tr.im/BIncI

For example, suppose that on many evenings, your young dog gets busy looking for trouble just as you’re digesting your dinner. He grabs a boot from the mat by the front door and gallops through the house with it. You yell at him and take it away. He grabs its mate. You yell and take it away. He heads for the kitchen and starts checking out the counters in case something tasty’s been left behind. You chase him away. And on and on, until you’ve lost your temper and torn out clumps of hair you can ill afford to lose.