# How to not meet on leash



## Jojofergy (Jun 27, 2016)

My trainer recommended keeping dogs away from us when on leash
To stop any negative dog associations and to hopefully keep sprocket from trying to greet every dog he sees which I think is a wonderful idea but how do I keep other ppl from walking their puppies to mine to "socialize" them I tell them as they are walking straight to us that I don't let my dog meet other dogs on leash and they don't care they still let their dogs walk up to mine also in class ppl will do the same thing I'm sitting barely giving any leash to my dog to try to keep the one next to us (that is at the end of their leash)from sniffing him 
What can I say to keep ppl from coming up with their dogs? I think they see a small well behaved dog and think he's perfect to play with cause he's non threatening so I get a lot of people wanting to have their dogs play with mine some do listen when I tell them I don't want him to meet other dogs on leash some look at me like I'm nuts lol and some ignore me and let their dogs run right to him 
Also what do you do when your walking and an off leash dog runs to you? 
I don't want him to have any negative experiences 
so far this hasn't happened with sprocket but has happened many times with my other dogs 



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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Jojofergy said:


> My trainer recommended keeping dogs away from us when on leash
> To stop any negative dog associations and to hopefully keep sprocket from trying to greet every dog he sees which I think is a wonderful idea but how do I keep other ppl from walking their puppies to mine to "socialize" them I tell them as they are walking straight to us that I don't let my dog meet other dogs on leash and they don't care they still let their dogs walk up to mine also in class ppl will do the same thing I'm sitting barely giving any leash to my dog to try to keep the one next to us (that is at the end of their leash)from sniffing him
> What can I say to keep ppl from coming up with their dogs? I think they see a small well behaved dog and think he's perfect to play with cause he's non threatening so I get a lot of people wanting to have their dogs play with mine some do listen when I tell them I don't want him to meet other dogs on leash some look at me like I'm nuts lol and some ignore me and let their dogs run right to him
> Also what do you do when your walking and an off leash dog runs to you?
> ...


It is my job to keep my dog safe. First and foremost. If people don't respond when I ask politely, I get more forceful. Even in class (and it rarely happens at our school, because people are taught to respect the space of other dogs and handlers) if someone comes in and is not paying attention to what their dog is doing, I speak up and tell them to keep their dog back. I don't give explanations. And I don't care if they think my dog is aggressive. Same with people approaching my dog. If I'm working, I tell the person that. If it's a child, I tell them they need to ALWAYS "ask first" before touching a dog. MY dog won't hurt them, but run up an put your face down near another fluffy little dog, and you might have your face bitten off. If the parents are around (they usually are) I make SURE that they hear too. They are responsible for their child's behavior AND their child's safety.

If I am in a place where I'm not sure whether I can control the situation, I pick my dog up and carry them. We're lucky that we have that option with our little dogs. I also avoid known problem areas, like dog parks, and in our town, the rail trail. There is a state park near us that we avoid too, because even though there is a leash rule, there are always too many ill-behaved dogs off leash. I cary them around at shows and trials too, or have them safely tucked away in crates on my Wonder Wheeler or in a stroller.

Even with all the care I take we have STILL had bad encounters with dogs on occasion... Unfortunately, it is almost inevitable if you take small, longhaired, fluffy dogs out in public. But I try to keep the odds in my favor as much as possible.


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## Jojofergy (Jun 27, 2016)

Yea I suppose with a loose dog coming at me I can definitely just pick sprocket up which is another reason why small dogs are awesome  but with my Great Dane/lab mix she's about 90lbs and I tend to stomp my foot or wave my hands to try to scare them away from her I can't even walk around my neighborhood without seeing one every few days off leash 
does anyone carry pepper spray? I have been seriously thinking about getting some for these situations but not sure I could actually use it on a dog lol 
I go to pet smart a lot to practice training with sprocket that's usually where I have the problem with ppl not listening to my no 
Maybe I will try to find a less popular store to take him 
Sprocket starts his first adult obedience class Friday night hopefully people are more observant than in the puppy class 



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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

do whatever it takes. Try not to pick up your dog though.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> do whatever it takes. Try not to pick up your dog though.


That's good advice if it is a similar sized dog coming toward you. But if I have to choose between a pit bull charging at my dog or picking them up... I pick them up.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Jojofergy said:


> Yea I suppose with a loose dog coming at me I can definitely just pick sprocket up which is another reason why small dogs are awesome  but with my Great Dane/lab mix she's about 90lbs and I tend to stomp my foot or wave my hands to try to scare them away from her I can't even walk around my neighborhood without seeing one every few days off leash
> does anyone carry pepper spray? I have been seriously thinking about getting some for these situations but not sure I could actually use it on a dog lol
> I go to pet smart a lot to practice training with sprocket that's usually where I have the problem with ppl not listening to my no
> Maybe I will try to find a less popular store to take him
> ...


I wouldn't count on people being more observant in a pet dog class than a puppy class. It is really the responsibility of your trainer. I would talk to the trainer about the difficulty you are having and ask if she can instruct the other people in the class to keep their dogs under control. Even in puppy classes, socialization time should be off leash, not when the dogs are on leash, but on leash greetings can lead to unneeded altercations between adolescent and adult dogs. Class is to learn how to train your dog, not to socialize, past puppy K.


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## Jojofergy (Jun 27, 2016)

I will definitely talk to my trainer if it happens again in first night of class 
His puppy class they had about 5 min at the end of class to play with each other off leash all the puppies were bigger so they didn't know how to play with sprocket lol poor sprocket went to every puppy to get them to play and they all started to try to play then went after a bigger puppy instead so he went to the ppl to get luvins instead which helped a lot with his nervousness of kids I think  
The trainer let us know there will be no playtime in the adult classes 
The trainer did teach us how to "body block" when someone tries to come at us with their dog
(Basically just get between your dog and the other dog and urge your dog in a different direction saying "lets go") I've only done it in class so far but I can see how that would help if I can't just avoid them all together it seems kinda rude if someone doesn't know what your doing I guess so hesitant to use it outside of class but if I have to I will 
I do realize eventually he will have a negative experience with a dog just hoping it's a long time from now lol he's doing so much better than when I got him he has so much confidence now in public and loves everybody and everything it's definitely wonderful to see him not scared anymore 



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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

krandall said:


> That's good advice if it is a similar sized dog coming toward you. But if I have to choose between a pit bull charging at my dog or picking them up... I pick them up.


oh for sure Karen i mean don't pick them up too often ,you are better off going around the situation if possible. It's so easy to classically condition fear of people and dogs by picking them up.


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## Boop (Mar 5, 2017)

I have been fortunate with other people walking their dogs on leash (off leash, it's usually all bets are off). I usually stop and have Griffin sit. Then as the other dog approaches, I tell the people that we are not very good at meeting other dogs yet and he might growl or, that we're not meeting other doggies today. That's usually sufficient for them to move on as they don't want to get their dog involved with an unruly puppy. I really don't know if this is the right approach but it worked with meeting people - on walks he used to bark at people too. Now we sit quietly and wait for them to approach us. If they stop to say hello, we allow it. If they choose to pass by, it's all good. Either way, we have had a quiet experience. Of course Griffin prefers when people stop to pay proper homage to him...


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> oh for sure Karen i mean don't pick them up too often ,you are better off going around the situation if possible. It's so easy to classically condition fear of people and dogs by picking them up.


Absolutely! I agree completely! This is a (possibly forever) problem with Pixel and big black dogs. We were TWICE charged by "loose" black pit bulls, coming at us like a freight train. The first time, she and I were out walking alone, and the dog came from behind a house, and was very aggressive in his posture. I put "loose" in quotes, because THAT time, it turns out there was an invisible fence along the edge of the sidewalk. But neither Pixel or I knew it, and I'm not sure I would have trusted it to stop the dog anyway. I yanked her up off the ground, because, from my perspective, it was that or let her get eaten.

The second time, the dog WAS loose, with an e-collar on. (I didn't know that either) We were in the woods, walking with Dave, me, Kodi and Pixel. Dave had Kodi, I had Pixel. As the dog charged us, we both yanked the dogs off the ground. When the dog was no more than a few feet from us, it yelped (I assume hit by a shock) and went running back to its handler.

It didn't have any negative affect on Kodi, because he was an adult with years of positive experiences with all sorts of dogs. Pixel was only about 6 months old, though, and she is STILL afraid of bigger dogs until she knows them VERY well. Even then, she has never accepted a large black dog as "OK". ...But I'd rather have her alive and afraid of big black dogs than eaten. 

We have become MASTERS of avoiding problems with other dogs because of her fear. She has gotten LOADS better, but I do know that a lot of fearful small dogs are created by unnecessary coddling, and the fearful response of their owners. It's a tough, two edged sword with little dogs.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Boop said:


> I have been fortunate with other people walking their dogs on leash (off leash, it's usually all bets are off). I usually stop and have Griffin sit. Then as the other dog approaches, I tell the people that we are not very good at meeting other dogs yet and he might growl or, that we're not meeting other doggies today. That's usually sufficient for them to move on as they don't want to get their dog involved with an unruly puppy. I really don't know if this is the right approach but it worked with meeting people - on walks he used to bark at people too. Now we sit quietly and wait for them to approach us. If they stop to say hello, we allow it. If they choose to pass by, it's all good. Either way, we have had a quiet experience. Of course Griffin prefers when people stop to pay proper homage to him...


Sounds like you are handling it beautifully!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Jojofergy said:


> The trainer did teach us how to "body block" when someone tries to come at us with their dog
> (Basically just get between your dog and the other dog and urge your dog in a different direction saying "lets go") I've only done it in class so far but I can see how that would help if I can't just avoid them all together it seems kinda rude if someone doesn't know what your doing I guess so hesitant to use it outside of class but if I have to I will
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Just keep reminding yourself that THEY are the ones being rude by allowing their dog to force himself on other people! You aren't the one being rude!!!


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## whata_dog (Sep 10, 2015)

We took a long-ish walk last weekend and were on a narrow sidewalk beneath a freeway underpass. We had never gone that way before but I had to walk my daughter to a friends.
We were about 1/3 of the way through and coming from the other direction was a larger breed dog about 80-90 pounds and his two humans.

There was no way all 4 humans and two dogs were going to be able to pass each other easily and it was too late to cross the street. 
As the meeting point approached I "heard" Krandall in my head saying "Pick her UP!" So I did. 
They looked at me like _Hey! Don't you trust our dog ?_.
I just smiled and said "Hi", passed them and then put Lil Girly back down and continued on.

In training sessions we did practice how to avoid other dogs on leash(there was a rescued pit-bull in our class that needed LOTS of practice). 
There was just no room in this scenario without stepping into the street which I did not want to do.

It is so funny how things I read here over many months have stuck with me. Always appreciate all the opinions because you never know what you might come up against out in the world.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Good for you for keeping her safe. That could have been a dangerous situation even with similar sized dogs. No strange dogs should HAVE to go nose to nose with each other in close quarters like that. it's asking for trouble.

I have also found with Pixel, who is our "fearful-of-large-dogs" one, that it works best if we are aware of our surroundings (the way you were in this instance) and very calmly and casually pick her up and carry her past the danger spot if we can't avoid it, then put her down just as casually,. We don't "baby" her, or coddle her at all. It's the same sort of pick up and put down we'd do if we had to get her across a big puddle and didn't want her to get wet, or when we're hiking, if we have to climb up boulders that are too big for her to get over on her own. It's sort of, "Here, I'll give you a hand", not "Oh, you poor little thing, the big doggy might eat you!" 

Handled this way, she is very confident about getting by the other dog and doesn't react. When we put her down, her tail goes up and she trots confidently off with us. We showed the behaviorist we worked with what we were doing, and she said it was fine. She said that if she had acted acted at all aggressive or reactive and barked or growled at the passing dog, she would not advise picking her up unless there was a clear danger. But where it clearly KEPT Pixel from getting worried, it was fine.


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