Gosh, I am really growing weary of dog owners along trails who shout out, "Oh she's fine," as they allow their dog to rush towards an approaching dog, usually on leash.
As a trainer, what I hear when someone says this is, "I'm giving you fair warning that I have no verbal control over my dog and no desire to leash her. She does whatever she wants, even if it is an inconvenience to you, your dog and your overall enjoyment of your walk. I am having a grand time with my dog running amok and expect you to manage your dog accordingly so I don't have to do anything. Thanks, and I'd say have a great day, but I don't really care what kind of a day you have." I understand it's hard in today's world to be considerate of another person's feelings because it has turned into an "I" world.
Walking in another person's shoes doesn't seem to be an exercise many people want to try. Heck, those shoes might hurt. But when you live in a rapidly growing community that is becoming more congested in every area, everyday compassion and consideration are musts in order for us all to get along.
So let's take a moment and walk in another person's shoes, shall we? It won't hurt, I promise. It might actually help you grow a bit as a person.
Leash laws have many purposes. One of them is to prevent unnecessary conflict between dogs that could lead to injury due to human error. So having a dog that is not under verbal control, yet is allowed off leash, can lead to conflict.
It may be true that Fritz is a very social dog and, even though he refuses to come when called, he is friendly to everyone he meets. So I understand why his owner doesn't see it as a problem when Fritz rushes up to other dogs. But what Fritz's owner is not considering is the dog Fritz is rushing towards may not be social, or even friendly. The dog on leash may have behavioural issues that its owner is trying to correct and walks are part of the training. Having a dog like Fritz run into his space will likely set this training back.
Fritz could also be a victim of a bite from the other dog, an injury that could have been prevented if Fritz's owner had either leashed Fritz when the other leashed dog was approaching, or called him back and walked in a proper unleashed heel position.
Maybe the dog Fritz is running towards has an injury, or is recovering from illness or surgery and needs to be walked on leash as part of its therapy. It is selfish for Frtiz's owner to mutter under his breath that the dog should not be on the trails if it can't be let off leash.
Maybe the dog Fritz is running towards is a young dog that is still learning how to walk nicely on leash and, since it is unreliable off leash at his young age, the owner is being responsible and keeping it leashed for training and safety reasons. Yes, there are some people in this world that take dog training seriously and really want a well-trained, reliable, social dog and are prepared to work for two or more years to achieve it.
It takes courage to be considerate towards another person because it requires looking beyond your needs and seeing how your choices affect another adversely. As a dog community, we are so adamantly against adverse training for our dogs, yet unconsciously behave adversely towards each other.
Joan Klucha has been working with dogs for more than 15 years. Contact her through her website k9kinship.com.
