[Tucker12]

So here's how my morning goes: I wake up, feed my dog, wait an hour for food to settle, then drive down to the bay and take him for a good run. Without fail someone will see us coming and pick up their small dog, sometimes glaring (not all the time). My dog and I BOTH ignore them and continue with our jog. At first it used to make me upset, but it happens so often that now I laugh. One lady saw us coming a mile away and picked her dog up, crossed the street then came back over when she was past us. My dog doesn't even glance at them. Maybe it's something with their dogs, but it happens constantly with small dogs. So now I've decided to make it a challenge: for every person who picks up their dog (or freezes in fear) Tucker and I do another lap. We also get compliments sometimes from people who have worked with Malinois and GSDs before, so every compliment cancels out an added lap (the compliments don't come often). This new tactic gets us more exercise and gets Tucker used to people picking up their dogs and pulling them away from him. Unless he's fresh out of the car and excited (only for a few minutes), he 100% ignores them. Once he's in the running mode he's golden, but people still get scared. Some people and their dogs amuse me.

Any other challenge ideas to throw into our run/work out would be great!

 

[supaflyskye]

That's so funny, and a great idea!
It's hard for me to come up w suggestions that would work out both you and the dog ...I'll let you know if I think of something though.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Grabby]

That's incredibly insensitive. I've always owned large dogs but never find it amusing to purposely try to cause a fearful reaction in another dog or their owner much less do it after it's obvious the dog or owner is fearful. Being an ambassador for your breed is certainly not on your agenda.

The things some dog owners find amusing is truly disturbing.

 

[mhop]

That's incredibly insensitive. I've always owned large dogs but never find it amusing to purposely try to cause a fearful reaction in another dog or their owner much less do it after it's obvious the dog or owner is fearful. Being an ambassador for your breed is certainly not on your agenda.

The things some dog owners find amusing is truly disturbing.

I'm honestly not reading that at all into Tucker's post... I don't see that he's purposefully trying to put fear into these people who go out of their way to avoid him and Tucker. I think he's trying to make light of a situation that he sees all too often in his daily routine that would otherwise probably be kind of depressing.

As an owner of a breed that is regularly maligned by the media and public in general (staffordshire terrier; eg: pitbull), whenever I go out into public areas with Spicey, I see that kind of reaction that Tucker describes from time to time myself, though we don't do much traveling into the city since we have so much room to roam here at home. Still, I can't see Spicey or Tucker going out with a sign on them saying something like, "I'm really a big squishy love bucket, please come and say Hi!" I would really rather they avoid me and Spicey if that's what they feel comfortable doing.

Being an ambassador is a noteworthy and lofty goal, but you just can't educate everyone, sadly. People in general will form their own good or bad prejudices under the influence from the media, their friends, etc., and they are extraordinarily stubborn to change their minds. Those that won't take the time to learn that each dog they encounter is not usually a bloodthirsty killer, are the biggest losers.

 

[mhop]

It occurred to me after I stepped away from my desk that Tucker is a Malinois (I'm so jealous! I've always wanted one. ), and a beautiful dog he is too from his pix... that the public, after watching any number of cop dramas, equate this breed with a police dog, and so their thinking might also be along these lines:

There's a guy running with a police dog = he might be working = Avoid.

Or maybe:

There's a guy running with a police dog = he might be in training = Avoid.

Since there's a specific mention of 'glaring' at Tucker, this might be due to the increased hostility lately across the country, toward police forces and any associations with them...? It's a thought. Again, prejudices will not be pried from certain folks by any means.

 

[kelly528]

If you like off road stuff, you should see if there are any horse trails in your area. The trails are a bit rougher but nobody really goes there to walk their dog so you won't be bothering anyone.

I have a small dog that for a long time I picked up in the presence of off-leash dogs. Yes, I accepted the possibility that the dog might try to jump on us, but the pom in my avatar was attacked and seriously injured as a puppy and if he sees a big dog lumbering toward him he WILL turn around and run. Then he becomes a fleeing, small, furry animal which is impossible for a lot of even friendly dogs not to chase, and the whole thing just goes to hell in a handbasket. I am playing chinese jump rope with a small screaming dog while a larger dog is dodging around my legs after it, the owner thinks that their dog is murdering mine and my dog thinks that he is being murdered... So yeah, for years I picked my dog up until he had enough chances to become calmly acquainted with larger dogs.

 

[Grabby]

Yeah, maybe I'm reading more into the OPs comment than was meant. Being much older than the OP, I sometimes get cranky at statements that strike me as immature. Still it bothers me when people say they find it amusing to see people who are frightened of their larger dog.

 

[PoppyKenna]

Eh, I've been on the other side of it myself. I don't think my dog is terribly dog reactive (hard to say; we don't often find strange dogs without an owner nearby) but he is stranger reactive and can be insecure so I don't like to chance it.

We stick to places where people aren't often walking, but I've run into some people who run around with off leash dogs of all breeds and when I pick my dog up and/or try to exit the situation, I tend to get a lot of "oh, don't be so sensitive - my dog's friendly!!", and similar statements. Even when I say my dog isn't, they still insist I'm being uptight. Better yet is when they start to walk toward me to collect their dogs, which really sets my dog off.

I do understand your frustration; I think people tend to jump to conclusions and as most people don't really know much about dogs, it's usually the wrong conclusions they jump to. But don't paint everyone with the same brush - maybe their intentions are good.

Kudos to you for having a stable, well-rounded dog!

 

[dibbythedog]

I've had two chi x breeds and a JRTX they have been attacked or chased by other dogs including GSDs , a malinois , lurcher, airdale and JRTS . I only have Libby Chi x and Pip JRTx now and they are reactive when dogs run up to them or appear suddenly. They only became reactive after being attacked. I've not had any problems yet with staffies or malamutes.

I tend to keep a distance from dogs I don't know because my two might bark at them and if an off lead dogs is close, I will pick Libby up. I just can't take chances any more, I'm not going to put my dogs at risk for the sake of a principle.

 

[Tucker12]

That's incredibly insensitive. I've always owned large dogs but never find it amusing to purposely try to cause a fearful reaction in another dog or their owner much less do it after it's obvious the dog or owner is fearful. Being an ambassador for your breed is certainly not on your agenda.

The things some dog owners find amusing is truly disturbing.

I feel like you dislike me from another one of my posts. I never mentioned in this one my opinion of people. I don't try to scare them. I understand that it's not always my dog as the reason for them picking theirs up. I Enjoy challenges and so does my friendly large dog. Age has nothing to do with maturity and it's quite a reach for you to say that I enjoy scaring people. I NEVER said I enjoy or find it amusing to scare people. Me AND my dog ignore them completely and just continue jogging. So what? Do I just never take my dog out in public? I live in a tourist town and there's always people out in the streets. I don't appreciate you saying that I'm not concerned about being a good ambassador for my dog when you know next to nothing about me. I love him and I do my best for him. I really don't know of anything I could say that wouldn't make you upset so if my posts do make you that annoyed then maybe you shouldn't read them. But it is a forum and you may do as you like.

I don't dislike or find it rude when people pick up their dogs. I can usually tell when it's out of fear or another reason. I find it amusing how many people in my town distrust my dog just because of his size. I'm just asking for challenges people.

 

[Tucker12]

It occurred to me after I stepped away from my desk that Tucker is a Malinois (I'm so jealous! I've always wanted one. ), and a beautiful dog he is too from his pix... that the public, after watching any number of cop dramas, equate this breed with a police dog, and so their thinking might also be along these lines:

There's a guy running with a police dog = he might be working = Avoid.

Or maybe:

There's a guy running with a police dog = he might be in training = Avoid.

Since there's a specific mention of 'glaring' at Tucker, this might be due to the increased hostility lately across the country, toward police forces and any associations with them...? It's a thought. Again, prejudices will not be pried from certain folks by any means.

Thank you! He's been a great dog as well as a challenge, but I love him. I have no idea what goes through some people's heads. We're a coastal retirement community so there's millions of small dogs that aren't treated like dogs and they're held more often than they walk. I put a vest on him when we're out so he looks like a service dog, so they might just be leaving him alone. People either love him or hate him, and most people call him a german shepherd. It's always a gamble as to what reactions I'll get when I take him on his daily runs.

 

[SusanLynn]

Hi Tucker12,

My two cents: I have a small senior dog. He's very well-socialized and enjoys having quick meet-and-sniff greetings with other dogs. Nevertheless, I walk him across the street about half the time. Some factors that influence my decision are:

a) Do I know the dogs and their owners and feel comfortable with them?
b) Does the person have one dog or more than one dog? (I'm more likely to cross the street when I see multiple dogs.)
c) How large are the dogs? If the dogs are medium-sized or larger, will they likely keep all paws on the ground or do a bit of prancing and jumping? (My dog starts to back up whenever a larger dog goes into play mode.)
d) Does the other dog show any signs of reactivity?

So, yes, I most likely would cross the street if I saw you and your dog approaching is, and the decision is not so much about you or your dog, but whether I can guarantee that my dog will feel relaxed during the meet-and-greet.

 

[Grabby]

No, I don't dislike you. I don't doubt you love your dog and are doing your best for him. Your posts don't upset me. You seem more upset than I am. I'm sorry if I've upset you once again. Conveying feelings and intent is difficult when using the written word. Differences in word usage also plays a big part. I find the phrase "I find it amusing" to be very snobbish and superior sounding. You're right that age has nothing to do with maturity but surely you can agree that words and phrases used by different age groups can convey different things, depending on what age group the writer and reader fall in.

I guess now I'm wondering why the long post about how people pick up their small dogs when they see your dog if you were "just asking for challenges people".

Bowing out now so others can offer challenges for you and your big friendly dog.

 

[timber]

I don't think the OP means that they are turning around to "re-scare" other people, but using this as a challenge to increase their exercise. Maybe it's the way I read the post, but I could be wrong. Is your dog on leash Tucker12?

Everyone has the right to exercise their dog and themselves. Beats having an under-stimulated high energy breed than can cause much more fear due to overexcitement.

 

[Tucker12]

And honestly Grabby you sound more upset than I am, but perhaps that it is the way language is used since some of your sentences have sounded very snobby and very sarcastic. I'm sorry for trying to paint the picture for people before I ask the question. It's hard to think you don't dislike me when you pick apart everything I post haha, but whatever.

I'm new to dog type forums (not forums in general) so I forget the different laws and information that I thought was insignificant or obvious. My town has leash laws and my boy is under a year old. He's always on the leash and always will be. I understand that this might be a hard picture to paint, but my dog is literally right next to me the whole time we're running. He doesn't bark at people anymore and doesn't even look at them. He's not pulling or ahead of me at all. I have a short (but not tense) hold on the leash so he couldn't get more than a foot from me if he tried. He's the perfect dog when we run in the mornings.

I didn't mean that we circle back just to scare the people. We circle back to get more exercise and as a personal challenge. I'm not a jerk. Jeez haha. The people we passed the first time are usually gone the second time around.

 

[SusanLynn]

Tucker,

I just thought I would add that many owners of large dogs in my neighborhood are really conscientious in regards to the smaller dogs. For example, one of my neighbors owns a young boxer that will go into play mode when it sees another dog. When we see each other walking down our suburban streets, she'll often be the one to take her dog across the street. She's a great person and she's got a great dog, but she understands that my small, senior dog can be a bit intimated by hers.

While it sounds like your dog is quite well-trained, you might want to consider voluntarily giving some space to the owners of small dogs if you haven't met them before.

 

[timber]

Tucker,

I just thought I would add that many owners of large dogs in my neighborhood are really conscientious in regards to the smaller dogs. For example, one of my neighbors owns a young boxer that will go into play mode when it sees another dog. When we see each other walking down our suburban streets, she'll often be the one to take her dog across the street. She's a great person and she's got a great dog, but she understands that my small, senior dog can be a bit intimated by hers.

While it sounds like your dog is quite well-trained, you might want to consider voluntarily giving some space to the owners of small dogs if you haven't met them before.

If a dog is well behaved, distracted by the jog/run, completely ignoring other dogs and people, why should he give extra space? Unless he's within touching distance to the other dogs, then yes extra space is good. All well behaved dogs (both small and large breeds) deserve to do their thing without having to keep thinking about what other people think. This dog sounds like he's minding his own business.

Like you mentioned in your post, an overactive young boxer that goes into play mode can accidentally cause fear and should give extra space, but a dog minding its own business?

I just don't see why large breed owners always have to be the ones to go the extra mile. Totally different if the large dog is unruly with no manners.

 

[xmitters]

If a dog is well behaved, distracted by the jog/run, completely ignoring other dogs and people, why should he give extra space? Unless he's within touching distance to the other dogs, then yes extra space is good. All well behaved dogs (both small and large breeds) deserve to do their thing without having to keep thinking about what other people think. This dog sounds like he's minding his own business.

Like you mentioned in your post, an overactive young boxer that goes into play mode can accidentally cause fear and should give extra space, but a dog minding its own business?

I just don't see why large breed owners always have to be the ones to go the extra mile. Totally different if the large dog is unruly with no manners.

I totally agree with you.
When walking my dog, it amazes me how many people will cross the street or just move completely out of my way. Even at petsmart people move out of the way.. Kota doesn't bark, doesn't pull, she doesn't react at all to other dogs ((except for the occasional one, in which I'm the one to move)). We've passed similarly large dogs like German Shepherds and little ones alike, both yapping their heads off at her and trying to get to her, she doesn't even acknowledge them. I was very impressed when she stopped paying attention.

I agree that it shouldn't always be the big dogs to move out of the way. If they're more well-behaved than their little counterpart, then it really makes no sense because the other dog is gonna yap anyway. it doesn't even have to be a little dog. Two big dogs passing each other can do fine but if one is going crazy or their dog is stressed, then the owner should move.

I don't think Tucker is wrong, people have their own reasons for moving. My neighbor was walking her two yorkies recently, and somebody's dog got out and killed one of them. She has a German Shepherd but she left it at home, and it makes me wonder if the dog would've attacked if the GS was there ((because the GS is very large and dogs are less likely to attack their own size from what I've gained)). People have experiences like that and that has a factor in their decision to move. The same woman's husband was the one who always walked the GS, and when I would walk my little dog, he'd wait and let me go ahead because his GS was bad with other dogs.

As for challenges, I'll let you know if I think of something

 

[PoppyKenna]

I think my issue too is that sometimes people are just weird about dogs.

I've met my share of really awesome people, who know and love their dogs and are happy to talk about them and let others interact with them. I've also known people who were really nice, but knew their dogs well enough to keep them away (but were kind and honest about their reasons!). Those people are great.

But overall, it's a total crapshoot when it comes to animals. A lot of the time, people don't know their own dogs well enough or have them on flexi leads or off-lead and the situation can turn really bad really fast. Or people can assume that all dogs want to be friends, and insist upon pushing the fact.

And sometimes people don't want you anywhere near their dog, for whatever reason, and can be really nasty about it.

I don't have anything against big dogs (I have a big dog) nor do I have any particular issues against breeds as a whole. But dogs and owners in general can be unpredictable (and I know my own has issues!) so even though I love dogs, even when I'm by myself I don't like to approach them because I'm shy and I just don't want to mess with the situation.

I guess my point is, don't take it personally. They may have their reasons for moving over and it may not having anything at all do to do with your particular dog. As long as they are leaving you alone and aren't being nasty about it, count it as a "good experience" and keep on keepin' on.

In a perfect world, all owners would know their dogs well enough to not have to worry other owners about what could happen. But then, in a perfect world all dogs would be stable and non-reactive and I wouldn't have to deal with what I have to either

 

[Shandula]

I have to confess, I would cross the street if I saw you and your dog running, because my dog is a huge brat, and would be unable to resist lunging after a running dog. I'm choosing to blame it partly on being an Aussie (things running are just irresistible to him), and partly his age. If Levi wasn't there, I would stop and stare, because I love Mals so much. So I'm hoping maybe some people are crossing because of their own dogs, and not because of yours.

I am sorry people glare at you, how rude. Although, the opposite is what happens to me. People see Levi, a fluffy, happy dog, and have to bring their dogs over to say hello, or pet him and baby talk to him, and get him insanely excited.

For example, we were practicing walking calmly to the dog park gate, because Levi is still a puller, especially to the dog park. So we finally had him in a down, and were waiting for him to calm down a bit, and this lady let her dog out on leash and he charged up to Levi and got him super pumped up. It's annoying.

Maybe for a challenge, you could incorporate some jumping movements. Like box jumps onto benches or something?