Aggressive Dogs And Public Places

[aussielover]

Well some people in my area feel it is appropriate to take their HA dog to the shops with them and leave them tied up outside the shops

A lot of people, especially kids, don't know that it is not appropriate to approach or pat a strange dog.

[julzjc]

I answered no to both but what moron answered yes to both who on earth would put a DA or HA dog with poor recall,no muzzle in a place with other people or dogs, idiot!

[julzjc]

Surely this is a "no brainer". why would you do either? my past and occasionally my present dogs can be DA, why would i let them off the lead with other dogs if their behavior is going to be unpredictable.

When no-one is around they get let off, i choose my times and places carefully, they're friendly most of the time, sometime too friendly which can lead to problems.

As for HA dogs, i feel shouldn't be off lead near people.

+1

[SharpShep]

Surely this is a "no brainer". why would you do either? my past and occasionally my present dogs can be DA, why would i let them off the lead with other dogs if their behavior is going to be unpredictable.

When no-one is around they get let off, i choose my times and places carefully, they're friendly most of the time, sometime too friendly which can lead to problems.

As for HA dogs, i feel shouldn't be off lead near people.

Agree with geo - NO to both!

Me too, no to both and nice post Geo

[Baileys mum]

As a general rule, no to both, but then again I don't usually let my NON-DA/HA dogs off lead in dog parks!

+1

[ellz]

No to both.

My feeling is that a dog which is either DA or HA (or both) isn't able to be effectively controlled by its owner so no matter how well trained it was in other areas, it would always be a risk.

And I'm another who doesn't let their dogs offlead anywhere unless it is safe to do so and only when there are no other people or dogs around.

[Odin-Genie]

Surely this is a "no brainer". why would you do either? my past and occasionally my present dogs can be DA, why would i let them off the lead with other dogs if their behavior is going to be unpredictable.

When no-one is around they get let off, i choose my times and places carefully, they're friendly most of the time, sometime too friendly which can lead to problems.

As for HA dogs, i feel shouldn't be off lead near people.

Agree with geo - NO to both!

That was my answer too. It's good to see that most people wouldn't take DA/HA dogs to public places when there are other animals/people around. However, outside of this forum, a surprising number of people do so.

In one of the dog parks, an owner had brough in a seriously HA dog. This dog was an angel with other dogs but extremely vary of people. She was muzzled, of course. But I got the fright of my life when I was playing chase with my dog and this dog suddenly jumped at me trying to bite!!! The owner was very upset since this was a rescue dog who would have otherwise been PTS, and she was trying to socialise it. The intention was good, but it still wasn't a good idea.

[MolassesLass]

I answered no to both but what moron answered yes to both who on earth would put a DA or HA dog with poor recall,no muzzle in a place with other people or dogs, idiot!

Using the definition of aggression given by the OP I answered yes to the HA question - I don't agree with the definition but answered the question as asked.

Would I take out a dog I defined as HA - not unless on lead and muzzled (recall/training doesn't come into it).

[Red Fox]

The first is a no brainer - No. You can't control the actions of other peoples badly behaved dogs, you can't simply say to the approaching off leash dog "STOP my dog is aggressive". Besides that it would be a very uncomfortable place for the dog to be.

Actually I doubt I'd take ANY dog to an off leash dog park, DA or not.

The second is open to interpretation though. What do you define as HA? A dog that will go mental at anyone within a 50m radius? A dog that will bark/rush at people? A dog that will bite anyone who touches it? Or simply a dog that is uncomfortable with people in its personal space and will bite if put under pressure? Or a dog who is tollerant until backed into a corner and will bite in defense?... pretty wide range there.

Then to the park; Is it a childrens birthday party full of screaming, running toddlers? Or is it a public area with a few families here and there? Is it large or small?

Large area, few people around, vigilant owner and a well controlled off leash dog in an off leash area? Whats the problem there?

[Greytmate]

Surely this is a "no brainer". why would you do either? my past and occasionally my present dogs can be DA, why would i let them off the lead with other dogs if their behavior is going to be unpredictable.

When no-one is around they get let off, i choose my times and places carefully, they're friendly most of the time, sometime too friendly which can lead to problems.

As for HA dogs, i feel shouldn't be off lead near people.

That is assuming the dog behaves unpredictably. That isn't always the case with aggression.

[Odin-Genie]

I answered no to both but what moron answered yes to both who on earth would put a DA or HA dog with poor recall,no muzzle in a place with other people or dogs, idiot!

:rolleyes: Using the definition of aggression given by the OP I answered yes to the HA question - I don't agree with the definition but answered the question as asked.

Would I take out a dog I defined as HA - not unless on lead and muzzled (recall/training doesn't come into it).

Here's how I defined aggressive in this poll (Note: I don't think this definition includes all forms of aggression, but I tried to come up with one of the more serious cases of aggression)

I would define aggressive as a dog who is likely to bite in retaliation if it is scared or surprised through sudden petting or sniffing etc.

Do you think this type of aggression is not serious enough to stop a dog from being allowed offlead with children around?

Edited August 10, 2010 by Odin-Genie

[MolassesLass]

Here's how I defined aggressive in this poll

Yup, and as I said, I answered using your definition.

[pixie_meg]

No to both. I am so over people(negligent obviously) bringing their DA dogs to the dog park and my boy getting picked on.

[Red Fox]

Here's how I defined aggressive in this poll (Note: I don't think this definition includes all forms of aggression, but I tried to come up with one of the more serious cases of aggression)

I would define aggressive as a dog who is likely to bite in retaliation if it is scared or surprised through sudden petting or sniffing etc.

Do you think this type of aggression is not serious enough to stop a dog from being allowed offlead with children around?

Is it that hard to say to a child - "STOP, dont pat my dog"? There is no reason for a child to be in petting distance anyway

My dog would go off his nut if a strange child tried to touch him. Would he bite them? Perhaps if he was pushed.. I really don't know. Would I allow a child to get close enough to find out? No way.

[Greytmate]

Here's how I defined aggressive in this poll (Note: I don't think this definition includes all forms of aggression, but I tried to come up with one of the more serious cases of aggression)

I would define aggressive as a dog who is likely to bite in retaliation if it is scared or surprised through sudden petting or sniffing etc.

Do you think this type of aggression is not serious enough to stop a dog from being allowed offlead with children around?

Is it that hard to say to a child - "STOP, dont pat my dog"? There is no reason for a child to be in petting distance anyway

My dog would go off his nut if a strange child tried to touch him. Would he bite them? Perhaps if he was pushed.. I really don't know. Would I allow a child to get close enough to find out? No way.

You can say what you like to people, but in a public space, you cannot control what others will do.

If you get into a situation where children don't listen, or you are caught by surprise, you would be fully responsible if your dog bit. Knowing how your dog reacts, he is a good candidate to be muzzled.

[baykinz]

The only individuals whose behaviour you can predict or control in a public place are you and your dog, to whatever extent you have control over your dog.

Even a well-behaved, dog-educated child can ignore a directive not to pat a strange dog if, for instance, the dog looks a lot like one they are very familiar with and identify as friendly. In their mind your dog is "just like <child friendly dog>" and they may not process a request not to pat, especially if the dog is off-leash, unmuzzled and doesn't issue a warning bark or growl until the child is very close. This doesn't make them stupid or naughty; even an intelligent kid doesn't think the same way as an adult. A poorly-behaved, ill-educated or excitable child, then, is just as likely to flat out ignore a stranger telling them what to do, even when the dog is completely unknown to them and issuing clear warning signs.

Nobody has any kind of reliable control over other people's children, especially in a park context where the parents may be some distance away. The responsible thing to do is to ensure your dog is safe, and safe to be around, in the company of even wilfully disobedient kids lacking supervision from parents. A dog that might bite if a child touches it should be muzzled when off-lead in the presence of children, because whatever control you might have over the dog, you have absolutely none over the children.

[leighw]

I voted No to both. I have a DA dog (a very slight JRT) who goes off her nut if she can even see another dog at a distance. I would not put her or other people/dogs through the stress of taking her to a dog park.

[ellz]

I still maintain that a DA or HA dog is NOT well-trained and should not be in a public place.

IMO for a dog to be considered "well-trained", training and control should over-ride instinct. If a dog still has aggressive instincts, it is not well-trained.

[Teebs]

I have a dog aggressive dog, and no, i would never take her off lead with other dogs - My friend has 2 dogs that Kaos is ok with, will go walking next to them, no problems, but i would never allow them off lead together, just in case - I would never forgive myself if another dog was hurt because I was stupid and thought Kaos would be ok.

[geo]

Surely this is a "no brainer". why would you do either? my past and occasionally my present dogs can be DA, why would i let them off the lead with other dogs if their behavior is going to be unpredictable.

When no-one is around they get let off, i choose my times and places carefully, they're friendly most of the time, sometime too friendly which can lead to problems.

As for HA dogs, i feel shouldn't be off lead near people.

That is assuming the dog behaves unpredictably. That isn't always the case with aggression.

Unpredictable in the fact that, they could play nice or they could take a disliking at which point i could easily see that they're going to get aggro.

All dog owners should know how to read their dogs body language and aversion methods.