So you are out in your local park walking your dog who is off the dog lead. You notice that you are approaching another dog who is on the lead. Do you-
1. Allow your dog to run and greet the other dog
2. Call your dog back and pop him/ her onto the lead
3. Leave your dog off the lead and hope that he/ she doesn’t approach the other dog
Well it should be the second answer. If the other dog is on the lead it is likely to be so for a reason. The dog may not always get on with other dogs, It maybe having restricted exercise due to an illness or veterinary procedure or it could be going through training.
What ever the reason is you should never allow your dog to meet another without speaking to the owner first. So this may all seem like common sense, well for many people this would not be their first reaction when approaching a dog who is on the lead.
It’s a common sight to see the offending party bound up to the restricted dog while the owner spends his time trying to pull his/her dog away while becoming increasingly tangled in the lead or the owner freezes with anticipation knowing that he/she will have to restrain their dog while trying to push the other dog away, preventing a growling and snarling session.
Even if the on lead dog is sociable it is a very rare occurrence that a dog will get on with all other dogs 100% of the time. Humans don’t always take to a person this is no difference to your dog. Allowing these situations to occur is stressful for the other party involved but you could potentially be putting your dog into a dangerous situation.
