Comments on: Rude Dogs and Rude People

By: Cynophobe

Cynophobe — Sat, 12 Aug 2017 14:22:02 +0000

As a person with a severe and lifelong dog phobia, I’m incredibly thankful for dog owners like you. I wish more of them had this attitude and kept their pets away from visibly terrified people. Sadly, most of them gets offended, laughs or dismisses the whole issue while repeating their dog won’t bite me. I’m glad to hear that, but I don’t even want it to get too close to me.

By: Mia

Mia — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:32:20 +0000

I’ve experienced rude people at the dog park. I usually go on walks at the lake or around my area, & my German Shepherd (West German) gets a lot of attention because of his beauty & coat & muscular body. He has a health guarantee, & we researched the breeder, who was also recommended to us by professionals in the dog business. The only place where people are rude is the dog park. I’ll have some people make negative comments because he’s not a rescue dog. Or some will say often in a rude tone, “what’s wrong with him” … I usually try to inform them that he’s a West German breed, & there are several different Shepherd breeds, with each breed having a different look. Most of the time they don’t listen or cut me off, so I can tell they are only interested in making a rude comment. Why does this only happen at the dog park. I’ve decided to either just agree that he was in an accident or avoid the park altogether. There’s also more aggressive dogs there (mine is gentle with other dogs & good around people).

By: Joanne

Joanne — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 05:52:16 +0000

Dogs are not rude, but some dog owners are.

If I have trouble avoiding a large dog off leash, I would explain to the owner I am afraid of dogs and ask which way they are going. About half the time, the owner either ignore me, and continue towards me or they make rude comments.

By: shibashake

shibashake — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 23:37:55 +0000

In reply to Marcus.

I guess I should just avoid his family when I’m with my puppy?

Yeah, I would probably do that. I usually cross the road, focus all my attention on my dog, give calm directions to my dog, and move on. In this way, most people get it that I am engaged in training my dog and don’t try to interrupt. There are some who may feel slighted, but I decided long ago that my dogs take priority over making small talk with neighbors.

One commenter suggested putting an “in-training” vest on our dog (similar to the vest that guide dogs wear) so that it is more clear that the dog is “working” and should not be approached.

I also made the mistake of letting others give food to my dogs. This is a really bad idea because most people do not really know when and how to treat a dog, thereby leading to even more excited greetings and bad behaviors.

By: Marcus

Marcus — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 12:43:08 +0000

In reply to Sam.

I don’t think you were wrong but people get touchy about their pets and kids. If you had said this to me I would probably not go on the trip but I would still be your friend. For me, not going would have been more about not wanting to leave my dog somewhere and less about making a passive aggressive statement. I don’t know you but if you presented your request or concern in a respectful manner I would think they could just have a dialogue with you I.e. “We don’t feel comfortable leaving out dog at home. Are there adjustments we can make so you will be more comfortable? If not then I’m sorry but we can not go”. If they can’t handle a mature conversation about something like this you may be better off. We shouldn’t have to tip toe around friends imho.

By: Marcus

Marcus — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 12:35:32 +0000

I am excited to have stumbled upon this website. We have a cockapoo puppy and I am training him but the difficulty I run in to is two fold. I will ask people not to give him attention when he jumps. One neighbor in particular will follow me even when I remove the puppy and ask that he not. I then get a lecture on how my puppy jumps because he is not exercised enough. I take him on my morning and evening jogs and we walk around town. The neighbor follows this up with insisting we let his kids walk out dog, which I’ve told him repeatedly makes me uncomfortable. I also explain that he gets exercise and try to educate him on why puppies jump and how he could truly help in training my puppy he seems so interested in but he only cuts me off and offers dog walking service again. I guess I should just avoid his family when I’m with my puppy?

By: Sam

Sam — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 02:22:58 +0000

In reply to Frustrated!. I think you are justified in kicking the dog away. It has worked for me in the past. I have had some owners be unhappy about it. Maybe you should just kick the owner. They are the problem. Maybe bring dog treats with you and throw them up the sidewalk a little bit. How did you get tomorrow's date on your post? Are you in Europe?

By: Sam

Sam — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 02:17:49 +0000

I’ve lost some friends because I asked them to leave their dogs home on our upcoming river rafting trip. Maybe I made a mistake. They took it really personally. If I knew how much drama it was going to cause, maybe I would have let it go. Why can’t I choose to not be around dogs? Also, the dogs always tear around the woods chasing animals and digging up the landscape. These things are explicitly listed as against the rules. I have a dog and I don’t force others to be around her. Please comment freely. Thanks.

By: shibashake

shibashake — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 23:28:40 +0000

In reply to Frustrated!.

Yeah, I agree with you. The off-leash dog issue is really a people issue, which makes it much harder to “fix”. Unfortunately, it is a common problem, especially in this day and age, where empathy is a forgotten word.
http://shibashake.com/dog/off-leash-neighborhood-dogs

By: Frustrated!

Frustrated! — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 16:57:17 +0000

I feel like people can be rude by allowing there dog to be rude to other people. I have neighbors in a duplex apartment with a dog that they let jump on us every time we both outside. I don’t mind being jumped on once in a while, but my room mates and I can’t walk from our front door to are car with out being jumped on by a wet muddy dog at least half a dozen times. The owners just stand there and watch. They don’t put a leash on the dog or even apologize. It is very frustrating since my room mates and I are all about to graduate from college so we are often going to job interviews wearing our best attire. I have tried ignoring the dog, but I think the owners let her get away with it so often that it makes no difference.