I know what you mean about the retractable leashes. Of course, some people use them responsibly, but most people use them because their dogs are not trained to walk nicely on a leash. They are pulling all over the place, and a retractable leash makes it more comfortable on the owner’s arm because there is so much slack.

I’m convinced that dogs are smarter than the average dog owner. No wonder these retarded dog owners are so smart. I am no dog expert but I know enough to not have a dog I wouldn’t be able to train anyways.

“Is he friendly?” Aside from my dog being female, that question will be met with a smile, and little more (okay, maybe some veiled disdain, and a desire to put as much distance as possible between me and that person, should he/she say something else as offensive).

A repeat of “Is he friendly,” will be met with, “Pardon?” (after 2 or 3 times asking “Pardon,” I’ve probably already passed the moron).

Actually, before I go any further, I have to say this is most often about projection. A person asking this kind of question is usually doing so because he/she is aware he/she has little control over his/her own dog. They’re projecting their fears onto others. I mean, if we were talking about reality, and what’s really going on, I’d never have this kind of question asked of me because anyone viewing me with my dog(s) can see I’m completely in control: no tight leashes indicating lack of training; no attempts at avoidance or fleeing; just a confident, happy owner walking an obedient, well-mannered dog.

I beg people to base their decisions on reality, rather than fantasy or hysteria. …You can imagine how successful I’ve been…

I was at our veterinary clinic, recently, where my obedient, darling, perfectly-socialized Great Dane was sitting quietly with me, awaiting our turn. A “man” entered the clinic and, like pretty much all do, was dragged mercilessly around by his completely out of control Golden. He was throttling the poor thing as though he was in a fight for his life, when he asked breathlessly, “Is he good?” Smiling, I used my usual ‘ignorance’ ploy but I think I eventually managed a, “Pardon?” He asked again, all excited, exhausted, out of breath, and straining. “Is he good?” I believe I just smiled, raised my eyebrows, and may have even shrugged my shoulders. When I looked down, his Golden was practically in my crotch. (He’d just let it go…of course, he had no control and, I guess, his arms had grown tired from all the straining.) It had, technically, bulldozed its way to my dog’s rear end, which was perched nicely beside me on the bench. (In the classic Great Dane manner.) Unbelievable. Let’s just say I’ve never inflicted my dog on someone else like that. In fact, my dogs are taught not to even reach out with a wet nose while passing others on walks. In short, I don’t allow my dogs to touch anyone without them first giving permission (save occasional, gentle greetings with humans at off-leash dog parks…but even then, my dogs don’t typically touch more than a light, inadvertent, nose poke).

See…the thing is, while I abhor nearly all dog owners I come across because of the way they unconscionably and needlessly abuse their dogs (with choking and yanking and yelling and even striking), my own dog is near-perfectly-trained. (As an experienced dog trainer, the proof of the pudding should be in the eating.) My current dog is obedient, so on-leash or off, she’s under my verbal control…actually and completely…down to being able to ask her to move one step forward, backward, sideways, stop dead in her tracks, etc.

I use a simple, flat, buckle collar to hold tags and be legally compliant, not for control. I rarely ever have any contact with a dog’s neck…nor does anyone who has properly trained his/her dog. Physical restraint is not training, it’s the antithesis of training.

So if a dog runs up to us on a walk, I can either keep her heeling beautifully at my side (on-leash or off)…as any responsible dog owner can with thier own dogs, or I can permit her to “meet” the other dog, which she will do appropriately.

In coming across aggressive dogs, her ample socialization allows her to employ various calming signals to diffuse the situation rather than escalating it, in similar ways to how she deals with very fearful or submissive dogs.

I have never felt anxious about taking my dog into any situation and, indeed, she’s better-traveled than most humans. We travel everywhere together.

But I see how not training your dog makes owners anxious and nervous and probably causes all kinds of problems that might never have occured without their anxiety telegraphed to the dog.

I feel terrible for them, because I know it is all so needless. Ten minutes of obedience training and an hour of exercise and socialization per day is all it takes to make a dog into a reliable, good canine citizen…without all the anxiety and worry over one’s own dog’s behavior, or that of others. Obedient dogs do what their owners tell them. Well-socialized dogs avoid problems with other dogs and people. It really ain’t rocket science.

Maybe different than some of the responses, I never worry at all about encountering other dogs or their owners. I’ve never scolded another dog owner to put his/her dog on-leash. I have, however, been in heated yelling matches (okay, 2 out of 3 there was some yelling) with people who assume MY (perfectly-trained & socialized) dog is a problem because THEY haven’t trained their own dogs.

In one case, at an off-leash park, a woman actually had the nerve to chastise me for not putting my dog on-leash because her dog is aggressive. A) aggressive dogs have no business at an off-leash park, even if you keep them on-leash for what should be obvious reasons: I.E. all the other dogs are off-leash and will likely approach your aggressive dog. B) My dog is perfectly socialized and doesn’t even approach dogs who don’t signal their interest in meeting her. She merely walked by this woman and her snarling, lungeing Golden Retriever, without so much as a look in her direction.

Her rant was because she felt that, in seeing her with her dog on-leash, I should have put my dog on a leash.

Well, I have one thing to say about that: There’s is no scenario I can imagine where I’d leash my dog in an off-leash area. Period. No equivocation.

I’ve heard all kinds of theories as to why someone might want to leash a dog in an off-leash park, but none have ever rung true. My dogs aren’t a problem. If I want to, I can have them at-heel the entire time, or just the walk back to the car. I’ve never come across another dog owner in need of a leash. In 30 years of dog training, there hasn’t been a single reason for me to leash one of my own dogs at an off-leash park. (Don’t get me wrong. There are perfectly valid reasons for keeping dogs leashed at the dog park. It’s just that none of those valid reasons conclude that other dog owners should leash their dogs.)

I can only assume this woman was so embarrassed by her dog’s behavior, she had to lash-out at the only person who witnessed it: me.

That is the common thread I find among dog owners. Blame everyone but yourself. This mentality is so pervasive, that I dare say it is rare for me to meet another dog owner/handler who doesn’t first blame away his/her own dog’s bad behaivor. If it isn’t blamed on some external force outright, then it is explained away, minimized, or denied.

In the case of this woman and her aggressive Golden, I was calm, at first. But this woman’s escalating comments got under my skin, and I remember eventually yelling at her to train her dog, and socialize it before she comes back to an off-leash area.

One non-yelling match was with a woman and her aggressive Shiba Inu at an off-leash dog park. As we approached along the trail, she called ahead. (The “calling ahead” thing is the first, and probably most obvious, sign of an inexperienced or negligent owner. I’ve never “called ahead” and never needed to.) She was asking if my dog is friendly, or something.

That’s a pet peeve I was alluding to earlier. If you assume that all dogs are not “friendly” (whatever that means), and feel so strongly about that you must “call ahead” to everyone you meet, then you have more problems than anything I can say to placate you. “Does he bite?” “Is he friendly” Those kinds of questions will either be ignored by me or, if I’m in a bad mood, met with a question like, “Are you a pedophile?” “Do you bite?” Or, “Your dog looks vicious.” There’s a lot of tragic psychology behind the kind of person who calls-out something negative like that, and expects that a verbal answer will be the key to a positive experience. As an experienced dog owner/handler/trainer, I have no use for these kinds of people and their retarded “questions”. They’re insulting and an irritation. I know my dogs and I’m confident in my abilities and their good behavior. …No need to assume negative things about everyone else. I have control of my dogs. Case closed.

But I am, more often than not, usually polite. I’m really not as hostile as I’m sure I’m making myself sound. …Just tired of these people and venting a bit, here. But I usually just smile and keep on going. No harm actually done to any parties.

In any event, long story short about the Shiba owner, after further discussion, it became clear that she felt it was perfectly okay to walk her aggressive dog in the off-leash area, as long as she kept it leashed. I pointed to the sign at the entrance to the off-leash area, and indicated where it reads, “Aggressive dogs are prohibited from the park.”

It takes all kinds, I guess. This woman actually not only felt comfortable bringing her aggressive dog to an off-leash park, but she expected everyone else she encoutered to restrict THEIR dogs, in order to accommodate her and her ill-mannered pooch.

Again…it takes all kinds. I mean, that takes some kind of moxy. To think the whole world must move to accommodate you, all because you’ve failed to be a responsible dog owner? After all, there’s nothing wrong with making accommodations for others when appropriate. Making it easier for someone who’s a danger to her dogs, other dogs, and society? Uh, I don’t think so. People like that deserve all the scorn that can be levied against them. Well…okay, what they really need is a mentor, to show them how to be a responsible dog owner, and how to get better behavior from their dogs, and just how to be more considerate to others. Scorn feels good in the moment. Education is more likely to be an actual solution.

I remember seeing a dog nuisance story on television, where the owners of a barking dog blamed the neighbour for eliciting their dog’s barking by “being out in his backyard.” He should know the dog is going to bark when he’s out there, they reasoned.

You can’t make this stuff up!

‘If only other dog owners would be responsible, my dog wouldn’t misbehave.’

I hear this rationale all the time. My solution is to actually train and socialize my dogs (and supervise them at all times outside the home and with children, of course). That way, it doesn’t matter whether the neighbor’s dog is barking or gets loose or runs over to us, or some dog at the dog park is aggressive or big or small or whatever. I don’t hide behind blame with any of my dogs. I view their behavior without rose colored glasses and without embarrassment or guilt or shame. I objectively see if there’s some area of training lacking. If there is, I correct that.

There is no excuse for not maintaining a well-mannered, good canine citizen. It’s not okay for any dog to threaten an innocent person or pet. It’s not okay to choke a dog, or to allow a dog to be a nuisance or a danger. And, quite frankly, most dog owners I encounter, are the exact types of people who will blame everyone and everything before they own-up to having not trained or socialized or supervised their dogs very well.

I don’t know how to overcome that. Of course, it’s not unique to dog owners. Parents do the same thing. Their own children are never the problem. (It’s always the influence of friends or circumstance.)

I spent many years teaching responsible dog ownership, dog walking etiquette, and the ethics of animal ownership. Sure, I converted a few. But it’s a drop in the bucket. With literally tens of millions of dog owners, I’m resigned to the fact that most are complete losers when it comes to responsibility.

If I hear, “If all dog owners were as responsible as you,” or “If all dogs were as well-behaved as yours,” “there’d be no problems,” one more time… (sigh)

To borrow a line from Dennis Miller, “You know, it’s the few rotten million that spoil it for the other eleven.”