Etiquette
If you live in an apartment complex, dog-friendly area or visit the park regularly, how do you react when walking your dog(s) and you meet another person with a dog(s) on-leash?
There are people at my apartment complex who think it's a fantastic idea to run up to my very adorable puppy with their semi-socialized dog in tow without asking me first. My older dog has been attacked at the dog park by an akita (this person had the akita in the 'small dog' area... another rant altogether!) and is super protective of herself and the puppy. If any dog with any kind of fractious demeanor, especially one that resembles an akita approaches, she gets in "alert" mode and raises her hackles, which I know is just bound to start a fight someday. She's never attacked another dog or even fought back, but I think she would to protect the puppy if it came to that.
I'd love to be more social around the complex but it is just SPO, SPO, SPO everywhere. There are at least ten people in our (large) complex that have unsocialized pets that aggressively bark at other dogs every time you walk past them or their apartment. I've had a few instances where jealous pets will try to attack my puppy when their owner gives her attention.
Anyway... as such I've been avoiding most (there are a couple of nice dogs/owners that we visit with) people at the complex, detouring through the parking lot when I see other dogs ahead on the sidewalk, and dragging my dogs along with a friendly "come on, let's go" when they want to investigate another dog, avoiding the other dog owners' eyes. I'm not sure how else to keep them safe at the complex but to be anti-social. I take them to the dog park and keep them in the under 20 lbs area and they both do fantastic there. I just don't trust these idiots at my apartment complex. What say you, LJ? Avoid or not avoid?
There are people at my apartment complex who think it's a fantastic idea to run up to my very adorable puppy with their semi-socialized dog in tow without asking me first. My older dog has been attacked at the dog park by an akita (this person had the akita in the 'small dog' area... another rant altogether!) and is super protective of herself and the puppy. If any dog with any kind of fractious demeanor, especially one that resembles an akita approaches, she gets in "alert" mode and raises her hackles, which I know is just bound to start a fight someday. She's never attacked another dog or even fought back, but I think she would to protect the puppy if it came to that.
I'd love to be more social around the complex but it is just SPO, SPO, SPO everywhere. There are at least ten people in our (large) complex that have unsocialized pets that aggressively bark at other dogs every time you walk past them or their apartment. I've had a few instances where jealous pets will try to attack my puppy when their owner gives her attention.
Anyway... as such I've been avoiding most (there are a couple of nice dogs/owners that we visit with) people at the complex, detouring through the parking lot when I see other dogs ahead on the sidewalk, and dragging my dogs along with a friendly "come on, let's go" when they want to investigate another dog, avoiding the other dog owners' eyes. I'm not sure how else to keep them safe at the complex but to be anti-social. I take them to the dog park and keep them in the under 20 lbs area and they both do fantastic there. I just don't trust these idiots at my apartment complex. What say you, LJ? Avoid or not avoid?