uh my wife......Originally Posted by Dogwood
I would never go up to a dog and pet it without its human's permission, but if you let your dog approach me (either on or off leash) I will assume the dog is friendly enough to pet. I guess the point is, if you don't want other people petting your dog, you should make it clear beforehand, either by moving the dog to the other side, or stepping off the trail as someone else goes by. Just my $.02
This is a GREAT thread. Thanks for starting it Chaco!
Recently, I read an article on just this topic and one thing it said in addition to the points that you have already made is that when someone is meeting a dog, another thing they can do prior to approaching the dog is to pat their leg with their hand somewhat rapidly to mimic a wagging tail. It's supposed to indicate friendliness and to relax the dog at least a little bit.
Trillium
Uhh, meese a missed dat.
I love when I am walking my dog( A 5 years old Sheltie) and kids come and ask me that if it is OK to pet him? It shows their parents have done a good job educating them but it does not end here. Even if I am OK with them petting him I always let my dog decides about who he wants to be greeted with. He always look at the enthusiastic folks and decides very quickly that he wants or don't want to be pet by them. I almost always respect his decisions and if he is not eager about it I just say "sorry maybe some other time" and move on.
Here is a 15 minutes long video of daily biking of mine with him off Leash:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcCg5...SV09A&index=29
Totally agree with this and I have been involved with various dog groups such as CCI and Handi-Dogs for years. The bottom line is if 9 times out of 10 your dog is OK - if your dog happens to be aggressive or hurt someone that 1 time out of 10, you will be held legally responsible and your dog likely put down. Our legal system puts the responsibility on the owner and not on hikers who may not know how to conduct themselves around dogs.
Want to clarify Chico that I mean "you" in the collective sense here. Not targeting you personally, just trying to get info out there.
I usually ask if the dog is friendly even though a waging tail and pushing on my pant leg tells me it's ok to pet. We've taught our kids to ask this question always..."can I pet your dog"
Yea we move the dog to the side of the trail on the steep inclines. It is also the job of humans to not just walk up and assume, even when we have him on the side of the trail. Its disrepsectful if you just assume
Good post.
When encountering a dog you don't know, the best initial approach is to ignore it and not make eye contact. If the owner is there, then ask permission, and if granted, slowly approach and never put a hand over the dog's head. It is reasonable to put a hand out low and let the dog come to you, not to reach out toward its face. And as said, petting the dog's sides or back is fine, but still do not reach over the head to get there.
I have dealt with some aggressive dogs and by ignoring them until they assume a non-aggressive posture have been able to meet them safely. If a dog is coming at me aggressively, all bets are off and I go into serious alpha counter-aggressive mode. That is when it is really coming at me, not just posturing.
I have two Eskie rescues. The breed was selected as alert dogs on European farms. That means they naturally bark and warn of strange people or animals approaching, or familiar people or animals leaving. When someone approaches me with the dogs, I will quiet them (sometimes more easily said than done). If they want to pet the dogs, I tell them that they can be aggressive, but if they are patient and we talk for a bit I can introduce them. If either of us are in a hurry, we skip it.
We do move him off the trail and to the side, have him sit and we always have a hand on his harness so he cannot get away. Even with this approach you'd be surprised at how many people STILL walk right up to him sitting there with us on the side and immediately stick their hand in his face or start petting him on the head. Like I had posted earlier, when you see people with a dog moved off to the side, just walk on by. You would more than likely do the same if it was just two humans pulled over to the side of the trail, I don't know why people think it's different if it's humans and dogs pulled to the side.
Even if/when a dog runs up to me unleashed and seems all friendly, I still don't immediately stick my hand out to pet it--I either just keep going or bend down to it's level turned sideways to not appear aggressive. I don't want people putting hands in my face, most dogs don't like it either although they tend to tolerate it. But if it's that 1 time out 10 or 100 that the dog doesn't tolerate it anymore than the dog gets blamed and not the person who stuck their hand in it's face.
How did you get the trailname Wakapak? Uhh, I assume that is your trailname? Don't hate me for this but somehow I totally missed your user name in your first post and when I first saw mentioned Wakapak I thought it was a dog obedience training program or a doggie pack or something to do with training a dog. Uhh, I know I had an abused childhood where I ate lead paint chips.
Lol! got it on my first thru-hike in '99 down in Georgia....got so fed up one night with the amount of mice using my pack as jungle gym while it was hanging on the shelter wall above me that i took the broom next to me and started swinging at them. Even though I left the zippers open, they still chewed the damn things and it never zipped right again; they were also falling from the pack and landed near my hair which made them go for my hair-nasty! Valuable lesson learned that night: sleep in a tent as much as possible!How did you get the trailname Wakapak? Uhh, I assume that is your trailname? Don't hate me for this but somehow I totally missed your user name in your first post and when I first saw mentioned Wakapak I thought it was a dog obedience training program or a doggie pack or something to do with training a dog. Uhh, I know I had an abused childhood where I ate lead paint chips.
This is a really good blog post from someone that gets it
http://notesfromadogwalker.com/2013/...for-your-dogs/
LOL LOL LOL.
So are Chaco and you passing the laptop back and forth or do you each have your own? Families that WB together stay together.
we have separate laptops but have been talking and working on this for the past few months. Just trying to be responsible dog owners so that Grayson can continue to join us on our hikes.
I agree, I hike with my black lab off leash and if he wants to be petted he will approach , if not he will come back to me or just pass,I tried training him but we both lost interest.
He has become the perfect hiking companion, I just need to find better sleeping arrangments when tenting( he likes to sleep real close)
Great thread starter Chaco! I would add hand signals for fun at the same time "out" in front and "left" and "right" it's all fun!
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Thank God Chaco,you get it!
I've been training dogs for obedience since 1983. Have AKC obedience titles on my dogs. I just detest people who shove themselves on my dog without asking, or shove their dogs on my dog, saying "oh they can touch, they just want to say hi".
No, leave my dog alone ESPECIALLY when I tell you to stop bringing your dog over.
Case in point. I am out on a trail, where you see 1 person in 2 miles. As remote as I can get on a weekday, in Phoenix.
This just actually happened to me 5 days ago. I told this 20 something guy with his dog (it was on a leash). I moved over to the side of a 7 foot wide trail, plenty of room for him to pass. I told him I don't want my dog touching or sniffing his dog. This bastard kept coming at me saying oh they just want to smell & say "hi".
Hey idiot! When I tell you to leave my dog & I alone, I mean it!
I had to take my hiking stick & slam it between the 2 dogs on the ground, his dog backed away. Then he says to me, don't hit my dog. I said, I didnt but I will, if you won't leave me alone. I told him, this is a trail, not a dog park.
Friggin idiots! I hate people like that! That's how dog fights start. If the owner tells you to leave the dog alone, duuuhhhhh.........
DO IT!
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