How are dogs to get their exercise if they’re always on a leash or in a yard? I take my dogs to the dog park (on a leash) and let them run around to get exercise and tire them out. An unexercised dog, one with pent up energy, is often a destructive dog. I am sure it varies by breed, smaller ones being content to get as much exercise as my indoor cat might, but bigger breeds, like Husky’s (mine), Labs, Shepherds, etc., NEED exercise daily.
I’d also like to add that people who take their toddlers or small children to designated off-leash dog parks are just as stupid as dog owners who let their dogs off-leash near playgrounds with kids in it.
I think we’re totally on the same page here - and I know that English Staffordshire Terriers are renowned for being family-friendly; the common ‘pit’ bull is likely crossed with other breeds, especially if it’s fighting stock, which introduces some of the ‘uncertainty’ especially if crossed with rottweilers or the like. Rotties are also incredibly friendly and loyal dogs, they love their people, and they’re supposed to be good with kids. It’s about knowing the animal, training, monitoring, and ensuring it never gets a chance. Bigger dog = bigger risk, but as you rightly point out every dog is a risk.
I’m looking at getting an English mastiff, as well as getting married and having some kids. Mastiffs were bred to be war dogs and used throughout history in blood sports like bear or bull baiting in England. They’re also loyal, intelligent, kid-friendly, and seldom aggressive to other dogs. None the less, if I get one and have kids, there’s no bloody way it’ll be in the room with junior without me standing right next to it until junior’s old enough to handle the dog on his or her own. And to be honest, I’m even a little nervous about my fiance - she’s only about 110lbs and a mastiff can outweigh her by 60lbs or more.
I think you have it backwards (at least according to our local bylaws) - offleash areas are ONLY for dog that are so well-trained that they can be allowed off a leash and still obey commands. Off-leash areas aren’t meant to be a free-for-all of dogs and owners doing whatever they please - the dogs in them are supposed to be under control at all times.
I’ve said this before and I’ll probably say it again; I foresee a future where dogs simply aren’t allowed in cities. Relying on the owners to train and control their dogs and not allow them to negatively affect anyone else just isn’t working.
Except there’s a park near my house on my running route that is NOT a dog park, and definitely NOT an off leash park. That does not stop dog owners from letting their dogs off leash. That’s true thoughtless, selfish and stupid dog owner behavior for you.
It’s worth pointing out that keeping a dog on a run isn’t legal in all areas. We just got a notice in our water bill that dogs are not to be on a line or leash unless they’re in a situation where they should always be leashed (out in public, vet’s office, stores, etc.) In other words, no tying your dog to a tree and leaving him out front. Indoors and fences only. I’d never heard of a law like that and found it interesting. (I have cats.)
Guide dogs are trained on-leash, actually. With a long enough leash you can practice comes quite well. As for exercise, long walks do fine. Our breeder Golden is seldom off leash, except in our fenced backyard, but is in very good shape with walks. Guide dogs in training are never supposed to go off leash in public.
When I was a letter carrier, I got issued a spray can of Mace to protect me against dogs. I used it also. (Not against pit bulls, I think.) One time the owner came running out yelling “he won’t hurt you” as the dog got my pants leg, nearly getting me. If doggie mace is available, I’d get some. If a dog attacks, spray him. If the owner objects, spray her.
I’d also report attacks to the police or to animal control. A dog that attacks once may attack again with worse consequences.
The off leash parks ARE marked; the rest are not marked. The one I mentioned near my house has enough people who’ve started taking their dogs there off leash that one woman I spoke to tried to argue with me that the park is an off leash park.
But it’s not. Not only is it not marked that way, I checked online and it most definitely is not an off leash park. I think they are confusing the city putting out baggie for them to collect their dog poop as signage that the park is an off leash park.
Not yet but once the weather gets decent and I encounter dogs on my run (at 6:30 AM BTW), I plan to.
I don’t want to be prey and I’m not play either. I just want folks to keep their dogs on leashes. I would NEVER run in an off leash park, that would be stupid. I shouldn’t feel like I am around this park I’ve mentioned.
Putting the small dog in a trash can is a great idea. Mrs. Plant tells me that picking up asmall dog to protect it is “the worst thing you can do”. Any comments on that?
I would agree, unless it’s being attacked by an equally very small dog and you’re wearing long pants.
If a mean dog wants to get at your little dog, they won’t be averse to getting at it through your arms. It might even get pissed off at you for taking away it’s snack.
I hope that these areas are only urban–where I grew up fences would’ve been impractical for most people. And forget about dog parks. We never considered invisible fencing for our own dog, mainly because he was the type that would bolt right past it. So a dog run in the back yard was our only real option if he was to have a chance to run around, outside of hunting season.
I also have a small concern with fencing in that I’ve met way too many jumpy dogs (many of them large breeds) who were kept in places where you had to go past them to get to the person’s front door. It’s annoying at best and scary (or even dangerous–guess where the black lab I mentioned above was kept?) at worst. Many or these were on runs, but still.
You misunderstand. I would never, ever say that a dog should be always on a leash or in a yard. They need and have to be exercised. All I am saying is dogs should be on a lead when outside and not fenced, invisibly or not, and walked on a leash. I have never been to a dog park, and stated as much earlier, and am unfamiliar with their rules. When I can’t walk my dog, he is let out as much as he wants to be out, and he is on a 20-foot lead in front so as not to make walkers nervous if they can’t see the lead, and a 30-foot lead in back where he can romp a little more.
It’s called a “no tethering” or anti-tether law. Here’s a good site:
Apparently, while there are no reliable statistics linking specific breeds to a higher incidence of attacks on humans, there IS a statistical link between tied-up/chained/tethered dogs and attacks on humans. Tethered dogs appear disproportionately in dog bite stats, and children seem especially vulnerable, whether because they approach tethered dogs put of compassion or to tease or abuse them.
The problem is, it isn’t pitiful, it’s reality. Pits are more likely to attack (not necessarily blaming the dog) because they are BRED for it.
And yes, I’m speaking of the Staffordshire Terrier…American style.
It is their instinct to defend…the problem is, they are such a massively muscled and jaw-strengthened breed that when they decide to go into attack or defend mode, the owner can’t reason with them and due to their makeup, they do extreme damage compared to the “cup poodle” or whatever reference.
Pits are regulated in many cities for a reason, and it isn’t just because it’s the preferred breed of crack dealers and friends of Mike Vick.
They ARE dogs that have a genetic propensity towards aggression, and unfortunately for the victims of their seemingly “random” attacks, they also have a genetic propensity for being a “finisher” in attack mode.