Etiquette for the beach??

[lindsaymcc]

Hi all,

Was wondering if there is an unwritten etiquette for having dogs down on the beach?

A few times now, my husband has been down to give Jake a run, and being a sociable puppy, Jake has run off to other dogs to say hello... no barking, no jumping, no growling, just running over at speed to say hello. On these occasions, owners of other dogs have been fairly rude in telling Dave to put Jake on his lead, and to control him, despite them having their own dogs off the lead and running around free.

Jake is a big dog for his age, people dont realise he is only 5 months old, and still learning, but how is he supposed to learn if he is kept on the lead at all times? Is there an unwritten rule that unless your dog will ignore every other dog or person in the area, they have to be kept on leads?

Todays comment really upset us as foul language (will you keep your ******* dog on a lead) was used in front of our 3 children, who are only 6,5 and 3yrs old.

Sorry, needed a rant, Jake is very precious to us, and he is still learning, and we thought was getting better every single day, but Im prepared for constructive criticism if its warranted!

[achingale]

They have obviously forgotten what their dog was like when it was just learning. Most doggie people do not mind a dog running up to them and playing with their dogs. And you are right, there is no need for foul language in such circumstances. If that happens again I would ask them not to swear in front of your children and ask them how they dealt with their dog when it was a puppy when it did exactly the same thing. That should give them something to think about. But keep letting your dog off the lead - he has as much right to the beach as those other dogs off the lead.

[wrightchatterbox]

Maybe these owners dont like sociable dogs! Dont worry lindsaymcc,even worse is there are ppl like that with other ppl

[Commore]

I would agree with the previous twp posts, I would say don't take it to heart and that these people are the ones needing to learn some manners
Jake has every right to jump leap and play and be social just like everyone else who is fortunate enough to have access to a beach,

As far as we can see you are doing just fine.

[lindsaymcc]

Thanks all of you.

I wondered if there was a secret code I was unaware of LOL

Considering the beach was full of people with their dogs today, it only took 1 person to ruin the afternoon for us all.

Maybe we need to stick to taking him down there in the evenings when it is less busy and just walking him in the forest or out on Dunnet Beach during the day!

[scorpion]

Unfortunately with the recent new laws passed regarding the control of dogs , owners can now be fined for allowing thier dogs to run towards people and other animals , the only other problem i can see is that not every dog that sees another dog running towards it knows if it is going to be friendly or not so if the dog defends itself against a dog running at it then who is responsible . If a person comes out of a pub or nightclub and someone comes running at them , how do expect that person to react ?

[Commore]

Unfortunately with the recent new laws passed regarding the control of dogs , owners can now be fined for allowing thier dogs to run towards people and other animals , the only other problem i can see is that not every dog that sees another dog running towards it knows if it is going to be friendly or not so if the dog defends itself against a dog running at it then who is responsible . If a person comes out of a pub or nightclub and someone comes running at them , how do expect that person to react ?

I think you are taking this out of context altogether, no disrespect intended but the majority of dogs do recognise a puppy when they see one, whereas, it's owner may not.
Most puppies are submissive to other dogs and will lay down or seek approval from other dogs, few puppies have the brain to be hostile.
I think it suffice that the person /s who ruined this young families day out is no more nor less than a very selfish person whose attitude clearly toward people with children needs addressing.
Swearing at an adult is rarely acceptable, swearing in front of wee ones shows the person as plain and simple downright ignorant.

[buggyracer]

Whilst I've never complained about a strange dog running upto my dogs I'm afraid it's one thing that does bug me, one of my dogs used to not get along with strange dogs and if another dog would approach him, he would certainly try to fight with it, he would be on a lead the moment other dogs were on the beach but I would also have another 2-3 dogs walking at heal with me, and trying to control all of them when one strange dog albeit innocently joins in is not easy I certainly would appreciate if dog owners didn't let there dogs run upto other dogs no matter how friendly they are the others may not be, can I ask if your dog was a small breed dog would you be so happy with it running upto much larger strange dogs where it could be seriously injured within seconds?

[pepsimax]

I dont see what the problem is with letting your dog off the lead on the beach so long as they are not aggressive or jumping up on other peoples kids. I usually put my dogs on the lead if another dog walker is coming with their dog on the lead. I walk the riverside/boating pond area quite a lot with and without the dogs and too many people have let their dogs come bounding up and frightening my kids - they might know that their dogs are harmless but how do we? My 4yr old has even been knocked over by a big dog who jumped up on him to give him a kiss. This really gets to me and I love dogs!

[lindsaymcc]

Well then, in light of the last few posts, should all dogs be on the lead in a public place at all times then?

Im not being malicious at all, and making out that Jake is an angel, he is a 5mnth old puppy with lots of enthusiasm! I can totally see from other points of view - Jake has had a much bigger dog than him come for him and jump on him, it scared the hell out of him. Im just not sure how to go about this, in some respects I think we should keep him on the lead if other dogs are around, and then in the same breath I think that he needs to learn to be social, and is as entitled as any other dog, to run free.

Will definately be avoiding Thurso beach at weekends from now on though, Dunnet is bigger and quieter.

[Liz]

I choose to keep Benjy on a lead when out for a walks but that is for his own safety as the poor dog has been attacked a few times!

I do have a problem with dogs which aren't on leads if they are not sociable and whose owner has no control over them.

However, Jake wasn't doing any harm at all and there was absolutely no need for that person to be so rude!(I would only be angry if a dog attacked Benjy)I do have to say that I am wary when I see a strange dog which is off the lead and coming in our direction as I don't know whether it is friendly or not.

So I would say the only etiquette is to respect other dogs and their owners and only let your dog off the lead if you know it is okay with other dogs and people and has good recall.

Don't let this incident spoil your walks Lindsay and let Jake continue to enjoy his runs on the beach.

[lindsaymcc]

Ok, we have decided to work more on Jakes recall, and only let him run free if the beach is quiet. We take him over the green a lot, were he is usually the only dog there so he will still get good runs, also Dunnet Beach and forest are favourites.

Thanks for all the advice.

[sweetpea]

I too keep my dog on the lead, firstly because he is quite nervous and not that big so if a big dog comes up to him he will react by trying to fight. The other night a german shepherd did this in the Bignold Park and my dog was wanting to fight it so I had to lift him off the ground as I didn't know what the other dog would do. The dog did go back to it's owner who was a fair way off after a few calls but I was a bit scared myself.

[Sarah]

I agree with them, sorry. Not every dog is friendly and not every person likes dogs. I would keep him on the lead until you have him better trained. It would annoy me if he came running up to me, as both my dogs have been attacked by dogs being offlead. If you had him on the lead, then asked if he could play, then that would be fine.

Really, what if one day he ran up to someone or some dog and he was attacked? It happened to my parents Lurcher, and someone kicked my dog in the face. It was entirely our fault, but it just shows how some people reacted.

[ducati]

Lyndsay, we will have to get Jake together with Baz & Kayli on Dunnet beach when it is quiet and they can run each others legs off

[Dadie]

It is polite to leash your dog before meeting and greeting.
Espesh. if its someone or a dog you dont know you meet..then if the other owner is ok let them meet, then lead off time...
Not just for the fact your dog may attack...which sounds unlikely ..but the other dog may not be as nice!
As well as the fact little people may be on the beach as well who wont appreciate over enthusiastic loving from a puppy...even if they are used to their own dog.
If the beach is free from people, then unleash...if not and you dont trust the recall then dont.
Your dog could get a nasty scare or worse from another dog that isnt tolerant of others and that wont do him any good.
Ps if you use Dunnet forest a lot get him covered for ticks before ticks cover him! Its notorious for the little bloodsuckers!

[dragonfly]

have you not been up Naver Moors with him yet Lindsay? hardly anyone but dog walkers and dirt bikers go up there and he can run off lead to his hearts content - just wear old clothes and wellies.

I'm not getting involved in the ettiquette bit, my 3 lose all manners when out and about but would just like to say that dogs are able to tell what others are like by their body language so would soon be able to tell a happy bouncy puppy from an aggressive grown dog.....thats why when they see another dog coming towards them they stop, look, assess and then meet and greet or take a wide berth

[Skirza]

Naver moors? Can you give directions please

[dragonfly]

head up to Naver Business Centre/football field, in the pennyland estate in Thurso (sign posts for Naver business centre near Frasers supermarket) entry is just at Naver Gym and its a case of following the well trodden footpaths

[Skirza]

Many thanks