The Yellow Dog Project

If I lived at the beach I would probably let Sally run unleashed if there were no other dogs around even though she is a reactive hot mess. But I don't live at the beach or go to our local dog park so a non issue for me. I can always turn her lose in our tick infected fields and woods but I don't do that either.

We were playing a bluegrass gig last week and Sally was along. We walked around, Sally on leash, through the venders and stopped to get fries and there were two yorkies, on leashes, right beside Sally as they all scarfed up fallen French fries. Nothing, she didn't even look at them. We walked around some more and a chi comes walking toward us-just a glance-no whirling dervish or lunging or shrieking, just walks by.

Later DH has Sally and we are just standing there and a pug comes by, close, on a leash. They touch noses and as the pug goes by Sally lunges after the pug. The owner turns around and glares and everyone looks at the barking dog that had sat so quietly at my feet earlier. Keep trying to recall the pug's body language to figure out what it was that set Sal off but I have to remind myself that it may not have been a logical response -duh.

Later, while we were onstage a beagle mix walks up(on leash) and stares at her while she is laying at the feet of our sound man(on leash) and I am watching, dreading, waiting for the frenzy to begin, but nothing happens-she just looks away.

Just when I think I might have a clue about dog behavior I have to remember the first rule of dealing with animals-they are animals and therefore unpredictable. Off leash does carry risks-dog running off, getting hit or lost, or getting attacked or attacking other critters . I'm an old chicken so Sally stays on a leash or lunge line unless we are alone in an enclosed area, and that doesn't really happen that often. :sadsmile:
 
I have a yellow ribbon tied to Olive's leash whenever we're out walking on the sidewalks beyond our own neighborhood. Every dog owner we have encountered has respected it - we step off the walk and Olive sits, while we wait patiently for the other dog/human pair to continue past without interaction. If we are walking in our neighborhood, Olive doesn't have her yellow ribbon, and we've encountered many of the same dog/human pairs so I've had a chance to talk to the owners. Some know about the yellow ribbon, some do not, but everyone thinks it's a good idea.

I do not assume that a dog on-leash is off-limits for socializing but I would ask permission first. In Olive's case, even her dog friends (well, the dogs' humans) know that they can come say "hi" anytime unless her ribbon is on. I think it is a great idea.

The yellow ribbon is a great idea, and the more people who know about it, the more effective it will be.
 
I do understand the point you are making Barb and agree. All owners should be confident on their dog's recall before it is let off. I try to be very careful about off lead dogs in the vicinity while I'm training and Epic is put on lead if I feel a dog is likely to be a nuisance. Likewise on walks mine all now go straight on their leads when I spot a strange dogs.

Epic actually has the most reliable recall of my three, he will come instantly even if running at speed in another direction but I think with any dog there is a point that fear will override training. I will always try to prevent dogs running up to Epic but if I only felt able to let him off where he was completely safe that would limit us to the garden. Aside from the fact I have more space to train in the field, he needs to be exposed to other dogs to learn how to cope with them around. Practicing there has really helped Epic become more confident because he's getting lots of rewards in the presence of strange dogs running about. I do feel I have the right to expect that we will not be harassed by other people's dogs, and that other people have the right to expect they will not get harassed by mine. It is a matter of courteousy as much as good training.

Just to elaborate on Monday's incident: The lab didn't chase Epic because he was running. Epic was actually standing near to me and the labrador ran flat out over a considerable distance straight towards us (I didn't see it until it was a couple of meters away as I think it had come from one of the nearby houses.) I tried to make a grab for the lab as it went past but it carried on running and I'm tremendously proud that Epic didn't run until it was almost upon him. He was faced with standing his ground or running as the dog came between me and him so I couldn't pick him up. He had no choice really but to run faced with more than 35kg of charging dog and then he had no opputunity to get back to me as it would have put him in right in the dog's path. Once the lab left off, Epic waited until I appeared and came running right back to me. He fortunatly does not do what many shelties would and carry on running away. The reason I was so angry was that the owner of the lab didn't even bother to check my dog was OK (or alive) before leaving. An apology would also have been nice too! Actually my issue as much with the owner's behaviour as with the dog's!

The whole thing about the Yellow Dog Project is just what dblock says - it educates owners to be aware of the needs of dogs. It might not necessarily be that a dog is fearful or agressive, could be a dog recovering from surgery, elderly frail dog, timid puppy etc. Everyone should have a right to expect they can go about their business in a public place without being harrassed by someone else's dog. It's the old old scenario of "But he only wants to play!"
I think Sophie that your post reflects just how a responsible owner should behave. You are the ideal lab owner because you know how Cadbury likes to behave, you control him on a line but let him play when you know it is a safe situation. I would have no problem at all meeting you and Cadbury on a walk :biggrin2:

I'm very against the idea of all dogs being kept on a lead all the time. From a personal perspective my dogs like having time to be themselves and I feel it's a way they can relax, like a break period. From a wider point of view I'm sure this would up the stress for a great many dogs and would probably result in more cases of aggreession as dogs become increasingly bored or frustrated
 
Dogs don't realize they are missing out on anything by being leashed on walks. If people wish to have their dogs off leash, they either need a fenced yard, teach the dog agility where it can be off leash while running, or to take their chances and go to a dog park. It is not worth the risk that my dogs might be at risk because some jerk thinks their dog needs off leash time and as a consequence ends up jumping my dog.
Maybe if you guys had dogs who were attacked to the point that they had to be rehabilitated as they could not handle being out in public with other dogs or people without a huge amount of stress you would understand. I don't ever want to go through the hell I went through to get Aurora back again.
I'm sorry, but in public dogs do not need to be off leash.
 
HopeShelties said:
Maybe if you guys had dogs who were attacked to the point that they had to be rehabilitated as they could not handle being out in public with other dogs or people without a huge amount of stress you would understand.
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HopeShelties, I do see were you're coming from and agree that dogs don't need to be off leash in PUBLIC. But having your dog off leash in the country isn't that big of a deal if it has a proper recall. I've had MANY off leash hikes with my dogs and they absolutely LOVE it.:yes:

I don't think you should just assume you are the ONLY one that has had their dog attacked. My first sheltie lost his eye when the neighbors dog got loose and attack him (he was on a leash). So I know just how traumatic it is for the dog.:(
 
I don't but feel people shouldn't be so flippant about allowing dogs off leash and using excuses like the dogs need to be able to be off leash. Safety needs to be the first concern. Just because I want my dogs to be able to experience the joys of being off leash isn't a good enough reason to put others dogs at risk.
A leash saved my Athena from what could've been an aggressive dog. Both dogs were leashed. Human stupidity was still at play though, having a small child walk what must've been a 75lb dog down the street. I was able to pick her up because she was leashed, so close to me, and was able to reach out and snatch the leash of the dog who was charging at Athena and stop it. Had that leash not been on either dog, I may not have been able to get her picked up, and more than likely couldn't have stopped the dog who had gotten away from the kid.
 
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Thanks for starting this thread I did not know about the significance of the yellow ribbon and haven't yet encountered a dog with one, but I think it's a great idea.

I'm all about following the rules, so if we're in an area where leashes are mandatory we use one. There could be people there without dogs who are fearful and have chosen that place to walk because of the leash restriction. People with small children ( anyone really) should also be able to expect that your pet will be under your control at all times.

That said I do believe, that there are times and places where the added risk of having your dog off leash is worth it for you and the dog. We live next to an amazing beach. Come fall it is virtually deserted, so once I have a fairly solid recall I expect that Hanna will be walking with us off leash. I spent many wonderful hours with my last sheltie chasing waves, and playing fetch on the beach. You can see people coming from a long ways and I always had a leash handy to clip her in soon as we saw anyone approaching. In busy season, near roads, or anywhere I'm likely to run into other people or dogs every few minutes there's no way I'd consider letting her off leash. It isn't just the danger - she's so friendly I'd also be worried about someone stealing her.
 
We have a lot of off leash areas here - they are shared areas, with bicycles, walkers, kids and dogs, probably similar to the UK. The rules of off leash are the dog must be under voice control at all times. As I've mentioned before it's general etiquette to put your dog back on lead if you come across someone with a dog on lead. A lot of people walk their dogs on lead in the off leash area - Deska has to stay on lead to prevent him chasing bicycles. There are always times a dog comes up unbid - but I agree as the others mentioned the owner should at least make an attempt to stop their dog and apologise if their dog shows bad manners.
 
One of the things I forgot to say, you may be okay with the risks, but what about those that are not? You can not make that decision for others. And, people also make bad choices about their dogs when it comes to the amount of control they think they have. There can't be rules that it's okay for those who do have control, and different rules for those who don't have control because there will always be those who don't have enough control who think they do. I'd rather see us all on leash than take the risk that someone gets hurt. I'm sorry, but mine, and many others opinion will always be that we don't want others dogs visiting ours on leash, and it isn't the decision of others to make the choice that the risk is okay.
 
HopeShelties, I don't know if you really know what we'er talking about in this. The only posts I've read about off leashed dog is in a dog park or in a place where people rarely are and when there ARE people the dog is back on the leash. No one really has the right to complain about dogs being off leash in a dog park unless the dog is aggressive (in that case I don't think the dog should be allowed in public at all). And if there is no one around, how can the dog bother anyone (like in the country or at a empty beach)? I know what your saying and agree. But in certain situations I feel a dog needs SOME freedom. You may not agree, but that's just my opinion. My dogs have a lot more fun and are happier running around with me OFF leash than on.
 
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