Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
Dick.
Stupid people!
- Thread starter Leanne
- Start date
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
@kateincornwall, you are a one 
- Location
- The Hague, The Netherlands
The mind boggles....what more can I say... Just feel sad for the Jack Russell who has a clueless owner.
- Location
- Argyll & Bute, Scotland
Equally, I remember very well Hattie being in season was ON LEAD and being surrounded by 2 border collies trying to mount her. I was frantically trying to avoid them getting to her whilst shouting to the owner to get his dogs on lead. He thought it amusing, I DID NOT and I let him know it. I think we all have a responsibility to each other as down owners not just the bitch owners. Just sayin' xx
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
I don't think people should take out their' in season bitches', I never did, mainly because I thought it would leave a trail for male dogs to follow and they would be outside the gate waiting! I also thought I had a responsibility to other dog owners with entire males.
I personally think everyone should just take responsibility for their own dog in every circumstance and not rely on other people to make their life easier.
I think I’m a pretty considerate dog walker and would never intentionally let my dog irritate another person or dog but I do get fed up of people putting their dogs in awkward situations then being annoyed that other people’s dogs didn’t react the way they wanted/expected.
Stanley is neutered and I would say he has a pretty decent recall but he has still reacted to a few bitches in heat before when we’ve been out, I don’t know whether their scent was stronger than usual or something.
Someone had a go at me because of it once as he was really sniffing and I wasn’t very polite. I don’t think bitches in heat should be kept inside but I also don’t think they should be taken to offlead areas in the middle of the day on lead or not because realistically how am I supposed to train a solid recall against a bitch in heat? If people kept them to the streets etc then my dog would also be on a lead and it wouldn’t be a problem.
I think I’m a pretty considerate dog walker and would never intentionally let my dog irritate another person or dog but I do get fed up of people putting their dogs in awkward situations then being annoyed that other people’s dogs didn’t react the way they wanted/expected.
Stanley is neutered and I would say he has a pretty decent recall but he has still reacted to a few bitches in heat before when we’ve been out, I don’t know whether their scent was stronger than usual or something.
Someone had a go at me because of it once as he was really sniffing and I wasn’t very polite. I don’t think bitches in heat should be kept inside but I also don’t think they should be taken to offlead areas in the middle of the day on lead or not because realistically how am I supposed to train a solid recall against a bitch in heat? If people kept them to the streets etc then my dog would also be on a lead and it wouldn’t be a problem.
- Location
- Argyll & Bute, Scotland
That was good of you Sonia, I wouldn't go that far at all. Why should a bitch not get her excersise because she's in season but a dog with his balls should and is allowed to bother the bitch who in my case was Hattie and I was being responsibe having her on lead? xx
- Location
- Argyll & Bute, Scotland
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
Because the season will only last 3 weeks or so
I agree with you though that a dog should not bother a bitch in season and the owner should restrain it. However, if I had a bitch in season out and a male dog came alone, I would feel it was my fault, rightly or wrongly 
However again, if I met a bitch in season with Rourke and I have, I would make every effort to put him on the lead and keep him away from the bitch and I would feel it my fault. You see, it is me, I suffer a guilty conscience on every level 
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
I am very lucky that there just isn’t an issue where I am with walking bitches in season. Luna and Ginny have been off lead on normal walks throughout their seasons. We just don’t see other dogs enough to worry about it, and have never had boys follow the trail back to us. The worst we had was the neighbour’s in season butch camping outside our gates and crying to get to Shadow.
I’m not sure how I would approach it if I lived in a busier place.
I’m not sure how I would approach it if I lived in a busier place.
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Personally, as the owner of a bitch in season, I make every effort to keep her away from areas where an entire dog is likely to be, I just happen to think that's best for all concerned. And always on her lead or harness. Yes, I'm fortunate that I can access out of the way places.
I'm not sure how the owners of entire males could be expected to know that a bitch is in heat, until told. Of course it isn't funny, but any of our dogs can have a fall from grace and this is an issue when nature is bigger than all of us, except I know that in competition/working scenario's dog's are expected to overcome this desire. Most dogs don't fall into that category.
While I certainly don't condone the plain stupid and possibly irresponsible behavior of the woman Leanne encountered, I do think sometimes dog owners could cut each other a little slack. None of them are robots!
I'm not sure how the owners of entire males could be expected to know that a bitch is in heat, until told. Of course it isn't funny, but any of our dogs can have a fall from grace and this is an issue when nature is bigger than all of us, except I know that in competition/working scenario's dog's are expected to overcome this desire. Most dogs don't fall into that category.
While I certainly don't condone the plain stupid and possibly irresponsible behavior of the woman Leanne encountered, I do think sometimes dog owners could cut each other a little slack. None of them are robots!
- Location
- Argyll & Bute, Scotland
How do you know a dog heading towards your on lead bitch in season has his balls until it's possibly too late?
It's a two way street and yes of course all owners mostly do and should cut each other a little slack or there would more awful issues. xx
Last edited by a moderator:
Leanne
Sniffer Dog
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
I think that there is a significant difference between taking your in season dog out on a walk and letting your in season dog go off lead and enable them to approach other dogs.
In my scenario Mas was not the one who approached, she did not have control over her dog and frankly if Mas had been interested he would have had time to mount and potentially lock before the owner even informed me that she was in season!
In my scenario Mas was not the one who approached, she did not have control over her dog and frankly if Mas had been interested he would have had time to mount and potentially lock before the owner even informed me that she was in season!
- Location
- Argyll & Bute, Scotland
We have a lot of problems with in season bitches being walked on our local parks. There ar just too many dogs he being walked for it to he a safe practice. Emotionally male dogs get extremely interested and aggitated and even the best dog may not recall, and they can smell a female from along off. I can tell just by the way Rory is reacting if there's an in season female on the park even if I don't see them or even if the dog has gone home. I watch him carefully and put him on his lead I will change my route and even go home. I never walked Moo on any of the local parks when she was in season it would have been frightening for her and unkind on any male dog in the area. They are dogs and only obeying their natural drives so I feel it's disrespectful to expose them to this kind of danger.
- Location
- Close to Devon/Somerset border
Molly only came into season once before she was spayed. She spent the entire time - over 3 weeks - in our garden, we are fortunate in having a fairly large garden. To prevent her getting too bored, we devised various games.
She became ball obsessed during this time and also started to 'find' things to bring back to us - effectively she started retrieving. Some of the games we played she has continued to 'ask' to play now, even 18 months down the line.
I can only assume people take the risk because they have no garden or anywhere to take their bitch safely. Can't understand otherwise. It must upset everyone, the bitch, any approaching dog and both sets of owners !
She became ball obsessed during this time and also started to 'find' things to bring back to us - effectively she started retrieving. Some of the games we played she has continued to 'ask' to play now, even 18 months down the line.
I can only assume people take the risk because they have no garden or anywhere to take their bitch safely. Can't understand otherwise. It must upset everyone, the bitch, any approaching dog and both sets of owners !
Completely agree and this is exactly what I mean about taking responsibility for your own dog.
If you’re taking your bitch in season somewhere where there will be offlead dogs and are relying on people having perfect recalls so intact males won’t run up then you’re not taking responsibility for your own dog.
I would never rely on other people to have well trained dogs to keep Stanley safe. I keep Stanley safe because as we’ve all experienced, you can’t rely on a lot of other owners because they don’t care!
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
Saw a huge German Shepherd walking through the capital of Andorra the other day wearing pants. I couldn’t help but laugh.
There was a time when all the dogs you saw in the city were tiny, but now it seems loads of people have very large dogs.
But a GSD in pants. Pfffft
There was a time when all the dogs you saw in the city were tiny, but now it seems loads of people have very large dogs.
But a GSD in pants. Pfffft
- Location
- Buckinghamshire UK
It really all comes down to protecting our dogs. A Jack Russell, off lead, was allowed to approach another dog, way ahead of her owner whilst in season. She was not protected. I see no protection anywhere in this scenario for this little girl.