My dog is too boisterous - what can I do?

I wouldn’t say it’s not going to happen, as it was a filmmaker mate of mine who experienced those brilliant moments :)

"Freedom should be the norm and being on a lead the exception, not the other way around. But I’m realising more and more that people rarely dare to speak to other owners, let alone suggest letting the dogs off. It’s sad! How can your dog be sociable if you aren’t? Since I got my dog, I talk to everyone; I almost always suggest letting the dogs off if they aren't already free. Owners with puppies are thrilled; the older ones are sometimes a bit crusty but they soon soften up (the humans, I mean!). The only exception is when I really run into potentially dangerous cases (precisely the ones that have never been let off). To me, getting a dog means accepting that you have to make an effort to reach out to others constantly, at least for the first year or so, even if you go out in groups less often later on. A walk alone with a dog on the end of a lead is worth nothing." A mate of mine has a great story about this. He was at his holiday cottage and, like you, he’s a big advocate for off-lead freedom. He was with his little Doodle (looks a bit like a medium Poodle), off-lead, and he bumped into a very old man with his Bichon on a lead. The dogs seemed to take a liking to each other, so my mate asked him, "Why not let him off?" The man replied, "Oh, we’ve never done that, you know..." in a worried but curious tone. My mate managed to convince him, but on one condition: "If you ever meet my wife, whatever you do, don't tell her!!" "Alright, I'll stick to the deal." So he let his Bichon off, the dogs had a blast, the humans chatted, they had a lovely time. The next day, my mate ran into a very elderly lady with the same Bichon. He figured it was probably the old man’s wife, and he was right. She called out to him and said, "You know, I know everything. He told me." My friend felt a bit of panic rising, not knowing if it had caused a row or something. She continued, "Do you think we could try it again? I’d like to let him off too, but on one very important condition: You don’t say a word to my husband!!" LOL 😌

Being off-lead should be the norm and being on a lead the exception, not the other way around. But I’m realising more and more that people rarely dare to speak to other owners, let alone suggest letting the dogs have a run together. It’s sad! How can your dog be sociable if you aren’t? Since I got my girl, I talk to everyone; I almost always suggest letting the dogs off if they aren't already. Owners with young dogs are thrilled, while the older ones can be a bit grumpy sometimes but they soon soften up (the humans, I mean!). The only exception is when I come across potentially dangerous cases (exactly the ones who’ve never been let off). For me, getting a dog means accepting that you have to make the effort to constantly approach others, at least for the first year or so, even if you end up going out in groups a bit less later on. A walk alone with a dog stuck on a lead is pretty pointless. My mate had a classic experience with this. He was at his holiday cottage and, like you, he’s a bit of an apostle for the off-lead life. He was out with his little doodle (looks a bit like a medium-sized poodle), off-lead, and he ran into a very old man with his bichon on a lead. The dogs seemed to hit it off, so my mate asked him, "Why not let him off?" The man replied, "Oh, we’ve never done that, you see..." in a worried but curious tone. My mate managed to convince him, but on one condition: "If you ever meet my wife, for heaven's sake, don't tell her!!" "Right, I’ll keep my side of the bargain." So, he lets his bichon off, the dogs have a whale of a time, the humans have a chat, and everyone’s happy. The next day, my mate runs into a very old lady with the same bichon. He figured it was probably the old man's wife, and he was right. She called out to him and said, "You know, I know everything. He told me." At this point, my friend started to get a bit worried, not knowing if it had caused a bit of a row. She continued, "Do you think we could try again? I’d like to let him off too, but on one very important condition: You don't say a word to my husband!!" LOLLLL

I often use the command 'steady', just like the others mentioned above. You really have to be patient; training a dog takes time, and I can completely understand that it’s often exhausting or can even be a bit scary. I’m also trying my best to train my German Shepherd and I’ve found this detailed book online: http://go.6a756c69656e3734343230z2ec6e656f616964.3.1tpe.net. Do you reckon it might be useful for his training?

Hi there, By the way, whereabouts are you based? Because I've got a little 6-month-old Rhodesian (he's 35kg / about 5 and a half stone though!) who also loves being a bit of a bruiser (and giving Cane Corsos a run for their money!). He's off-lead 90% of the time on our walks (so I'm struggling a bit when he's on the lead—I'm going to start a new thread about that), and he’s lucky enough to meet quite a few other off-lead dogs several times a week. It's worth asking around; there are always a few 'hotspots' for dog walks with a fair few owners who have a more relaxed attitude and won't be afraid to let your dog play with theirs. You should avoid the 'granny parks' and town centres. Mind you, as for Cane Corsos, I’ve always seen them as being quite 'boisterous' (sorry for the cliché, but the two I know are like that and they're doing just fine). He gets put in his place by other dogs, but at the moment it probably isn't clear enough for him. Is he never a bit wary with certain dogs? Mine is starting to get a bit 'shier' with some other dogs... it’s a recent thing. He's becoming more cautious.

I completely agree with what you're saying, Lorna. We see so many owners who are terrified of letting their dogs off the lead... Most of the time, once they're off-lead, dogs handle it perfectly well because they know the social cues and quickly read each other's body language. So they adapt: either they're on the same wavelength and start playing, or if one is more reserved, they just have a quick sniff before moving on. And it really is lovely to chat with owners who are happy for their dogs to socialise with some pals! Every time I head out for a walk in the countryside, I'm hoping we'll bump into some friends. We live in an area full of cats, but none of our neighbours have a dog! I'm the same, I'm always chuffed to see other dogs :-) Whereas with some owners, you’d think the sky was falling in the moment they spot a snout on the horizon—panicked recalls, sudden U-turns and "flying" little dogs being scooped up... Honestly. Around here we still have quite a few semi-stray dogs, and they're all incredibly sociable; that really should be an inspiration to people. If we’d had to wait for the invention of the lead to stop dogs from tearing each other apart, the canine species would have died out donkey's years ago.

I completely agree with you, Lorna. You see so many owners who are just too scared to let their dogs off the lead... Most of the time, once they’re off-lead, dogs handle it perfectly well because they know their social cues and can read each other’s body language straight away. They just adapt: either they’re on the same wavelength and start playing, or if one is a bit more reserved, they just have a quick sniff before going their separate ways. And you’re right, it’s lovely to chat with owners who are happy for their dogs to make some friends! Before every walk in the countryside, I’m always hoping we’ll bump into some pals. We live in an area full of cats, but none of our neighbours has a dog!