Why do people walk their dogs without putting them on a leash?

People that do this drive me crazy. I used to walk my German Shepard around our neighborhood when we first moved in 2 years ago. I always walked her on her leash especially because she was a puppy and I was in the process of training her. I began to realize very quickly my whole neighborhood is full of idiots. They are many people that let there dogs just roam around with no supervision and no leash or form of containment. My dog had always been friendly so I was not so concerned with her until the worst happened. A neighbor was mowing his front yard with his dog roaming around and the dog came after me and therefore attacked my puppy. Ever since then she has been semi-dog aggressive and we do not walk her anymore because I am not taking any chances of this happening again. Basically I blame my dogs trauma on my neighbors and I have to fix it because they wont put there dogs in the backyard or at least leash them! It scares me half to death because all the little dogs run right to our fence as were playing since we cant "walk" and try and get in. God forbid they did and she decided she did not like it who knows what could happen.

Don't put your dog down if you can avoid it...take it to obedience classes and see what you can do about it's dominance of it's territory.

Secondly, I'm sure the chihuahua was showing aggression. Usually small dogs like that go ape **** on any dog they see and snarl and nip and what not. Killing it was a bit over the top but I would say it would be natural to respond aggressively especially when tied up and you can't get away.

I had a similar experience when I was walking my black lab. I had her on a leash and I passed a yard with a chihuahua without a leash. The chihuahua charged towards my dog snarling and nipping at her paws while the owners were on the other side of the yard. My reaction? Maybe not the best but I picked up the chihuahua by the scruff and threw it away from my dog and continued to do so until it stopped coming back. What makes me feel a little bad is that I wasn't very gently (didn't harm it long term) but I was kinda without a choice because my dog was freaking out.

Your dog is not at fault. If anything I might just consider getting a chain link fence or something if your dog needs it.

Additional random tidbits: This one other time when I was walking my dog I saw this family in their backyard with a boxer and pitbull playing and running around. They weren't contained but I assumed they had a shock collar on or something with how fast they were running around ( I would've been concerned if they were my dogs anyways). Long story short they saw my dog and both ran into the street and swarmed us. They were friendly but scared my dog and I half to death. The owners are just lucky that I react calmly to most things and I grabbed both their collars while also holding my dog. The road was very busy and had I not done that I'm sure they would have been hit. How did the owners respond? Cursing at the dog, rage, and not one word of apology or thanks to me. Fk you people who don't deserve dogs.

Also...I am sometimes one of those idiots who walks my dog without a leash. When I do it though I am usually on a bike path in a wooded area when no one is around so I don't really consider it to be the same thing. If I do see a person or a dog I put my dog on her leash immediately even though I know she will listen to verbal commands. I feel bad for the lady but when you go leashless everything that happens is on you.

I am not sure why you would put your Akita down unless it has shown aggression towards other dogs or people in the past and this time it escalated into a kill. This is totally the other dog owner's fault. My only critisisim in this is that you tie your Akita. Tying your dog will cause further frustration for her in a confrontation situation and could explain why she killed as opposed to warning the chihauhua being in her yard. I am so sorry for your situation and I agree that all dog owners should keep their dogs on leashes when out in public...even the so-called trained dogs.

"Why do people walk their dogs without putting them on a leash?"

Because they think they are special and the law doesn't apply to them. The law is there more for those type of people than the rest of us, who don't have to be told that off-leash dogs can sometimes cause trouble.

Please don't put your Akita down. It wasn't her fault at all. Can you build her a run in the back yard instead, so that if a dog trespasses she can't grab it?

The owner of the dog needs to know how to "operate" the dog, same way you can get into a car that's in perfect running order but if you don't know how to drive you won't have much luck making the car go anywhere. If the owner doesn't know how to maintain the training, the dog will soon become untrained again. Read more here https://tr.im/46gPt

People seem to think that once a dog is trained, that's it. Not true. You must reinforce the dog's training every single day in some way. It's best if the owner and the dog go together to get trained. As a professional trainer once said to me "We can train any dog in 2 days. It takes longer to train the owners

i had 2 dogs on leash. they were rescues and troubled, but i loved them dearly and trained them extensively. another woman was walking her dogs (one on leash, the other off). the off leash dog came up to my 2, postured and growled. my 2 literally ripped the other dog in half before the other lady could make it across the street.

i was going to make a point here, but now i am crying and can't remember what the point was other than i agree with you.

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This includes housetraining, leash training, obedience training, socialization, and problem solving. In addition to providing your dog with needed skills, this time will also be a great opportunity for you to bond with him. Take the time to really get to know your pet while training him and a loving relationship will easily develop.

she most likely trusted her dog not to run away but that did not happen or maybe she forgot to put it on a leash

Learning how to train your dog will improve your life and hers, enhance the bond between you, and ensure her safety and it can be a lot of fun. Dogs are usually eager to learn, and the key to success is good communication. Your dog needs to understand how you’d like her to behave and why it’s in her best interest to comply with your wishes. Check here to learn how to train your dog properly https://tr.im/62892

ignorance

they see professional trainers do it so their dog can do it too

just finished reading

and you are thinking of putting your dog down, why?