This is a bit of a moan so I'm not sure I'm posting on the right section. On our walk this morning we met a lady with who springer spaniels. I had been playing fetch with Homer to give him a good run and he still had his ball in his mouth as we walked along. She noticed his ball and tried to take it from him. I know taking an object ' dead' is common in gun dog training but this is not something we've put a lot of effort into, rather we wait for him to drop it in his own time. He can get a bit defensive of his ball especially when other dogs are around so he was reluctant to give up his ball. I was just about to tell the lady this as her fingers got caught between his teeth. Not hard but enough for her to pull her hand away. She was then expecting him to perform other gun dog training and tried to make him wait before fetching the ball when she threw it and got annoyed when he went into a down when she said sit. Fortunately when we walked on and he ran on ahead he stopped instantly at the gate to a field on command and came back when I called him while her dogs ran off into the mud! We didn't do gun dog training as we have no intention of going shooting but I have had a few people expect him to perform to gun dog commands simply because he is a lab. He does have a good level of training for what we want from him. He has started obedience training and goes to agility. Maybe next time I'll say he's an assistance dog instead so no one tries to 'train' him.
Re: Stranger trying to train your dog while on a walk. It's so annoying! I don't like people even asking my pups to sit, because I know they'll do it wrong and potentially weaken my cue! I'd have thought a fellow dog owner - especially one who knew training methods - would understand this, though. Silly person.
Re: Stranger trying to train your dog while on a walk. Wow, what a rude lady! You don't have to put up with other people trying to 'train' your dog without your permission. Just tell them to leave your dog alone and keep him with you till they're gone. Other people's mishandling of your dog can undo your good training, whether your dog is a pet or a retrieving champion in the making. Definitely a rant-worthy situation in my book
Re: Stranger trying to train your dog while on a walk. Ditto what the others have said.......that's so rude
Re: Stranger trying to train your dog while on a walk. Dogs and kids......people cannot resist putting their oar in.
Re: Stranger trying to train your dog while on a walk. Wow. That's quite rude. Quite disappointed, really.
Re: Stranger trying to train your dog while on a walk. I was annoyed but I don't think she intended to be rude. I do find it interesting how many people expect him to be gun dog trained just because he is a lab, maybe it's because he is so fit and handsome!
Re: Stranger trying to train your dog while on a walk. [quote author=Jes72 link=topic=9285.msg133381#msg133381 date=1420014273] I was annoyed but I don't think she intended to be rude. I do find it interesting how many people expect him to be gun dog trained just because he is a lab, maybe it's because he is so fit and handsome! [/quote] Definitely this! Have you posted photos of him? I think he needs showing off
Re: Stranger trying to train your dog while on a walk. No, I don't suppose she was meaning to be rude, but it certainly was thoughtless behaviour on her part. Actually, if he'd been a full Field Trial Champion you'd have had even more reason to be unhappy! Just because a dog has had a high standard of training, doesn't mean it should or would work for a stranger it's barely met, and even in the world of gundogs there are variations in commands and cues from handler to handler. Oh, and it was a TENNIS BALL he was holding (reward/ play article in anyone's language) not a blooming pheasant ;D ;D This hit a bit of a nerve with me (can you tell? ;D) as Relatives have been messing with my dog over the festive season ;D All in all, definitely her faux pas, and just showed up her ignorance. Maybe a good line might be, in a similar situation, 'Oh, I'm sorry, he's very much a one person dog'! Yes, pics please of aforementioned fit and handsome dog
Re: Stranger trying to train your dog while on a walk. I wouldn't have minded at all and would have found it interesting if I didn't do gundog training. However, I suppose it depended on her attitude?
Re: Stranger trying to train your dog while on a walk. Your lab sounds gorgeous! Love to see photos! It does sound like maybe he looks like a fit working type lab, and therefore she just assumed he was trained/in training. It was a bit rude, however I doubt that was her intention. We have a lady here that walks her spaniels, and they are working dogs. Very early on, Benson was about 5 months old, she spotted me training recall. Came over and told me to "run backwards and he will follow you" I was really annoyed. Not her fault actually very good advice, but the point I am making is no one knows the context of your training/knowledge etc. but you. I couldn't run back because of my rehab with my legs, and on top of that we were working through the total recall book, so was very much aware of her advice.
