First Time Ever in Dog Off Lead Area

Ok so today I take Misty to our local lake area- its beautiful there and all dogs must be on leads apart from a fenced off massive dog area. Ive never been in the off lead area as its always been so daunting with so many dogs there I would worry she might be a pain to another dog as she does tend to just barrel right in and forget manners.

So we are walking around the huge lake and I see a man with a little staffy cross pug. His dog wants to meet Misty but I tell him maybe not as she might try to jump on his dog. So he and I get to talking and he is a really nice guy- his dog was from Battersea . So he says are you taking her to the off lead area- I say no- I haven't got the bottle for it, she wont come back and Im sure it will go horribly wrong. He laughs and says come with me- we will watch her -she will be fine. I said no initially and then, I don't know what came over me I just said ok when he reassured me again. Now this was a missive thing for me to do and I still don't know why I said yes!

So we go into the field- its lovely, absolutely huge and there are about 7-8 other dogs in there. So we walk in and straight away we meet a big black lab coming in behind us. In fact the lab and Misty are sniffing so much she is blocking them coming in the park. Once we are all in the park I unclip Mistys lead. Her and the Lab are off- chasing each other and having a great time. The staff x pug is just having a sniff not really interested in running. Then after a few minutes a lady and another man join us with a big dog( he did tell me the breed but I forget) and a small westie type dog. Well that was it- the game was on. The lot of them were having a great time. The staffy x owner was telling the man and women its my first time etc, and they couldn't of been nicer. Complimenting Misty and saying she is great as she was coming back to me all the time and playing wonderfully. She would go up to any dog that was coming in the park and acted beautifully. A older lady with a tiny sausage dog came over and the dog growled at Misty and she came straight away which was fantastic. The men kept saying how great Misty was and she is very polite and extremely social meeting all the dogs and she isn't aggressive at all. It was brilliant, there was another group of ladies over the way with a lot of small dogs and a whippet type dog. Misty went over- was great with the little dogs and wanted to play with the whippet but I could see the whippet wasn't sure. After a few mins the whippet grew in confidence they then had a lovely chase. People kept saying to me doesn't she ever get tired- as she was running with any and every dog. People were so nice! The original man I walked in with then left so the man and lady and I went over to join the ladies in the middle of the field. Again all doggies were having a great time- I didn't realise how long we were in there- but it was an hour and a half.  Obvosuly its going far too well something must happen!! So a greyhound and a little dog joined the group- no problem as Misty had met them when they came in and had a play with both of them. So after another half hour- Im chatting away and suddenly Misty and the greyhound are getting into it. There is noise- both are acting quite aggressively, I call Misty but she ignores me- both of them are telling each other off. It sounds terrible as Misty is noisy anyway- at one point the greyhound yelps twice then Misty keeps following the Greyhound and again he nips at her. They are both nipping each other and Misty wont leave the greyhound alone. Eventually Misty comes to me and I put her on the short lead. The man I was with told me quite clearly it wasn't Misty who started it and don't let my confidence go. So when Misty was on the lead- I walked to the lady who owned the greyhound (we were all in the same group)  and asked if there were any marks or anything  on her dog and she said no its fine. The greyhound was very thin and bright white so Im sure anything would show up. The ladies were really nice to me saying it happens don't worry about it. I just said Im sorry Misty didn't leave the dog alone when the gh told her off the first time. One lady said she didn't know the GH just didn't outrun her that would of solved everything and she thinks it was just because the GH would look behind and see Misty there.They were so nice but I could of cried! After it happened when I was talking to the owner Misty went up for a stroke and she was smiling. The guy said to me don't worry, GH can be very nervous things and the gh definitely started it first. When it was happening no one else moved to break it off and didn't seem very concerned but I hated seeing it. It was all going so well!!! The GH acted quite nervous after it but the group of people were fine but I felt awful. There are no marks on either dog so that is a good thing. I said to the guy I wish Misty hadn't gone back after she was told off and he said I did the right thing by putting the lead on effectively telling her your behaviour means party time is over. I should have also said No aswell but I didn't.

I was very impressed with Misty letting people stroke her as she used to hate this unless it was a family member but she let anyone stroke her today.

So because we had such a wonderful time I was going to take her back tomorrow as they said they normally all go at the same time but now im in two minds about it?

Would you go back tomorrow?

yes defo go back well done misty was nice knowing the other dog started the argument and no misty well done hen so proud of you gain a bit more confidence emma you will get there every day is a learning day with a young dog well done both of you

What a great experience for the both of you, apart from the last bit. I would go back especially as you've made friends there now and they know Misty isn't trouble imagine the fun she will have.

I think the key to the slight problem you had with Misty is to watch her body language, it takes time to work out rough play from grumpiness but you will soon see the signs. I would also pull her out of interactions before things get out of hand that way you remain fully in control

Well done you two

Thanks Crystal- Im a bit nervous going tomorrow but I think if I don't I might never do it again. The people were so nice! I think if the lady with the Greyhound is there Ill keep Misty away if possible. Their reaction was so nice and the people were lovely but it just tainted a lovely morning but then again I think it was all just irritation more then aggression as neither dog had any marks and the GH looked so fragile Im sure Misty would have left marks if it was anything serious.

Fingers crossed tomorrow is good- Ill suss out the lay of the land before I go in the off lead bit too- if its crazy busy I might leave it but today there were about 20 dogs in all spread out. It was lovely just seeing them all have such a great time.

Thanks Ian- Yes you are right- the one time I took my eyes off her this happened!! I was watching her like a hawk and practising her recall- everyone thought I was completely mad when I told them she wont come back as throughout the time there I was calling her and she returned like clockwork (until the last time)

I was nervous about stepping in as I didn't want to make it worse and no one else was getting involved but I didn't want it going on- I didn't have to drag her away or anything as they were finished and she came back but if it ever (fingers crossed it doesn't) happen again Im going to shout loudly No or make a loud noise to try to distract them as Ive seen Victoria Stilwell do this before and it works for her quite well- although Im not her!! I think I just froze
I hope Im right in saying it wasn't a full on fight but Im sure they would have marks if it was- I think the fact she is a noisy thing anyway makes things worse too.

It sounds like a positive experience for you both! You know Misty better than anyone, but I understand that you're lacking a little confidence in mixing her. As Ian mentioned, make sure you're watching her body language and if she doesn't come back to you and things are looking shaky, I would step in with an "enough" and put back on lead. The only other thing to consider is the length of time that you're there, Staffies will just keep going and going, and some dogs can get grumpy when they're tired. I know if Bug is playing for too long she can start getting a bit silly and act out. Otherwise, trust your instinct and go for it if you feel she will benefit

Thanks Rachel- You have hit the nail on the head- I am lacking a bit of confidence with socialising her.
I think my main real fear is her running up to dogs on the lead that's why in the local parks I keep her on a long line and only drop the line when shes playing with a dog but in this park all dogs are off lead so I don't have to worry about that as if you don't want dogs running up you would just stay outside like I have previously been doing.
She was bitten last year and it shocked and upset me so much that's always in the back of my mind (she did not retaliate and just ran straight to me)

Again I think you are right about the time we were there- we were there a long time and she was just running and sniffing and jumping around for a good hour and a half and I think maybe it was a bit too long for her first time and she maybe started acting up from tiredness.

Ill definitely keep the session shorter tomorrow.

You'll also find that as you relax and get more confident with Misty she'll react in the way you expect her to so knowing when to stop play will become easier.

If my Flo gets in to noisy play where I can see the other dog isn't comfortable I simply lift her front legs off the ground, swing her round and walk her away but if you do this you have to be 100% confident with your movements.

Remember too that Staffies play noisily so what might look like aggression may well not be

Well done Misty!

Its unfortunate sometimes when things get a little out of hand, but it happens. It's like with children - everyone will be playing fine but inevitably some with bicker.

I wouldn't let it phase you, no one was hurt, its a learning opportunity if nothing else.

Sounds like you both did great to me!

Did you go back?! You both sounded like you did brilliantly! And how refreshing it is to have people so warm and welcoming with a staffy

Hi everyone- well we went back again today! I did wake up stressing about it at half two this morning and stayed awake for hours just thinking of all the things that can go wrong! Im one of these people who just need something to obsess about I think!!

So I timed it so we went back at the same time today so hopefully would meet the guys with the dogs that we got on so well with yesterday. So we park in a nearer car park as I thought instead of going for a long walk first like yesterday we would do a smaller walk and go straight into the off lead area. So as we walk down I see the off lead area is just rammed full of dogs- I listen to my gut instinct and thought no its not the right time for us. So walked up the trail a bit and we come across a pack walk for dogs that aren't able to be off lead for whatever reason. Of course my heart was thumping but Misty was great- she did try to pull to meet the dogs but once I waved some stinky sprats under her nose she was only looking at me. The other dogs were absolutely fine- there was a mix -staffs-labs-jack russells etc- in total I think there were about 20 dogs but they all passed without incident.

So we do a twenty minute walk and I decide to turn back and see what the off lead area is like. So this time it looked very very quiet and I could see three people and two dogs who we met yesterday although not the people I was hoping to see. The only thing I was slightly wary of was a staffy and a lab who were both on lead in the off lead area. I was praying Misty wouldn't run up to them as they were probably on a lead for a reason. So we go in and I unclip her lead- she has a sniff and then spots the people with a whippet type and the jack russel x pug that we were with yesterday. She bounds over to them and has a game with the whippet type which is a very delicate type dog so I was worried Misty could be too much but she was ok. All the dogs came to me for some strokes so I said hello to the others owners and gave them some fish after the owners said it was ok. Then suddenly the staffy that was on the lead came running up to them all with her owner screaming for her to come back. I froze and just panicked as the owner sounded so stressed I worried in case something would happen but no it was fine- the staffy just came over to all the dogs said hello then ran back- of course Misty followed and went right over to the owners and came back after she had met them. One of the ladies I was with did say something like oh that's a better dog for you to play with- much more solid- or something like that. I didn't take much notice of it when she said it but now Im stressing was she saying she didn't want Misty to play with her whippet? Thinking about it I think it was just a throwaway comment and nothing nasty was meant and lets be honest she was right- Misty does love a bit of a bundle and their dogs don't play like that. Ill stop worrying about it now!!

So we then met another greyhound type dog and a bulldog- lovely lady owners- they said Misty is so quick and we had a quick chat.

Then Misty spots a Visla and a tiny fluff ball and off she goes. The Visla and her are having a wonderful time and the fluff ball is just all over me! I was talking to their owners and the Vislas owner kept saying she cant believe he is playing as he is a very scared and nervous dog and its amazing to see him chasing Misty and her chasing him. They got on like a house on fire- it was wonderful. He was absolutely adorable- they played a tiny bit rough- (nothing to what she normally plays like with her spaniel friend!) and the women kept asking me is Misty alright with her dog nipping- I assured her it was fine and not to worry- Misty loves a bit of a roughhouse and she was so relaxed after that. So these two are having a whale of a time and the staff appears again and Misty goes up to see her again. Staffs owner really didn't want his dogs to meet any dog so grabbed his dog so then I got Misty- it was a shame as I think they would have been fine together as they had a nice chasse when the staffy original came over.

When they had gone I let Misty go again and her and the Visla were chasing each other. Then Misty suddenly spotted the whippet type with the bulldog and she was off. Completely ignored me and went bounding off after this dog. They had a good run across a hill then they both went behind the hill where I couldn't see. Of course I was petrified so I ran over and couldn't see any of them so followed the path and theres Misty trotting alone with the bulldog and whippets owner. She comes to me and I put her on the lead- I catch up with the owners and say sorry if she was bothering you and they said no shes fine its good as we want to tire the dogs out. They were really nice but it shows she will listen to me most of the time but not all the time. More practice is needed on recall- Im ordering a new whistle tonight as yesterday the guy had one that she was really reactive too - even more then my whistle.

So all in all it was a wonderful time apart from her running off but nothing bad came of it but its still something I don't want her doing in future.

Aw bless you!! Up at 2am worrying And you had nothing to worry about huh, other than a minor mishap! Did you not get on with the long line with Misty while you're working on her recall? Sounds like another really positive day in all I really like visla's, they're gorgeous!

Yes he was an absolutely stunning dog - after they had been messing around near a puddle he came back with mud all over his face- still looked gorgeous though!

Well the long line I use in normal parks- when she meets a friend I drop it and she has (99%) been good. I didn't use the long line in this park just because its all off lead and I just thought it will be easier as sometimes the long line does get tangled with other dogs and peoples feet.

I still will use that in a normal park as I like the confidence it gives me and I know she cant just run off somewhere and pester people and other dogs!!

It can be such stress can't it. My ethos in offlead staffie walking that works for me is, quick hello, never let my girl get to too high an excitement level and then keep going and call her away and move on. Keeping it short and sweet gives a good positive experience for them. And biggest tip, never worry about what people think of you and your dog, just enjoy. xx

Makes me so jealous, wish I could see Rio do this
Sounds like you both had a lovely time again, try to relax! You're doing amazingly

Emma and Kerry, sometimes you have to trust your Dogs, I know it's hard as it took me two years to trust Flo but you can and Will get there. You'll never take you're eye off the ball but you will see a change and it is so nice to see them running free.

Sealpig wrote:Makes me so jealous, wish I could see Rio do this
Sounds like you both had a lovely time again, try to relax! You're doing amazingly

Same! Does Rio have any doggy friends? Bug has a small handful, which is nice enough to see her playing, but her favourites are ages away now so she hasn't had a good play in a long time Need to make some new friends! Makes me really want another so that she can play all of the time!

Sounds like Misty had a great time and did you proud, Emma. You might find that her recall was less than perfect because she was so excited at this novelty of running free with others and that she calms down a bit with time.

Yes that does make prefect sense Liz. On Saturday I was stood with a big group of people and loads of dogs so she didn't run off and there weren't many new dogs entering. Yesterday there were a lot more smaller groups so she made it her business to meet everyone.

I'll go back again next weekend and hopefully her recall will be better! I'll practice more in the parks after work when shes on her long line.

I know what you mean Kerry and Rachel. There is just something so lovely about watching dogs play with each other and make friends.

It was lovely yesterday with the Visla as his owner was in complete shock to see him play with another dog. I felt so happy for her.
I don't have many friends with dogs, one has a Jack Russel x Chihuahua but it's so untrained and snappy I don't feel happy them meeting. Another friend has a lovely golden retriever and we have done walks together before and the week before last we hired a secure field so they could be let off lead and play. It was lovely seeing them run and play together, I got so choked up!

I need to meet some more friends with dogs!

ah what a lovely story maybe misty is happier and.more confident with a smaller group of dogs rather than dogs she doesn't know in larger groups im wuite happy when mia socialises with small dogs used to love seeing her play

Rachel33 wrote:
Same! Does Rio have any doggy friends? Bug has a small handful, which is nice enough to see her playing, but her favourites are ages away now so she hasn't had a good play in a long time Need to make some new friends! Makes me really want another so that she can play all of the time!

He doesn't have any, thing is I've SEEN him play with other dogs when we were in Somerset last year, he's just been reactive with any others since. So it's hard to introduce any when he instantly gets growly, he's never hurt a dog so it's all bark and no bite. Is why we were thinking of getting another one as a friend but it's seeming too difficult

Is why I love reading things like this to see other pooches developing

Ah Misty, Misty, Misty!!! Well today hubby is not happy to say the least!!

He took her over the local park they go to every day for her morning walk. He has really chilled out now and lets her meet most dogs in the park. The only one he keeps her away from is a tiny fluff ball one as its always on the lead and the owner says its because his dog is agressive.

Misty is always on the longline but when dogs come up to her he drops the line and lets them meet. He doesnt allow her to go up to dogs, its when they come to her he drops the line. Most of the time they go on to have a nice play and/or chase.

Well today they had just arrived and a lovely old Black Lab came up. Now every black lab we have ever met has just adored Misty- dont know what it is but she loves this breed and they love her. So hubby saw dog coming up- saw they were going to meet so dropped the line and watched. It was fine they met ok, hubby was just dropping a poo bag in the bin but still watching them. The owner of the black lab walked away after saying hello and the black lab went with him. Misty obviously wanted to play so followed the lab and made it clear she wants a game of chase. BL told her basically no- I dont want to play by giving a little growl. On he went with his owner, hubby blew a new dog whistle we bought (as she was responsive to this exact whistle when I was in the park last week as the guy I met there had this one and she responded well to is so I bought us the exact same one). So she completely ignored the whistle and went after BL. At this point the bl got sick of her following and gave a real growl and told her to back off. Both of their hackles were up and hubby was scared it was going to turn nasty. Luckily it didnt and hubby ran (now hubby has a lung disease so running it just something he cant do but he did as he was terrified she was going to get herself into trouble). The BL owner trod on her long line when he saw hubby running up and then hubby collected Misty. The other owner was completely fine but hubby was so angry. A- that she ignored him again even with a whistle and her recall word of touch and B- she didnt back off from the lab even after he told her he didnt want to play.

He cut the walk short after that and needless to say didnt drop the long line until they were back at the car!

Im really really scared of going back to the off lead park tomorrow- I mean if she cant understand when a dog says no to play this could cause all sorts of issues and it will be her fault. This bl was completely in the right- Misty was the one following him and pestering him. Hubby says she wasnt aggressive or anything but just wouldn't leave him alone.

Ah- it seems one step forward two steps back

I'm so jealous that you have somewhere to go no where like that were I livejust a public park were other dogs can be off their leads except my lad.,It's going to be hit and miss she will get the hang soon I keep working with it,its great to see them running around just like dogs should. For the first time today I had my lad off the lead in a big empty field that I got permission off the farmer and it was great to see him running around properly with out a care in the world. I I was teaching him to come when I called him and gave him a treat when he did but I'd say if there was another dog there I wouldn't have a hope of getting him back I see what he's like on the lead with other dogs looking to play. If I was you I'd preserver leave her enjoy her freedom just keep training she'll soon get the hang of it.

Emma, well done on actually getting Misty off the lead. It can be a nerve wracking experience.

One thing to note, dogs do and will tell each other off and sometimes this can be a growl or a nip. It happens, Nita has done it and had it done to her too. Not all dogs will get on but from what you have said, she is fantastic playing with all the other dogs so I really wouldn't worry too much. One thing I have found is to remain calm if there is a scrap, I have seen it where people scream and jump about and it just makes the dogs worse. Calm and a good voice works wonders, not shouting but sufficient for them to understand when enough is enough.

So just take your time, enjoy it and don't be disheartened at set backs. It happens.

Sarah- yes its a lovely place and the only one I know of in the area- its a shame I didnt know of it when we had our family Lab- she would have loved it! Lovely to hear you found a field- there is something so good about seeing your dog run!

Ains-thanks for the advice- You are right it can be a nerve wracking experience- I think as well hubby and I have made more of a deal in our heads then it actually is I dont mind other dogs telling her off- infact I sometimes think its a good thing as it can teach her not to be so pushy! I def need to stay calm- I was suprised when her and the greyhound were nipping and yelping at how calm I was- I suppose the next day when she legged it I was terrified as I didnt know what she was up to. I need to start trusting her more I think!!

Well she impressed me so much over the weekend. We went for a walk around the lake yesterday (all dogs must be onlead) and a tiny puppy eight months was on lead and the owners asked can they meet, as this was as their dog was almost on Misty there was nothing I could do to stop the meeting anyway. Misty was a star- she was very good with this pup- I think she is a bit calmer around them now as we met a lovely one last week she was playing with in our local park. Then this was the most surprising thing- a guy in the pups group made some kissing noises to Misty as he wanted to stroke her. To my surprise she went up to him and let him stroke her- I was bracing myself for her to bark at him but no. She let him stroke her and he said how beautiful she was!! I was so shocked by her- she has got so much better with letting people stroke her. It used to be only the family were allowed to stroke her as she hated strangers with a passion and would never let anyone stroke her but now in the park when she is with friends she lets the owners stroke her no problems. I just couldn't believe it- this guy was a complete stranger to her and he had no treats either!!!!

Well as she has been so good recently hubby this morning took her to the off lead park again!! Ive had a full report and evidently she was meeting every dog very well and having chase games and bundles with a Black Lab. She had a great time- she was running up to the other owners and letting everyone stroke her. There were two Rotties to meet when she first came in so straight away he took the lead off and that was it- the three of them were playing. He said she must have met around 15 dogs. The only negative was she didnt always come back to hubby! At one point she was playing with two labs and hubby was talking to the lady owner- he said he was going to try to walk away and see if she would follow- she didnt. He said she got near him but then the other dogs were too much for her and she ran back to them.

She did run behind the hill once and hubby couldnt see her but she came round the other side pretty quickly. He said she was excellent with other dogs and the other owners were really welcoming to her. I was over the moon- for some reason I havent been since the original two times I have taken her and have stayed close to the local other parks and put her on the long line. I think Im just scared of her being out of my eyesight over the hill.

Hubby is so happy as he has never really seen her run free and greet so many dogs and he got talking to a lot of the owners which made it a nice morning for him. He said she is out for the count now on the sofa

He said it was so nice that he will make it a regular place for her!

That is so great to here and your mind at ease now, knowing she can be trusted. Should bring some treats that everytime she does come back to you give her one I say she would be a quick learner. So happy for you.

Sounds to me like you are turning a corner with Misty Emma, I am so pleased for you... happy summer days ahead

Yes she is such a social little girl! They have been back again today and evidently she was good again. I'm getting the full low down at lunch so can't wait!

that's so wonderful.

Goblin wrote:that's so wonderful.

Ah thanks! yes she is loving it so much there!

Hubby said he walked in and she was very good - she met three dogs with one owner- all of them little fluffballs but she was great- they had a lovely time just chasing each other or playing while he and the owner chatted. Then her friend the pug/beagle came in who they met on Monday. They were all going mad together- just chasing and having a whale of a time. Then in walked some women with some sort of terrier and the terrier was ok but really really pestering the beagle/pug. The dog wouldn't leave her alone- the owner was just walking around paying no attention to her dog. So eventually the women came over and said sorry for her dog pestering the pug/beagle. She went over to get him as he ignored her call and then she proceeded to pick him up by his harness and hubby said she sort of flung him around really heavy handed. Then she put him in her arms- now of course Misty and her friend thought 'great this is a sort of game' so they both jumped up but as Misty is bigger obviously she is the one that is heavier and taller. The other owners were just shocked how she handled her dog and picked him up .There was nothing aggressive about Misty jumping up but hubby said he went to get her so just calmly held her by her harness until the other dog had gone and then the five of them continued their play. Well as this women walked out she said something to a lady entering the field- hubby thinks she may have said something about Misty. He said hello to the new women and she completely blanked him!

Even though this new women could clearly see Misty playing with some tiny dogs she obviously thought Misty was trouble!!! What was lovely was that when hubby said he was leaving the two ladies with the Beagle/Pug and the three little fluffys walked out with him. I thought that was really nice of them!! Hubby doesnt care about things like that- he said its her fault for picking her dog up when there was no need to- she could easily have just clipped a lead on him to walk him away. Wheras I hate people to start saying things about Misty that are untrue but then again people can see how she is with dogs and the other owners will all say it was nothing bad.

So a nice time was had by all again!