Do you jog behind someone walking a dog?

[NorthwestMom]

Slight spin off - I live in an area that has people riding on horseback on trails or on the side of the road.  Did you know that you are not supposed to run by a horse either? You are supposed to stop and walk calmly around it, giving it wide berth so it doesn't spook.

 

This was baffling to me when I learned it - think of all of the horses rode into battle for centuries, people fighting all around them, screams and spears flying through the air, and horses everywhere following the commands of their riders - yet little old me jogging by a horse in quiet suburbia might be too much? But so it is. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I would have had no idea.  You don't own the side walk.  I think it seems like a perfectly reasonable idea to distance myself from the dog by jogging past you and your dog.  If your dog can't hack people jogging by then maybe you shouldn't be taking it to areas where there are people around.

 

Sorry if that came off snarky, but really when you have to share public spaces with other people it is give and take.  You cannot assume people know anything about dogs or have bad intentions because they are attempting to distance themselves from you and your dog. 

[gardenmom5]

Slight spin off - I live in an area that has people riding on horseback on trails or on the side of the road.  Did you know that you are not supposed to run by a horse either? You are supposed to stop and walk calmly around it, giving it wide berth so it doesn't spook.

 

This was baffling to me when I learned it - think of all of the horses rode into battle for centuries, people fighting all around them, screams and spears flying through the air, and horses everywhere following the commands of their riders - yet little old me jogging by a horse in quiet suburbia might be too much? But so it is. 

 

I also grew up in an area with lots of horses (it has far fewer horses today as they've simply become too expensive.) - and a 50 acre park with nothing but horse trails.  sometimes  people rode their horses in the regular neighborhoods along the sidewalks.  no problem with passing horses.  (unless they left evidence of their passage . . . )  even people with dogs had no issues passing horses.  if the horse spooked that easily - they needed to stay on the horse trails -  while people did walk there, they also had mud holes that made them less desirable for walking.

 

[hornblower]

Am I the only one to bring my dog close to my side when passing anyone?  I guess, it is the same as bringing them to a heel like Tap said. 

 

it's the correct thing to do but in some areas a jogger will come at you quickly from behind & you don't have time.   

 

re the 6 ft thing being unreasonable: 

 

 

I tend to put myself between my dogs & the person.  I walk in a stupid 60s suburban neighbourhood where there are no sidewalks so we're on the road anyway, or walking on people's grass. It's not a big deal to go around us or for one of us to cross or to make sure to give extra space. 

 

If I put my dog on the left of me, move over & you pass on the right, you'll probably be 6 feet away from my dog. It's not that far. Closer than that & you'll be elbowing me going by. 

[katilac]

It's not a busy crowded subdivision. We can walk for days and never see anyone on the paths.

 

I would never think to walk so close behind someone that we are nearly touching.

 

What would be the point? Are they going to plow right through us?

 

But it's still a walking path, and perfectly normal for people to walk up behind you. I can see being lulled into forgetting other people might use it, but you really can't blame them for that. 

 

I don't know why someone would want to walk so close, but I also can't imagine not hearing or seeing them approach. Don't you ever look around, lol? Doesn't the dog notice? I hope he's not a guard dog  :laugh:

 

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I'm never walking so absolutely straight ahead that someone can come right up to me from a distance. I'm looking around occasionally, both to be aware and because it's kind of natural. 

 

By the way, I wasn't being snarky when I suggested asking the park to put up signs, I really do think it's a good idea. When we lived in Florida, "passing left" was a custom and I thought it was a great idea, but it never occurred to me before then. It was meant for bikes, bc they come up on you so fast, but joggers and walkers used it as well. 

[hornblower]

Slight spin off - I live in an area that has people riding on horseback on trails or on the side of the road.  Did you know that you are not supposed to run by a horse either? You are supposed to stop and walk calmly around it, giving it wide berth so it doesn't spook.

 

This was baffling to me when I learned it - think of all of the horses rode into battle for centuries, people fighting all around them, screams and spears flying through the air, and horses everywhere following the commands of their riders - yet little old me jogging by a horse in quiet suburbia might be too much? But so it is. 

 

See, I think again some thing that's being missed is something that behaviorists call a SEC:  Sudden Environmental Change. 

 

if you're walking to an outdoor concert & there's a large group of people walking and people waving flags or chanting or singing, it's all part of the environment. You acclimate to it quickly & it becomes the 'baseline normal'. 

 

If you're on a quiet street with nobody around and suddenly a guy comes running around & he's running in big circles & whooping & singing & flapping a large flag around, that would probably startle & concern you. 

 

it's the same thing for the animals. If you're on a trail where there's an informal 10k jogging group straggling around & there are tons of joggers & you see one constantly coming from all directions, a stable ok dog will just go, ok, more people running. I'm ignoring them & sniffing my bush & plotting my scheme to catch the squirrel. 

 

If otoh the dog & handler are walking on a much less used path, and suddenly a jogger appears very closely, that is a whole different thing. 

 

I for one appreciate dogs that will protect me. I can safely go into forests and trails because of this. It's not that my dogs aren't well trained. Because they're well trained they won't maul someone to death. But they will guard me, and esp if you startle them. If you speak, ask to approach & I say it's ok, that's fine. But if you come running up to me & violate our space bubble, you will get the mouthful of teeth aimed at your direction. 

 

This like that personal space bubble that secret service maintains around heads of state.  

 

 

In our suburbs where the lots are bigger & horses are more common, we have the same rules. People keep horses in essentially very large expansive suburbs. Some will trailer them & take them to parks & bridle trails, but lots of people will walk around their 'neighbourhoods', especially on the roads by the dykes.  We have those same rules as mentioned above.

 

We also have the rule that if your dog is offleash you need to leash & heel it past the horses.  I guess us dog owners can get all upset about the horses think they own the road ... 

 

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

it's the correct thing to do but in some areas a jogger will come at you quickly from behind & you don't have time.   

 

re the 6 ft thing being unreasonable: 

 

 

I tend to put myself between my dogs & the person.  I walk in a stupid 60s suburban neighbourhood where there are no sidewalks so we're on the road anyway, or walking on people's grass. It's not a big deal to go around us or for one of us to cross or to make sure to give extra space. 

 

If I put my dog on the left of me, move over & you pass on the right, you'll probably be 6 feet away from my dog. It's not that far. Closer than that & you'll be elbowing me going by. 

 

I put myself between the dog and the person too.  But I walk so that the dog is automatically on the inside - next to the curb if it is on the street, next to the grass if it is on a sidewalk, next to the trees if it is a trail in the woods.  If I don't hear someone coming up behind me (and I can't think of when that has happened since I'm always aware and am listening and looking around me), they will automatically be on my side away from the dog.  I always look before letting my dog sniff/wander farther away from me to make sure that it is safe to do so. 

 

I don't use retractable leashes but it takes me only a second to grab the leash in a loop to pull the dog closer.  Or I put the dog in a sit.  In fact, I tend to put the dog in a sit if someone who is not paying attention to their dog starts to come close.  Then as soon as they are within two feet of me, I grab the leash and we walk quickly ahead, bypassing that person and their dog.  I don't have to do this with aware dog owners who tend to have their own dogs on heel, with their body between me and their dog and who are walking quickly and purposefully until they are past us.  I do not belong to the "all dogs should sniff all dog butts" school of thought.  My dog is socialized and we do go to dog parks where they can sniff to their hearts content, but random dogs on the street are not automatically doggie friends. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

To get real here though you won't catch me jogging.  I hate jogging.

[Pawz4me]

But it's still a walking path, and perfectly normal for people to walk up behind you. I can see being lulled into forgetting other people might use it, but you really can't blame them for that. 

 

I don't know why someone would want to walk so close, but I also can't imagine not hearing or seeing them approach. Don't you ever look around, lol? Doesn't the dog notice? I hope he's not a guard dog  :laugh:

 

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I'm never walking so absolutely straight ahead that someone can come right up to me from a distance. I'm looking around occasionally, both to be aware and because it's kind of natural. 

 

By the way, I wasn't being snarky when I suggested asking the park to put up signs, I really do think it's a good idea. When we lived in Florida, "passing left" was a custom and I thought it was a great idea, but it never occurred to me before then. It was meant for bikes, bc they come up on you so fast, but joggers and walkers used it as well. 

 

I could easily zone out enough while walking that I wouldn't hear someone approaching. We live in a very safe area, so I don't feel the need to be on alert. For me walking is almost like meditation. Sometimes my brain completely clears and the only thing I really hear are my own footsteps and the jingling of my dog's tags as he bounces along. It's bliss. :)

 

And no, he might not hear someone approaching either. He thinks walks are for sniffing wonderful things and looking for the bunnies and birds. He's not a guard dog (very few people have any business owning a true guard dog IMHO and I suspect what you really mean is a watch dog--people use the terms interchangeably but there is a distinct difference!) and he's not particularly interested in any person other than me. Unless maybe he heard a little girl. He has a big soft spot for little girls. ;)

Edited August 5, 2016 by Pawz4me

[luuknam]

See, I thought dogs typically had better senses than we do, so would be more likely to notice a jogger from behind than an unattentive owner would be.

 

That said, I do usually give them plenty of space, at least if I'm running (because some dogs think that's a fun game, and I do not care to have a dog run after me). And horses definitely get enough space, because a hoof in my face is even less appealing than a dog bite to my calf.

[VaKim]

Well, I have absolutely nothing useful to contribute, but just had to admit that I thought this thread was gonna have something to do with walking where a dog has done its business.  :001_smile:

[Laura Corin]

Well, I have absolutely nothing useful to contribute, but just had to admit that I thought this thread was gonna have something to do with walking where a dog has done its business. :001_smile:

One day I was walking through town behind a man with a dog. The dog squatted but kept moving, spreading liquid poo for about five metres along the pavement/sidewalk. I caught up with the man, who was unaware, and let him know politely what was happening. He thanked me, and ten minutes later when I came back he was on his knees with paper towel cleaning up. Very impressive.

[MistyMountain]

I never heard not to jog around a dog. I see that kind of thing all the time. To me trails, sidewalks and neighborhood roads are for everyone to use and enjoy. There will be walkers, joggers, bike riders, people walking and people with dogs. A jogger and a bike rider will go faster and need to come up from behind. If there is not enough room then they announce their prescence but other wise they just do their thing and keep going. It is not the person's fault she got bit. I would never yell at someone for simply jogging. If a dog was in danger of biting someone for that then they should probably wear a muzzle for walks. On a trail or side walk you have less room to go around.

Edited August 5, 2016 by MistyMountain

[zimom]

Another thing I just learned/thought about by reading these boards, will now be putting our dog on a 2 foot leash when my daughter walks her so that Y doesn't lick the joggers to death when they pass by.   Just never thought about the fact that she is likely doing that every day when DD takes her for her walks.  No chance of a bite by startle but I am positive she knows every time anyone is within 50 feet and she is watching and planning for her kisses once they get close enough, all 60 pounds of her.  

[LucyStoner]

I'm not going to turn my run into a walk because someone is walking their dog. There are a lot of dogs here. If you don't pass them, you are going to be walking. On narrow trails, there's a courtesy expectation that slower moving people let faster moving people pass and that faster moving people don't run into or surprize the slower movers. Most joggers are faster than a person walking their dog.

 

In crowded urban areas, I would expect the dog to be on a shorter leash than out in a wide open space. I regularly see dog owners retract their lead a bit if a child or other person is approaching.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I usually walk in the street when walking my dog. Mostly because this town has messed up sidewalks. Some streets have them, others don't. You can be walking down a sidewalk, it ends abruptly, and, bam, you're in someone's front lawn. 

 

My dog is always at a loose lead heal so I don't need to do anything differently when people are around. 

 

In my estimation, it's not dog walkers or joggers who are responsible for their interactions. I think it's just another example how people have lost basic respect for each other. The other night while I was on my usual 5 mile walk (gotta get those Fitbit steps in) a group of girls were jogging together. They were 3 abreast, one on the sidewalk, one in the main front yards, and one on the easement/median. They got out of the way of no one. Everyone else had to step aside for these girls. There was an older woman walking her little yappy dog and she had to scramble to pick it up and get out of the way as the girls ran by. There was no reason those girls couldn't have been in the street, or formed a single file line, or waited in someone's driveway.

 

 

Edited August 5, 2016 by ScoutermominIL