(edit title) Dog owner etiquette Other than picking up poop... Options

[kfay22]

I just moved to Stockholm from the United States a few months ago with my dog and I have experienced the same thing with "dog" parks. Which is kinda annoying to me. Yesterday I took my dog to a enclosed spot that we were at the previous day with other dogs. I walked up and saw a group of small and medium sized dogs. I was about to walk in when the lady (she was nice) told me I couldn't bc one of her dogs doesn't get along with dogs from other packs. one of the small dogs had "terminated" (that was her words) another dog before. She said she doesnt claim the dog park and had only been there 15 minutes, but are we suppose to sit and wait for them to done playing until i can go in? I have always thought of a dog park as a spot for any dogs to play whenever they want.

As for letting your dog off leash, i let my dog leash all the time and sometimes i feel like people are giving me the stink eye bc my dog looks scary (big german shepard). However, my dog is really nice and has never showed signs of aggressive even when a pit mix basically attacked him once already here. an old lady said something to me in swedish and looked mad when i was walking with him off leash but i ignored it. he wasnt bothering her.

[John.Smith]

When in Rome. Swedish people are by far the most responsible dog owners i have ever come across. Most take time to train their dog and look after its well being (there exceptions of course). I have never had a negative encounter with another dog here and that is down to responsible ownership. The trade off for that is that there are social-rules for how to interact with other dog owners and their pets.

I suggest the best course of action is just to accept the Swedish dog culture or else you will continue to feel frustrated by it.

By way of context, how many stray dogs have you seen here? How many mal-treated flea-ridden dogs have you come across here? How many times have you been chased by agro dogs while riding your bicycle? Not many I would say at least compared to what I have seen back in the UK and also in my travels in the US.

Just a thought.

[delfinita]

Absolutely agreed with John Smith.

About the off leash, beware of the nursing animals. This goes from ducks to deer, and rabbits in the middle of a town. Even if the dog is friendly we should respect other animals.

[Yorkshireman]

Maybe they give You the eye when You have the dog off the leash in open areas because the Dog law states that between 1st March and 20th August, in areas where there is wildlife, owners must have such control on their dogs as such that they do not run loose, ie. kept on a leash. Unless they are used for hunting.

[John.Smith]

I should state that I do regularly walk my dog off the leash in the forest behind my house. If I see other dogs/people coming I call my dog back and put her back on the leash. But that is the accepted social norm where I live.

And my dog is off the leash in my garden which backs onto open forest. I am not concerned with her chasing wildlife as she has no interest. I have seen one of the local foxes walk within 20 meters of her and be unconcerned and unbothered.

I would gather in more urban areas that the social-norms may be more stringent where there are likely to be more encounters with people and their dogs.

When we go on the road she is always on the leash or where she is likely to meet other dogs she stays on the leash also. Again, that is the accepted norm here and even though I know she would not be a bother to anyone or another dog I abide by the 'rules'.

[Svensksmith]

My wife wants to put me on a leash so I don't chase after the local foxes.

[John.Smith]

LOL

Damn foxes are always after my bone.

[OkieFromMuskogee]

Hi,

Thanks for all the feeback.

Yes, I've kinda realized I might have just run into a couple of odd-balls...my mother is actually a bit of the same way. Her children moved out, so she has dogs now which she treats like small children and constantly worried over. I still think it's weird that someone can tell me I can't come into the dog run because they dog won't behave, but whatever... I realize a lot of people live in apartments and don't have private gardens, so they tend to just think of nearby parks as their own backyards...I can walk a little farther and go to the big open dog park down by the beach which has fewer anal Type A personality dog owners.

I do usually keep him on a lease if there's people not around...I've kinda realized the nicer weather has been bring a lot of folks out, the field I took him off-leash now has a bunch of people camping on it and lots more joggers are heading out there...so I'm going to be on-leash more often...

best, okie.