Latest posts in Maida Vale

I have used paddington rec Park for the past 23 years. ( prior to having children I used it mainly to walk and socialise my dogs) I now use it for exercise and to take my kids to. Over the years I have witnessed and experienced some unpleasant "dog people" today I saw some terrible behaviour that effects all "responsible" dog owners. A child was jumped on several times by a over excited labrador pup  ( who was quite big already) who was trying to get food out of this child's hand ( which it eventually did manage to do ) the man with this child tried to push the dog away several times but the dog which the owner  clearly did not have control over ignored his attempts. Whilst being a dog owner myself I felt that it was not aggressive it was still very clearly not acceptable ( no person should have to fight off a over excited dog trying to grab something from you much less a child who is vulnerable due to height and size!) the father was anger with the owner( understandably) and souted at the owner that their dog should be under control. The quite amazing thing was the reaction of two fellow dog walkers with their own dogs who proceeded to circle this father and abuse him verbally and grab him from behind  whilst swearing and saying disgusting things  to him which are too offensive to re post here. ( the dog people pack mentality) I've both witnessed and experienced several times over the years, but it seems to be getting worse, much worse.                   I love my dog like a member of the family (which he is) But it is always MY responsibility and MY problem if my dog is not adequately trained and behaves in a frightening or unacceptable manner Especially in a family park!  No matter how big or small your dog is it is NOT OK for it to run at people and jump uncontrollably at people  and try to grab items from them or other pets. It is not OK for it to scare people because YOU the owner have not taken enough steps to make sure that your dog is a "good citizen" ALL breeds need to have basic commands down Before you let them off lead or even a long lead. ( basic recall should be number one ) if your dog does something like this to a child then what do you expect a parent to behave like honestly!?  The reason this effects us All as dog owners is the fact that it's our dogs that will pay the price ( just look at breed specific legislation in place now) emotions run high in such situations but we need to try to remain calm for are dogs sake. People won't be asked to keep their children on leads will they but our dogs may have to be if incidents like this continue or even kept to being  walked in dog runs only or even barred from some parks completely. YOU are responsible for your dog no matter what. Train it, clean up after it and realise that in some cases some people just don't like dogs near them. We still have to utilise the some space whether we like it or not so why make it unpleasant and stressful? Having a dog ( or any animal if dogs aren't your "thing" is great. It really is. so a nice walk in the park shouldn't turn into a shouting match with either other dog walkers or non dog people. Sorry for the long post but I really feel this needs to be discussed more. Thanks for reading. 😊

Greetings readers,

I am a dog walker/ sitter/ borderer and owner, and I am currently learning to be a trainer and sometimes work with rescue dogs. I have a client with a rescue in Maida Vale, right next to the Paddington Recreation Grounds. That dog (Lets call her X) has her issues, she howls at other dogs. That's why I always keep X on a lead and with a head collar when we are in the park. I use the opportunities when dogs are around to teach her not to howl at them. Most of the time I would go inside the small dog exercising area, where I still keep her on lead if other dogs she doesn't know are around. This morning I picker up X as usual, and took her to the park. The park itself was full of people, kids, dogs running free. I prefer not to take X where there are kids and puppies running free - I do not want anyone to get frightened by the howling and barking. We went to the dog exercise area, where only one other dog and it's owner was. For a while the owner (lets call her B) didn't mind me training X. Her dog kept running towards us, barking, jumping and getting exited. I tried to ignore it as much as I can, and used the opportunity to calm X down next to a new dog. Everything was completely fine while B (sort of) had some kind of "control" over her dog. I never for a moment let X off the leash. I started walking her around the area, just keeping her calm as she should be. At that point B's dog ran up to us again, this time overly exited, jumping and barking. I tried to walk X away with no luck, she put her bum to the ground and wouldn't move while the little dog jumped all over her, barked and tried to nip at her. At this point B got up and started blaming me for bringing X to the dog exercising area. I tried to explain to her as calmly as I can, that this is a public park, and this is the official dog area in the park, where dogs can both run around free, and trainers can train their dogs. I have NEVER had any complaints about training X in the dog exercise area, even with more than 3 dogs around. I was actually asked for my card so I can help train other dogs, too. And I myself do not see anything wrong with training your dog in a public place - I have a problem with those who don't train their dogs and let them go crazy off leash.

So at this point I couldn't move X anywhere - B's dog was jumping all over me and X and barking, not letting us move. The only way I could have moved away is if I tried to push B's dog off of me, which I would never do to any dog. B at this point is swearing at me, calling X a crazy dog and using the F word towards me on several occasions, while HER dog is going out of control and she is unable to catch it. All the way to the gate the dog kept jumping at us, and B kept on insulting us. I remind you that this whole time X is in a head collar, and completley under control by my side. I do not mind the insults that came towards me, what I did mind is the insults that came towards X, who is a dog and obviously can't stand up for herself. What's bothering me the most is that B herself won't train her dog, and expects everybody else not to do so to, or go train them around kids in an area that is not designated for dogs (seriously?). B's dog had no recall, and was ignoring the owner. Defiantly a dog I wouldn't let off leash in a public space - the dog was a danger to itself. Many breeds would just attack it and that dog would be done for.

So here's my warning to you: B is a grumpy looking lady with long dyed red hair and a black french bulldog cross(?) I'm not sure. Just know that if you want to train your dog to be stable and happy, stay away from B and her dog.