Problems Walking My Dog

[thelongshoot]

I have been having loads of issues lately walking my dog and was hoping some of you could give me a few suggestions where I could take him for an hour each day? I’m basically just looking for somewhere with no soi dogs. That’s the only criteria!

Just to have a little rant about this.... I’m bloody sick of the hassle with walking my dog which is a pity as it’s something I have always really enjoyed. It’s a good bit of time out from the day to go and get stuck into a proper hour long walk and it’s a chance to take in some air, soak up a bit of nature and clear my head pondering stuff and of course it’s important for the dog also lol.

The problem is the soi dogs around here. Jesus they drive me nuts man. I can walk around 400 meters in any direction quite peacefully before I hit the first pack of dogs and then every couple of hundred meters for what seems like miles I will hit another pack. My dog is 60 kilos, mainly of muscle and has the largest head of any breed in the world so he is more than capable to deal with a few mingy strays but that’s not the issue as they don’t get quite close enough to engage. They just surround us as we walk along making a right bloody noise.

It’s funny how the Thais look at me like I am in the wrong here. I have him on a leash and he barely makes a sound unless I tell him to, and even despite the fact that its these wild dogs cared for by said locals, they look at me like I am a total pest to them.

The beach can be just as hard. Every few minutes I am kicking sand in the faces of some yapping little tw@ts and I can’t let him off the leash too often as beach walkers feel intimidated by him. He is a very friendly, playful soft hearted dog but he looks like a total beast and understandably many people get nervous if he is free to roam. Just last week I had some overweight midlife crisis looking ferang lesbian yakking at me at sea pines beach, despite the fact that there was no other walkers even close to me and I put the lead on my dog as we got close to said lemon licker, she still took it upon herself to angrily declare that "I should not better to let him off the leash" and it is apparently "against beach rules". There are no beach rules as far as I am aware but if anyone was to make any rules, I would be the first to suggest the banning of all grumpy lesbians.

So, I was hoping for a nature trail or maybe even a park in HH? The only purely undisturbed walk we can have is at the forest park and nature trail just before Cha Am but that means a 25 minute drive to Cha Am each time so I can only be bothered with that once a week.

Any ideas?

Sorry for the rant. By the way, and i mean this sincerely.... I appologize to any lesbians pottentialy reading this. Nothing personal. Every group has a bad apple.

[hhfarang]

I used to walk a dog on the beach south of Sea Pines and never saw a soi dog (or rarely even another person) there. Turn into the Sea Pines military reserve south of Takiab by the petrol station and turn right (away from the golf course) after crossing the railroad track. in a few hundred meters you will see a hotel on your left. Just past the hotel is a big dirt parking lot. Park next to the pine forest at the back of the lot, walk through to the beach and head south. That beach is mostly deserted all the way to Kao Tao and there are no vendors so no food source for soi dogs.

[thelongshoot]

Thanks HHferang. I know where you mean, I sometimes take him there. I should have mentioned that I was hoping more for a park area as the beach is a once a week thing. Its a bit of a hassle having to shower him every time I have taken him to the beach because he is so big, its a 30 minute job with half a bottle of shampoo and really as you probably know its not wise to shower a dog more than once a week really.

[Seashore]

Thank your lucky stars you aren't trying to walk him in Bangkok, not only Soi dogs, but the locals as well are scared beyond belief! Since then we have moved to Hua Hin. I walk her some morning on the beach north of the Regent Chalet. Yes, there are dogs but if you act like you aren't afraid and keep on walking they don't bother us. Just like Soi dogs, they are only trying to protect their territory. If I am walking in a new area with the dog, I will carry a stick but I have never had to use it except when there is a pack of dogs and even then I have never had to hit one just hitting the ground will scare them away. You should just make eye contact with the dog and stare it down. Remember you are the pack leader. If you keep the same route, over time the other dogs don't even bother with you. As far as any laws on having the dog on a lead on the beach.......yeah right!!

[BenStarkBJJ]

I've been looking for a place to walk my pug in BKK. the sidewalks are small and there are tons of soi dogs. unlike the thread starter my dog is an apartment dog, maybe 3kg and by no means intimidating.

It seems all the parks here don't allow pets.

anyone familiar with a park in BKK?

(sorry to sidetrack the thread)

[bluemoon58]

thelongshoot,

I haven't checked but have you asked this question on the Hua Hin Forum...??? You will probably get a more well informed response from there.

[Rickster]

I know it doesn't help answer your question but i sympathise with you sincerely as i had exactly the same problem in Phuket whenever i walked my Doberman on the beach or around the village, territorial soi dogs and uneducated people who just jump to conclusions.....the people NOT the dogs!! lol

I'm interested to know what breed your dog is as i'm very much a dog enthusiast, Dogue de Bordeaux, Mastiff or Great Dane would be my guess and a picture would be nice too

Good luck with some uninterrupted walks in the future...

Edited April 17, 2013 by Rickster

[barondinbangkok]

I am in BKK with my Soi Dogs that were rescued and adopted from living near Rayong. Walking them round the estate is not relaxing as every house has their own dogs who bark and slam into their gates every time we walk by. After months of this the dogs never "got used to us". There are a couple of places that apparently allow dogs but there are stray soi dogs and it takes forever to get to these places through the BKK traffic. My dogs would spend longer in the truck there AND back than they would enjoying the walk.

It's just too stressful walking my dogs in Bangkok. It is generally easy to face down that local pack, especially when me and my pack outnumber them, but it only takes one of them to bite and it's off to the vet we go.

It would be great if somebody had a block of land, fence it and then rent it out to dog walkers. If I had the connections I would do it. A dog park is something I would pay to use here, and I have a huge garden already.

Edited April 17, 2013 by barondinbangkok

[DRONGOH]

That's not a problem. You have to change your attitude and let the dog run your life and it'll fix the problem.

Everybody else is doing that but you.

[belg]

it is not because you love dogs and trust them, that other persons will ... 60 kg of muscle, even you cannot handle ! it would ripp you apart and one day your dog might just turn onto you or your family member , you never know ...

than you might become one of those: my dog ate/killed/mammed for life my baby / child.... stories

[josephinebloggs]

Walk in the mountains, you won't have much trouble there.

You might come across a dog, but you won't come across packs of them up there.

Behind black mountain golf course, or access the mountains via the turn offs on the klong road, job done.

[gtm2k]

Just walk with a stick in your hand !
We have a shih-tzu at home - and a few soi dogs who like to chase / engage to keep their territory. But when they see a stick in my hand, they only limit themselves to barking.

There are no clear laws about animal control here in thailand - so even a comparison with the west is plain useless. So let common sense + presence of mind prevail and it should be all fine.

[Arkady]

I live in a village in Bangkok where we used to enjoy walking our dogs on a leash at any time of day or night. Now a household nearby which runs a veterinary clinic took in two stray dogs, one a half Bangkaew, and they let them loose in the village whenever they feel like it or just open the electronic gates to drive in one of their fleet of cars and don't care if the dogs run out or not. Sometimes they are left outside all night. I sent a long letter of complaint to the house owner and reported him to the village management after the two attacked me and one of our dogs. He replied about two weeks later with a half hearted apology but didn't bother to change his household's behaviour. The village management just replied that others had also complained after being bitten by the dogs but confined themselves to accepting the complaints which I don't thing they even bothered to pass on the house responsible. So now we have to check carefully to make sure no other dogs are out.

It is shame to pay a premium to live in a village and then end up with the same soi dog problem as you expect outside due to selfish, irresponsible neighbours. The fact that they are educated in the US and one of them has a PhD in veterinary science seems to make their behaviour no better than uneducated Thais. Their veterinary clinic in a not very prosperous area is absolutely filthy and smelly and charges rip off prices for medicines. I suppose they are making money ripping off poor Thais, so life is good and bugger everyone else who is not part of their own clan.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Arkady

[Lobber]

"?? is more than capable to deal with a few mingy strays but that’s not the issue as
they don’t get quite close enough to engage. They just surround us as
we walk along making a right bloody noise. "

Sounds like Soi 4 outside Nana every night

[Chaam local]

I know it doesn't help answer your question but i sympathise with you sincerely as i had exactly the same problem in Phuket whenever i walked my Doberman on the beach or around the village, territorial soi dogs and uneducated people who just jump to conclusions.....the people NOT the dogs!! lol

You can call me uneducated but too many people have big dogs because they feel insecure and they need some kind of protection, so yes if I see someone with a doberman or a "60 kg intimidating beast" (OP's words), and I don't know anything about that person's background and the way he has raised his dog, my reaction is to beware, especially with my kids around.

[thelongshoot]

Thank your lucky stars you aren't trying to walk him in Bangkok, not only Soi dogs, but the locals as well are scared beyond belief! Since then we have moved to Hua Hin. I walk her some morning on the beach north of the Regent Chalet. Yes, there are dogs but if you act like you aren't afraid and keep on walking they don't bother us. Just like Soi dogs, they are only trying to protect their territory. If I am walking in a new area with the dog, I will carry a stick but I have never had to use it except when there is a pack of dogs and even then I have never had to hit one just hitting the ground will scare them away. You should just make eye contact with the dog and stare it down. Remember you are the pack leader. If you keep the same route, over time the other dogs don't even bother with you. As far as any laws on having the dog on a lead on the beach.......yeah right!!

Im not really worried about a pottential fight, because it never comes to that. A dogs bark really is worse than its bite in most cases. And yes you are right in what you say: you have to put your shoulders back, and continue walking like you are the dog mafia lol.... Your dog will feel safe if you act like you dont care and the soi dogs feels intimidated by a walker who shows no fear. The problem is more the bloody noise and lack of peace.

I know it doesn't help answer your question but i sympathise with you sincerely as i had exactly the same problem in Phuket whenever i walked my Doberman on the beach or around the village, territorial soi dogs and uneducated people who just jump to conclusions.....the people NOT the dogs!! lol

I'm interested to know what breed your dog is as i'm very much a dog enthusiast, Dogue de Bordeaux, Mastiff or Great Dane would be my guess and a picture would be nice too

Good luck with some uninterrupted walks in the future...

Funny that, isn it. I get some looks also. People assume I am some king of lunatic who keeps killers dogs. To compensate for this i usualy try to be as friendly and personable as i can with other people on the beach just to show them that i "am a nice dude" to the point where I am bouncing around the beach like a sheer ladyboy, smiling like a goofy idiot and waving at strangers 50 feet away.

I am in BKK with my Soi Dogs that were rescued and adopted from living near Rayong. Walking them round the estate is not relaxing as every house has their own dogs who bark and slam into their gates every time we walk by. After months of this the dogs never "got used to us". There are a couple of places that apparently allow dogs but there are stray soi dogs and it takes forever to get to these places through the BKK traffic. My dogs would spend longer in the truck there AND back than they would enjoying the walk.

It's just too stressful walking my dogs in Bangkok. It is generally easy to face down that local pack, especially when me and my pack outnumber them, but it only takes one of them to bite and it's off to the vet we go.

It would be great if somebody had a block of land, fence it and then rent it out to dog walkers. If I had the connections I would do it. A dog park is something I would pay to use here, and I have a huge garden already.

Its stressfull isnt it. One minute you are happily strolling, deep in thought, the next minute all hell breaks loose. Even when its quiet and there are no dogs around, you are on the look out for them and waiting for the next explosion so you never realy get to chill out and enjoy the walk.

That's not a problem. You have to change your attitude and let the dog run your life and it'll fix the problem.

Everybody else is doing that but you.

Totaly confused by this, genuinely have no idea what you mean.

[thelongshoot]

it is not because you love dogs and trust them, that other persons will ... 60 kg of muscle, even you cannot handle ! it would ripp you apart and one day your dog might just turn onto you or your family member , you never know ...

than you might become one of those: my dog ate/killed/mammed for life my baby / child.... stories

You are right. You never know. You also never know if your son suddenly decides one day to take an AK47 to the local high school and shoot a load of children. My point is, the worst case scenario is apparent in any situation or example. The chances or so remote and slim its not worth worrying about. My guy is a Douge De Bourdeux or French Mastiff. If you google the breed and look at his temprement, you will read that they are one of the softest, most friendly dogs you can find. So soft in fact that by nature, if a small dog has a go at them, they prefer to turn the other cheek and walk off because by nature they do not want to attack something that they know is unable to defend its self. I see this all the time when i do walk him up the road. The bloke next door has a poodle who has free roam outside the house. The poodle is tiny. It will bark like mad at us when we try to walk past and my dog will just freeze. He wont move untill the poodle retreats back into the yard. When the poodle has gone, he is happy to walk past and even then at a slight jog almost like he is saying "come, on lets get out of here and not make a situation with the little guy".

However, when we get to the road there are a pack of several dogs who all run over and go nuts. My guy strains at the leash trying to chase them away showing no fear at all.

Im not worried about him turning as there is no history of that in his breed. You never read about this breed turning on its family.

Walk in the mountains, you won't have much trouble there.

You might come across a dog, but you won't come across packs of them up there.

Behind black mountain golf course, or access the mountains via the turn offs on the klong road, job done.

Good idea

Just walk with a stick in your hand !

We have a shih-tzu at home - and a few soi dogs who like to chase / engage to keep their territory. But when they see a stick in my hand, they only limit themselves to barking.

There are no clear laws about animal control here in thailand - so even a comparison with the west is plain useless. So let common sense + presence of mind prevail and it should be all fine.

I dont realy need a stick to be honest, the soi dogs never come close enough to use it. The problem is more the noise they make, not just for me but also for the people who live in the areas I am walking through.

[thelongshoot]

I know it doesn't help answer your question but i sympathise with you sincerely as i had exactly the same problem in Phuket whenever i walked my Doberman on the beach or around the village, territorial soi dogs and uneducated people who just jump to conclusions.....the people NOT the dogs!! lol

You can call me uneducated but too many people have big dogs because they feel insecure and they need some kind of protection, so yes if I see someone with a doberman or a "60 kg intimidating beast" (OP's words), and I don't know anything about that person's background and the way he has raised his dog, my reaction is to beware, especially with my kids around.

So then I will call you uneducated, I appreciate the invite to do so. Can you show me the research and evidence that suggests people with big dogs are insecure? What a totaly ignorant, brain dead, narrow minded and snobby opinion to take. Idiot.

[thelongshoot]

I know it doesn't help answer your question but i sympathise with you sincerely as i had exactly the same problem in Phuket whenever i walked my Doberman on the beach or around the village, territorial soi dogs and uneducated people who just jump to conclusions.....the people NOT the dogs!! lol

I'm interested to know what breed your dog is as i'm very much a dog enthusiast, Dogue de Bordeaux, Mastiff or Great Dane would be my guess and a picture would be nice too

Good luck with some uninterrupted walks in the future...

Thanks. Yes he is a DDB. Very playful, extremely friendly, super soft loving dog. Some people have such a narrow minded opinion. I understand people being intimidated by a big dog and thats why I keep him on the leash when people are around - not to protect them, but to make them feel more at ease. But where does this laughable stereotype come from that people with big dogs are obviously local yobs looking for a fight? There are some incredibly ignorant people out there.

You do sometimes see one or two people on the beach who know better and occasionaly someone will ask if they can pet him, or have a photo with him. Just a few days ago a Thai couple who were kite boarding asked if they could pet him. The woman started stroking his back and he just sort of fell into her arms and then collopsed onto her feet, rolled on his back and invited her to tickle his stomach. Soft as anything.

He also does this thing with strangers. You know those plastic chinese cats that you see in shops, with the cat waving its paw up and down as if to say "come here". He does that with people who pet him. He just sits down, and waves his paw up and down as if to say "yeh come on then pet me!". Its the cutest thing and I didnt teach him to do that.

Yes... some killer dog I have...

[robertson468]

I know it doesn't help answer your question but i sympathise with you sincerely as i had exactly the same problem in Phuket whenever i walked my Doberman on the beach or around the village, territorial soi dogs and uneducated people who just jump to conclusions.....the people NOT the dogs!! lol

You can call me uneducated but too many people have big dogs because they feel insecure and they need some kind of protection, so yes if I see someone with a doberman or a "60 kg intimidating beast" (OP's words), and I don't know anything about that person's background and the way he has raised his dog, my reaction is to beware, especially with my kids around.

So then I will call you uneducated, I appreciate the invite to do so. Can you show me the research and evidence that suggests people with big dogs are insecure? What a totaly ignorant, brain dead, narrow minded and snobby opinion to take. Idiot.

Totally agree and please see my photo - I am a Great Dane and it is my Pack Leader (human) who protects me and takes care of me. In return I try to give him companionship, fun and love. A scenario the original OP does not understand due to lack of education

[ALFREDO]

it is not because you love and trust them, that other persons will ... muscle, even you cannot handle ! it would ripp you apart and one day might just turn onto you or your family member , you never know ...

More the characteristic of a WILD animal and not a beloved Family dog,

who was brought up from a Puppy age with love and was well socialized. to other dogs and people.

[Chaam local]

English is not my mother tongue and I used the wrong term, I thought insecure meant "not safe" but seeing your reactions I checked and found out the meaning. So I didn't mean insecure in their head, I was talking about people who don't feel safe and have guard dogs to protect themselves or their house. I was also thinking of people where I am from who walk around with pitbulls, rottweilers or dobermans just to look tough and scary. Anyway, sorry for the confusion.

It doesn't change the fact that some dogs are intimidating and when you don't know anything about the owner it's not preposterous to see the dog as a potential danger.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Chaam local

[ALFREDO]

Im not really worried about a pottential fight, because it never comes to that. A dogs bark really is worse than its bite in most cases. And yes you are right in what you say: you have to put your shoulders back, and continue walking like you are the dog mafia lol.... Your dog will feel safe if you act like you dont care and the soi dogs feels intimidated by a walker who shows no fear. The problem is more the bloody noise and lack of peace.

I'm interested to know what breed your dog is as i'm very much a dog enthusiast, Dogue de Bordeaux, Mastiff or Great Dane would .....

Funny that, isn it. I get some looks also. People assume I am some king of lunatic who keeps killers dogs. To compensate for this i usualy try to be as friendly and personable as i can with other people on the beach just to show them that i "am a nice dude" to the point where I am bouncing around the beach like a sheer ladyboy, smiling like a goofy idiot and waving at strangers 50 feet away.

So, a Dogue de Bordeaux. Nice, I had one to, just passed away.

I had until recently, a pack of big pure breed dogs myself in Isaan in the countryside on large land. So, no need for walks.

Edited April 17, 2013 by ALFREDO

[bostonboy]

we had the same issue with my German Shepherd when i moved with him to Phuket. Anytime we'd walk down the street all the soi dogs would go wild

he has since passed at 16yrs old

we now have a 16mos old Golden Retriever in Vancouver but have thoughts on moving to Hua Hin in the near future

i'd love to be able to let my dog run w/o leash early morning on beach w/o soi dogs coming after us

even my wife said,with the German Shepherd, it wasn't as much an issue because he was the most quiet dog but he didn't take any shit when they came near him

but our Golden is so dopey( just loves every dog/person) that we are afraid he will run up to any of them and get bit

in the mountains, do you have to worry about snakes?

[Simhne]

It would be great if somebody had a block of land, fence it and then rent it out to dog walkers. If I had the connections I would do it. A dog park is something I would pay to use here, and I have a huge garden already.

I know of a block of land in Lad Prao, old school yard (school has recently closed). The owner is an in law of mine and is looking for a use for it but would want income. If there was sufficient take up for your idea what do you think people would regard as a reasonable fee or subscription assuming there would be enough demand locally?

The area is just over a Rai so not massive but big enough to throw a ball, has seats etc and is enclosed.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Simhne

[Seashore]

Lad Prao is a bit far away from Hua Hin to walk the dog!

[Simhne]

Lad Prao is a bit far away from Hua Hin to walk the dog!

You're right there but people have posted queries from all over including bkk about secure dog walking facilities.

[Keesters]

You have my sympathy and understanding. I live in urban Pattaya and have an energetic 30kg Labrador Retriever. Taking her out for a walk locally is more stressful than I can now handle. Not because of anything she does but what all the pets-on-the-loose and soi dogs do with their constant barking and threatening behavior often resulting in human interaction of an undesirable nature.

I have now resorted to taking her to a quiet beach 15kms from my home where she can run free, play ball, swim and let off steam.