Only recently a Tölzer was attacked by a dog.
In general, there are always conflicts with dog owners.
An animal psychologist gives tips.
Bad Tölz –
The first warm rays of sunshine draw walkers, joggers and cyclists out into nature more often.
And even if it's raining more, everyone wants to enjoy spring.
A Tölzer recently had no nice encounters with four-legged friends.
Dogs, how the owners deal with their four-legged friends and their legacies are often a hot topic.
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A bunch of trouble: A walker found bags of dog waste on the Sitec meadow at the entrance to Bad Tölz.
© Sacher
Hot topic dogs?
Again and again conflicts - "I got an enormous shock"
The 66-year-old, who doesn't want to read his name in the newspaper, reports that he's been attacked by dogs three times recently.
That was in Tölz, Lenggries and Gaißach.
The dogs would not have listened to the calls of their owners and would have jumped at the Tölzer.
"I got a huge shock," the man admits.
He is now concerned with the question of how to behave properly in such a situation.
The Tölzer Kurier asked the animal psychologist and dog trainer Stephanie Lang von Langen.
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Leash required for all dogs?
Not the right approach
If a dog approaches you, don't stare at them, advises Lang von Langen.
Because: “At that moment you come into contact with the animal.
The staring is misinterpreted by the dog.” Instead, it is better to slow down or stop completely.
“You should cross your arms and look away.
That’s how you get out of contact,” explains the expert.
It can also help not to face the dog and walk slowly in an arc.
"It has a de-escalating effect," said the 46-year-old.
Lang von Langen would not say that dogs sense or smell fear in people.
"It's more the human's body language that the dog misinterprets. The dog realizes that the human is set to attack."
It can be dangerous for both humans and animals if the dog runs in front of a bicycle.
"The quick movement stimulus of the bike is attractive for the dog," explains the animal psychologist.
She would like cyclists to ring the bell at an early stage.
"Then the dog owner can pick up his animal and wait until the cyclist has passed."
If a dog that is not on a leash jumps at a walker, it is "rude behavior", according to Lang von Langen.
“This is where people come into play.
We wouldn't allow our children to just pull someone's jacket either.” But why do dogs jump?
"They're curious at first," explains Lang von Langen.
However, the cause of the jumping lies in the animal's "childhood years".
“One often does not intervene with young dogs.
At some point they get cheeky.” Through training and education, you can break the habit of jumping.
Nevertheless: For Lang von Langen, the behavior of the dogs in the three cases described by Tölzer cannot be excused.
However, in their view, requiring all dogs to be on a leash is not the right approach.
“Nature is for everyone,” she says.
Leaving dog waste lying around is not a trivial offence
Carolin Sacher from Tölz recently had another unpleasant experience when she went for a walk with her dog and daughter on the "Sitec-Wiese" in the evening.
On the small stretch from the road to the forest, she counted ten dog turds.
"We couldn't take them with us because we only had two bags with us at the time," she reports.
"My little one didn't let it rest, so after dinner we went again and found at least six piles and disposed of them." Sacher wonders: "Are the owners really that lazy?
As a dog owner, you always have a bag with you somewhere.” She thinks: “It's just a pity that such a beautiful place, where people like to meet to let the dogs romp, is treated so ruthlessly.”
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So far, no complaints have been made to the city about dog excrement on the "Sitec-Wiese", according to an inquiry from press spokeswoman Birte Otterbach.
"Probably because it's a privately owned meadow," she suspects.
That's why there are no plans to set up a dog toilet there.
But there are two within walking distance, one at Lettenholz and one at the Eichmühle natural outdoor pool.
In general, dog waste lying around is not a big nuisance in Tölz.
"In principle, one has to say that the problem has developed very positively," says Otterbach.
"Many dog owners now have a lot of understanding for the problem and they are actively working to improve it." The city spokeswoman cites the Mayor Stollreiter Promenade on the Isar as a positive example.
"A lot of people walk their dogs here, but according to the feedback from our employees at the depot, this is not a problem in terms of 'legacy'."
New location for dog toilet in Bad Tölz is being examined
Otterbach explains that the decision as to where a dog toilet is to be set up is based on specific information and actual needs.
“If we receive a message from our cleaning crews that there is an increased amount of dog waste in one spot, we check whether it makes sense to set up a dog toilet, and the depot employees check there regularly.
Unfortunately, on the Georg-Pacher-Weg we have not yet achieved the result that we would like.” There are currently 38 dog toilets in Tölz.
A new location on Stadtwaldstraße / Am Pfannenholz is currently being examined.
Simply leaving dog poop lying around is not a trivial offense, says Otterbach.
If the dog owner does nothing, he could get a fine.
“Because of possible infections, there is a real danger for everyone who comes into contact with it.
We therefore ask all dog owners near playgrounds or green spaces where they play, as well as near pastures, to dispose of all the legacies of their furry friends even more carefully than they often do anyway," says Otterbach.
“Many dog owners behave in an exemplary manner.
With the others, we hope that the knowledge matures.”