Dog Parks... Friend or Foe???

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

Well, it was an interesting weekend... my parents came down to help me with some stuff around the new house... putting up shelves, etc. They did a fantastic job! Before they came we discovered that Remington had finally started to lose those baby teeth of his and we ended up finding 4 of them in just a few days! And lastly... we went to the Dog Park on Sunday evening....

We got Remington a Dog Park pass so that he could be with other dogs and have fun and learn to socialize better... we have only been to the park twice. The first time we met up with a friend of ours and her two papeeon's (no clue how to spell it) and Remington did great. Well, Sunday we went and the Dog Park was packed... but we were glad because we thought it would be good for Remington. We walked in and all the dogs took to Remington right away. He had soooo much fun playing and watching each of them. It was really great and Dan and I were pleased with how well he was doing. Well.... after we had been there for 30 minutes or so a new dog entered the park. I didn't think a thing about it, I mean why would I? Anyways, this dog came right at Remington and ATTACKED him within minutes of being there. This dog was baring his teeth at Remington and biting for his neck. He had Remington pinned to the ground. The owner could not get her dog off of Remington so Dan and several other people had to break them apart. Remington ran straight over to me then and sat in between my legs for the rest of the time there. The lady came to apologize to us and insisted that her dog never acts like that. Well, within a few minutes her dog got into another fight with another dog that had just arrived in the park and several people had to break them apart. By this point in time I was very shaken and READY TO GO! I told Dan I thought we should leave and he agreed. We hooked our leash up to Remington and started to walk him out and the same dog came over and started to seriously bite at him again. The lady could not stop her dog and it took us like 10 minutes to be able to leave because this dog would not leave Remington alone. Remington was crying like I have never heard before! We final got out of there and the lady apologized to us once again about her dog. By this time I was very upset. I mean it is one thing for two dogs to be "playing" but this was not playing and if she was unable to control her dog then she and her dog shouldn't have been in there! We got Remington to the car and sat down to check him out to make sure he was alright. He seemed to be. We were probably more upset about the whole thing than he was. The incident has scared me enough that I don't want to go back!

I guess my question is... do you think this dog was playing off of Remington's fear or do you think that dogs are just like people... some just don't get along? Should I let go of the incident and return to the park? Am I'm being an over protective parent???

[Stella]

How old is Remington? I would be wary of taking a young puppy to the dog park. Mainly because they haven't always learnt the necessary social niceties around other dogs, and there are a lot of bad owners who take totally inappropriate dogs to dog parks. Some dog parks have special areas for puppies. We do take both of ours to our local dog park (two labradoodles - 6 months and 18 months old) and we are very careful about when we go - off peak times only! I usually sit in the car for a few minutes to see what is going on and who is there, and there have been times when I have driven away without getting out of the car. The most annoying thing is that when a 'bad' dog (or owner!!) comes, it is always the good owners with the nice dogs that leash up and leave. Don't let this incident put you off, maybe just be a bit more choosy about what time of day you go (avoid weekends - too busy and chaotic!!).

[Janie]

Why was'nt the offending dog removed from the park?

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

We dont have a dog park here, but that concerns me too. I love the idea of Abby frolicking happily with other dogs but am nervous of her being bullied or hurt by another dog. We have always had small dogs before Abby and being attacked by a big dog could be deadly. Before Abby, I used to walk both Bailey and his mother (RIP) together while pushing the baby carriage with the stroller. A trio of strays wandered up and got aggressive with my dogs who were raring to try fight back (small dog syndrome) and I had the dogs in ome hand and the baby stroller in another - the stroller almost tipped. I guess I shouted enough the other dogs finally took off. That traumatized me. I never took the dogs again with the babies. Another time I was alone walking one dog and a mean dog came along (by himself of course) with fur standing on back , stalking, teeth bared, right at Bailey. I was so surprised by my own actions - I scooped Bailey into my arms and firmly and loudly yelled "GO HOOOOME!" The dog tried to jump up and I kicked it square in the stomach. While I shouted something. It took off. I was so surprised at my bravado because I am a scaredy cat/wimpy chicken. I guess survival instinct took over, the old mother bear thing.

But if they ever opened up a dog park here I probably wouldnt go because there are to many large ferocious dogs here,

[Adina P]

P.S. But I don't think you need to be afraid of going back. Just keep your eyes peeled and if the owner of a naughty dog doesn't take it upon himself/herself to leave...refer to the park's rules about aggressive dogs (are there any?) and ask them to leave and if they don't ... just leave yourself and come back later.

I also will not go with more than 1 of my 3 dogs without my husband there. I'm not strong enough to deal with any aggressive dog attacks on my dogs. Early on when our dog park first opened...Rosco was attacked about 3-4 times (and he's the type that will fight back rather than run and hide, but he won't start anything). MOST of the time Clark was there to pull off the offending dog and hold him down until he was calm. I don't EVER want to go through that without Clark there...it's too scary.

[Adina P]

I totally agree with Karen's definition of socialization. Dogs don't NEED to meet strange dogs and 'hang out' all the time (well...except for Doodle Romps of course...those are vitally necessary ;-)). I think perhaps young pups benefit from play time very much...but as they mature the purpose (in my mind) of socialization is tolerance and acceptance of the world around them & lack of fear and plenty of confidence in various situations--so that they CAN go anywhere with you and meet anyone and aren't stressed by it. So they can work around other dogs and not lose their brains by the sheer proximity to another canine.

I also have a love/hate relationship with dog parks--and I'm on our dog park committee! What I like about dog parks is seeing other dogs and the fact my dog can be off leash and run around fetching things and not be stuck walking in a boring straight path--it tires them out!

[Sue]

I've learned over the years that each time I go to the dog park it's a gamble. I usually go once a week with my 3. You just never know what kind of dogs and owners you will find there. For instance, yesterday I had to leave early because an unsupervised male dog kept humping my older golden retriever, and would NOT let up. He actually followed me out of the gate trying to get at my old HUnter. I still don't know where the owner was. I had to pull him back into the fenced area. Other times have been no problem. I agree that the dog in question that attacked your poor baby should not be there in the first place. Hopefully the owner will realize this. Maybe you could go during the week when it's much less crowded?

Sue

[Kathy Wilson]

I'm shocked that this other dog was not immediatly removed from the park! His person should have removed him immediately, in my opinion! Sheesh! Hope Remington is okay. I'd give the park another try in hopes that the lunatic dog owner came to her senses and didn't bring the dog back.

[Judy Ingram - Oliver & Cooper]

I'm wondering if the owner of Mr. Viscious is lacking in dog BRAINS! If your dog attacks anyone in a dog park you leash him! She's the one with the problem. You need to keep your guy happy and let him have fun! Hope it hasn't hurt his opinion of Dog Prks.

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

Thank you for all your comments... this does help and I'm going to try to not be scared off by this... however, I'm not going to go unless Dan is with me because I don't think I would have been able to get this dog off Remington. We definitely socialize Remington in all the areas Karen and Jack mentioned... but we wanted to do the dog park because this is one area he lacks. But I definitely DON'T want him to be fearful of other dogs. I will definitely keep my eye out for this lady and ask her name and name of her dog next time. The whole thing just really shook me up because I never expected it to happen. However, all your comments make me feel not so alone! Thanks for that! :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It would be a shame if you had to give up an activity that you and Remington enjoy because of the aggressive behavior of one dog. I would have insisted that the woman with the uncontrollable dog be the one to leave. Remington is very young, and this kind of thing can make him dog-shy or dog-aggressive if it happens too often. It happened to Jackdoodle after I got him, and he was 14 months old; after one or two attacks like that, he is now very leery of strange dogs. We have learned which dog areas have more well-behaved dogs & owners, and avoid the ones where the owners sit and gab while their dogs run wild. I would definitely report this dog and any others that behave aggressively in the future, and do whatever it takes to protect Remington.
Please keep in mind, however, that "socializing" as it applies to dogs is not about spending time playing with other dogs, like humans getting together to "socialize". Puppies (and all dogs) need to be "socialized" to our society...different places, sounds, people, activities, smells, etc. Puppies are socilaized by going to lots of people places- farmer's markets, auto repair shops, vets offices, walking past schools and parks, and being handled and approached by children, men, all sorts of environments, etc. Dogs do not need to go to dog parks to socialize. Especially for young puppies, inviting a neighbor dog over to romp in the backyard might be a better alternative.
(PS: Papillon, lol!)