Horrific First Dog Park Experience

[Jenna & Cider]

I can't stop crying, I'm so upset and shocked.  Today we took our  4 month old doodle to a reputable dog park. A girlfriend of mine takes her dogs there and recommended it to us. Our doodle has been in puppy training with other dogs and our neighborhood has a lot of dogs that we encounter on our walks....I felt like he has had a good amount of exposure to other dogs. He just got his last set of shots a week ago and we were looking forward to taking him to the dog park and let him play and run around.  He's 36lbs of sweetness. He has never showed any aggressive tendencies. He typically will stop, sit and watch another dog if he sees one.  My girlfriend took her pups to the park when they were 3 months and never had any problems so we figured he was going to be fine and it'd be good for him to get more socialization.

The park has 2 sections, a 20# and under section and a 20# and over. Cider is far beyond 20# so we went to our designated section.  As we walked in, he was so happy! A couple people walked by with their pups and they sniffed eachother. Cider doesn't wander far from us, he walks about 10 feet and waits for us before he walks further. George and I were laughing because Cider would run and stop and look at us to make sure it was ok. He started running around with a retriever mix and we thought....this is great for him!  He followed the retriever over to a group of other dogs that were playing and all of a sudden we heard him yelp and was running towards us.  He's still clumsy, he's growing and getting so tall but he's not used to these long legs yet and he stumbled.   6 dogs chased him down and were attacking him. One pit mix had hold of his side and was trying to get his neck.   Everyone was just standing there while George and I were trying to get Cider who was pinned on his back yelping. George had to tear the pit off of him while I lifted him up. I'm 5'0..not very tall....so while George was trying to get the dogs away from me and Cider- another dog jumped up on me and grabbed Cider's rear. George got him off. I was holding Cider and shaking and crying.....Everything is a blur now. 2 men started fighting because one man pulled the other man's dog off Cider. George got knicked by the pit when he pulled him off.

What is most disturbing to me is how little the other dog owners did. There were a couple folks who tried to help but if it were not for George I do not know what could have happened.  I read mixed things about dog parks on this site. I decided to give it a try based on the glowing reviews from my friend. I feel like I am the worst mom ever. Cider is laid back, doesn't bark at other dogs, not very assertive. Maybe he was too young? Maybe he is too timid to be in that environment... I think maybe the other dogs sensed he was a little nervous/fearful and went into attack mode. The aching in my heart is so intense because I feel like I put my pup in harms way and it's all my fault.

When we got home, I gave him a bath and gave him another inspection to confirm there was no broken skin. Thankfully he is such a fur ball that it appears that they mostly had mouths of hair. I don't think I will ever forget the sight of looking down and seeing my dog's rear in the mouth of another  dog yanking.  We are going to the vet today just to be sure he's fine. I'm freaked about about George have a cut from the dog. Today has been a disaster :( 

[Jenna & Cider]

I appreciate your kind words Lisa. Thank you!

[Kimmy & Chewie]

How scary! Glad Cidar is unharmed (physically and emotionally).

My Chewie was bitten by a labrador last month and we weren't so lucky. Chewie had a deep bite wound just under his eye which required 7 stitches (under general anaesthetic). Thankfuly, he has no post-traumatic stress from the ordeal and greets every dog happily as before.

I still remember the feeling carrying him to the car. I was shaking like a leaf!!

From what I learn from Ceasar Milan, dogs act as pack to target/correct anyone they deem as "unstable" in the pack. I think young puppy might be too churpy for some dog in the park and that set them off? That's my guess. Perhaps you should wait till he's a bit older or visit parks when it's less crowded. Maybe join the smaller park (under 20lbs)??

Regardless of the reason, there's no excuse for the other dog owners not to assist you, George and Cider during the incident. That's just rude!

[Jenna & Cider]

Kimmy- Thanks so much. I am so sorry to hear your chewie had to have stitches! hindsight is 20/20 and I think you are correct.  I look at Cider and he's so big that it's hard to keep in mind that he's still so young. I need to read more info from Caesar Milan!

[Judi and Daisy May]

Hi Jenna, I haven't been on and haven't talked to you in a while and now this....OMG....Your poor little Cider!! I hope George and him are fine after this terrible episode. I have never taken Daisy May to a dog park. One time we walked passed the fencing and she wouldn't even look at the dogs she was like "dont even think about it momma" ...LOL... I feel terrible and I know how your feeling too but it's nothing that you did wrong. Please keep us updated.... hope to talk to you soon!! :)

[Jenna & Cider]

Hi Judy! Will keep you updated..thanks for your thoughts :)

[Sally]

First, I'm sorry that Cider's first experience was so terrible. Glad he wasn't seriously injured. I just wanted to share with you some of my past experiences for what it's worth. Duncan is a people dog. He loves to go to the dog park more for the owners than the dogs. He enjoys all the loving he gets as they pet him and scratch his behind! He likes his doggie play time to be with only 1 or 2 dogs at a time so either we have individual play dates at friends houses or we go to the park only when there are just a couple of dogs. And we ONLY go in if we know each and every dog. This is a new thing for me because i used to think Duncan would never get hurt since he's mostly just by my side sitting on a bench in the park. But a few months ago I had some timing issues....I saw a couple bringing a pit in. I wanted to leave. I just had a gut feeling. Unfortunately our park only has 1 entrance/exit. So lost my window as they had already started to enter (we're having renovations done to our park next month and the parks dept is going to make separate entrance and exits now! yay!). Anyway the pit (who i later found out was recently rescued and the owners had already had issues with the pit biting someone's arm) attacked Duncan. He had to get a staple to close the wound and i was so upset. It could have been worse but he had his winter coat on saving him from really being chomped on. This incident really changed my views about the park. Granted, I had seen so many dog incidents for the entire 2 years i had been going but somehow thought duncan would never get in the middle. Lesson learned. Here's my suggestions. 

1. Go super early in the morning or late in the day when there are only a few dogs. Stay on the outside at first and watch the dogs play for a while. Then watch the owners. Are they in control of their dogs? Are the dogs relaxed. Learn to understand the non verbal signs that a dog might be aggressive. This might even be a good idea to do on a few separate occasions.

2. If that goes well, try conversing with the owners and getting to know a little about the other dogs. You can tell fairly quickly how "dog savvy" owners are. I was lucky to meet a small group of about 5 people who were all really seasoned and gave me a few pointers at first.

3. Then enter the park. I really think #1 and #2 are so important because if the owners aren't stellar their dogs surely won't be either.

I always tell people with puppies to play in the small dog side with duncan first. He's gentle and lets them ease into things. Granted Duncan is only 30 lbs so i can get away with him on the small dog side.

Yes, 4 months old is quite young and you are right, many dogs will sense the timid nature of a young pup. Just as they sense a dog that is injured. But you are doing the right thing in wanting to socialize Cider. Perhaps you can single out one or two people with easy going dogs and schedule a time that they will be there. Don't beat yourself up. Cider is over it. Dogs are great that way. 

Once Cider is older and really well trained with recall you can try and do non-dog park off leash get togethers. 

Hope this helps. 

[Becka]

These are great tips! Sorry about Duncan's scary experience. Sadie and I are old hands at the dog park now and usually go at a time of day when we know everyone there. When new people come in I try to make a point of greeting them and finding out about their dogs. 99% of the people really appreciate it and I think that when they feel more comfortable, it's easier for their dogs to relax. As for the 1% that don't want anything to do with the regulars--well, people (and dogs) with bad attitudes don't last very long at our park.

[Jenna & Cider]

Sally, great information. My heart sank into my stomach reading your experience and I've come to realize how truly fortunate we are that there were no open wounds, it could have been far worse. 

 

Thank you so much for your advice and tips. I can promise you that I am absorbing everything like a sponge right now. I hope you enjoy your week.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

So sorry about your bad first experience. I hope Cider and George are okay (as well as you). I don't remember how old Monty was when I took him to a dog park for the first time. But I think he was well over 6 months old at that time. To make sure het got an early socialization with other dogs, I attended a puppy socialization at a local humane society with him every Friday. It was not a training class, but they did show us some relationship building excercises. The puppies were divided based on their age into age-similar groups where they could play together. It was really great and a safe place. Perhaps you want to check if there are any puppy socialization classes in your area? It is very important for the puppies to be exposed to other dogs while they are still litte so that they can learn all proper behaviors, communications, and plays. Dog park might not be the right place just yet. Just please don't give up on Cider meeting other dogs because of your bad experience.

 

[Jenna & Cider]

It is interesting, it feels like socialization is a catch 22. We had Cider in a training class with several other puppies around the same age. Every week, they'd get time to play and there was never a problem. Because we had several series of shots remaining before he was fully vaccinated, we weren't able to bring him to doggy day camps for even more socialization. He's familiar with the dogs in our neighborhood but we tried to give him as much exposure as we could without risking catching anything while he was waiting for his last set of shots. By the time he was fully vaccinated and brought him to the dog park, we had seen him encounter and interact with a pretty good number of dogs. 

 

We will not shy away from other dogs just because of this experience but will probably stick to play dates with friends dogs and (now that we can) doggy day camps/ day care. Thanks for your input.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Keep in mind that "socialization" for dogs does not mean what it does for people. It's not about getting together with other dogs to socialize, lol.  Socializing a dog refers to getting a dog accustomed to human society: all the sights, sounds, and experiences of the human world. Garbage trucks, playgrounds, bicycles, etc. The way that you socialize a dog is to expose him to all different kinds of people, places, and things. It really has nothing at all to do with playing with other dogs or going to dog parks. I'm not saying it isn't a good thing for dogs to play together, but don't confuse it with socializing or think that your dog will be poorly socialized if you don't bring him to dog parks and large gatherings of dogs. Some of the most poorly socialized dogs in existence spend all of their time with other dogs, and freak out when they encounter most normal every day situations. Some of the most wonderfully socialized dogs you will ever meet do not spend time playing with other dogs. They only have to get along with other dogs at vets offices, and other public places.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

This is why I don't take Peri to the dogpark.  It scares me way too much and she is so submissive, she just lays down for any dog!  So I take her to daycare every know and then to let her get her playtime in. I know it's not free, but the dogs there are heavily screened for aggression and I feel very safe leaving her.

 

I am sorry you went through this - hope today's a better day :)