Normal dog behavior @ dog park!?

[Megan]

Okay - ya'll can set me straight on this one...but is it normal dog play to have an adult husky pin down your mini golden at a dog park and growl and show teeth? I'm seriously so livid right now at how irresponsible pet owners can be. I'm at the dog park, and this happens...and I have to reach in and grab my doodle laying face up with a husky on top showing his teeth and growling! Owners...oh, just watching..and not helping...and not caring that their mean dogs are jumping and nipping at Brooksy the whole way out of the dog park as I carry him to the small dog side. I know they might think that's better not having the fluff ball on the big dog side, but I want to punch them! hahahah..I'm sorry...just being protective...and venting. I just wish there was a "middle size" area at the dog park..so Brooksy doesn't annoy the heck out of the teacup yorkies...but doesn't get mauled by the huge dogs...oh...thanks again for listening! Just having a stressful doggy "mothers day"! :)

[Kyoko]

I started to think that bigger the dog park is, lesser the issues. Because they have more space to stay away from the dogs that they don't care for, and play with the dog that they get along with....They can all find somebody to hang with.
At the smaller dog park, what they see is what they get.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

I have a love/hate relationship with dog parks. The chance to really run around and play with other dogs is enjoyed by my "medium" dogs. I always remain on my feet moving around in an open area where my dogs can come to me for "safety" . Once I even had another timid large dog choose me as her safety or "goal" as we used to call it when we re played tag. Her owner was busy talking and not watching his dog. I have been chastised by another owner whose dog was agressive to one of my dogs and my dog stood his ground. That owner always sits at the same picnic table and tells me she comes everyday. She is totallly unaware that she has made that her dog's territory. It is unreasonable to assume their will never be quarrels between dogs at a dog park, but a dog who never gets along with any other dog needs to have a sensable enough owner to keep them home. Alas this is not always so. In addtion to this my dog's picked a nasty case of giardia at a dog park ( had to be there as they had not been around contaminated water.) That three very messy months, but at least I kept my dogs home until they were giardia free. On the other hand you meet some really nice people and dogs at the dog park and you bring home dogs that need a bath, but are nice and tired. On the practical side, unless the dogs are really fighting, a sharp unusual noise will usually distract them long enough to break it up. Try whistling one sharp note or a quick firm "enough" it is the 'fff" sound that does it. Also I try to match the dogs up to their owners, although this is difficult if the park is crowded. All in all I don't go all that often and seem to be becoming more reluctant to do so.

[Holly St Pierre]

I agree with Lynne. Hate the dog parks. Too many irresponsible owners & too many aggressive dogs for Gunner.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Hannah was my first dog I had ever taken to the dog park. Poor Hannah had been jumped 3xs last year, each time getting more sever than the 1st. The last time was a boxer whom the guy said was never to a dog park and he didn't know how the dog would react. That was really a socialization problem and the guy did remove his dog, only it was a little to late. We stopped going to the park because of this. Last week it was this Husky whom the woman simply refuses to stop bringing, she allows her dog to chew on other people's dogs and she just is simply ignorant. I was in shock on Saturday night at the dog park, this pitbull decided to ride and intimadate Hannah, Hannah wasn't having any of this after about 5xs, as I felt she didn't think it was play and turned right around and for the first time snapped at this pitbull. Hannah was also trying to get away from this pitbull and hiding behind a park bench where I was sitting. I asked the owner of the pit to remove his dog from the area, he refused. My first reaction was OMG now I have an agressive dog and wanted to correct this behaviour. Than I couldn't help myself, since the guy would not keep his dog off of Hannah and she felt threatened, I congrautlated her for sticking up for herself. I refused to allow her to feel she had did wrong. Normally she will lie right down and be the dog getting chewed up, so this really amazed me. After that, the dog left her alone. I often wondered if because of the type of coat these dogs have, or what exactly it is that causes them to get picked on all the time. Hannah is also spayed. They say dogs get to know each other by smelling their butts, maybe my dog does not have a smelly enough butt or something..lmao. I was also told by a cop if there is a dog fight, to break it up...grab the top dog by its hind legs and pull...they cant get their balance nor can they bite you, this force even makes a pitbull stop. Never really want to be in that postion to have to even try something like that. Only thing I can try and do is screen the park where we go...get to know who is friendly and who is not...if a "Not dog" is there, we won't be, till they leave.

[Sandy]

We went to the dog park yesterday as well. Toby just needed to run off some steam. I find that the greatest problems occur with the owners who congregate in one area and just stand there talking. Of course, their dogs end up congregating as well, and that's when things get rough and tumble. Too many dogs milling about and not running! We usually wander off to the perimeters of the park, and quite often we find that other owners with "milder" personality dogs do the same. We try to keep moving - if we start chatting to someone, we make sure the dogs also get along and will play nicely.

Yesterday there was a young guy there with a boxer. There were several boxers, and all the owners were just standing, talking. The young guy's boxer kept "starting things" - fights - with the other dogs. His method of discipline was yelling. The dog had a spiky collar on, and I think the dog was kind of a tough guy status symbol for this young man. They didn't stay long, and we kept Toby away from the boxer crowd. I too feel better going if my husband is there. He's much bigger than I am, and could more easily break things up, if it had to happen.

[GBK]

Mary and I often meet at the park with our doodles and usually at the same time of day. We know the people and their dogs and all get along great. A couple of weekends ago we met at another time of day, and both my Kona and her Nikki got attacked by the same dog. This woman really took the cake! First her shepard mix came up to us for attention, then proceeded to scare the crap out of Kona by pinning her to the ground and nipping her everywhere while growling ( I was pretty scared too). While I was checking her out for holes and blood, this lady never said a word and just sat at a bench near by holding her dogs collar. She went a little ways out and threw the ball for the dog, and then the darn dog comes back to Mary and I and sits between us for petting again, then not a minute goes by that the dog attacks Nikki, and she does get bitten just under her eye (we didn't notice until after she left). The lady never said a word to either of us, I was boiling inside by this point and did not say a thing, but I will be dialing the police if I ever see this woman and her dog again in this park.

More and more I meet people for play dates, and even if it IS at one of the dogparks, we seperate from the rest of the pack. This way if a dog is friendly and does want to play that is fine, and we can see the body language from a distince which helps too. I am sorry for you having to go through this Megan, personally I don't like dogs to play really rough with mine, even if they can take it, because I don't want them to get used to that rough play. Why should they have to feel like they have to defend themselves???? Mine really love the park, but I am very vigilant to now go when I know the nicer dogs are there, and am hyper aware of all around me with my dogs close at hand.

[Adina P]

I think kids under 10 should just NOT be there...ever. My friend's great dane knocked over a small child not too long ago...the kid flew a couple feet actually! Luckily no injuries and parents didn't blame my friend or her dog...but it still upsets me.