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i think it depends on the culture of the dog park, basically.
i used to take sadie to one of the big city parks, and it was mostly fine, but there were some people who brought overly aggressive dogs and/or paid no attention to their dogs. on the flip side, there were people who'd freak out every time a dog play-bowed to their dog, or if their dog did the same to another dog. i watched this one woman make her poodle, lulu, more neurotic every week because she thought lulu was being aggressive when she was really just playing.
more recently i've been taking sadie to a small neighborhood park. it's an unofficial one but it's maintained by neighbors who take their dogs there and basically has the blessing of the borough where it's located. i like that place a lot better - it's less crowded, people live nearby and know each other, and most people are very good about confronting owners who bring aggressive dogs or don't pick up after their dogs. i think for a dog park to be successsful, it needs to have rules, and also have people who are willing to say something when the rules are broken. at my park, people have a vested interest in keeping the space as a dog park (we all know that if there's any kind of complaint, we could easily lose the place), so it goes very well.
i hate to encourage lawbreaking, but in general i find that unofficial parks are better than the official ones. also unfenced ones are better than fenced, i guess because people who go to those HAVE to have dogs who respond to their vocal commands.
i definitely think the suggestion of going without your dog first is a good one. you also may find that certain days and times are better than others at the same park.
i had a real open mind about dog parks, until i had a crazy dramatic situation...
this lady strolled in with a boxer...btw, love boxers! i love all breeds! this boxer came in and immediately pin pointed on our pup...by the time i realized what was about to happen, the boxer was standing over our pup, and myself and a few other men were trying to correct the boxer (the owner was non-existent), and then the boxer clamped down our our pups neck and picker her up like a rag doll and did the back and forth motion that most dogs do when they play with toys!!
I was the same way with dog parks as well as boxers. However, a lot of boxers I've seen play really rough, they like to run up full charge to smaller dogs and then "box" them with their front legs, basically t-bone the smaller dog. I've seen it with the boxer breed too many times and therefore don't like having my dog around that breed, unless they are highly socialized.
I guess yesterday was just the first time my dog ever freaked out and got really scared at a dog park. The only other dogs that were there were rather large boxers that were nice. But my dog got into a defensive aggressive mode and had her tail between her legs and started yelping and snapping at those dogs when they approached. I think it may be because I haven't been to the dog park in about a year and need to get my dog reacquainted with the whole dog park, random dog coming through the gates style introduction. Because she is a very social dog, or at least was a very social dog
I was game for dog parks until I saw someone bring his in heat pitty to the park and saw her attack 4 dogs one after the other(there was blood!). ...nothing against the pitty but all it would have to do is pinch my 17 lbs dogs neck and he's done. my thought is STUPID OWNER! I am cautious as I think owners don't think and socializing a dog at a dog park isn't brilliant as many are pups and do strange awkward things(which I find adorable but older dogs think they are just strange!). ....again ...depends on the owner and training of the dog! I also don't agree with bringing children into dog parks because they are as awkward as silly pups are and lack polite doggie interaction skills often.
....I'd rather have some friends over with their dogs and let them play in my backyard.
...also, my guy is a yapper and I understand the want to say shut up to him often so I coudl see how he could offend another dog or come across wrong. when we have gone(maybe five times) he's a big fat baby and stays by my side the whole time and quiet but he would be the dorky dog running circles around another dog fight barking. he's a very good boy when off leash or not "protecting" our home ;P .....we tell him he's pretty when he acts dorky
I'm a big fan of my local dog park. I live in a townhome with no yard, so sometimes it's the only place (legally off leash) I can take Beesley to get his energy out. He's had a few run-ins with aggressive dogs, but it never lasts more than a few seconds.
My only complaint about the dog park is only half of it is grass and come summer time, that's not going to be fun to have a smelly, dirty dog in my 150 degree car...
I went to the dog park twice. Once with my friend and her dog. We walked around the fence line, sat down on a bench, and the dogs hung around us. If they strayed, we walked behind them. There was a pack of 5-6 dogs walking the park, but the owners were on the other side chatting. I had no incidents, but I do have to admit I watched the other dogs closely as I don't know their dogs, I only know mine. I did have a great day. The other time I went, there was only 1 other dog there which my boy tried keeping up with. He had a great time. Came home with fleas on that trip. Both those trips to the park were with my dog who passed away in 2005. My boy now I know can be pushy and I'm not sure how he would do in a dog park.
I take Riley to the dog park every day. I've seen some pretty idiotic owners, poorly manered dogs, and sticky situations but it goes with the park... I just keep my eyes on everyone & stay prepared. It helps that Riley has great recall & listens well to comands.
Riley's had very few problems herself. She's never been in a fight and has never bitten another dog, even when she's been bitten. It's funny to see how she interacts with the regulars... there's some dogs that she's totally relaxed & happy around & other dogs that she dosen't seem to like for some reason and so she avoids them... I wish I could ask her what it is about those dogs that she dosen't like, lol! One thing that strikes me as odd about her, not that it's anything to complain about, but if her and another dog are going after tha same ball, she always lets the other pup take it. She also lets other dogs drink from her water dish, and will wait until they're done before drinking herself.
If I could give all dog park partons a few tips, here's what I would say:
1. Make sure your dog knows basic commands and follows them. Especially recall.
2. Always keep your eyes on your dog. That way you will know if he's getting into trouble or leaving you a "present" on the grass.
3. Make sure you pick up any "presents" your dog leaves you!
4. It's a bad idea to bring dog treats... it's a WORSE idea to give your dog a treat in front of another dog... this can start a fight! If you must bring treats, keep them in a sealed ziplock and only give them to your pup when no other dogs are nearby... but keep in mind, you may still have pooches running up & sniffing your jeans pocket!
5. Along those same lines, it's not smart to bring a rawhide or bone for your dog to play with- that's another fight starter!
6. Learn dog body language. Especially the body language of your dog, but also make a note of body language in general. This will help alert you to how your dog is feeling (fearful, aggressive ect), if there is going to be a possible fight, and so on...
7. When a new dog is entering the park, rather than letting your dog run up to the gate, keep him by your side until the newcommers have a chance to get in & away from the gate. I've seen more fights break out at the gate than anywhere- even between dogs who are usually best buds. I think it's a territory thing, and the tension is usually diffused if the new dog can come into the field before greeting the others.
8. It's a pretty bad idea to bring in adult dogs who have not been spayed/neutered... I've notice the majority of problems/fights I've seen happen with unfixed dogs, both males and females.
9. Use caution when bringing a tiny dog in among large dogs... one misplaced paw or an overly rough act of play could result in a lot of sadness.
10. My number one tippy-top huge pet peeve - and I say this as a mom as well as a dog owner - children have no place in a dog park!!!!!!!!!!!! The only way to describe it is "disaster waiting to happen". You do NOT know if all the dogs in the park are "child friendly"... even if they are supposedly child friendly, do you really want to take that chance? I don't.
**Edited to add #11. Know when to leash you dog & walk away/leave the park. If you are uncomfortable around a particular dog/dogs that are there, leash up. If your dog is obviously not having a good time, leash up. If your dog is acting poorly- being aggressive, harrassing other dogs (mounting, for example), not listening, ect, leash up. You can always try it again tomorrow. Better to leave before something bad happens & come back on a fresh happy note the next day.
We used to take our chis to the dog park (there was one right across our condo) the first summer we adopted them. There was a good mix of small and big dogs, so we were okay with it. My biggest gripe were other owners who leave their dog unattended, are off in a corner reading a book or on their cell phone. I've seen those oblivious owners often, and one time a dog had peed on my neighbors leg... still the owner didn't notice or do anything about it (must have been a good book).
Since then, we started noticing the bigger dogs starting to take over more so we stopped going to the park.
Also, there was a dog beach just a short walk away. (Chicago really loves their dog parks and dog beaches). We tried that a couple times but found it to be too overwhelming, hard to keep an eye out on tiny dogs. Sometime last summer they opened another small dog beach one beach away, and we loved it! It was really tiny and I would have loved it if it were reserved for small dogs only... but the issue always comes up: how would one enforce it?
Just from my experience it seems that in a dog park setting, dogs tend to bring out the worst in their owners. What I mean is that each one of us loves our dog tremendously, and would do anything for it. When you get a large group of unfamiliar dogs together in a small park, owners are going to stick up for their dog, oftentimes disregarding civility and common courtesy towards other people. We, as pet owners, can get really disrespectful of other people, when it comes to the well being of our four legged family member.
Just my personal observations over the last three years of owning my pooch.
100% excellent advice in this post. but i'd like to add to this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by SheridanPDC
6. Learn dog body language. Especially the body language of your dog, but also make a note of body language in general. This will help alert you to how your dog is feeling (fearful, aggressive ect), if there is going to be a possible fight, and so on...
knowing dog body language not only helps you know when your dog or other dogs are having negative feelings - it also lets you know the difference between play and aggression. as i mentioned briefly in my post, there are almost as many problems at dog parks caused by owners mistaking play for a fight as there are with owners who ignore signs of aggression. of course the consequences of the latter are usually more severe, but the former happens a lot more. and some dogs do sense their owners' tension when they're playing and turn aggressive.
props on the mention of un spayed & neutered dogs - sadie sometimes randomly dislikes other dogs too, and she almost always dislikes dogs that are intact. when i took her to a trainer she said that that was pretty common. and of course you can also get males fighting over an unspayed female.
sadie is also very quick to give up chasing after a ball if she sees someone else going for it! it's funny, cause she's crazy about balls any other time and she could beat most dogs to a ball.
I'm new to this forum; I am really enjoying all the posts about people's dogs. Last Sunday I had one of the most disturbing experiences of my life--and it happened at a dog park here in Sacramento. I had taken my dog to the park when I first got her, and she MOSTLY played well with dogs, but every once in awhile would "go off" on a dog. This meant ferocious barking and rolling the other dog on it's back, but she has never broken any skin or actually bitten a dog. She is a small (38 lb) Australian cattle dog, born deaf, adopted from the Sacramento County Shelter. I normally take my dog to the American river, as do a group of regulars I've gotten to know in the past few years and she runs (looooves to run really fast) along the levee road. Recently some environmentalists were up in arms about dogs off leash (It's owned by the county, and supposed to be a wildlife corridor, but there are so few places to take dogs off leash) and the rangers drove up behind me on the road in their SUV and gave me a $90 ticket. So I started taking her back to the park. I agree that most of the time dogs are fine at the park, but it only takes one owner and one (in my case 3) untrained dogs to change everything. I realize now I never should have taken my dog back to the dog park. I got a second dog recently, and we were there with my husband and a friend, walking around the periphery. Opal and another dog got into a scuffle (later I learned the dog is known for this). I immediately grabbed her, apologized to the owner, and put Opal on a leash. We continued to walk around. At one end of the park was a couple with their little girl, and their three dogs (yes, pit bulls) rushed up to my new dog, Roan (a red heeler--my other is a blue heeler) and one of the three started to go after his neck. The owners started yelling at their dogs. They couldn't control them. That was when the woman would say for the first time "they've never done this before". She said that later after they almost killed my other dog. They pulled their dog off. Roan is shy and I reassured him and called him to me. The woman said to her husband "do you want me to get the belt?" (?). We walked around again, and when I got back to that same side of the park, I asked my husband and friend "are those mean dogs still there?". No one else would go over to that part of the park. They said "yes, they are". I said "I won't go all the way over there; I'm just gonna go to the top of the hill and turn back". I got halfway there--my dog Opal was on the leash right next to me. Out of it seemed like nowhere they all rushed up to her and started to attack her. Then it got horribly ugly. They pulled the young dog off her and held it, but the other two big ones latched onto my dogs neck. My husband was looking for Roan, so he didn't notice right away what was happening. The woman (she actually owns the dogs) just stood there--her husband (or bf) tried to pull the dogs off. I did everything I could. I lay on top of them (I am 5 11" with an athletic build--didn't do anything). I pulled with every ounce of my strength. I looked for anything--a stick, a rock. I punched the dogs as hard as I could on the shoulders. My husband did, too. (Now I know you are supposed to pull the back legs like a wheelbarrow). Time seemed to stand still. They held on and held on. I screamed "they're killing my dog! They're killing my dog!". I saw my dog's face. Her eyes were bulging and her face and neck were stretched. I was sure she would be dead before it was all over. I don't know how they let go. The owners had no voice commands for their dogs. They were useless. Maybe my fist pounding did it. I had my dog's feces and blood all over me--she was so scared she defecated. She was alive! My husband had a pretty bad cut on his hand (my dog bit him). He didn't need stitches, but it was a deep gash and completely bruised. Someone got the pit bulls' owners info for me, and someone else their license plate number and car type. My husband met his friend and I at the pet hospital. It was Sunday afternoon. She had surgery--15 or so stitches on one gash, Maybe or 6 on another, a few on a torn ear, and several each on two puncture wounds. It's been a week. One wound began oozing serum and we went back and got better antibiotics. It was $1100. My husband is still really upset. I am, too. She is on the mend. I called the woman to see if she gave me the right number. She said she wouldn't pay my vet bill "not until we see whose dog is at fault". I told her not to bring her dogs back to the park, because they would do it again. She said "I will too bring them back". We took photos of my dog's wounds, statements from me and my husband, and the vet report to animal control and filed a dangerous dog claim. They said they would "pick the dogs up". I also filed a claim in small claims court for the amount of the vet bill. When I was at Animal Control, the pit bull owners were there paying a dog citation (not sure what for). I started shaking and felt really freaked out to see them, but I walked up to them and again said they should pay the vet bill. They ignored me. I put up a flyer on the bulletin board in the park. My husband insisted it be short and simple. It just said "anyone who witnessed the dog attack Sunday at 3:30 please contact this e-mail address". One person for sure saw it because he said he saw the dogs rush out of nowhere, just as I saw it. The people are now saying "your dog started it". This weird angry guy who goes to the park and said the offending dogs' owners are his friends (whose dog had a scuffle with mine earlier--though when I apologized and put her on a leash he said "so what"--he's a dog abuser anyway, I've seen him kick his dog and he always calls her bad names) posted another flyer saying that my dog "got what it had coming", and to "leave his friends alone" "you're a (sic) idiot..pay your own vet bill". I know about this b/c I have friends who still go to the park. Interestingly, the week before I had called Roan's previous owner, a veterinarian, to get advice about my crabby semi-antisocial female and she gave me some names of trainers. I am now more committed than ever to try to correct her behavior. But she was not at all aggressive towards the three pit bulls. I was right next to her. I will never take her near other dogs unless she's on a leash. She isn't aggressive towards other dogs on her leash, and as I said she loves to play with a lot of dogs--just not all dogs, and it's not predictable. I feel like it's all my fault--I shouldn't have had her there, but the attack was truly unprovoked. Saying my dog deserved it is like a woman in a mini-skirt that is flirting deserves to be raped. That's my dog park story. Thank you for reading/listening. I know it's really long!!
Last edited by opalita; 03-20-2010 at 04:12 PM..
Reason: added something
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dog park(s)
