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First trip to the Dog Park...may be last

3K views 35 replies 24 participants last post by  Fletchs Pop 
#1 ·
Had some unexpected free time on Friday and and decided to take my 8 month old lab "Beaux" to the dog park...more like a park where dogs hang out... We are still training and working on commands......so I kept him on the leash. Eventhough there is a sign saying dogs should be leashed, most dogs were running free. We encountered several dogs that became aggressive with Beaux. With every encounter, Beaux became more and more skittish. This is not his first time encountering other dogs and we actually have another dog so I know that he has been exposed to other dogs. I do not want to repeat this experience or end up where he is afraid to socialize with other dogs.

Has anyone had similar experiences? Should we avoid the dog park?
 
#2 ·
I've had alot of great experiences for my dog at off leash dog parks but also enough bad ones that I simply do not take my dog rocky nearly as much as I used to. The number of totally clueless dog owners out there is staggering. Dogs will be dogs so there will always be ones that are more aggresive, or ones that want to play rough or ones that are humpers but the problem is always owners that cannot control their dogs or are too far away to step in if a conflict arises. Or moreso, owners that feel the behaviour of their dogs is just fine and don't realize that other dogs owners might not appreciate having their dogs roughed up, humped etc.
 
#3 ·
For those reasons I never take Nellie to dog parks. You never know what kind of training or lack thereof you will find. You also run the risk of having dogs there who have not been vaccinated.
 
#4 ·
Many dogs are 'leash aggressive,' either if they are leashed and/or towards other dogs who are leashed. Beaux would more than likely not have had any problems if he had been off-leash, as well. I would suggest that you either take him to a secure dog park (one that is securely fenced, so that you have no worries about him getting loose and getting away) and let him off leash, or only go places where the use of a leash is enforced.
 
#5 ·
When we used to go, we by far had more GOOD experiences than bad, but we needed to find out the best times to go, and at that time it was early in the AM. My hubby worked from home so he took the 2 to the park so that he was there by 7, gave them a good hour, and the people that were there were regulars. New people would come in and invariably someone would start something because our boy is intact, though it was THEIR dog that caused the problem. Fortunately, being there with regulars really helped keep the crazies at bay. Once we added dog #3, we stopped going.
 
#6 ·
From my experiences...

the closest dog park to me isn't in the greatest area. (It's Cincinnati, that's kinda hard to find actually). Anyway, at that park I witnessed two dog (same owner) attack another one for no reason. Poor guy has just walked through the gate when they attacked him. Thankfully he wasn't hurt. I've been to this park a couple times and I've never liked the vibe there. You can slam me for stereotyping (which is simply statistics from observing) but the majority of people at this park are ones I wouldn't start a conversation with. So I don't feel these people had taken the time to propertly train their dogs.

After visiting a couple other parks in better areas it was a nice experience. Not a single dog was aggressive and Pete had a pretty good time.

I don't know if that helps you at all, but that is my experience with them.
 
#7 ·
I took Zoe to the dog park around 4 times. She was not happy with dogs coming up and wanting to play bitey face. I thought she would have fun, but she didn't. She jumped in the little pond/waterfall and didn't want to come out.

here are 2 pics...anyway, we never went back.
We now go to the beach

in the 2nd pic, it almost looks as though she's saying, "nanny nanny boo boo...you can't get me in here!" :D


 
#8 ·
I frequent dog parks, and I have found that when leashed dogs are brought into a group of unleashed dogs, the latter will gang up on the former pretty well 100% of the time. :-\

I would take him to a designated off-leash area, and let him off-leash, that way he can interact with the other dogs naturally, without the leash altering his body language and making him feel like a sitting duck. :-[

I have, through trial and error basically, discovered which parks to go to at what times to ensure a good experience for my dogs. I.e. - at one park I will only go weekday mornings. The same crew is always there, so I know what to expect and know that my dogs will have fun with their friends. BUT, if I went to that same park midday on a saturday, for example, I can be pretty sure that we won't have a good experience, based on the crowd that usually frequent that park on the weekends, know what I mean?

If you can find a good park and a good time to go, it's a priceless resource. ;)
 
#9 ·
In case you didn't know, I am an off-leash dog park proponent, so weigh what I say here.

First thing is whenever there are multiple dogs present and a new dog shows up, the new dog gets sniffed by the pack. This can continue for quite a while. However, as soon as another dogs appears, the previous newcomer is instantly a member of the pack and starts sniffing the new newcomer.

I have found that there is some level of pack order that needs to be established quite often. Sometimes it needs to be managed by the owners, but most often it is not angry aggression but more a testing process they put themselves through, establish an order and go off to play.

Chasing, some like to chase others, some like to be chased and tease others to get them to chase. None are being aggressive.

I found that my Hershey Kisses gets more exercise at the dog parks than anywhere else. After several weeks, the dogs recognize each other and you can see the difference is the greetings as each arrives.

There are issues with some dogs being aggressive to all dogs, a few dogs that just can't get along with another specific dog or dog of a specific breed, color, hair style. It is up to owners to recognize this and take the appropriate action. We had a one boxer that was aggressive to solid dark brown dogs that were about Lab size, didn't have to be a lab. It has not been that hard to practice avoidance between the dogs in question. The issue recurs when a new solid brown dog shows up and the owner is not aware of the issue.

You can try different times of day, or days of week if there are specific dogs that your dog does not get along with. Us humans are creatures of habit and tend to follow a schedule. you might just be able to find a better time when there is typically a better mix of dogs. Or find another dog park.

Anyway, I just like the parks,the walks, the opportunity for my Lab to get some real interaction, some really good exercise. I work the issues rather than give it up. And I know that HK loves the parks. She knows when we are going and is all hyped up and ready when we are driving to one of them. Otherwise she lays down and naps in the car.
 
#11 ·
In my opinion it is a very dangerous move to keep your dog on leash at the off leash dog parks. Some other dogs get weird when there's a leashed dog when all others are not. Maybe a sign of weakness or something. Also is not good for your dog to learn how to comunicate with other dogs. IMO that's the worst thing you can do...
 
#13 ·
I just don't go because of the "not sure if dogs have been vaccinated" issue. First time I went most of the people didn't even know if there dogs had shots or not. They just went to let their dogs roam and play and have coffee and didn't watch their dogs. The dogs took care of themselves as did their kids.

I'm sure there are much better parks than this one though!
 
#14 ·
Potter and I had some pretty unpleasant experiences at our local dog park, so we stopped going there. But, like Endofile said, he got more exercise at the dog park that anywhere else. Luckily the apartment complex I live in has its own dog park (though smaller, it's very nice), so we started going there. We would "test it" at first, staying only for short periods of time to get a feel for the people and their dogs. Soon enough I started to notice that Potter and one other dog, a German Shepherd mix, constantly played together. So we started making "play dates" to show up at the park at the same time. Now, about 8 months later, we have a group or 7 or 8 dogs that come to the park at the same time everyday. It's really an invaluable resource.

That said, if I didn't have this smaller dog park to go to, I'm not sure that I would try the city park again. I'm glad I put the time and effort into going to this one, but after too many bad experiences (many of which didn't even involve Potter, just other dogs around him, but would shake him up none-the-less), it just became too much of a risk. So I completely understand your hesitation but agree with those that have encouraged you to find something that will work for you and Beaux. Good luck!
 
#15 ·
The OP said this:

"Eventhough there is a sign saying dogs should be leashed, "

So my guess is that this place is not an official dog park, but just a park. And if there are signs stating that dogs should remain on a leash, they should remain on a leash.

bigrodt, is there are park warden you can inform? nothing annoys me more than off leash dogs in an on leash area, but letting aggressive dogs off leash in an on leash area is disgustingly irresponsible and inconsiderate.
 
#16 ·
hifive said:
I just don't go because of the "not sure if dogs have been vaccinated" issue. First time I went most of the people didn't even know if there dogs had shots or not. They just went to let their dogs roam and play and have coffee and didn't watch their dogs. The dogs took care of themselves as did their kids.

I'm sure there are much better parks than this one though!
I guess I just learned another reason that we are fortunate here. So I live in the 1st or 2nd ring surburbs and haven't been to any of the parks in the 'big' city which by word of mouth I know are small and crowded.

One in a nearby suburb I go to tends to have more dogs of all sizes and temperaments, owners of all level of 'responsibility'. It isn't bad, and it is close.

The two I really like are county parks. Actually a section of much larger parks. The acreage for off lead dog park that I go to are 25 and 40+ acres. ALL the dogs are off lead, but none are loose and unattended, at least when I am there. We all watch our dogs, and each others. Very little sitting around having coffee. We either are walking the trails with the dogs, or throwing sticks/bumpers into the river for retrieves. Yes we meet up, yes we walk together. But we are also attentive to the dogs and watch out for each others animals. Just really great people with really great dogs. i guess that is why I drive 20 or 25 miles to get to them.

If anyone is interested http://www.threeriversparkdistrict.org/parks/park.cfm?pid=6
 
#17 ·
I have never had a bad experience at a dog park, but I'm always leery. Unfortunately it is pretty much the only place where my dogs get any chance for some open running. I agree with the issue regarding on leash vs off leash. I also would spend a little time seeing when the best time to visit the dog park is. When I do go I never allow the dogs to get into a pack of more than 4-5 dogs. I will usually keep them running by taking them from one end to the other depending on the dogs at the park. For this reason I don't go unless I have someone with me because for me it is just too hard to keep track of both dogs. Sky tends to go with the packs so I have to really watch her. Moose is pretty good at avoiding most dogs and enjoying a good run. If we go early in the mornings that really does usually make a difference and I notice the early morning's have regulars so the dogs become familiar with each other.
 
#18 ·
Trickster said:
The OP said this:

"Eventhough there is a sign saying dogs should be leashed, "

So my guess is that this place is not an official dog park, but just a park. And if there are signs stating that dogs should remain on a leash, they should remain on a leash.

bigrodt, is there are park warden you can inform? nothing annoys me more than off leash dogs in an on leash area, but letting aggressive dogs off leash in an on leash area is disgustingly irresponsible and inconsiderate.
Oh I misread I thought they said the sign read all dogs must be unleashed... I guess I should wake up before I start reading things... In this case if the sign said to keep your dogs on leash you did the right thing.
In the case of an off leash park you really have to take them off the leash as it is giving your dog a huge disadvantage to the other dogs not including the target you are puttting on them...
 
#19 ·
the dog park I used to frequent (before I moved cities) had 2 separate areas. One open field area that used to attract all form of bad owners with aggresive dogs. The second area was a wooded area with trails. A very different type of owner down there. Everyone would bring extra water to fill up the water dishes in case someone forgot to bring their own. It also left fresh water in the bowls all day long.

The owners were responsible and caring of both their own dogs and everyone elses too.

I miss that place. Good people and good dogs there.
 
#20 ·
Thanks for all of the feed back. I appreciate both points of view. I probably should elaborate that this really was not an official dog park, because it is not fenced in, nor are there any amenities for dogs. I think dog owners just started to congregate there and people assume that it is. Enough people go there that the city posted signs to discourage unleashing. As I replay the scenario, the fact that my Dog was on a leash definitely put him at an disadvantage. His body language probably stuck out like a sore thumb and attracted the more aggressive dogs. I also realize that I should have known better. The next time I make a move, I will consult the forum first. For the time being, we will continue training so that I have more control over him to let him off the leash....."So he can run with the Big Dogs"! Sorry, I could not resist.
 
#21 ·
I'll bet you'll have better results from an official off leash dog park that is fenced in. They can get together and be dogs off leash and you don't have to worry about your little guy wandering. I don't go often as I'm not a huge fan of allot of the people at the dog parks. Especially here in OC allot of people don't have well trained dogs and the dog parks are very big and/or nice. Laguna canyon is a nice one, but even that is a bit small...
 
#22 ·
Topeka has a "Bark Park" (its name) furnished by Hill's Science Diet (their home office is in Topeka); an old fenced in softball field was converted in Gage Park which also contains the zoo, carousel, swimming center, picnic areas, shelters, rose gardens, etc.

Our Bark Park is fairly well equipped -- water, pick-up bags, several dummy fire hydrants, benches and tables for peeps, etc.

Many people use it frequently.

I took Puff by maybe 7X hoping she'd play but she just wandered around as if she was "stoned" -- maybe from the overabundance of odors? -- that's my guess.

Since she didn't ever exercise there, we stopped going. She does run and play with Labs in our neighborhood and at our weekly LabFests.

Several people with Labs use the Bark Park and like it but it doesn't work for Puff.
 
#23 ·
I took HK to a dog park that sounds similar to what BobPr described. A flat field less than the size of a football field. Lots of dogs, but little interaction or activity until an aggressive dog with an idiot owner would show up. Not our thing. But the big ones with nice trails and well behaved owners :), that's my kind of thing. I think like BobPr's nature park.
 
#24 ·
Good advice. We had a dog park in Memphis, but I never took Tal there. I didn't want to risk it and had never thought about the non-vaccinated issue.

I figured being at daycare all day once a week was plenty and it allowed him to socialize in a controlled, safe environment with other dogs who were safe to be around.
 
#25 ·
I take Fletch to the dog park. Whether or not to take a dog to the dog park is debatable and a decision you as the owner must make. In my hundreds of times going to the dog park I've only seen one Flat out attack. That only lasted 3-4 seconds and ended with stitches to the haunch of a dog.

The two things that I would recomend to anyone is to never bring your dog into the park on a leash and never pick him up. These two things cause more aggressive behavior than anything as well as put your dog in a position where he can't defend himself.

Dogs have subtle ways of communicating and a leash on either dog can send the wrong message. Dogs that pull are particularly at risk of communicating aggression. People also tend to pull there dog back towards them when something "goes wrong" which raises the dog up both exposing them to attack and again simulating an attacking action.

Picking up your dog is another way to attract unwanted attention and aggression to your dog and leaving them (and you) totally exposed to attack.

Dogs will often bark or growl or even snap jaws at one another but most of the time a firm "no" or clap does far more than getting involved physically. Dogs (like most animals) are extremely risk averse and only truly seek to harm one another in the rarest of circumstances. (Wounded/sick or a mother with young offspring)
 
#26 ·
All it takes is once for a semi serious attack and all it takes is about 5 times of having your dog smacked down in a dominance thing to be wary. Remember these are not settings like at home where dogs need to settle a dominance issue so they can coexist. This is usually a case of one dog owner and their dog merely wanting to enjoy an off leash walk and other owners either acting repsonsibly and monitoring their dogs like they should or not. It's never a problem if your dog is a dominant sort and far easier to accept than if your dog gets picked on.
 
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