outwest

I know some of the issues with bullying lately are because Bonnie is a puppy, but is very confident and not particular forboding physically. As I said, she can be obnoxious, bless her heart. LOL. But, those huskies ganged up for fun. She wasn't even bothering them at all.

There are few places I can go where Bonnie is allowed to run full blast as far as she wants to. I think it is the best thing about the park. Everywhere is so legislated here, even in the wilderness parks and trails we are required to leash dogs 6 feet or we get a ticket (yes, the rangers give tickets). In the mountains they are required to wear leashes, but if we hike in a ways we unleash them (no one is the wiser).

Bonnie does need to learn her manners. She thinks she is hot stuff in there, but three full grown huskies was way too much. The last bullying came from a German Shephard.

I want her to be able to run. Often she has a blast and comes home totally exhausted (no small feat). She will fetch balls endlessly if there is no one to play with.

I will try it again, but maybe go earlier when it isn't so crowded. Most of the dogs are terrific, as are the owners. I wish Bonnie wasn't quite so fearless. It is getting her in trouble. I was also thinking of taking her to the dog beach where she could try out the ocean and running on the sand. I hear there is tons of shoreline devoted to a dog beach. It is about 35 minutes away, not too far.

If you guys think the dog park and a little bullying won't mess up her selfconfidence maybe I will try it again, just be a little more careful.

Bella's Momma

While you're talking about dog parks, for those who are regulars - when is it the most empty? I'm working up the courage to take Bella. Our new yard doesn't have room for her to get a good galop going. But I'm so scared of dog park dynamics, dogs and owners. We have never ever been. I was thinking a weekday morning would be best, but then again other people may think that!

WestCoastSpoo

Huxley is still too young to take to a dog park, but I've been weighing the pros and cons for awhile now. I definitely get the "schooling" thing, but what drives me CRAZY is idiot owners! In a different city we brought our Great Dane to a dog park and a PACK of dogs was jumping up and bullying my MOTHER and the owner did NOTHING! I had to pick them off her by their collars (sort of half-choking them) yelling for the dumb owner to get her dogs under control - which she of course was unable to do. We left as soon as my mom could get free and it left a bad taste in my mouth for dog parks in general.

So I think I would only go if no one was there and just use it as a fenced in huge field for Huxley to stretch his legs, but not as a socialization place since there are a LOT of dogs with horrible doggy manners out there.

My other option is doggy daycare or the doggy yappy hour they have at 2 of our local training places. I went to visit and watch and these are fully supervised by professional trainers who KNOW dog behavior and correct when necessary. They do allow the older dogs to put some of the rowdy youngsters in their place but never let it get out of control. Plus everyone has to show proof of vaccination which makes me feel a little safer.

What we ended up doing with our Dane after the dog park attack incident was just taking him to our local school fields and letting him run loose there and just inviting some of his doggy friends once in awhile. Actually, there started to be a sort of informal dog park there weekday evenings with all the other owners who were freaked out by the regular dog park! lol

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outwest

I have been going to dog parks for years without much trouble at all. Here are some dog park tips:

NEVER take a leashed dog into the dog park. The other dogs sense it and bother them. You always leash and unleash in the entry area. Most places have a two gate system (at least ours do).

Your dog must be under voice control so when they are all the way on the other side of the park they will come to you when called.

My last standard loved the park, but didn't care for other dogs. She ignored them all preferring to fetch balls endlessly.

Most people that care enough about their dogs to take them to the dog park are good, responsible dog owners that watch their dogs. There are only a few problem dogs.

Unneutered male dogs cause the most trouble and many dog parks require neutering of males. The neutered males pester and bother the unneutered ones, maybe because they sense he has something they don't. The unneutered ones tend to pester the females and can be most persistent and annoying. Unneutered males cause a lot of trouble.

Most dog parks have a pamphlet about dog park etiquette. Stop by your local park without your dog and sit there for a while and watch. Pick up a pamphlet or read the info board.

If you bring treats to the park you have to put them in a plastic nonsmell container or you will have dogs surrounding you and being pesty. Some parks do not allow treats for this reason.

Be prepared to leave at a moments notice. One bad dog changes the entire dynamics of the park. A lot depends on what dogs are there at the moment. In general, for the amount of times we have been, we have had very few problems. It is only lately that Bonnie is getting picked on.


The quietest time is midmorning during the week. You will often get regulars who go daily at certain times. You also make nice friends because dog people like to talk to other dog people.

outwest

PS It is fine to go into the small dog area the first time you go into the park to get them used to it. If they start being annoying with the little dogs, then you can try the big area.

Sookster

We have a few dog parks here, and as many have stated I have had both good and bad experiences.

Outwest, when Sonya was younger (there is actually a thread here about it I think) I had a lot of problems with her being overly obnoxious about playing. Several times I had to intervene because she would bug another dog to the point that they would start to growl and snap at her. She just didn't have any idea the other dogs were trying to tell her they didn't want to play. She has grown out of that. I actually stopped taking her to the park for a couple months right about when she was 8-9 months old or so because she got SO obnoxious and we had several "bad" days at the park in a row. She seemed to have matured a lot when I finally brought her back to the park, and we haven't had any problems like that since.

We also have a group of huskies that frequents our local dog park. The way it seems to me, it is a young couple that have 4 huskies (seem to be rescues) and a great dane. The dane and three of the huskies are completely fine, well socialized, and friendly. But one of the huskies is timid and reactive and quick to become aggressive. I think that they are mis-using the park. The dog park is for allowing your well-socialized, well-trained, well-behaved pet to interact with other dogs and run and have fun. It is not a place for training or to initiate socialization. A lot of people just don't get this.

I would still go to the park if I were you. You seem to have it down to a science on how to deal with situations if they arise. I think with such a conscientious owner, Bonnie will be just fine. I doubt a few minor skirmishes will completely derail her confidence. I take Sonya and Nova to the park here probably about once a week (I have 5 dogs living at my house right now, soon to be 6 so they get plenty of play-time in the back yard). I just make sure that I have them both under control so that if another dog gets out of control I can call them away quickly and get them out of danger.

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DonnaM

I had a very intense Alpha Australian Cattle dog. She had never hurt another dog, but I always felt the potential was there. I used isolated large open fields for off leash run time. I've always believed that people with intimidating dogs have a responsibility to ensure their dogs are unable to frighten others and now that I have a sweet minipoo, this belief has only strengthened. I've heard many stories of inconsiderate dog owners at off leash parks. The risk is just too high.

itzfoxfire58

I think early morning is the best, if the park opens at 5:00, I would get there as soon as its light, most people start showing up around 8:00.

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Today was the first day I knew a Poodle could Fly

Locket

Whether or not the huskies should have been there in the first place is debatable, but you can't complain about the owner recognizing her dogs' behaviour and taking action.

I've had pretty decent experiences with the dog parks in my area. As long as I avoided the hours when the dog walkers were there, it was usually pretty empty. I always left as soon as it felt "busy", if there was any kind of spat between dogs, if there were any out of control dogs, if there were any clueless owners, etc. Dog parks are full of unknowns, but if you do your best to limit or eliminate the risks, it can be really fun and rewarding. The bigger the park the better.

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JE-UK

I don't have that specific problem, as all parks are dog parks in the UK .

I am quick to take my dog off to the other end of the park if dogs appear that I know are too rough or rude for my smaller dog. There are big dogs that are amazingly gentle with smaller dogs, as well as medium-sized bullies, so size isn't necessarily the only thing I look at. And I'm sorry to say it, but if someone shows up with a bully-looking dog, I tend to leave.

I sympathise fully with the frustration with idiot owners! It only takes one to ruin it for everyone.