Dog parks - hmmm - Poodle Forum - Standard Poodle, Toy Poodle, Miniature Poodle Forum ALL Poodle owners too!

outwest · 08-04-2011, 10:50 PM

I have always enjoyed taking my dogs to the dog park. Lately my puppy has had some issues with bully dogs. Last night I took them and three Siberian Huskies ganged up on her and I had to intervene. The owner of the Huskies also stepping in. She wasn't bitten, but she was rolled and pinned and slobbered on and intimidated. She ran to me as one of them tried to nip her. Right after that I was thinking about leaving. I looked over and the owner of the huskies was putting muzzles on her dogs! What?! If she has dogs she KNOWS are mean and has actually bought muzzles for them, why the heck would she bring them unmuzzled to the dog park? I was so angry and left.

So, I am trying to decide if I should take Bonnie anymore for a while. When I first started taking her she was shy and timid. As the months went along she developed huge selfconfidence. I thought the dog park was good for her. She races around bouncing around all the other dogs smiling and, yes, she can be annoying. She tears around the park at full speed and other dogs start to chase her. Then for the last couple times dogs have intimidated her. She usually runs around with her tail up, but after the last mauling she trotted around with her tail down glancing side to side the whole time. I thought that was not good.

Poodles are so sensitive. I don't want a bunch of bully dogs to ruin her new found self confidence. It is one of the only places she can run and run and run without a leash. On the other hand, she can be annoying to dogs that don't want to play. When she find someone to play with her she is excited and can be obnoxious. She still hasn't learned all her dog park manners.

I don't know what to do- go back or not. sigh.I thought maybe if I went earlier when there weren't many dogs that might be better. I can't put her in the small dog area because she chases the little dogs and tries to play with them. Their owners get all stressed out them even though Bonnie wouldn't hurt a fly. She is exuberant, not mean. She is a rambunctious, confident 6 month old puppy.

Do you guys go to dog parks? I can't decide whether to go back or not. Echo, the whippet, isn't as excited about dog parks as he was when young, so he wouldn't care.

Would you go back and let your puppy learn to behave in a more sedate manner (I don't think that is possible for her) or would you wait until she is more like a year old? I am a little concerned one of these dogs might end up hurting her. Not everyone is a good dog owner.

CurlyDog · 08-05-2011, 02:48 AM

I've had some of the same issues. I've also had my last poodle, Max become a bully with a certain dog. I had to start watching who was at the park. Interesting that one of the dogs we always had trouble with was a husky. He bullied everyone. I think it's great fun and exercise that in our case they don't get at home. I still go, but I leave if things get out of hand.

Quossum · 08-05-2011, 03:12 AM

I'm not a dog park fan. Too many unknown quantities. I've been to one a few times, but I went at ungodly hours when few people would be there, and when someone came in monitored their dog's behavior closely. (Ironically enough, the best time I had at a dog park was with a young pit bull who played great with the corgis.) Once too many people show up it all gets a little too edgy for me. The dogs are one thing, but the clueless people...

But then, I'm in the position of having four dogs, so they do get to play and interact and learn dog skills with each other. And we got to training class and dog shows, which allows for interaction. If I had a single dog, I might be more willing to work something out with the dog park situation.

Maybe try to go at those ungodly hours, or arrange a play group with some people who have trustworthy dogs?

--Q

Countryboy · 08-05-2011, 03:31 AM

I'm just bein' a bit of a Devil's advocate here. Lookin' at this from a frustrated dog trainers view.

From that point of view, it's easy to pretend that the lady with the Huskies has been working with them for a while, hoping to eliminate some bad behaviour by allowing her dogs to socialize with other dogs. It may be that she was hoping, that for the very first time, her dogs would learn to play nice . . and she wouldn't have to put muzzles on them. In that case, it would have been quite a disappointment to her that they ganged up on Bonnie. I'd sure be embarrassed if I were her. And I'd immediately muzzle my dogs.

I'm not sayin' that your take is wrong, Outwest. U could easily be right. But if u look at it this other way it might take a negative situation *Huskies aggressive, Bonnie cowed* and turn it into a positive. Where the Huskies and Bonnie 'meet' under more controlled circumstances, the Huskies get to love her, she gets used to more rambunctious dogs, and everybody lives happily ever after.

Or maybe that's just a fairy tale...

itzfoxfire58 · 08-05-2011, 03:49 AM

@ Outwest,

Fallen Loves the Dog Park, are back yard is ok, but not where he can run at top speed and leap like a deer. There are always bullies at dog parks, but I don’t understand how the owners of the bullies don’t control their dogs. I remember one time when we I took Boss to the DP, he was a weim mix and weight 85lbs, he was about a 14 months old and this dog (bully) kept bothering him and I could tell that Boss didn’t like it, so I called him and he came to my side, I said let’s go, well the other dog came charging at him, growling, next thing I know Boss had the dog on its back, I grabbed Boss and said NO, he stopped sat down and looked at me. The owner ran over and told me, if my dog is not friendly then he shouldn’t be here WTH, I looked at him and said your dog was the one antagonizing my dog if you had been watching what you’re dog was doing you would have seen what he was doing and I’m sure this isn’t the first time, so you’re dog is the one who shouldn’t be here. After that incident I didn’t see him anymore. You should keep taking Bonnie to the DP and just watch out for those dogs and if it happens again, maybe you can file some kind of complaint.

faerie · 08-05-2011, 03:50 AM

is it possible that they were just schooling bonnie? sometimes seelie is a bit (a bit? hahaha!) obnoxious and the other dogs will give him a reminder to chill out.

CharismaticMillie · 08-05-2011, 06:19 AM

Outwest, I too have frustrations with dog parks. My frustration is people that bring their dogs that they KNOW are dog aggressive and hope that they will learn to play nice. :(

I continue to take Millie because she is smart and she knows when a situation could get bad and she tends to back away quickly. If she sees a quarrel between two other dogs, she usually gets as far away as possible.

I still take her because she has a blast. But, I pick up my things and leave as soon as some sketchy a** people start popping their dogs with prong collars in the pond on the dog park (this happened last time!).

stealthq · 08-05-2011, 06:41 AM

I've never been to a dog park, myself. However, I have been checking out the German Shepherd forums for a couple of months - I started out wanting one, but I've got myself ~80% convinced that a spoo would be a better fit.

I was surprised at the number of posts there by people who either had a bad experience at a dog park or refused 100% to take their dog to a dog park because they'd had a bad experience in the past. I'd have thought people'd be more careful about their dogs attacking an adult GSD since they have a reputation for being ready, willing, and able to defend themselves, but apparently not.

lunamarz_31 · 08-05-2011, 11:16 AM

I think you should still take her to the parks, but while exercising a little caution beforehand.

Yep, I think we've all had bad experiences at the dog parks one time or another. My poodle is a small one, and one time while running around and playing, several big dogs started playing too roughly with her, she almost got trampled over by one of them. She was so terrified I left the park immediately.

After that time, I usually watch how the other dogs interact before deciding to "join". If I see a lot of roughhousing in the park, I will just take her for a walk and keep the leash on, I will stay out of it. But if the other dogs are more mellow, or even better, most of them are her size, then I will let her loose. And no more incidents after that.

Also, this is just my personal opinion, but dogs have their own interaction and hierarchy, so to speak. In the wild, they will try to establish dominance in their packs, and who's to say it doesn't happen at the dog parks? So maybe to dominant dogs will try to bully the more submissive ones, or the ones looking not-so-confident. But I still believe that the owners should control their dogs when undesirable situations happen.

CharismaticMillie · 08-05-2011, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunamarz_31

I think you should still take her to the parks, but while exercising a little caution beforehand.

Yep, I think we've all had bad experiences at the dog parks one time or another. My poodle is a small one, and one time while running around and playing, several big dogs started playing too roughly with her, she almost got trampled over by one of them. She was so terrified I left the park immediately.

After that time, I usually watch how the other dogs interact before deciding to "join". If I see a lot of roughhousing in the park, I will just take her for a walk and keep the leash on, I will stay out of it. But if the other dogs are more mellow, or even better, most of them are her size, then I will let her loose. And no more incidents after that.

Also, this is just my personal opinion, but dogs have their own interaction and hierarchy, so to speak. In the wild, they will try to establish dominance in their packs, and who's to say it doesn't happen at the dog parks? So maybe to dominant dogs will try to bully the more submissive ones, or the ones looking not-so-confident. But I still believe that the owners should control their dogs when undesirable situations happen.

See, and I find it equally irritating when people bring their tiny dogs to the dog park and expect the large dogs to NOT roughhouse. I mean - that is what the small dog area is for, no?

Now, I know that not all dog parks have a small dog area, but me? I stay away from those parks. ALL of my poodles have been known to trample small dogs, and I don't fault them for it.

Dogs absolutely try to establish heirarchy in a dog park and this is natural dog behavior and nothing is wrong with it. I believe in allowing dogs to work things out. UNLESS ---- (BIG unless) there is an aggressive dog around. This makes things unfair.

A few snarls here and there, a dog that does something rude to another dog (humps) is bound to get snapped at - and I consider that very fair and would not be one bit concerned or upset.

Again, aggressive dogs change the dynamic in an unfair way. As do humans who won't take their dog off leash in the park.