My First Scary Dog Park Experience - And It Was My Own Dumb Fault :(

[Nic oh lah]

I have to say well done for picking up your dog and staying calm - as the owner of a GSD I get furious at people who let their little dogs inistigate rough play with Sophie - she's a big 38kg dog, but she doesn't know that and will play with your little one like they're the same size, and accidents happen, and so do doggy disagreements when one dog takes the play a step too far. Sophie will tell another dog to back off - a low growl or she walks away and these little terrors keep getting in her face, and i tell people to call their dog away and not allow a spat to happen, because it does. Sophie's not perfect, nor are anyone elses dogs, and i'd rather be safe than see rough play turn nasty. You did the right thing saxonpup.

I've stopped taking Sophie to dog parks - i prefer to just take her on leashed walks until i know her recalls are 100% and then i'll probably take her again but at our last Brisbane DOL meet there were so many stupid people and horrid dogs I just got really put off by the whole thing.

ETA - re the breed thing, Blue Heelers really stir Sophie up, no idea why.

Edited April 21, 2010 by NicGSDlover

[MalteseLuna]

I've had very similar experiences with my 3 kg Maltese at the park - it didn't sound like it was your fault particularly. Sometimes these things happen - big dogs don't realise their own strength or can't understand the body language of small dogs.

Luna's main problems with dogs are ones with high prey drive or herding/working dogs - she probably looks like a rabbit to them (especially when she runs).

We try to stick to the times of day when the park has few people in it, only go near groups of small dogs and avoid puppies of large breeds (often they are too clumsy or rambunctious to control themselves - they just haven't learnt their manners yet).

[bails]

I go to dog parks often and as the owner of a GSD, I sometimes get nervous with smaller dogs I don't know, especially if they are barking constantly.

I am always very aware of where my GSD is and am very careful if there are too many little dogs as sometimes the bigger dogs do tend to forget their size and a big paw can hurt the little ones. Plus if my GSD does take offence and tells a little one off, some of the smaller dogs get very frightened and do start squealing which starts all sorts of trouble.

If the owners of the larger dogs don't properly watch their dogs, and their dogs are annoying or frightening others then thats when frustration kicks in.

From my experience, GSD and any of the larger breeds can play wonderfully with the smaller dogs as long as they know each other and are of the same pack (ie they regulary see each other). My GSD has the best playtime with a jack russell, she gets down to the jack russells level and they take turns at each others neck - its really funny, they seem very comfortable and respect each other.

To be perfectly honest, my GSD has been chased off and told off by many smaller dogs, fortunately she reacts well and just accepts it.

[Gilypoo]

Im glad everything turned ok ok for you saxonpup.... It must of been very scary

yes that sounds a scary experience...I have a medium sized dog, but i still worry when he plays with the bigger GSD's and mastifs etc

.

What worrys you about GSD's???? Have you had a previous bad experience with one? Im not beening nasty. Its just one thing that really gets my goat up.. I have a 13 month GSD (small size wise by breed standards) and I really get frustrated with people assuming she is nasty just because she is a GSD.... Just wanting to understand what makes people sacred..

I also have a 13 month Great Dane and get frustrated when people assume that it is my dog that has the bad manners. It would be lovely to be able to pick my girl up and walk away when a small breed dog gives her a hard time but considering she weighs more then me it is a little tricky . I believe a thread was started about small and large breeds acting the same not to long ago..

I get that the larger breeds can do damage purely because of the size but smaller breed owners have to realise its not always a big breeds fault..Some of the smaller dogs suffer from "small man syndrome" and just dont give up.. A perfect example was my girl was playing at the beach with some other dogs (who she new) and a small x breed came up and kept sniffy/ licking my girls privates.. I obviously tried to pull my girl away but the little dog kept going and going, even when we were walking away.. Eventually Bella had enough and growled and showed teeth (yes a scary thing in its self when coming from a 67kilo dog) the other owner finnaly realised that my dog had had enough and said my dog had temper issues and I should control it better.. ;)

Im not condoning everything big dogs do... I think all dogs should have manners and owners should be able to see if there dogs is doing something wrong instead of blaming the other sized dog...

Sorry Rant over

[megan_]

Gillypoo - no one is saying GSD's are nasty. They are saying some dogs have different playing styles and they can get hurt.

Not all dogs are meant to play together. If I had a chi I wouldn't let it play with large dogs at a park

[Gilypoo]

Gillypoo - no one is saying GSD's are nasty. They are saying some dogs have different playing styles and they can get hurt.

Not all dogs are meant to play together. If I had a chi I wouldn't let it play with large dogs at a park

I know know one HERE is saying that they are nasty, it my experience out in public... I was just asking why they keep them away. Is it owners a little timid or for the dogs sake... They quote was from a person that had a medium dog so i guess it could hold its own compared to a smaller dog... I just want to understand better. ;)

[W Sibs]

that sounds scary and glad you both are ok.

I don't think it's your fault though, it was just one of those situations. Good that you remain calm too ;)

[Simply Grand]

Thanks for your replies everyone! It was scary but it could have been much worse. I really don't think the GSD was intentionally trying to hurt Saxon, he just got carried away with his game and then I guess his instinct to grab the little thing running around in front of him kicked in.

The reason it was my fault was because I let it get to the stage it did. I wasn't feeling comfortable with the way they were playing from the beginning and I should have stopped it, but in all honesty I didn't want to offend the woman by saying I didn't want my dog to play with hers I have said to people before that their dogs are a bit rough for Saxon and don't generally have a problem doing that, but for some reason I didn't last night... I will definitely not make that mistake again!

I felt awful for letting Saxon get in that situation, especially as he must have felt he had no other option but to try and fight for himself when he turned aggressive He has never barked and advanced on another dog like that, and I feel like, having chosen to have a toy dog, it is my responsibility to make sure he never has to, because in reality he wouldn't have a chance.

Luckily the other dog wasn't really trying to do harm, because he certainly could have.

yes that sounds a scary experience...I have a medium sized dog, but i still worry when he plays with the bigger GSD's and mastifs etc.

What i do when he plays is basically follow him around, soon as the other dog looks like its excitement is too high (high excitement leads to aggression) i pull the other dog off, if the other dog keeps coming back i do body blocks..as in I get between the other dog and mine. by this time normally the dog loses interest or the owner calls them off...else we leave the park.

Sounds like you're situation was scary enough, but if the dog wasnt in attack mode as it approached i think I would have been more inclined to grab its collar and drag it bak to the owner, than to pick mine up.

Just some ideas for if you ever find yourself in another situation like that...hope you dont though

Hope you and you're little friend dont lose any confidence next time you go to play.

dandybrush, I totally agree with you, this is what I usually do in such situations, if just calling Saxon away doesn't work. This happened so quickly though, I was literally two steps from Saxon but by the time I got to him he was already being pinned down. I didn't want to do anything that would make the other dog close his jaws... Once Saxon got free, my reaction was just to get my dog away from those teeth!!

SP, many poodle (and GSD) people will tell you that the two breeds don't mix well. I think the very great differences in their body languages don't help.

Hmm, very interesting. Thank you for your explanation of their body language, especially the poodles, I really hadn't thought about that. There is so much to learn about dogs!

Saxon has interacted with lots of bigger dogs inlcuding GSDs and I do say that he plays with them, but it is certainly not real playing with wrestling and boxing like he does with small dogs, especially poodles and poodle xs. It's more running in circles around each other or chasing, with maybe the odd tap with a paw. I always watch closely and stay right there, and only let him do it when I know the dog, or at least have watched it interacting with the other dogs around.

I just don't know what I was thinking last night!!! Well, lesson learnt for me, hopefully the other owner has learnt something too, and no one was actually hurt

[Simply Grand]

Oh, I also wanted to ask, I'm planning on taking Saxon back to the park this afternoon. I will take him in the gate at the quiet end and will be watching very closely, believe me, but I want him to be exposed to both the park and other dogs, particularly big dogs, as soon as possible so he can see that most of the time there will be no problem. I also want to make sure that the aggression he showed yesterday was just a last resort reaction to the situation and not something he will do normally.

Anyone think that's not a good idea?

I suspect he'll be totally fine to be honest, he's a tough little fella!

[Simply Grand]

BTW - your post wasn't long LOL Have you seen any of my rants? I'm like Ms Verbose

Heehee, spottychick I just read your Tango update and I see what you mean! It was a great read though, and it did bring a little tear to my eye

[poodlefan]

Oh, I also wanted to ask, I'm planning on taking Saxon back to the park this afternoon. I will take him in the gate at the quiet end and will be watching very closely, believe me, but I want him to be exposed to both the park and other dogs, particularly big dogs, as soon as possible so he can see that most of the time there will be no problem. I also want to make sure that the aggression he showed yesterday was just a last resort reaction to the situation and not something he will do normally.

Anyone think that's not a good idea?

I suspect he'll be totally fine to be honest, he's a tough little fella!

I'd be choosing only big dogs he's has a positive experience with before and that won't be OTT. Don't set him up to test for the reaction... give him experiences that are unlikely to produce it.

Personally I don't allow my little guys to socialise with any large dogs whose owners I don't know and trust to have some common sense and some control over their dogs.

[Jetty]

Glad that it didn't get any serious. I have learnt only recently what dogs to let my boy play with. My friend has a staffy who is nearlly double the size of Jet and is double the strength. I will only let them play to a certain extent then I will get inbetween them. She has had Jet pinned to the ground at times which I am not willing to let any dog do to him.

[spottychick]

BTW - your post wasn't long LOL Have you seen any of my rants? I'm like Ms Verbose

Heehee, spottychick I just read your Tango update and I see what you mean! It was a great read though, and it did bring a little tear to my eye

LOL I can't help it, I"ve always been a bit "wordy" - my teachers at school used to talk to my parents about my writing as being like the "dead sea scrolls". Bwahahahaha

Glad I am getting the emotions across tho - it really is quite something to see a dog come out of his/her shell and blossom like Tango is.

[Wazzat Xolo]

Im glad everything turned ok ok for you saxonpup.... It must of been very scary

yes that sounds a scary experience...I have a medium sized dog, but i still worry when he plays with the bigger GSD's and mastifs etc

.

What worrys you about GSD's???? Have you had a previous bad experience with one? Im not beening nasty. Its just one thing that really gets my goat up.. I have a 13 month GSD (small size wise by breed standards) and I really get frustrated with people assuming she is nasty just because she is a GSD.... Just wanting to understand what makes people sacred..

I also have a 13 month Great Dane and get frustrated when people assume that it is my dog that has the bad manners. It would be lovely to be able to pick my girl up and walk away when a small breed dog gives her a hard time but considering she weighs more then me it is a little tricky . I believe a thread was started about small and large breeds acting the same not to long ago..

I get that the larger breeds can do damage purely because of the size but smaller breed owners have to realise its not always a big breeds fault..Some of the smaller dogs suffer from "small man syndrome" and just dont give up.. A perfect example was my girl was playing at the beach with some other dogs (who she new) and a small x breed came up and kept sniffy/ licking my girls privates.. I obviously tried to pull my girl away but the little dog kept going and going, even when we were walking away.. Eventually Bella had enough and growled and showed teeth (yes a scary thing in its self when coming from a 67kilo dog) the other owner finnaly realised that my dog had had enough and said my dog had temper issues and I should control it better..

Im not condoning everything big dogs do... I think all dogs should have manners and owners should be able to see if there dogs is doing something wrong instead of blaming the other sized dog...

Sorry Rant over

I can bet its nothing to do with the breed, its peoples perceptions and what they are taught/used too. An example is

I worked two Narcotic Detection dogs, both Labradors both Passive Alert Dogs one was Black one was gold, nobody fussed about the BIG male gold one but the wiry small female black one had people a bit scared!

People and their perceptions! lol

I myself favour large dogs ( any breed) but take a dislike to small fluffies ( any breed acutrally any small dog!) as they always seem to want to bark, snarl and carry on whats worse is the owners think its funny!

[Gilypoo]

Im glad everything turned ok ok for you saxonpup.... It must of been very scary

yes that sounds a scary experience...I have a medium sized dog, but i still worry when he plays with the bigger GSD's and mastifs etc

.

What worrys you about GSD's???? Have you had a previous bad experience with one? Im not beening nasty. Its just one thing that really gets my goat up.. I have a 13 month GSD (small size wise by breed standards) and I really get frustrated with people assuming she is nasty just because she is a GSD.... Just wanting to understand what makes people sacred..

I also have a 13 month Great Dane and get frustrated when people assume that it is my dog that has the bad manners. It would be lovely to be able to pick my girl up and walk away when a small breed dog gives her a hard time but considering she weighs more then me it is a little tricky . I believe a thread was started about small and large breeds acting the same not to long ago..

I get that the larger breeds can do damage purely because of the size but smaller breed owners have to realise its not always a big breeds fault..Some of the smaller dogs suffer from "small man syndrome" and just dont give up.. A perfect example was my girl was playing at the beach with some other dogs (who she new) and a small x breed came up and kept sniffy/ licking my girls privates.. I obviously tried to pull my girl away but the little dog kept going and going, even when we were walking away.. Eventually Bella had enough and growled and showed teeth (yes a scary thing in its self when coming from a 67kilo dog) the other owner finnaly realised that my dog had had enough and said my dog had temper issues and I should control it better..

Im not condoning everything big dogs do... I think all dogs should have manners and owners should be able to see if there dogs is doing something wrong instead of blaming the other sized dog...

Sorry Rant over

I can bet its nothing to do with the breed, its peoples perceptions and what they are taught/used too. An example is

I worked two Narcotic Detection dogs, both Labradors both Passive Alert Dogs one was Black one was gold, nobody fussed about the BIG male gold one but the wiry small female black one had people a bit scared!

People and their perceptions! lol

I myself favour large dogs ( any breed) but take a dislike to small fluffies ( any breed acutrally any small dog!) as they always seem to want to bark, snarl and carry on whats worse is the owners think its funny!

While small dogs look cute I am DEFINATLEY a big dog lover aswell... I love being able to give my Great Dane cudddles without having to bend over... Give her half the chance and she will be a lap dog aswell

[Adnil444]

If you want another example of how we've modified dogs so that they have issues with body language, talk to Boxer people. Their facial expression seems to be a constant hard stare and many dogs seem to respond aggressively.

British Bulldogs too! The breeder of my girl said to be careful of her with other dogs as different breeds often react to the Bulldog jaw and noises. When I first brought Mildred home my Rotti was terrified of her for about two weeks as her jaw protruded which showed her teeth and she had loud growly breathing.

This is very interesting to read about this. I have heard this about the samoyed/spitz's before but not the bulldogs/boxers before.

[skip]

Glad you are both OK.

I can relate to feeling guilty when you have put your dog in such a situation. You have got the right idea thou in terms of being aware of what is happening and trusting your instincts.

I watch for the overly excited or energetic dog as these don't get on so much with mine. If I am unsure I watch how the dogs greet other dogs if I can.

I move away if I think this is a better move. Good on the beach as you can go into the sandhills.

I lived on a property with GSD's and a rottie who ended up with me as he was a bit much for the owner. Now I have chi x and small 10kg kelpie x. I am surprised at the number of DOL s who have small dogs hassle theirs. How rude and potentially dangerous of the small dog owners. There is no way I let mine give crap to any other dog.

Although I do try and not give offence if I leash or pick up my small chi girl when I meet a large well behaved dog. The owners assume I am scared but I normally let them know it is because I don't trust her not to give cheek. She is normally well behaved at my heels but a more submissive dog = she thinks she is very tough then. Thou she would never bark or confront them.

Saxonpup - you said you were uncomfortable and didn't know what to say to the other owner. I sometimes just tell other owners that my dog is rude or not suitable to play with. Even if sometimes it is because their dog seems to be really pushy and over bearing. Easier and keeps the peace.

Enjoy your walk next time. Sure it will be more pleasant.

[Dame Aussie]

I won't give you a lecture on how bad dog parks are...but I never go to them for this exact reason. There's no way of predicting how another persons dog is going to behave. You cannot avoid these types of situations unless you don't visit dog parks

Glad your boy is ok

[Simply Grand]

Well, we went back to the park yesterday afternoon. Saxon was fine, still as eager as always to get in there! I felt really nervous though but was trying very hard to keep myself calm so I didn't project fear to Saxon or any of the other dogs. Luckily we knew many of the big dogs that were there so we went around them first. He reacted totally normally and so did they so I calmed down a bit and let him meet some new dogs, including a very shy GSD, he was funny

One of the dogs who we know quite well (just from the dog park) is a husky of about the same age as Saxon. He always thinks Saxon is a fascinating toy but he can be a bit rough for a little dog. His owner and I know this though so we let them greet each other and maybe have a little play then separate them. That's exactly what happened yesterday and I was glad to see that Saxon stayed relaxed and didn't show any fear aggression.

Incidently - the husky belongs to a girl of about 12. She has a twin sister who has the brother husky. They've been coming to the park (with their parents obviously) for about the same time as I have with Saxon and they've done a fantastic job of teaching their dogs to be well behaved and obedient. They also watch them really closely the whole time and call them away if they're in any sort of risky situation - to them or other dogs. Many adults could learn from these girls!!

So it seems no harm has been done, although I will continue to keep a very close eye on things. I still think that for me the benefits of the dog park outweigh the risks, I just need to be vigilant and trust my instincts.

Also yesterday we got to meet Clastic and her gooooorrrrrgeous BC puppy Mars. He's such a cutie and he and Saxon had a very good play

[corvus]

If you want another example of how we've modified dogs so that they have issues with body language, talk to Boxer people. Their facial expression seems to be a constant hard stare and many dogs seem to respond aggressively.

British Bulldogs too! The breeder of my girl said to be careful of her with other dogs as different breeds often react to the Bulldog jaw and noises. When I first brought Mildred home my Rotti was terrified of her for about two weeks as her jaw protruded which showed her teeth and she had loud growly breathing.

This is very interesting to read about this. I have heard this about the samoyed/spitz's before but not the bulldogs/boxers before.

My fluffy big spitz dog has never really provoked an unexpected reaction, but he is extremely friendly and submissive. He did, however, get a bit confused by the first bulldog he met. It tried to play with him and he was just not sure what was going on with all that noise and the way the bulldog shuffled around. He was a bit like "Er... actually, I don't feel like playing after all. I'm going over here with my mum, now." That is a pretty extreme reaction from him.