More Stupidity And Selfishness In Local Dog Park

[Blue Fox 001]

It's not just dog parks thought. My OH was walking our standard poodle, coming back home down the street when two very large brown dogs of the Heinz variety came running out of their yard, hackles up and started circling them. OH didn't know what to do and was calling out to the owner who was in the yard but doing nothing about getting his dogs under control, OH was about to attempt to pick up our dog to try and keep him safe when the owner finally come out and grabbed the dogs.

OH was very shaken up and keep saying "what if they had decide to have a go at T, I couldn't have done anything and he could have been killed"

We shouldn't have to put up with this to walk our dog on a lead down a suburban street :D

[mita]

I agree that it's not only dog parks. The biggest frights I've got (& I don't frighten easily) have been from uncontrolled dogs out on the footpath...with the owners not caring what they're doing. Even while watching them!

[Adnil444]

Dog parks - uggh.......

I won't go near them for the simple reason that too many people just don't understand their dog's behaviour and my boy won't put up with badly behaved dogs. He was monstered as a puppy (yes, my fault when I had no clue) and decided that he needed to protect himself. It took me 2 years to get him over the stage of needing to be proactive with that. Now he looks to me before disciplining another dog. (So he doesn't ever get the chance to do it.)

He is well socialised and is constantly around other dogs at agility and flyball, but doesn't like to play and lets other dogs know that. Occasionally if he meets a rude dog and I'm not by his side they get told off, quickly, harshly, but fairly and then it is all over. Some owners just don't get this and its not worth putting him in harms way just because of that. (A rude dog is one that runs up and immediately feels the need to grab his collar or play rough.)

I'll probably get flamed, but we go down to the local football or cricket ovals and train just about every morning. Only VERY occasionally are we bothered by a dog from an inconsiderate owner who is treating the area like their own off lead paddock. One of mine is always tethered and the other is completely focussed on the job at hand and never go near anyone else.

If people turn up to use the field we move on.

Wrong - maybe. Putting my dogs at risk? Definitely not.

Couldn't agree more - I also use a soccer field in the morning - very few people go there at 6-6:30am and I let one off lead as his recall is 99.999%, the other I leave on lead as there have been some rabbits and a feral cat and she will chase if given the chance. The other dogs that do come down are known to me now and they all get on well together.

[speedy2]

but i really dont know that much can be done about their huge need for chasing and certainly they are known to have very poor recall

i dont know anyone who trusts their sighthound completely...with their smaller dogs at home or strange dogs out in the open

poor things...so very few places they can take a run if it's not chasing little dogs and cats...

i guess the only safe place for greys to go for a run is endless stretches of wild beach away from roads

not too many people have access to that so i guess leadwalking is the only way these dogs get to exercise...shame when theyre built to run

Ah percyk. thought you might have dropped in on this one. Now, without excusing the idiots who had their Greys unmuzzled in a public place against the law ... and there is no excuse. However ...

Greyhounds have been bred for centuries to chase, so you can't do much about it. Their heart pumps more blood than any other dog, so when they're running, between the wind in their ears, the pounding of their feet and the beating of their heart, they just don't hear. It's not that they ignore recalls, they just don't hear them.

However, I trust my Greyhound completely, with smaller dogs at home or strange dogs outside, small or otherwise. So now you know one. Want me to introduce you to more of them?

These guys don't have to chase to run - they love running for its own sake. Further, the overwhelming majority of Greyhounds are not chasing little dogs. Cats may be another matter <grin>.

Because they are sighthounds that have been bred to chase hares, they shouldn't be let off-lead except in an enclosed area. They can see about a mile, and want to investigate. So, although all my life I have had dogs walk with me off-lead, my Greyhound will never be one of them, because of the sight issue and their explosive speed off the mark, and their physiology that makes it so hard for them to hear calls when running.

And after having had my Greyhound monstered in dog parks by other dogs, there's no way I will take her there.

They do not need to run, and as they are sprinters, a walk around the block tends to be sufficient.

Yes, those people were stupid. However, the breed in the right hands is a wonderful dog. As are all dogs. What's the phrase - blame the deed, not the breed.

Edited June 8, 2010 by speedy2

[Kimjm1]

This is so sad.... and as the owner of 4 greyhounds I am really ashamed of some peoples behaviour if you know anything about the breed you know they are breed to and will (unless they are the exception to the rule) chase anything that catches their eye. I have two 13 year old GH and even after so many years of just being pets and not being encouraged to chase anything, they will attempt to catch anything that enters our yard...

[GRLC]

Theres no way in hell that i would take any of my dogs to a dog park , the risk is just not worth it you don't know what your gonna have to face . wayyyyy to scary for me . breed bashing wont fix the issue either we all know all breeds of dogs are capable of having unsociable behaviors even the small ones . The owners of the Grey s were out of order if they were aware that their dogs could be aggressive and if the stupid law states that they must be muzzled in public for whatever stupid reason then they should have done this aswell .

Some people are just soooo stupid and make life soooo much more difficult for the rest of us .

Edited June 8, 2010 by GRLC