Off Lead Park Etiquette

[Fatsofatsoman]

As the owner of a large boisterous lab pup I'm always on constant surveillance for smaller dogs - if I see a little dog enter I will get Boonie and ask if I can 'introduce' them i.e. I will hold Boon while he sniffs the little dog - this seems to put the little dog at ease and then Boonie has had his 'interest' satisfied I can let him go and he'll run off to play with the bigger boys. I'm fully aware of Boonies size (and that he's still a curious pup).

Sometimes owners would say they don't want them introduced, I say I understand and will keep an eye on Boon, I make sure he doesn't go near the little dog and we are ok.

It bugs me no end when other dog owners let their dogs all run as a pack to the new dog entering - that can be a daunting sight for the new dog.

[poodlefan]

thanks everyone.

I like the saying 'common sense is really not that common'. The first time it happened, it was SO obvious that Max was trying to move away from this dog. It took a good 5 minutes before he lashed out - he just kept coming back to me, going around, backing away, etc and the owner just stood a metre away, laughing and saying 'oh, she won't hurt him'.

I just don't understand why he couldn't see that Max didn't like it and call his dog off to find someone else his own size to play with (seriously, this dog was massive!).

Ah well, I suppose I'll just have to play it on a day by day basis, and pick my times.

Can I ask - if he is saying 'back off' but he bites another dog - we will be in big trouble, yeah?

Possibly. Don't let it get to that stage. Remove him even if you have to pick him up. And tell other owners to call their dogs off.

[W Sibs]

First of all - Welcome MuckyPUg!

Im sorry to say but I have been in this situation with my two very large GSD - and to be perfectly honest I got EXTREMELY annoyed (and please dont think I am talking about you in this situation - this is a personal experience) when a couple came in to an offlead dog park with their JRT.

They carried him in and wouldnt put him down because Max was following them trying to see what they had in their hands (I was the only person in the VERY LARGE dog park and I was sitting under a free)... When they put their dog down the dog started doing zoomies and max was chasing him - the dog kept going and going and didnt run to the owners in fear of max - he just kept doing zoomies...

Long story short - the woman owner hit my dog because it wouldnt styop chasing the JRT. I got up and abused the s**t out of her. I do NOT in ANY way think max OR I were in the wrong. The dog CLEARLY wasnt scared and Max wasnt being aggressive at all. I went ape s**t at this lady because she asked 'is this your dog' (well duh I was the only one there) and then she hit him... Max came running back to me because I started yelling my head off at her.

Since this has happened I have been extremely aware about people and their little dogs.

Dogs will sort themselves out. (Most of the time). Has your little pug hurt any of the other dogs? Have the other dogs hurt your little pug? (All you can do is take charge of your pug - unfortunately you WILL get deads**ts at the dog park who dont care that your dog is distressed - and I AM the kind of person who would say 'its alright hes great with little dogs) - but if someone said to me well my dog isnt good then I would take max away - but I would ALSO ask 'why are you at an offlead dog park then?'

Your pug is lashing out at bigger dogs because that is their way of saying 'no I dont want to be sniffed leave me alone' - if the big dogs wont leave then I would politely ask the owners to just be mindful of their dogs because your dog doesnt like them and you dont want any of them getting hurt...

As I said - dogs learn to sort themselves out - doing little snaps and doing little barks is your pugs way of saying leave me alone - and that is ok - it only turns bad when you dont know how the other dog will react... And you never do.

So honestly? I would steer clear of THAT dog park - you said you go to another one? Stick to going to that one.

No offense but if a big GSD comes over to me while I'm carrying my Charlie and won't leave me alone, I will be piss off too, especially is you stand in a distant and do nothing about it. You should of called your dog off that person straight away, especially if you see that they are uncomfortable.

I wouldn't hit your dog but I will definitely have words with you about it.

[MuckyPug]

And another question - if he's fine with dogs generally, but doesn't like the ones in his face and he does remove himself but sometimes can't (on visit, it was 3 big dogs standing over him, cornered him) and I say to the owners 'move your dogs on' and they say 'well, if you're dog can't cope you shouldn't be here', were do I stand on that. I get what they are saying, but he is being ganged up on and he's small and he feels threatened, how is he supposed to act?

Gawd - I'm having more problem with Max getting bullied in the dog park than the kids getting bullied at school!!

[poodlefan]

And another question - if he's fine with dogs generally, but doesn't like the ones in his face and he does remove himself but sometimes can't (on visit, it was 3 big dogs standing over him, cornered him) and I say to the owners 'move your dogs on' and they say 'well, if you're dog can't cope you shouldn't be here', were do I stand on that. I get what they are saying, but he is being ganged up on and he's small and he feels threatened, how is he supposed to act?

Gawd - I'm having more problem with Max getting bullied in the dog park than the kids getting bullied at school!!

You're fighting an uphill battle against ignorance, indifference and stupidity.

Retreat. You won't win.

The other issue to consider is how much you think Max enjoys these experiences. Sounds like he doesn't. If he isn't enjoying it, just don't take him.

Edited April 20, 2011 by poodlefan

[tlc]

thanks everyone.

I like the saying 'common sense is really not that common'. The first time it happened, it was SO obvious that Max was trying to move away from this dog. It took a good 5 minutes before he lashed out - he just kept coming back to me, going around, backing away, etc and the owner just stood a metre away, laughing and saying 'oh, she won't hurt him'.

I just don't understand why he couldn't see that Max didn't like it and call his dog off to find someone else his own size to play with (seriously, this dog was massive!).

Ah well, I suppose I'll just have to play it on a day by day basis, and pick my times.

Can I ask - if he is saying 'back off' but he bites another dog - we will be in big trouble, yeah?

If you notice him displaying this this of behaviour 5 minutes is way too long, you sound like you have good instincts use them. Some people just do not understand dogs body language, she says "oh she won't hurt him" but Max is intimidated and left alone he coudl hurt her, people can be stupid especially when it comes to dogs. I would say No he wouldn't be in trouble if he bit another dog at an off leash dog park because thats is the type of risk you take going to these parks. And it is not like he is going up to other dogs looking for an picking fights, he just wants to do his own thing. You have to be the judge of whats right and wrong for him.

I don't agree with the dogs will sort it out analogy, Dogs left to sort things out can result in serious injuries and worse.

[wuffles]

It probably isn't the right 'etiquette' but I will tell off or remove another person's dog if I believe that mine are in danger. I have done so on many occasion.

[persephone]

'well, if you're dog can't cope you shouldn't be here',

I agree with this - it's not fair on your dog to put him in a position where he can be intimidated Find some nice friendly dogs belonging to family/friends,and organise walks/playdates or whatever , instead of unknown dogs with owners who may not be responsible.

[W Sibs]

And another question - if he's fine with dogs generally, but doesn't like the ones in his face and he does remove himself but sometimes can't (on visit, it was 3 big dogs standing over him, cornered him) and I say to the owners 'move your dogs on' and they say 'well, if you're dog can't cope you shouldn't be here', were do I stand on that. I get what they are saying, but he is being ganged up on and he's small and he feels threatened, how is he supposed to act?

Gawd - I'm having more problem with Max getting bullied in the dog park than the kids getting bullied at school!!

Ohh.. I've got that too when I take Charlie to the park

I learn to always keep moving... never stay at one place more than 2 minutes (unless you're very far from other people and dogs). If you keep moving, your dog keeps moving too, as well, and always walk the opposite direction on the other dog is heading. The big dog will often go back to the owners and your dog follows you.

My dogs can say hello but they don't play with other dogs at the park. Sometimes Emmy does zoomies and other dogs join in, but when Emmy does zoomies, she growls and for some reason that scares off other dogs...

[MuckyPug]

And another question - if he's fine with dogs generally, but doesn't like the ones in his face and he does remove himself but sometimes can't (on visit, it was 3 big dogs standing over him, cornered him) and I say to the owners 'move your dogs on' and they say 'well, if you're dog can't cope you shouldn't be here', were do I stand on that. I get what they are saying, but he is being ganged up on and he's small and he feels threatened, how is he supposed to act?

Gawd - I'm having more problem with Max getting bullied in the dog park than the kids getting bullied at school!!

You're fighting an uphill battle against ignorance and stupidity.

Retreat. You won't win.

Thanks I read that too quickly and thought it was an uphill battle against MY ignorance and stupidity ... then I re-read it

You're right. I need to protect my dog, and not expect others to read his signs. My main worry was that he was reacting inappropriately and I would fix that problem if I could .... but on reflection I can't stop him from being intimidated when big dogs get too boisterous and stand over him.

Poor guy. I did like that he stood up for himself, but man I made my heart pound because I was worried that someone would get hurt And I could see how quickly situations like that can turn awful.

[poodlefan]

The last time one of my smaller dogs was stood over and reacted by showing his teeth, the larger dog went to attack him. Dog was onlead and had dragged child handler over to us.

I can only imagine what the results of allowing them to sort it out would have been.

[tlc]

And another question - if he's fine with dogs generally, but doesn't like the ones in his face and he does remove himself but sometimes can't (on visit, it was 3 big dogs standing over him, cornered him) and I say to the owners 'move your dogs on' and they say 'well, if you're dog can't cope you shouldn't be here', were do I stand on that. I get what they are saying, but he is being ganged up on and he's small and he feels threatened, how is he supposed to act?

Gawd - I'm having more problem with Max getting bullied in the dog park than the kids getting bullied at school!!

What PF said to this, its amazing how many ignorant people there are in the world with no concern for anything apart from thier own agenda!

[MuckyPug]

thanks everyone.

I like the saying 'common sense is really not that common'. The first time it happened, it was SO obvious that Max was trying to move away from this dog. It took a good 5 minutes before he lashed out - he just kept coming back to me, going around, backing away, etc and the owner just stood a metre away, laughing and saying 'oh, she won't hurt him'.

I just don't understand why he couldn't see that Max didn't like it and call his dog off to find someone else his own size to play with (seriously, this dog was massive!).

Ah well, I suppose I'll just have to play it on a day by day basis, and pick my times.

Can I ask - if he is saying 'back off' but he bites another dog - we will be in big trouble, yeah?

If you notice him displaying this this of behaviour 5 minutes is way too long, you sound like you have good instincts use them. Some people just do not understand dogs body language, she says "oh she won't hurt him" but Max is intimidated and left alone he coudl hurt her, people can be stupid especially when it comes to dogs. I would say No he wouldn't be in trouble if he bit another dog at an off leash dog park because thats is the type of risk you take going to these parks. And it is not like he is going up to other dogs looking for an picking fights, he just wants to do his own thing. You have to be the judge of whats right and wrong for him.

I don't agree with the dogs will sort it out analogy, Dogs left to sort things out can result in serious injuries and worse.

That is EXACTLY what I said to one lady "she many not hurt him but I don't trust he won't hurt her".

Perhaps pugs just don't look vicious enough when they are cranky, or the owners of the bigger dogs just think that theirs will always win and so don't bother ... dunno, but Max scared the hell out of me with his big scary pug teeth!

[poodlefan]

name='persephone' date='20th Apr 2011 - 12:03 PM' post='5266823']

'well, if you're dog can't cope you shouldn't be here'[/b],

I agree with this - it's not fair on your dog to put him in a position where he can be intimidated Find some nice friendly dogs belonging to family/friends,and organise walks/playdates or whatever , instead of unknown dogs with owners who may not be responsible.

This is the default position in public dog parks. Sad really that while we all pay our rates, only some dog owners get the benefit of the parks constructed for ALL dogs.

Some basic knowledge of dog behaviour and a decent level of owner control would have made them a resource for so many more.

[Shazzapug]

And another question - if he's fine with dogs generally, but doesn't like the ones in his face and he does remove himself but sometimes can't (on visit, it was 3 big dogs standing over him, cornered him) and I say to the owners 'move your dogs on' and they say 'well, if you're dog can't cope you shouldn't be here', were do I stand on that. I get what they are saying, but he is being ganged up on and he's small and he feels threatened, how is he supposed to act?

Gawd - I'm having more problem with Max getting bullied in the dog park than the kids getting bullied at school!!

Watching 3 dogs stand over him is just asking for trouble and sorry to say but not very responsible behaiviour by you either.

[MuckyPug]

The last time one of my smaller dogs was stood over and reacted by showing his teeth, the larger dog went to attack him. Dog was onlead and had dragged child handler over to us.

and that's why I never let the children walk Max when there are other dogs around - he may be a pug, but he's a big, solid boy (very big for his breed) and let some adrenline kick in and he'd pull even my biggest child along!

Rule at our house, dogs are not toys. They have to be taught, they have to be handled. Even the little, puggy ones. And I've got an 8 year old daughter who thinks she's a pug and lets this dog dominate her and oh, that's a whole other thread ...

[tlc]

It can be scary when you see them display aggression when they have never before. It can take one little incident to affect a dog forever. One of my girls was attacked by 3 big dogs and it has affected her, I work with her all the time with other dogs but she is not big on other dogs at all now, (apart from her family dogs) she has a few friends who she is fine with but bring a strange dog into the mix and she will bare teeth and give signs to the other dog to back off, but she never follows through. But I am always very cautious of dogs we don't know.

[MuckyPug]

And another question - if he's fine with dogs generally, but doesn't like the ones in his face and he does remove himself but sometimes can't (on visit, it was 3 big dogs standing over him, cornered him) and I say to the owners 'move your dogs on' and they say 'well, if you're dog can't cope you shouldn't be here', were do I stand on that. I get what they are saying, but he is being ganged up on and he's small and he feels threatened, how is he supposed to act?

Gawd - I'm having more problem with Max getting bullied in the dog park than the kids getting bullied at school!!

Watching 3 dogs stand over him is just asking for trouble and sorry to say but not very responsible behaiviour by you either.

Ummm, I picked him up within seconds of him being surrounded by 3 dogs and removed him from the park so perhaps ask what my reaction was before you call me irresponsible.

[Leelaa17]

Dogs will sort themselves out. (Most of the time). Has your little pug hurt any of the other dogs? Have the other dogs hurt your little pug? (All you can do is take charge of your pug - unfortunately you WILL get deads**ts at the dog park who dont care that your dog is distressed - and I AM the kind of person who would say 'its alright hes great with little dogs) - but if someone said to me well my dog isnt good then I would take max away - but I would ALSO ask 'why are you at an offlead dog park then?'

Yep, they will. One method is by fighting. That's not acceptable to me, particularly when the odds are stacked against one dog.

People take their dogs to offlead dog parks to run them offlead. Who says they have to want to play with others?

Allow your GSD to approach my dogs and I'd be telling you call it off very quickly. Allow it to chase them and it would be copping a boot. A dog in prey drive is capable of harming another dog and I've had the vet bills to prove it.

First of all - Welcome MuckyPUg!

Im sorry to say but I have been in this situation with my two very large GSD - and to be perfectly honest I got EXTREMELY annoyed (and please dont think I am talking about you in this situation - this is a personal experience) when a couple came in to an offlead dog park with their JRT.

They carried him in and wouldnt put him down because Max was following them trying to see what they had in their hands (I was the only person in the VERY LARGE dog park and I was sitting under a free)... When they put their dog down the dog started doing zoomies and max was chasing him - the dog kept going and going and didnt run to the owners in fear of max - he just kept doing zoomies...

Long story short - the woman owner hit my dog because it wouldnt styop chasing the JRT. I got up and abused the s**t out of her. I do NOT in ANY way think max OR I were in the wrong. The dog CLEARLY wasnt scared and Max wasnt being aggressive at all. I went ape s**t at this lady because she asked 'is this your dog' (well duh I was the only one there) and then she hit him... Max came running back to me because I started yelling my head off at her.

Since this has happened I have been extremely aware about people and their little dogs.

Dogs will sort themselves out. (Most of the time). Has your little pug hurt any of the other dogs? Have the other dogs hurt your little pug? (All you can do is take charge of your pug - unfortunately you WILL get deads**ts at the dog park who dont care that your dog is distressed - and I AM the kind of person who would say 'its alright hes great with little dogs) - but if someone said to me well my dog isnt good then I would take max away - but I would ALSO ask 'why are you at an offlead dog park then?'

Your pug is lashing out at bigger dogs because that is their way of saying 'no I dont want to be sniffed leave me alone' - if the big dogs wont leave then I would politely ask the owners to just be mindful of their dogs because your dog doesnt like them and you dont want any of them getting hurt...

As I said - dogs learn to sort themselves out - doing little snaps and doing little barks is your pugs way of saying leave me alone - and that is ok - it only turns bad when you dont know how the other dog will react... And you never do.

So honestly? I would steer clear of THAT dog park - you said you go to another one? Stick to going to that one.

No offense but if a big GSD comes over to me while I'm carrying my Charlie and won't leave me alone, I will be piss off too, especially is you stand in a distant and do nothing about it. You should of called your dog off that person straight away, especially if you see that they are uncomfortable.

I wouldn't hit your dog but I will definitely have words with you about it.

I understand where you guys are coming from and since being a member of here I have learnt quite a lot about what to do in all different situations. I would've handled things much differently in my dog-owner time if I had been on here longer but in this case I didnt see a problem with what Max was doing.

I do disagree with some peoples comments about a dog chasing another dog - maybe it is wrong - I don't know but I would like someone who is experienced in dog behaviour to tell me what is wrong with it and I would be MORE THAN HAPPY to listen and take the advice.

If someone tried to 'remove' my GSD or hit my GSD and they got bitten (I know they wouldnt because of previous experience and Max's responses) - TBH I wouldnt give a s**t. And let me say before I go on that YES there ARE stupid people out there (like I used to be) who dont understand that a dog is distressed or that MY dog shouldnt be doing what it is doing - and some people wouldnt remove their dogs if asked...but I DO NOT under ANY circumstances think that someone should take it upon themselves to remove another persons dog - IF it comes down to it - LEAVE. Dont touch another dog that you don't know.

That stupid lady could've gotten bitten by hitting my dog. THAT is also stupidity IMO. By all means - go and have words to the person. But don't take those kind of matters into your own hands.

And I hope you guys are referring to 'a GSD coming up to my little dog' as the fact that a GSD is a large breed. Not because they are GSD. Then it comes under Breed specific S**t.

I have read everyones comments on here and realise I have been doing things that would make other little dogs uncomfortable and in having little dogs that arent good with big dogs I know what owners etc feel like. I will be changing my behaviour from now on. But it doesnt mean I don't disagre with a lot of things that are being said.

[Leelaa17]

Dogs will sort themselves out. (Most of the time). Has your little pug hurt any of the other dogs? Have the other dogs hurt your little pug? (All you can do is take charge of your pug - unfortunately you WILL get deads**ts at the dog park who dont care that your dog is distressed - and I AM the kind of person who would say 'its alright hes great with little dogs) - but if someone said to me well my dog isnt good then I would take max away - but I would ALSO ask 'why are you at an offlead dog park then?'

Yep, they will. One method is by fighting. That's not acceptable to me, particularly when the odds are stacked against one dog.

People take their dogs to offlead dog parks to run them offlead. Who says they have to want to play with others?

Allow your GSD to approach my dogs and I'd be telling you call it off very quickly. Allow it to chase them and it would be copping a boot. A dog in prey drive is capable of harming another dog and I've had the vet bills to prove it.

First of all - Welcome MuckyPUg!

Im sorry to say but I have been in this situation with my two very large GSD - and to be perfectly honest I got EXTREMELY annoyed (and please dont think I am talking about you in this situation - this is a personal experience) when a couple came in to an offlead dog park with their JRT.

They carried him in and wouldnt put him down because Max was following them trying to see what they had in their hands (I was the only person in the VERY LARGE dog park and I was sitting under a free)... When they put their dog down the dog started doing zoomies and max was chasing him - the dog kept going and going and didnt run to the owners in fear of max - he just kept doing zoomies...

Long story short - the woman owner hit my dog because it wouldnt styop chasing the JRT. I got up and abused the s**t out of her. I do NOT in ANY way think max OR I were in the wrong. The dog CLEARLY wasnt scared and Max wasnt being aggressive at all. I went ape s**t at this lady because she asked 'is this your dog' (well duh I was the only one there) and then she hit him... Max came running back to me because I started yelling my head off at her.

Since this has happened I have been extremely aware about people and their little dogs.

Dogs will sort themselves out. (Most of the time). Has your little pug hurt any of the other dogs? Have the other dogs hurt your little pug? (All you can do is take charge of your pug - unfortunately you WILL get deads**ts at the dog park who dont care that your dog is distressed - and I AM the kind of person who would say 'its alright hes great with little dogs) - but if someone said to me well my dog isnt good then I would take max away - but I would ALSO ask 'why are you at an offlead dog park then?'

Your pug is lashing out at bigger dogs because that is their way of saying 'no I dont want to be sniffed leave me alone' - if the big dogs wont leave then I would politely ask the owners to just be mindful of their dogs because your dog doesnt like them and you dont want any of them getting hurt...

As I said - dogs learn to sort themselves out - doing little snaps and doing little barks is your pugs way of saying leave me alone - and that is ok - it only turns bad when you dont know how the other dog will react... And you never do.

So honestly? I would steer clear of THAT dog park - you said you go to another one? Stick to going to that one.

No offense but if a big GSD comes over to me while I'm carrying my Charlie and won't leave me alone, I will be piss off too, especially is you stand in a distant and do nothing about it. You should of called your dog off that person straight away, especially if you see that they are uncomfortable.

I wouldn't hit your dog but I will definitely have words with you about it.

I understand where you guys are coming from and since being a member of here I have learnt quite a lot about what to do in all different situations. I would've handled things much differently in my dog-owner time if I had been on here longer but in this case I didnt see a problem with what Max was doing.

I do disagree with some peoples comments about a dog chasing another dog - maybe it is wrong - I don't know but I would like someone who is experienced in dog behaviour to tell me what is wrong with it and I would be MORE THAN HAPPY to listen and take the advice.

If someone tried to 'remove' my GSD or hit my GSD and they got bitten (I know they wouldnt because of previous experience and Max's responses) - TBH I wouldnt give a s**t. And let me say before I go on that YES there ARE stupid people out there (like I used to be) who dont understand that a dog is distressed or that MY dog shouldnt be doing what it is doing - and some people wouldnt remove their dogs if asked...but I DO NOT under ANY circumstances think that someone should take it upon themselves to remove another persons dog - IF it comes down to it - LEAVE. Dont touch another dog that you don't know.

That stupid lady could've gotten bitten by hitting my dog. THAT is also stupidity IMO. By all means - go and have words to the person. But don't take those kind of matters into your own hands.

And I hope you guys are referring to 'a GSD coming up to my little dog' as the fact that a GSD is a large breed. Not because they are GSD. Then it comes under Breed specific S**t.

I have read everyones comments on here and realise I have been doing things that would make other little dogs uncomfortable and in having little dogs that arent good with big dogs I know what owners etc feel like. I will be changing my behaviour from now on. But it doesnt mean I don't disagre with a lot of things that are being said.

I should note that in an actual dog attack I retract my statement of removing a dog. I know people would've commented on that if I hadnt of said something. In regards to dog attacks I think anyone there should remove a dog...

I meant removing a dog in regards to if your dog is uncomfrtable and thats it.