Dog park trip didn't go so well

[EmilyK0429]

This could have been an incident of guarding or herding I would think. Meega will do that except she will usually be doing something else and then see a dog run and wants to get them back with everyone else. She will run around a large group of dogs running and keep them in a pack. Plus since she is a GSD there is that preconceived notion that they are aggressive. If she is going after a dog I talk with the owner and see how they feel, and a lot of times distract her with a ball or frisbee. Unfortunately she will sometimes just find 1 dog that she wants to play with and a lot of times they don't want to play with her. So if I find a dog that she clicks with I try to go when they are there or get their information.

One of my best things I can give you for advice that took me awhile to learn was to go during off hours. When you go when everyone is there you get a lot of people who don't exercise their dogs all week and then bring them to the dog park on the weekend and don't understand that he is being inappropriate due to having way to much pent up energy. If you go during the off hours, especially early mornings during the week you find a group of people who come almost every morning at the same time and know all the dogs and people very well. That makes things easier as they understand dog behavior but they also really watch their dogs. Plus over time you know exactly what is acceptable to that group of owners and dogs and what is not.

[MustLoveGSDs]

Emily you make a very good point. I absolutely HATE going to dog parks on weekends. It's usually overcrowded with a bunch of unruly, out of control, and insanely hyper and amped up dogs who have been cooped up in the house all week while owners are working. Weekend dog park trips are when I have seen most fights occur. There are so many dogs with conflicting energies running around in a confined space.

[MustLoveGSDs]

Also, here is a video of my GSD displaying some shepherd behavior at the dog park, and me doing exactly what you shouldn't be doing..sitting down(which i dont do anymore) as he stays near me watching and waiting for a chance to tag a dog. You can see him get alert and focus on the great dane before he runs at him. We call him the fun police.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltD4p6fe4-o

[H15A5H1]

for what is worth, heres a vid of my 8month old playing with a 10month old husky and 1.5yr old shiba inu @ the dog park. at first i thought they were playing too rough, but many forum members have said that they were playing perfectly fine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N3pf6-M-ZI

[doggiedad]

that's funny!!

Originally Posted By: Jax08Is there a dog park where it is required to keep your dogs on leashes?

[EmilyK0429]

Originally Posted By: MustLoveGSDsAlso, here is a video of my GSD displaying some shepherd behavior at the dog park, and me doing exactly what you shouldn't be doing..sitting down(which i dont do anymore) as he stays near me watching and waiting for a chance to tag a dog. You can see him get alert and focus on the great dane before he runs at him. We call him the fun police.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltD4p6fe4-o

That is exactly what Meega will do if I don't watch her and keep her busy. It is the worst if there are dogs playing fetch as she thinks it is her job to herd them all the way to the ball. It also doesn't help that she is almost always faster than the dog too. Although once she finds that she wants to play fetch she will do it for a bit by getting the ball and dropping it half way and looking at the other dog like okay you can have it and bring it the rest of the way I just wanted to run after it.

Another thing that helps with us is to bring a dog she knows along that she pretty much only gets to play with at the park. Like I said she likes to find 1 dog to play with, so that makes it much easier as she will almost always "find" said dog to play with her. Although if there is another shepherd pretty much forget it she will be over there with them wanting to get them to play with her whether or not they want to or not. Which time it is typically time to get her busy again or time to go.

[Lola1969]

Ozzy cannot handle dog parks as he feels it is his job to correct any other dog whose behavior he deems inappropriate. Even if that includes other dogs joyously running to their owners. He's a jerk at dogparks and so no longer goes. No one ever complained, but I just didn't want to be the person everyone rolled their eyes at when they saw us pull up!

Some dogs are better at parks than others.

[Lola1969]

FUN POLICE! Love it!

I thought I was the only one who couldn't sit down around my sheppie. Otherwise he starts guarding me. sigh.

[BuoyantDog]

JINXR, You could take Allee to the park on a long line (15-20-30 feet?).

Glory often does similar behavior, but she has very strong herding instincts, so I believe "herding dogs" is what she is doing. However, she hasn't had a problem because she doesn't get aggressive, and if a dog barks at her, she turns around and leaves them alone. Glory is very "police-like" at the dog parks, but in a non-aggressive way. She definitely has some alpha-genes in her.

Another thing you could try, JINXR, is to go in to the dog park with her on leash and on a good correction collar, like a head collar (not a prong...that could get her thinking other dogs are biting her). Then, just keep Allee on a leash for awhile, so she can watch the other dogs and calm down herself.

When you let her off leash though, DO NOT just punk out and sit along the wall or fence. We need to be out there with our dogs...preferably within 15 feet of them. We are their leaders, and they look up to us for direction, etc. so don't punk out at the park!

Sincerely yours,
Christina (and Glory)

[BuoyantDog]

P.S. I keep very close to Glory, and I am engaged in what she is doing. Fetching....playing....throwing....roughing up.....petting other dogs. We also work on simple commands, like sit, down or stay. This way, Glory and I are in a constant "dialogue" of sorts, like we are a team!