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1st dog park trip

2K views 21 replies 10 participants last post by  Harry and Lola 
#1 ·
...and there will NOT be a second. You guys were right. I took my GSD pup (5months almost) and my 4 yr old lab x to a local dog park. I kept my dogs on a leash the first half hour and then took them off for the last half hour. One little pug/chihuawa mix basically attacked Yogi (puppy) by chasing him, barking, and nipping at him. He didn't even engage with the dog. The owner thought it was funny - I wanted to kick her in the face. It was pretty cool though because my very laid back lab x stuck up for him by stepping in front of him and growling at the little dog. If Yogi was smaller, I would have picked him up. Cat Felidae Small to medium-sized cats Carnivore Cornish rex


I just put him back on the leash and asked the lady to please keep her jerk dog on a leash too but she ignored me. I finally ended up just leaving because of it. Ridiculous. Plus I had about eight different people come up and ask me what breeder I got him from, how much he cost, how much he weighs, blah blah blah. BUT I did find out (before the mean dog showed up) that he has a beautiful gait while loping and flat out running. He looks like he floats along the ground. Here's a picture of him in the car on the drive home. Keep in mind this is the dog that never stops going. Canidae Dog Dog breed Carnivore Snout


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#4 · (Edited)
It's not really the dogs, it's the people. If he would have stood up for himself, it would have been his fault not the owner of the aggressive dog.....

I agree.
The dog park I go to is a private one where members pay monthly. If you have an aggressive dog you are kicked out. The people there are very nice and concerned for all the animals there. They have to be as small and big dogs are together. No dog park is perfect, some are worse than others. Up to now Ive never heard any of the members call each other names or attack them verbally. They dont allow their dogs to pester another dog and if seen other members will point it out to them. Ive been going almost a year. Although I dont go as much as I used to as Ive been busy with trying to get my GSD to ignore other dogs.
 
#6 ·
The main reason was to work on recall while distracted. They both did fairly well. My lab x sucks at it but she's smart and getting it. She's at about a 40% recall rate, reliably. Yogi is at about 90% recall reliability. But he's also young so I expect that to go down during adolescence. I agree that dog park inventors had a good idea but the concept only works if the people work together to make it a positive experience. If that little dog had been mine I would have immediately put him on the leash and left. I read a couple positive stories the past few days so wanted to at least try one out. Now I know. :what:

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#7 ·
If they can't give you 100% I wouldn't even attempt recalls in a dog park setting. You're just pushing your progress back. I work my dogs outside of the dog park near the fence so they still get the different dog distractions but they don't have an opportunity to blow me off to interact with other dogs.
 
#8 ·
They're 100% at home. This was our first time at recall outside of the normal places they visit. My dads house has 12 acres and they are 100% around my dads dog. How am I supposed to work on recall with distractions? Appreciate the suggestions please.

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#12 ·
Every dog is a champion on their own turf. It was your pup's first time at a dog park around strange dogs and new smells and you were expecting recalls. That's a lot of expectations for a 5 month old pup that doesn't have proofed recalls. If you want a dog that thinks you are the most fun thing in the world then you have to work him outside of situations where he isn't set up to fail. Do you want obedience and engagement, or do you want your dog to run around and play and blow you off for other dogs when you want him to obey?


Outside of the dog park is not fenced...

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A long line is your best friend. I put my dogs on a long line to work obedience outside of dog parks, people parks, retail parking lots, neighborhoods, etc. That way I can correct them and get them back in the game and focused on me around all kinds of distractions.
 
#10 ·
Dog parks are pretty much made for the clueless, not everyone is irresponsible of course, but you have badly behaved dogs being brought there by clueless owners.

People with well behaved dogs are basically providing the guinea pigs for the clueless to use for exercising dogs that they are to lazy or incompetent to train!

..not that I have an opinion one way or the other! :D

Glad you guys made it out OK.
 
#11 ·
I decided not to go to the traditional fenced dog park mainly because of this site and experiences many years ago with another dog. I still wanted my pup to be comfortable with other dogs and learn to read their language. I went to meetup.com and found a WONDERFULL dog hiking club. We go on walks/hikes in the local area with the dogs off leash. There are all breeds and sizes.

My pup's best friend is a female Corgi a couple of months older than he is. There are no serious squabbles between dogs because we are right there walking with them and can monitor any escalation if it occurs. If two dogs don't really like each other, they stay away from each other.

Maybe there is a Meetup in your area.
 
#13 ·
One of the trainers I used said dog parks are how lazy owners exercise their dogs. They just unleash them and ignore them until it's time to leave. That is pretty much what I saw when I went to a dog park. After I saw a few fights break out when I was outside the fenced in area observing I never went back.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I can tell you thats not true and very close minded of your trainer. Its like saying all people that drive trucks are obnoxious. I know dog parks have a bad rap here and some people jump on the bandwagon or probably dont admit they take their dogs to the dog park. If you dont want to take your dogs to the dog park then dont, thats up to you and maybe in some places people shouldnt because their dog parks are full of irresponsible people.
But in my opinion theres been so many people I meet there that are in Rally, Agility and Freestyling. I have learned so much from them about all these dog sports that I havent had to ask on here. Infact one of the Rally-O classes im now taking was suggested to me by a german shepherd rescue volunteer that takes both of her dogs to the dog park and her boys are in all kind of sports.
 
#16 ·
I didn't think I was setting him up to fail. Like I said, his recall is excellent for a pup his age (I thought). I feel really bad now. I wasn't trying to set him up to fail. I was just trying to see how he'd do in another setting that was more chaotic. I thought 90% (9 times out of 10) for recall was very good. :( He was praised extensively and with treats every couple of times. My trainer said that I have a really good intuition when it comes to my puppy and while she's been helping me and Yogi with stuff always praises me for knowing what to do even though I've never done it before. Apparently I really don't know what Im doing. Guess I should get a long line. :confused:

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#18 ·
long lines are great. I go to a park that's a little further away, but not a dedicated dog park. We practice there when he's up to it. My poor pup has pano, so we have been doing a lot of resting lately.
 
#20 ·
Many dogs do great at a dog park. Most GSDs or dogs bred for strong "fight" and prey drive like malinois, dobies and rotties, don't feel like playing with strange dogs once they reach maturity. GSDs and malinois are not dog-park dogs. Some are, for sure, but not most.

It's like taking a grown man to a playground and expecting him to enjoy the play equipment with all the kids at the same level as they do. I train my dogs to be able to deal with strange dogs out in public. But I don't allow extended interactions. I want other dogs (non pack) to be background noise, part of the environment, not something to get excited about for any reason unless they are a posing obvious threat. My pack plays with each other and that is all they need for dog-dog play time. They'd be fine even with interaction with just me.

I have a fairly dominant female. Taking her to a dog park would serve to proof her training with distractions, but she would not enjoy herself, or play with other dogs except in a domineering way. She gets on fine with dogs she knows and her pack, and can handle a brief interaction on the trails, but no dog parks for us.

I think, these days, the trend for many breeds and mixes is that they are genetically forever stuck in puppy-mode. Neutering young pups encourages this as well. I see the huge uptick in --doodles as part of this trend. A doodle forever has a puppy-ish appearance and is basically bred to be big goofy pup its whole life.

Many dogs in our neighborhood, including the many doodles, remain big goofy pups. Great pets, easy and malleable. They enjoy the dog park. Dogs that forever act like puppies are not my thing, but they certainly are easy.

In sum, besides all the other issues you may run into at a dog park with a social, friendly dog, I think the blanket rule is that strong breeds, like the GSD do not belong there once they are adults- if ever. On top of that, I don't think a dog park is a place for intact animals- male or female- for many different reasons. All just my observations and experience.
 
#21 ·
Thank you for your insights. I agree actually. My lab had fun and the other labs/retrievers there had fun but the huskys/pits/older GSDs/and akitas were very aloof and domineering. There was only 1 of each kf the latter breeds. It was mostly "happy social dogs". Thank you for the response. Everyone has brought up good points and given me something else to think about.

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#22 ·
Love the car ride home pic:)

I'm not really keen either on dog parks unless you know the other people and dogs or the dogs there are stable not bullies.

Just a thought, imo it is not a good idea to walk into an off leash dog area with your dog on lead as being on lead can stop them from projecting appropriate behaviour, ie they may pull/lunge forward which may be seen as a challenge by other dogs which can create issues, far better to have your do off lead in the off lead area.

Good on your Lab for getting in between them and issuing a growl, sounds like he decided enough is enough and told them so.

I bet your GSD and Lab are just happy with each other and you only.
 
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