IMO, it's a common occurrence in a dog park. I wouldn't be going back.

 

I'm so sorry. Is there anyone who has a dog you trust that you could play date with to help build his confidence up around dogs? You don't want him to be reactive and fearful.

Poor baby

Jelpy

 

I have one friend with a dog who I'm trying to see if I can borrow tomorrow for the day.

IMO, it's a common occurrence in a dog park. I wouldn't be going back.

I see that now. I don't really want to go back but I want to to get him over this trauma.

I'm sorry this happened to you and your pup. There are lots of different opinions re: dog parks on this forum - we frequented them often in the beginning and I deeply regret it, and wouldn't recommend it to others going forward.

Are you planning on taking Navarro to puppy kindergarten? Even if you can't do a series of classes, lots of training centers or dog daycares will do inexpensive "puppy social hours" where he could meet dogs his age (and be in the presence of more mindful owners).

Thanks for the daycare suggestion. My vet office does doggy daycare. Maybe I'll give them a call and see if he can go there for a few days.

 

I'm sorry this happened to you and your pup. There are lots of different opinions re: dog parks on this forum - we frequented them often in the beginning and I deeply regret it, and wouldn't recommend it to others going forward.

Are you planning on taking Navarro to puppy kindergarten? Even if you can't do a series of classes, lots of training centers or dog daycares will do inexpensive "puppy social hours" where he could meet dogs his age (and be in the presence of more mindful owners).

 

A timid dog is a target for other dogs. I do NOT like dog parks for this reason. I wouldn't go back. Hopefully there's no long term emotional damage.

 

That's terrible. I'm so sorry about what happened to your pup.
Wouldn't it be logical to the other owner to put his dog on a leash after it attacked someone once? I mean, come on...
As others suggested, try and get your pup to meet with your friends dogs that you know won't attack.

 

You would think they would leash the dog. I'm so grateful there was some "aggressive" people there to tell the owner to leave. I thought he would be safe hiding behind me on the bench while I calmed him down so maybe the owner thought it wasn't a danger anymore, but I was wrong there too.

 

This is a terrible occurrence but it is not COMMON. It is really UNCOMMON. Not sure what your guy's definition of common is, but this does not happen often at any dog park I've ever been to. I've actually never seen something like this happen and have gone pretty consistently throughout my dog's first 2 years.

Sure...there have been fights, but they are not common. Maybe 1% of the times I've been to a dog park have I seen a fight, and I've never seen a dog get injured or hurt. I've seen plenty of stupid owners, most of the time SITTING on benches and just letting dogs do whatever they want.

If I were you, I wouldn't go back to a dog park. I also wouldn't just let you dog into a dog daycare without YOUR supervision. You need to find some obedience classes where you can socialize your dog in a very controlled environment (on leash and little or no interactions between dogs).

 

You need to find some obedience classes where you can socialize your dog in a very controlled environment (on leash and little or no interactions between dogs).

We're in obedience classes where there is no interaction between dogs. I don't think its helped him learn that dogs aren't scary though.

 

I am so sorry for your pup, and that you are traumatized.....pups are at the mercy of bigger dogs in situations like dog parks....

Personally, my puppy contract does not allow puppy owners to go to dog parks....if they do it anyway, I cannot stop them of course, but normally, we talk about it before they get the dog and most of them agree it is not a great place to take a pup....

Hopefully, you can get some one with a compatible puppy and try to undo the damage from the trauma....in any case, please do not take this pup to another dog park....do some one on one at a training club or in your yard....our dogs do not NEED dog friends, they need us.....in order to try to prevent dog reactivity or aggression out of self defense, I think you now need to work at making your pup more confident among other dogs and dog social...

Lee

 

Was Navarro seriously injured physically? Hope he is ok. One of ours was a target on more than one occasion.

 

He broke a puppy tooth so I'm going to keep an eye on him. I don't think I'll be going back.

I am so sorry for your pup, and that you are traumatized.....pups are at the mercy of bigger dogs in situations like dog parks....

Personally, my puppy contract does not allow puppy owners to go to dog parks....if they do it anyway, I cannot stop them of course, but normally, we talk about it before they get the dog and most of them agree it is not a great place to take a pup....

Hopefully, you can get some one with a compatible puppy and try to undo the damage from the trauma....in any case, please do not take this pup to another dog park....do some one on one at a training club or in your yard....our dogs do not NEED dog friends, they need us.....in order to try to prevent dog reactivity or aggression out of self defense, I think you now need to work at making your pup more confident among other dogs and dog social...

Lee

Yeah I don't think I'll be going back. It sucks because the rest of the dogs look like they're having so much fun.

 

I would....

1. Not go back to the dog park. Probably not ever. Not just because of what happened but it sounds like he never enjoyed it in the first place, if he was acting timid and just hanging out around people.

2. Go to obedience like you are and just work from there. Work on training, playing games, building a relationship and then proofing all of this around other dogs.

GSDs often are not "social" among dogs. Many are very protective, territorial, and just want nothing to do with other dogs that aren't family. This is just how the breed is. They are not mean to be a "dog park" dog. For a lot of GSD people "socialization" means training and showing the dog to be obedient around other dogs and ignore them, if they have reactive tendencies. There's no reason your dog must enjoy playing with other dogs. Like Jag said a timid dog is often a target for bully dogs. It's just not fair to him if he really doesn't enjoy it, and he will not miss out on anything if he doesn't go to the dog park or run and play with other dogs.

I would personally let him grow up, build his confidence and bond with YOU, and then as you go you might meet some people you trust with nice dogs and arrange play dates with your dogs.

 

Good advice. The more I'm reading about puppies being attacked at the dog park the more I'm convinced dog parks aren't good places to go.

 

dogs are bullies and they take advantage of young dogs.
sitting near the water cooler has nothing to do with the reason
the dog attacked. you should have left immediately after the attack.
when there's a fight or attack at the dog park we go to all
dogs involved have to leave the dog. it doesn't matter which
dog started the attack every dog involved has to leave. they
can come back another day.

your dog may not be as traumatized as you think. find some
some dogs he can play with and set up some play dates.
enroll in a puppy class or group lessons.

 

your dog may not be as traumatized as you think. find some
some dogs he can play with and set up some play dates.

Thanks. I will definitely do that.

 

I'm sorry both of you had to go through that. My golden was attacked at a dog park and I am thankful he is alive. Unlike your puppy, my puppy had a huge hole in his neck and blood was everywhere I have never gone back, but I can say from experience that moving forward with obedience classes will make a world of difference.

 

Poor puppy. That must have been even more traumatic for you than this was for me!

 

I'm sorry this happened. I am not a proponent of dog parks. We can't expect all dogs to get along...some get along just fine, while others don't. For me not worth the risk.

Best advice, carry on, watch how you react around your pup he will pick up on your emotions. If he must play with other dogs let it be with a trusted dog that you are comfortable with.

Poor little guy....but he's probably tougher than you think. Build his confidence, focus on one on one time

 

I hope you're right. And I'm not sure if puppies get attacked more. There was another puppy his age at the park at the same time and that dog didn't go after him.

 

Is it unusual that a puppy would be attacked by an adult dog like that?

 

I think puppies are more of a target. My golden was and still is very happy go lucky...he made it worse by crying. I think the crying made the attacking dog more nervous..he just wanted him to shut up.

 

With normal stable adult dogs, yes absolutely, esp. with a baby that young, BUT not so much with the whackos (dogsd and owners) that you will see in the average dog park.

 

The best dogs to help your puppy would be well mannered adult dogs to be role models. For Beau, in addition to my own dogs, I would drive 45 minutes to take him to a friends house and go for offlead walks in the woods with THEIR adult dogs and Beau. They knew how to tolerate a puppy but gently correct for being too rambunctious etc. ........ I don't think you can beat exposing the pup to solid adult dogs. A bunch of puppies doesnt teach each other much after about 8 weeks, JMO.

 

I just took him to see the one stable adult doggy friend that I know and he was all wags and face licking, so thats a BIG weight off my shoulders. Maybe he wasn't so traumatized after all. I have another playdate scheduled tomorrow with a different dog I know (but Navarro doesn't) so hopefully that goes well. This is great advice. No more doggy parks for us.

 

Personally 6 months would be the minimum age I would bring a dog to a dog park, puppies are too often targeted by adults not used to dealing with them. For puppies I prefer good adult dog socialization which is supervised

 

Personally 6 months would be the minimum age I would bring a dog to a dog park, puppies are too often targeted by adults not used to dealing with them. For puppies I prefer good adult dog socialization which is supervised

Good idea!

 

Navarro just turned 16 weeks and we started going to the dog park, since I don't know many people with dogs and he seemed quite timid of them. He's only come out of his shell once when there was another puppy at the park, but other than that usually just sits under the bench and watches. Today though there were people sitting about 10 feet away from us and he started to have fun running between me and them. Out of nowhere this dog ran over, no warning no smelling no nothing and attacked him...pretty sure he wanted to kill him. Navarro started wailing while this thing was over top of him biting at his neck. The people I was sitting near pulled him off, and Navarro ran under the bench crying. The owner of the dog took him over to the other side of the park. Navarro jumped on the bench and hid behind me as I was trying to calm him down, but about 2 minutes later the dog ran back across the park, leaped on the bench and latched on to Navarro's neck again. They both fell to the ground, the dog was pulled off and owner told to leave. She told us it was because we were sitting near the water (50 ft away). Thankfully there were enough people there to encourage him to get off the bench after about 10 minutes and walk a lap of the park before we left. Got home. Had a good cry. Now I have NO idea what to do. We're both traumatized and I don't know if or when we should go back to the park. I don't know why that dog went out of his way to attack Navarro. I can't find any cuts on him, but he has a broken puppy tooth and the girl that pull the dog off had her arm bitten. I feel so awful for putting him in that situation. This is the most awful day.

Don't want to gang up on you, but why did you take a baby into an adult dog park? And esp. why did you stay there once your puppy was jumped on one time?

Did you grab the attacking dog and kick his/her behind up and down the park? You are his protector and pack leader as long as he is a baby (later you will switch this role with a good GSD!).

Do NOT go back to the park - find an OB class or maybe meet some owners with what you know arepuppies and'or some friendly dogs.

 

Did you grab the attacking dog and kick his/her behind up and down the park?

Now that's the spirit!

I'm sorry that happened. I didn't take my puppy to the dog park until he was 10 months old, but that doesn't mean he didn't have any bad experiences. A few times people said their dogs were good with others, but I found out the hard way that they weren't. One friend's GSD was great with him when he was 9 weeks old, but flipped him on his back when he was 16 weeks. Maybe that's the magic age when the "puppy pass" starts to fade? My mother's dog attacked him too....and every time I felt terrible.


Don't beat yourself up, although I know that's easier said than done. I'm going to go against the grain and say you should go back to the dog park, but try to find a time when nobody is there, and have a really good time full of extra special treats and games. I would - I took my puppy to the dog park the day after my mom's dog attacked, so he didn't have lingering bad impressions about other dogs in general.

But I wouldn't let him play with any other dogs there, not unless you know that they're friendly. And if someone shows up before you have a chance to leave, and it looks like trouble, don't forget codmaster's quote above!

 

I'm sorry this happened. After the initial incident, you should have left to prevent it happening again. Also would suggest you stay away from dog parks. Too many things can go wrong really easily. Especially to pups who are shy of other dogs. Get involved with puppy classes and socialize that way. It's a controlled environment. I NEVER take puppies to a dog park. Ever. Riley went to the dog park after he was a year old. Everything was fine because we knew the regulars and all the dogs got along great but a Saint Bernard who was not a regular and shouldnt have been at the park to begin with (severely dog aggressive) almost killed him. We stopped going when we knew she was there. If she came in, we left out the back gate. He never went to a dog park again after he was 2 years old. He became extremely reactive after that incident.

Dog parks are bad news in a great many cases.

 

To all the people saying you shouldn't take a baby to the dog park, I would say that not as many people are fully aware of this as you would think. I waited until he was 16 weeks, but there were puppies there as young as 11 weeks old (an aussie cattle dog who he had played with two days prior to this incident).

Anyways, thank you everyone for the advice.

 

I simply stated my opinion, if you take it or leave it I won't be offended

When I was living in a different part of the city I was going daily to a large off leash park with Jazzy, and I met a young couple who brought their 8 week old boxer puppy daily as well. The poor thing had no clue what was going on, I saw it grow up for several months there and while it learned how to play the poor thing was so aggressive in it's play because it had been bullied from day one from most if the older and much larger dogs

That alone made me sad but the health risks as well were bad as well. At least yours hopefully is close to if not already fully vaccinated

Please don't think I'm attacking or looking at you as a bad owner, I'm simply trying to encourage caution. What you do with your pup is up to you and he might have a great time or not

 

No dog parks.... bad news. Hope your little guy overcomes this. Form what you said about the other adult dog that came over later, he should be okay. But stay away from the dog park. They are fights looking for a place to happen.

 

Both of my dogs have been attacked at dog parks...different times....different parks.

I think that when a dog park is good....it is great.
But when it is bad.....it is horrible.

We no longer go except for outside the park for some obedience training. Or I have gone when no one is there just for some off leash time besides in the yard.

Doggie daycare worked will for us up until a few weeks ago. And my dog was the aggressor.

Obedience class, nose work etc keep her occupied now. And hopefully in the spring we can get together with some doggie friends....

 

I am sickened over your experience. So sorry for your puppy's misfortune...

I despise dog parks. Dog parks are where 80% of the world's uneducated, irresponsible dog owners gather to let their out of control dogs run even more out of control in a UFC styled ring where nobody knows how to deal with large groups of strange dogs socializing. I cannot fathom why people think dog parks are a good idea! I wish those darn things were illegal, so much bad stuff happens there!

 

Some dogs would enjoy dog parks and do good in them. But so many folks have had problems in them (mostly with their dogs being attacked) and with so little benefit to the dogs (as many have said a dog doesn't need interaction with strange dogs - better with their family); my point would be - why bother with the dog park and the potential risks? Just socialize your dog and train them to basically ignore other dogs.

Of course that is just my own opinion - sure hope that no one is going to rile themselves too much over a single opinion.

 

It breaks my heart to hear this! Dog parks are good while they last (until a bad event happens), sorry yours happened so soon.

I would look online for GSD groups in your area and avoid the dog park, or at least this dog park from now on. I found this GSD meetup.com group that is 40 miles away from me. When I can attend an event it's really worth the drive. The woman who started the club even has puppy meet-ups, she is so organized. I'm hoping you can find a puppy group or GSD group that will give your pup the playtime it needs.

 

First of all I absolutely adore you profile picture - he's cute as a button

Don't beat yourself up over what happened! Luckily he didn't get hurt, pups always scream at the top of their lungs - it's their only defence really.

My Mojo was similar, in puppy class shed always hide under my chair and if a big dog came close she'd bark/scream at them.

I found what helped with her a lot was not responding to her "fear". For example as much as I was panicking when a big male GSD grabbed her at dog school I did not make a fuss of her afterward, just gave her a quick pet and a really happy "come on girl it's all good" and moved off and did a couple of sits and gave her treats - only then did I check her over.
If you make a big fuss while he's scared and trying to calm him you are reinforcing that being afraid is right.
Try to be very matter of fact with him when he's scared/worried - you need to come across as confident and not worried

The owner of the dog that grabbed my puppy was useless he had no control over his dog and thought it was funny that he was trying to hump my 4 month old pup who was terrified and screaming - he then had the nerve to yell at me for grabbing his dog by the scruff and pulling him off my screaming puppy - at that stage I cracked (I'm usually a very shy quiet person but I had put up with that dogs crap for several training classes) I looked the guy straight in the face, said "f*** you and walked out the door. I have never ever done that before or since but geez it felt good.
Mojo is now 6 and a lot more confident, she's still a soft dog but she copes well with other dogs.
I did exactly what jocoyn suggested, lots of walks with my friends adult dogs that were "stable" and played well with the pup.

 

Thanks for the kind words. He seems to be recovering and I scheduled some doggie dates (I actually had to call my vet and asked if he could play with her dog, since I don't live in this State and know no one), so hopefully his confidence will be rebuilt. I was so shook up by the incident I think I was trying to calm him down as much as myself. I try to make a point of not fussing over him when he makes a big deal about something. I'll try not to make a big fuss if it happens again (hopefully it never does!).

 

I'm really sorry to hear about what happened to Navarro. I'm getting a new pup soon and it's stories like yours that made me decide to avoid dog parks like the plague.

I hope Navarro is okay and it doesn't affect him long term.