:eek:
This is both NOT a dog who enjoys the dog park and absolutely NOT a dog who should be going to a dog park. Now two puppies have some damage to overcome from what they experienced with your girl.
Dog parks are overrated, anyway. Please stop taking her. :sadsmile: She is an 8yo terrier. You can enrich her life in more positive ways than flooding her with strange dogs in a mosh pit. :o
I donât really get why you find it so important to be able to take her to the park? You donât have much control, especially over other dogs.
If she doesnât know basic commands like sit, stay, leave it, etc, than it sounds like sheâll get far more mental stimulation and enrichment from a basic obedience class.
I will also reiterate what other posters said. You are lucky that the owner of the puppy wasnât upset. One dog playfully running up to another dog is a normal occurrence at a dog park. If your dog isnât comfortable with that than you really have no business being there. Your putting your dog and the dogs of complete strangers at risk.
I donât take my dogs to a dog park, ever. Many people using them have no idea of dog behavior and canât tell when things are about to escalate or they are not watching their dogs at all, smoking, yakking on the phone, etc. You have people who think itâs funny their dogs beat up on other dogs and refuse to interfere because they are âjust being dogsâ, etc. Most parks allow toys and Iâve seen fights break out when a ball is thrown and a group goes after it and the dog whose ball it is takes offenseâŠAdd to that there is no way to tell if dogs are up to date on vaccinations or titers, no way to tell if other dogs there have fleas, no way to tell if they have internal parasites and that poop patrol is often lacking so the soil can be contaminated, etc. I love my dogs too much to expose them to any of that. I have a small yard, but they can still be exercised there somewhat physically - we play kickball or chase a tennis ball, and mentally with training - I have some agility equipment set up and we practice weaves, jump sequences, etc., we practice heeling, dumbbell retrieves, etc. I have a number of âdog showâ friends with larger properties and we also get together at their houses to let the dogs run and play as a group. But the dogs all know each other and get along and if someone does have a grumpy moment and step out of line we are able to intervene right away and stop anything before it starts. We also all have the same health standards for our dogs and know everyone is up to date with shots and parasite controlâŠ
Thanks everyone for your input! We will see what this weekendâs adventures bring. We will probably go to the barn so I can hang out with my friends and my dog can hang out with the Boykin and Corgiâshe gets along great with them.
Ugh I canât even begin to tell you how against dog parks I am. I have a lab who was one of the sweetest friendliest mellowest guys Iâve ever seen. 2 separate dog attacks that put him in the vet hospital failed to break that in him. What did it was repeated not so great dog park experiences. Never anything too dramatic, just scenarios where he ended up intimidated at which point we left. But after enough of that sort of thing, heâs become very defensive of his space and reactive. He still gets along with dogs one on one for set periods of time, but heâll never be as happy go lucky and without fear as he was. We didnât know better then as he was our first dog and thought these iffy experiences provided they ended safely were typical and harmless. Now I avoid any dog park situation with more than one or two dogs that I am familiar with.
Dog parks are NOT the place to start socializing dogs. Your dog obviously lacks strong socialization based on the way she was raised. I would not say she is a good candidate for a dog park, which can be overwhelming for even the most socialized dogs.
Your dog is going to end up in a more serious dog fight if you continue to take her. You cannot count on owners to be attentive. Itâs not their job to keep their dogs away from yours. You are putting other dogs - and yours - at risk every time you go into a dog park because you never know when your dog will misinterpret behavior, or will have had enough, and will eventually just snap. Additionally, while there may be laid back dogs when you first enter, thereâs nothing to stop someone with a hyperactive lab or a dominant dog from walking in and you have to be quick on your feet to grab your dog and get out of there before they are running up with their nose up your dogâs butt.
In a nutshell, this is about 50% of every dog park incident that ever happened. The other 50% are the somewhat aggressive dogs whose owners think that dog parks are âfunâ and they are âjust playing.â
Nothing specific to your dog but I have never observed any âetiquetteâ at a dog park. They are a free for all. Take her to some dog classes to get her better socialized in a more controlled environment and work on some further training at the same time.
I currently donât have a dog but the dog park wouldnât be one of my go to spots if I did have one.
Susan
I think a lot depends on what is a dog park in your area. We have some that are 100+ acres of woods and trails, and itâs basically a place where you can walk in the woods off leash with your dog and know that thereâs a decent fence around the whole property. If you want to avoid the ball-throwing area, you can absolutely avoid it, easily. And I realize that most places donât have this sort of dog park.
Our Labs loved the dog park for the sniffing and wagging factor, but neither was much of a runner or player by the time we stopped bringing them to the barn and discovered the big park. Our BC mix liked the dog park in the quietest hours during the week and wasnât a big fan of the busy weekends. The terrieristas, like yours, are not really suited to the experience.
We have county parks where you can walk with a leashed dog, and that is the perfect fit for our current terrierista. Sheâs not reliable off leash and is a little too fragile for big bouncy dog antics. Itâs the best of both worlds - she gets a good long walk, we meet an occasional dog for the meet and greet, sheâs safe on the leash, we get out of the neighborhood and into the woods. My SO brings her to the dog park once in a while to walk with a friend but when I have a say in things, we go for the leashed dog settings and everyone is happier.
An obedience class would be way better, more controlled, social time than a dog park. You say you are working on recall. Get some help at a nice class with a calm instructor and other dogs who are going to stay in their own spaces.
And above, someone makes the excellent point that you have no idea what shots and worming dog park dogs have had.
I only took my (well behaved) dog to a dog park ONCE.
It was enough to decide that dog parks shouldnât even exist, lol. I wouldnât even bother talking your dog to one, OP.
Thereâs also numerous highly contagious diseases that can easily spread at dog parks. In my general area weâve had
canine influenza, Parvo, Giardia as well as more common parasites.
Some dogs do well at dog parks but many just shouldnât go there. Itâs up to the owner to decide where their dog fits.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
