My dog is a Labrador and loves to play with whatever toys he finds at the dog park. Almost everyone who comes there regularly knows him and just accepts that he'll only give it back if you grab his collar. He doesn't guard it, he always backs off when another dog is chasing it, and in fact, he's eager to let another dog try and take it from him.
Every so often, someone gets all righteous about THEIR toy, and insists that only their dog should play with it, and it's my responsibility to teach my dog this. This actually happened to someone else as well yesterday. Usually it's some new person at the dog park.
Most of the regulars just tell them "hey, they're dogs, and this is a dog park. You bring your dog here to interact with other dogs."
Apparently, some dog owners have read somewhere that every dog should know "leave it," and feel a personal responsibility to give a lecture to everyone else. If you are one of those people, I just want to tell you that the dog park is not the private play space for you & your dog. Don't even bring your own toys; there are always tennis balls lying around.
Every so often, someone gets all righteous about THEIR toy, and insists that only their dog should play with it, and it's my responsibility to teach my dog this. This actually happened to someone else as well yesterday. Usually it's some new person at the dog park.
Most of the regulars just tell them "hey, they're dogs, and this is a dog park. You bring your dog here to interact with other dogs."
Apparently, some dog owners have read somewhere that every dog should know "leave it," and feel a personal responsibility to give a lecture to everyone else. If you are one of those people, I just want to tell you that the dog park is not the private play space for you & your dog. Don't even bring your own toys; there are always tennis balls lying around.