[TrampolineBoxer]

Recently I read a story by TruckersMom in dog stories and thought I might bring this up, the owners of dogs in dog parks are really irresponsible just last time my dog had to fight his way out of a band of dogs, while the owners just sat there laughing:mad Luckily my dog is quite strong and he didn't suffer any injuries but still this is outrageous

 

[Artdog]

In agreement. I love the concept of dogparks, but they don't always work out. I went to a dogpark with my previous dog, and found I always had to leave early on account of other peoples dogs, or other people failing to control their dog (ie. dog would be fine with a bit of guidance).
Sooooo, I stopped going altogether.
It's good to check out a dog park ahead of time, see how everyone's behaving, observe the humans, are they paying attention, interacting with their dogs.
Dogs, is everyone having fun, are chase games mutual? Are there dogs cowering and getting mobbed with no one bothering (or knowing enough) to intervene?
Etc. I think there is a sticky on dog parks.
I find it's impossible to change the behaviour of others, so I just stay away.
I did see a friendly dog park in the city; likely the dogs got to see each other daily and were walked to dog park (rather than driven) so they were behaving more calmly.

 

[rustedpenguin]

What do you guys consider acceptable dog park behavior? Riley loves to nip and makes a lot of noise when playing, but I'm getting the feeling that other owners don't like this.

 

[BIteWorkHeeler]

I have a dog who never, ever starts fight with anybody - But he definitely would finish one. Not a good dog park candidate as it was too unpredictable. Once he got jumped by another dog, and in defense he bit back - Well, guess who got blamed for that one? Yep, me.

I have met some really lovely people there who are understanding and watch their dogs, but some others are just negligent.

 

[seashoreduck]

My dog is one that would rather get people praise than deal with dogs however, when pressed to play with dogs she likes to hump anything large or small. Several times I've been told by owners to "make her" stop. She dosn't cause fights, just annoys other dogs but for the most part dogs play and have fun so I say who cares? I think the range of what people fin acceptable dog behavior is extremely subjective and I think I have a greater tolerance for goofy dog behavior than others.

 

[annageckos]

I always leave the dog park if my dog(only one does it) starts humping. Many dogs don't like it and it can start fights. So he humps and we leave. I've stopped taking him, it's not worth it. Sure some dogs are fine with it but why take the chance. And even though it's not aggressive behavior I see it as starting the fight. Or at least instigating.
I've stopped taking the boys to the park. Shorty was attacked, not a fight but attacked. It was bad, the dog had him by the neck and was shaking him. Now Shorty is a 47ish pound basset hound and this other dog was 60lb+ mix. The other dog jumped him while Shorty was standing next to me. There was four people hitting this dog and he wouldn't let go. I got him off with water but he grabbed on again. This time I was able to get Shorty's collar off, which is what the other dog had a hold of. Shorty had some punctures and needed antibiotics for two weeks. Luckily he didn't need a drain, but for a week or so I wasn't sure. It was bad, and terrifying.
I still take Freyja to the park, she loves it. She loves to run and have other dogs chase her. But because of her size other dogs are intimidated and sometimes go after her. Not attacking, but they want her to go away. She doesn't try to play with them, she leaves them alone. But if I have a bad feeling I will leave early. I had a bad feeling about the dog that attacked Shorty, I should have listened to it.

 

[TrampolineBoxer]

Don't you just hate those owners who let their dogs "show whose boss" and just laugh if their dogs hurt another dog, and I really hope Shorty is doing ok, I talked to some dog owners who own small dogs at the dog park, they say they can't even let their dogs properly enjoy the dog park because the big dogs will attack them

 

[augusta]

One thing I have learned, though, is that no matter how responsible you are there are people who will think you are irresponsible and that your dog is out of control.

My dog is high energy, and even when he's quiet, sits down calmly for petting when he meets people, people look at his crazy wagging tail and his wiggling and think he's being crazy and out of control. Just sitting there, cheerful, looking up, and being wiggly. If he walks a little quickly people perk up. I mean even when he's walking to heel next to me people walking by us on the street get nervous and step off the sidewalk from us like he's going to attack.

Before I got him my goal was to have a dog that was so well behaved that even people who know nothing about dogs would feel comfortable around him. Now I know that's impossible. Some people are dumb enough to walk around a park, come pet my dog, and then wave a piece of rotisserie chicken or pizza two inches away from his face. Then they get all judgy when my dog tries to grab it, and lecture me about training him better or maybe watching some Dog Whisperer shows about how my dog is showing me that he doesn't respect me when he tries to eat rotisserie chicken.

I've just accepted that some people will see me as an irresponsible dog owner no matter what. In the meantime, I try to be as considerate as possible anyway.

 

[TrampolineBoxer]

One thing I have learned, though, is that no matter how responsible you are there are people who will think you are irresponsible and that your dog is out of control.

My dog is high energy, and even when he's quiet, sits down calmly for petting when he meets people, people look at his crazy wagging tail and his wiggling and think he's being crazy and out of control. Just sitting there, cheerful, looking up, and being wiggly. If he walks a little quickly people perk up. I mean even when he's walking to heel next to me people walking by us on the street get nervous and step off the sidewalk from us like he's going to attack.

Before I got him my goal was to have a dog that was so well behaved that even people who know nothing about dogs would feel comfortable around him. Now I know that's impossible. Some people are dumb enough to walk around a park, come pet my dog, and then wave a piece of rotisserie chicken or pizza two inches away from his face. Then they get all judgy when my dog tries to grab it, and lecture me about training him better or maybe watching some Dog Whisperer shows about how my dog is showing me that he doesn't respect me when he tries to eat rotisserie chicken.

I've just accepted that some people will see me as an irresponsible dog owner no matter what. In the meantime, I try to be as considerate as possible anyway.

I agree with you Augusta but what I am saying is about those owners who let their dogs bite, hump and attack while they sit there laughing and saying why is your dog such a weakling

 

[augusta]

I agree with you Augusta but what I am saying is about those owners who let their dogs bite, hump and attack while they sit there laughing and saying why is your dog such a weakling

oh yeah those owners suck.

 

[TrampolineBoxer]

Agreed

 

[annageckos]

Don't you just hate those owners who let their dogs "show whose boss" and just laugh if their dogs hurt another dog, and I really hope Shorty is doing ok, I talked to some dog owners who own small dogs at the dog park, they say they can't even let their dogs properly enjoy the dog park because the big dogs will attack them

Shorty is doing great. For a few days after it happened I was really worried about him. His neck was hard and swollen. We talked about the possibility of him needing a drain put in. After almost two weeks he was getting back to himself. He got a nice new leather collar because his old one was wrecked.
The owner was irresponsible IMO. The dog was new to her, a couple of years old. She didn't know the dog's personality. But she was in there trying to get the dog off. Though she didn't take responsibility for the medical bills, I was never able to get her to pay even though she said she would. She stopped answering her phone and that was the only way I had to get in contact with her. But luckily it was only one vet visit and the meds, so it wasn't too much.
Every dog park I'd been to has had a small dog side and a large dog side. Yours doesn't have that? Or are people taking large dogs into the small side. I know sometimes people will bring small dogs over to the big side. Which I don't like, it's too easy for these little dogs to get hurt or run over by the larger dogs.

 

[Cynna]

The local dog park here is beach area, not fenced off, and while the sign shows the on-leash and off-leash hours, most dogs there are always off leash. No area for small dogs, and there are some super-aggressive dogs there. I've taken my girl there a few times (lots of logs on the beach, so we can stay away from others), but eventually someone's giant dogs will run over and jump on us, so not worth it.

I envy those of you who have fenced, separated dog parks.

 

[TrampolineBoxer]

Shorty is doing great. For a few days after it happened I was really worried about him. His neck was hard and swollen. We talked about the possibility of him needing a drain put in. After almost two weeks he was getting back to himself. He got a nice new leather collar because his old one was wrecked.
The owner was irresponsible IMO. The dog was new to her, a couple of years old. She didn't know the dog's personality. But she was in there trying to get the dog off. Though she didn't take responsibility for the medical bills, I was never able to get her to pay even though she said she would. She stopped answering her phone and that was the only way I had to get in contact with her. But luckily it was only one vet visit and the meds, so it wasn't too much.
Every dog park I'd been to has had a small dog side and a large dog side. Yours doesn't have that? Or are people taking large dogs into the small side. I know sometimes people will bring small dogs over to the big side. Which I don't like, it's too easy for these little dogs to get hurt or run over by the larger dogs.

No, the big dogs are let by their owners to come into the small dog area and the owners of the large dogs don't even care if a person gets hurt or a defenceless dog gets badly injured. Also many dog owners after their dog has attacked a smaller dog they either say, it's just that your dog is to weak or I'll pay if medical care is needed then never contact again

 

[annageckos]

You may be able to report these people. Depending on where the park is. The one I go to is in a county park and you can report incidents to the park service. They can ban dogs, though I'm sure it's hard to enforce unless the people become a big problem. I know they asked for the woman's info and I gave what I had, they do not want aggressive dogs in the park. It is also against the rules for large dogs to be in the small dog side. But I don't know how easy it would be to enforce these rules, I guess if enough people complain they may do something about it.

 

[TrampolineBoxer]

Yes I have reported people but somehow they don't get banned

 

[annageckos]

Maybe try to get others to report them too. The more people that complain the more likely someone is to listen.

 

[TrampolineBoxer]

Good Idea:thumbsup:

 

[TruckersMom]

No, the big dogs are let by their owners to come into the small dog area and the owners of the large dogs don't even care if a person gets hurt or a defenceless dog gets badly injured. Also many dog owners after their dog has attacked a smaller dog they either say, it's just that your dog is to weak or I'll pay if medical care is needed then never contact again

When I take Trucker to the dog park, if there are too many dogs on the "Big Dog Side" I will ask the small dog owners if I can bring him into the "Small Dog Side" since he is fearful of too many people. They are generally are very accepting of this, especially since he just like to run by himself a lot of the time. I would never do it without asking first or if they said no.

 

[camper]

I used to go to the dog parks nearly every day for about a year after adopting Jack the Lab. It was alright, but he didn't care too much for it. He'd rather do his own thing.

There were always irresponsible people, but occasionally you'd come across someone completely out of line, so I stopped and haven't been to one in 3+ years.

Got his off-leash training dialed in and we just go hike/backpack or go to the lake where there's no one around. Much more fun for the both of us.