Dog park etiquette/rant

[Sparkles99]

I had to intervene today when a large, male, off leash rottweiler was trying to get Ruby. He meant business. Everyone & their dog froze to stare at the scene in horror. The owner said it was my fault, because my dog was on leash. Of course she was. She's a puppy & I frequent that park, because it's very close & essentially unfenced - which deters most bad dog owners from unleashing their untrained/unsocialized dogs. It was crazy. The owner was doing nothing, like she watched her pooch destroy puppies every day.

Ruby weighs just under 11 pounds. It wasn't fair. I stood between them, yanked her behind me, & bellowed NO in a deep, guttural voice, so the rottweiler tried to go around me several times. I finally stepped into his space & ordered him 'back', like a horse only super loud. Even I was surprised; I guess I can be tough if my pup is threatened. He backed down. His owner began to insult me with such creative insults as "Obvious it's your first dog!". I agreed with her; Ruby is, then told her if her dog was unfriendly he should be leashed. She stalked off enraged.

I don't understand people. If you bit off more than you could chew, the least you could do would be to keep your dog leashed & muzzled. I've taken a sudden dislike to rottweilers, but am trying to maintain an open mind. It's not his fault. Everyone at the park said that leash/off leash was the owner's choice.

 

[AussieBird]

I think your reaction was right (though personally I would have picked up my dog).
Drives me insane when people don't leash their dogs, only the best of behaved/trained dogs should be off leash.
I was walking my dog (well one of the dog I am responsible for) once, just up and down the street as apart of socialising. This little fluffy dog appeared out of a side lane off leash and ran up to my dog and got in her face, the owner soon followed with another dog on leash. My dog freaked out, she hadn't met any dogs outside our home before and very well could have snap at this other dog out of fear and then I would've been responsible for someone else's negligence.

 

[Mizzely]

We run into SO many unleashed dogs all over town that I honestly am afraid to walk with Luke with the kids anymore. If a strange dog runs at my kids, he will protect first and ask questions later. I am working on it. But it is so difficult to have to always be hyperaware of everyone else's dogs when all they have to do is put a damn leash on them.

 

[flyzipper]

I'm glad things turned out ok.

It somewhat reminds me of when I took Pepper to an off-leash dog park and somebody brought in a small dog after clearly seeing we were there and making the choice to enter (we were the only dog there). Pepper chased the smaller dog in an attempt to play, and since it had no hope in getting away, it yelped in fear. The other owner wasn't happy becasue they thought Pepper was being aggressive. Nobody was harmed. We left.

Right now you may feel that large dogs ruin the fun for small dogs, but I will share the other side of that coin and offer that I often found that small dogs ruined things for large dogs (barking and nipping out of fear). I always left the park to avoid problems with small dogs and eventually found a greyhound-only run so each dog's capabilities were evenly matched. I wish there were more dog parks that offered separate areas for large and small dogs (or even elderly and handicapped dogs since I've often observed their presence also elevates risk).

To me, the key learning here is we're all responsible for our dogs if we enter an off-leash setting and we're assuming certain risks if we choose to partake.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm judging or blaming, but most off-leash dog parks I've been to are "use at your own risk" for a reason.

Edited to add: it's so well engrained in bird people that we shouldn't mix large and small beaks, I think this should find its way to dog people too.

 

[Zara]

I often found that small dogs ruined things for large dogs (barking and nipping out of fear)

Yes, and a large dog cannot be picked up to be protected from those darned little nippy ones.
When I babysat the little 2kilo yorkie, I found it easier than when I had Jacob (35kilo)because I could pick her up and keep her safe when out and about.

These irresponsible dog owners are everywhere, and it´s sad but it does make me think twice before getting another dog in the future. I will be sure that I´m away from the busy tourist town before I do, where there are less morons.

eventually found a greyhound-only run so each dog's capabilities were evenly matched.

That is very cool!
I agree a large and small dog area would be a good idea.

I've taken a sudden dislike to rottweilers, but am trying to maintain an open mind. It's not his fault.

Try not to let it taint your view. They can be very lovable gentle dogs in the right hands

 

[Shannan]

my trainers specifically state to not use the dog parks because they are not safe. They recommend dog friendly shops, or state parks or other places where leashes are required and interaction is minimal. My dog is terrified of other dogs so we tend to go to the state parks or to shops. When I was in college I had a big dog and we would sometimes go to parks and public spaces that had tennis courts so I could let him run around off leash a little bit.

 

[Sparkles99]

flyzipper, your big dog bias is showing. This was about people who overestimate their dog's training/sociability thereby endangering other dogs, not a case of sizeism. Ruby's two best friends in the dog park are a 25ish pound sheltie & a 100+ pound swiss mountain dog cross. Her favourite in our building is a pit bull x ? that honestly looks like a pit bull twice the size of a regular one.

Ruby is extremely well socialized, thanks to her breeder's excellent start & us living in an apartment building. She isn't yippy, aggressive or fearful. I think that small dogs get a bad rap, because they're rarely walked. It's very weird that there are so few small dogs spotted on walks.

AussieBird, I was afraid if I bent down to get her he'd have advanced. I've heard height matters to dogs. Maybe that's untrue.

Sorry to hear about this, Mizzely. Your dog looks lovely. I'm sure it's the Dane in him protecting your kids.

 

[Zara]

not a case of sizeism

I didn´t see a bias in Steves post.

Size will always play a part in these types of encounters. Had it been a super tiny cute dog impressions may be different.
Plus the obvious, a tiny dog smaller than your own will have a significantly less chance of killing your dog whereas a large rottie or the likes could kill a little pup within a minute.

My main concern when I see these dogs (of any size!) running free in parks and then running at/growling/barking/teeth out, is that it could quite easily be a small child on the receiving end of that, not that a dog is any less than a human, but we all know what happens when a dog attacks a child. So ultimately those dog owners are putting those dogs at risk (as well as obviously small children and other peoples dogs) by allowing them to be put into that situation.

 

[tka]

Having worked at a dog boarding kennels in my teens, I've met many poorly socialised and untrained small dogs. Because it's relatively easy to control a small dog by physically removing it from a situation, and, worse, because some people find it funny to see a tiny dog snarling and growling, there's a certain percentage of people who get a small dog and don't teach it how to be a nicely behaved dog. The giant breeds tend to be impeccably well-behaved - people take training their Great Dane or Irish Wolfhound seriously from the very beginning because they are so huge as adults. Medium sized dogs like labradors and collie crosses coud go either way: could have beautiful manners or could be awful, and they're big enough to be unpleasant to drag around and in a worst case scenario, cause some major damage.

You really do get to see the full gamut of people's approaches to training and socialisation. I found it especially frustrating when you could see that the dog was a nice dog underneath it all but had never been given any guidance and so was a complete arse on the lead or around other dogs. A dog behaviourist I know reckons a puppy needs to meet at least 50 individual dogs to learn good canine manners and so many dogs don't get this opportunity. Canine socialisation is so very important and has an impact for the dog's entire life, and a lot of people don't seem to recognise how crucial it is.

Ultimately, poorly behaved dogs are forced to lead a much more restricted life: if you're a responsible dog owner with e.g. a fearful, reactive dog, you learn very quickly where your dog's limits are and have to work around those limits. A well trained, well socialised dog can go with you and have all sorts of fun experiences. Undersocialised, untrained dogs whose fear turns into aggression are annoying at best and dangerous at worst.

 

[flyzipper]

your big dog bias is showing

My bias against the unpredictable risks of most dog parks is what I meant to show

​

 

[Nnbal]

There are three dog parks right behind my house.

One is the large dog park, one is the small dog park, and the other is the puppy dog park.
This is a really good thing. Sometimes I take my neighbor's dog to the park so I know.

I don't think it's right to expect animals with different behaviors to have fun in the same environment.

 

[Wardy]

My bias against the unpredictable risks of most dog parks is what I meant to show

View attachment 413654​

I would imagine a greyhound would need a lot of excercise Steve.

 

[tka]

I would imagine a greyhound would need a lot of excercise Steve.

Greyhounds are 40mph couch potatoes They're sprinters not marathon runners - they have short bursts of energy then they're ready for a snooze. Huskies are the dogs I really dread in terms of people buying a dog and being totally unprepared for its exercise requirements.

This is my favourite thing written about greyhounds What I wish I’d known before I got a greyhound

 

[flyzipper]

I would imagine a greyhound would need a lot of excercise Steve.

Pretty much what @tka offered above,with emphasis on this part from the linked article...

... they sleep for about 20 hours a day. They lie on the sofa with their giraffe necks dangling off the edge and noses brushing against the floor​

 

[Wardy]

Greyhounds are 40mph couch potatoes They're sprinters not marathon runners - they have short bursts of energy then they're ready for a snooze. Huskies are the dogs I really dread in terms of people buying a dog and being totally unprepared for its exercise requirements.

This is my favourite thing written about greyhounds What I wish I’d known before I got a greyhound

Great article thats my kind of dog

 

[taxidermynerd]

I took Roxie to a dog park, for a little bit. Not a single time would anyone let their dog in with her. She's very well trained and has reliable recall, but the optics of a rottweiler was enough for people to write her off. We couldn't take Roxie back because she would sit at the fence and watch the other dogs play and just cry. It was really sad to watch, she doesn't understand why.

I'm very sorry you and your pup experienced this. However, this isn't a rottweiler problem, this is an owner problem. The dog sounds poorly trained, and reactive to dogs. The owner had no buisness bring a dog like that to a park, both for the safety of their dog and the safety of others. Rottweilers take *work* to train, they aren't for someone who doesn't want to put in that work (I should know, I've had Rottweilers my entire life). They will be a nightmare if you don't train them to at least not be aggressive, not to mention how poorly it reflects on the breed as a whole.

Also, most dog parks have a small dog section and a big dog section, so this sounds like an oversight on the part of the park designers. Dog parks on a while are really dangerous situations, the only time I might find myself going to one would be if it was completely empty. Even with the most lovable, well-meaning dogs, a size difference can still be dangerous as big dogs often don't understand how big and strong they are.

Again, I'm very sorry you had this experience.

 

[expressmailtome]

We run into SO many unleashed dogs all over town that I honestly am afraid to walk with Luke with the kids anymore. If a strange dog runs at my kids, he will protect first and ask questions later. I am working on it. But it is so difficult to have to always be hyperaware of everyone else's dogs when all they have to do is put a damn leash on them.

That is truly sad. In my state it is illegal to let a dog be unleashed on a public street, but it does not stop it from happening all of time. About 10 years ago I had a neighbor (across the street) who had two Neapolitan mastiffs, and they refused to leash them. One day, the two of them each grabbed a beagle that lived up the street and, I will not describe how, but they killed the beagle. I can only imagine how the kids that owned the beagle felt. I am not just against large dogs being without a leash as someone that I know has chihuahuas who they refuse to leash, and they will also chase people.

 

[Shannan]

I feel that ALL dogs need to be confined, whether that means on a leash or properly fenced. On your own property they should be supervised and trained if off leash. I lost four chickens to a neighborhood dog this month and they are fenced ( the dog broke through my fence). All of my animals are fenced and I live on 24 acres on a dead end road. Would so have a greyhound if I didn’t have cats. I had a rottie cross and he was amazingly gentle for his big size.

 

[Sparkles99]

Sorry about your chickens.

 

[Shannan]

Sorry about your chickens.

Thanks.