a dog park confession (long)

[BEMarley]

In the past 6 months or so, our almost 3 year old Marley has become the "bad dog" at the dog park. We're not sure what to do.

When we first got Marley we took him to the dog park once, sometimes twice a week. He loved it! We loved it too, cuz it tired him out for the day. And there were never any problems. Recently he's developed something we refer to as "reverse leash aggression." Once in a while we'll run across a leashed dog at the dog park and Marley makes a bee-line for him/her. I really don't know if he would hurt them, but I don't want to find out. We're usually right there pretty quickly, but with the leash getting tangled around all the dogs and people, it usually creates quite a scene. So we've caught on to that behavior pretty quickly and now we can avoid it. When we run across a leashed dog, we'll just grab and hold Marley until they pass. That's probably not the best way to correct the behavior though, right? Simply avoiding the problem doesn't fix the problem. But I don't want anybody to get hurt while we're trying to correct him the proper way.

Besides the "reverse leash aggression", he's recently started to get into more fights at the dog park. We do know that he is a very strong, fearless, dominant dog. We admit that. But it's never really been a problem before. Dogs play rough, they'll growl, they'll set dominance and then they're fine. We see that over and over again....and all the other dog owners understand that too. There's many dogs we see at the dog park on a regular basis and they all play fine together. But every now and then we'll run across a certain dog or pack of dogs and something just seems to snap. Growling, snarling, fighting...and it's obvious when it's not the play growling! But it seems to happen so fast, and we remove Marley from the situation so quickly that we never learn what caused it. Was it an intact male? Did Marley approach the group looking a little too cocky? We never take the time to learn what happened 'cuz we're the "bad owners" taking our "bad dog" away. I'm sure everyone is glad to see us leave. They don't want to see us coming back to talk about what just happened.

So what do we do? Again, this behavior is fairly new and is becoming more common. Is it his age? Should we just avoid the dog park all together? Since this has been happening, we don't go as often as we used to....could that be another reason? Does he forget how to socialize properly?

And like I said before, I understand that just removing him from the problem doesn't teach him anything. We should be able to correct and fix the problem right there and then, ideally. People here at work have suggested pinch or shock collars. But that just seems so cruel and almost the "easy way out"....but they swear by them. I don't think I could do that to Marley though. Help!

 

[adobeboxers]

I have been where you are now. We use to always take Titus to the dog park. He started becoming more and more dominant and while most of the owners knew us, I was starting to get uncomfortable going b/c I didn't know how Titus would act.

Our dog park is a bit different than most b/c it has walking paths and trails but we stopped going totally for about 6 weeks and have worked on ignore, easy and come. We started going again this weekend but go when there aren't alot of dogs and mostly just walk the paths...I have found as long as we are moving and walking, Titus is much better when he comes across other dogs...they do their sniff thing, run around but then comes back to us as we walk.

 

[BEMarley]

The dog park we go to also is more wooded and has trails, a little stream and a few open areas. It's not just a big open field. I'm glad to hear that you've had some success with keeping him home for a few weeks and working with him on a few things....and now back at the dog park again it seems better? That gives me some hope. Cuz I really don't want to avoid the dog park if I don't have to. Going at the off-peak hours is also a very good idea. We'll see what happens.

 

[courtney323]

Dog parks are something of a strange phenomenon. Many times it is just something for the people (they think their dog is actually getting enjoyment out of it).

I have mixed feelings about dog parks. There are some that I will go to, and some I will not go to. Just as there are some dogs I would take, and some I would not.

It sounds as though your dog is not one for the dog park. At the point that you realize that the dog park is adding more stress to your dog, or causing more fighting/tension, that is the time you should stop going.

My female absolutely has a BALL socializing at the dog park (more of a "leash-free" hike & bike trail) that we go to. There have been a few negative experiences, such as when others bring their in-tact or aggressive dogs (against the rules), but Maddie has not been phased by it. I have never seen a dog RUN and have so much fun trying to play, box and swim with other dogs in my entire life, than with Maddie.

But Lennox, our male, cannot go. He's a bit too protective and un-social. I clearly recognize that these types of environments are NOT for him.

Good luck making your decision

 

[copper]

Dark Park = fun

Hey All,
I just wanted to say something positive about the dog parks. I understand that bad things can happen, but to me the benefits are huge for you dog. Socializing is the number one perk. Dogs are dogs, they are going to have some non-play fights, but I swear in the 6 months I've been going to the dog park with Copper (I go four times if not 6 times in a week), I've never seen a "real" fight. Copper has been chased, growled at, and even held down by other dogs...I wish I could thank those dogs in doggie language. I credit these experiences to Copper's abousolute non-hostile behavior to all he meets. Copper is just six months so maybe I'm speaking too soon, but he has never ever displayed any aggession towards anything. I understand that this is my situation and that there are others out there that have some misfourtune, but for what its worth...lets be careful not to group dogs, people or dog parks all together. There are alot of new Boxer owners that visit this website that are very impressionable, me included. If I read this article after getting Copper, I would have never known the joy the park provides Copper. He absolutely loves it. Just be smart, and get to know all the owners and their dogs. This is just an opinion/ suggestion.

 

[Scrapper's Mom]

I have mixed feelings about dog parks. We used to go frequently. But I also encountered the "must be a Boxer, must be agressive" uninformed thinking, and after Scrapper was bitten for the third time (and me too, trying to get between him and the agressor who had Scrapper over on his back) I swore them all off. I decided it would be better for him to have his own companion to play with, which is what I wanted all along. And I also was concerned about the grody water bowl they all drink out of and picking up diseases and yeech... I just said "no more." My obedience instructor, and all the more experienced people at the class think dog parks are not good and to avoid them. On those days you can go and there may be two or thee other dogs, well, it might be okay if the dogs are not mean or aggressive and more importantly, if their owners are not morons.

 

[courtney323]

<<I wish everyone the best, regardless of whether you take your dog to the dog park or not. I just think it's best to be educated on the IFS and WHENS. Like IF there is a fight, do you know how to break it up? And can you identify a fight brewing?>>

This is so true.

The problems I have encountered at dogs parks are all related to the owner of the dog in question.

I watch my female like a hawk. I know when trouble is brewing (it's rare -- but it happens). My female knows the recall command perfectly, even when distracted (which is key). I think that if a fight is brewing, or aggression is escalating, you MUST be paying attention, and you must be able to recall your dog and gain controll of the situation. Problems arise when people are either not paying attention, or the owner of the other dog just doesn't care.

Like I said, we choose to frequent a dog park occasionally, with good success, but that doesn't mean that it's for every person or their dog

Good luck

 

[Rlr.Giraffe]

I don't want to get into the "yes or no" to dog parks debate, but I wanted to address the original post... I can relate a personal experience about a friend who has a dog who is unpredictable and aggressive at times. This dog was a rescue, history unknown and has some serious issues with certain things like bicycles and gets very impatient with other dogs quickly. My friend insists on taking the dog to the park because they think it is unfair for him to be alone all the time and not to get the excercise. We have visited this friend at the park (before knowing how serious these issues were) and it resulted in my dog being snapped at without warning and other owners were clearly wary of this dog's behaviour. You have to ask; how fair is it to OTHER owners and their pets not to have a safe place for their dog to play? Especially when there are so many other ways for the dogs to get their excercise?

My two cents .

 

[courtney323]

Ken, you are absolutely correct. And, just to put things in perspective, my female is 3.5 yrs old now. It sounds like you have a pup, which is probably complicating any level of training that you are engaging in

 

[BEMarley]

Glr.Giraffe, thank you for addressing my original post...it seems to have gone a little off topic. Our boxer is a rescue, so we don't know about his past. Perhaps this is one of the problems. But I'm confused because this aggressive/dominant behavior hasn't been as much of a problem as it has been lately.

I realize many people out there have strong opinions about dog parks, both for and against. But I'm owning up to the fact that our dog is becoming a problem..... (a reason many people are against dog parks!) So I put a post on here hoping for some help in correcting his behavior. I don't want to be looked at as a "bad" dog owner. But if I don't see some improvement in Marley, then we will avoid the dog parks. Some dogs just aren't cut out for them.

I'm also considering talking to my co-workers who suggested those "alternative" corrective collars. I was a little taken aback when they mentioned it, but not sure how to respond. (I don't like conflict, esp. when one of the people is your boss) But after doing some research and some searches here on BW I am more comfortable talking about why they are not a good solution and why I am very against them!