DH got bite at dog park

[JulieJay]

I didn't mean to offend anyone, but that's my simply my opinion. How do you guys really know all the owners of the aggressive dogs are 'irresponsible' themselves? How do you know if they weren't just like everyone else and their dog did that for the first time that day? You don't know how many times I've heard, "I don't know what happened, my dog has never acted like that before". It can be due to a lot of things, maybe the dog was in pain that day, maybe it was scared, maybe maybe maybe.

What I'm saying is why put yourself and your dog at risk of being bit, for socialization with strange dogs? Dog's don't need to be friendly with every strange dog. Seriously. They are pack animals, but they only tolerate their "own pack". Look at wolves. I expect my dog to be friendly with anyone I invite into my house and my own dogs. That's it.

Ps, lululove, I am glad your husband is recovering well.

Alex

You are soo right everyone is entitled to their own opinion and no offense was taken ( irresponsible comment, was directed towards me)
yes my dog is 16 weeks and i had the okay from my vet that if i wanted to go i could. AS the first 16 weeks are the most critical for socialization. He has been vaccinated for all those in his shots and is due in 7 days for his last. Granted we have only gone twice and for very short, short periods of times to get to know other dogs. I believe that caine needs to learn his limits when it come to other dogs. I will plan on going again but i think to a different park. All out parks here in my city have an area specifically for puppies and dogs with disabilities and then the larger area for the big boys!
IT is very unfortunate that there are certain ppl who bring their dogs to the park who are irresponsible and ruin it for the rest of us.. the only hard part is that you can`t tell who those irresponsible people are. you have to work on your own gut feelings and rarely are they ever wrong.

Lululove.. thanks for keeping us updated on the hubby and that he is doing well. I hope this incident wouldn`t stop you from trying it again. who knows... all dogs have their bad days just like us humans.

 

[Murp.mm]

I took Ms. Ali to a dog park a few times and she enjoyed it but then one time this dog became aggressive with her and the poor lady who owned the dog felt so bad. I assured her that it was not her fault. She took her dog and left. I felt really bad for her. At that time I wanted Ali to get as much socialization as possible. She was still a young boxer. Since she has matured she has her "moments" too and she will pick and choose her friends. So I don't want to take any chances. I don't go to the dog park anymore. Instead, Ali has a few doggie friends that she loves to play with and we take them and let them run off lead in the woods on the trails where it is perfectly safe or in an enclosed ballfield. I also walk her everyday. But I must agree that the run off lead if you can do it at all works wonders. Ali heads for the bed as soon as she comes home. Most people don't want their dogs to act aggressively and I think sometimes it just happens when we least expect it. Also, most people feel really bad about it. I know I would.

 

[elindave]

I took Ms. Ali to a dog park a few times and she enjoyed it but then one time this dog became aggressive with her and the poor lady who owned the dog felt so bad. I assured her that it was not her fault. She took her dog and left. I felt really bad for her. At that time I wanted Ali to get as much socialization as possible. She was still a young boxer. Since she has matured she has her "moments" too and she will pick and choose her friends. So I don't want to take any chances. I don't go to the dog park anymore. Instead, Ali has a few doggie friends that she loves to play with and we take them and let them run off lead in the woods on the trails where it is perfectly safe or in an enclosed ballfield. I also walk her everyday. But I must agree that the run off lead if you can do it at all works wonders. Ali heads for the bed as soon as she comes home. Most people don't want their dogs to act aggressively and I think sometimes it just happens when we least expect it. Also, most people feel really bad about it. I know I would.

You worded this better than I could have. It's exactly what we do and makes our doggies and us happy as can be. And I feel the beginning of a pups life is so critical to their development, So we need to be careful bringing them around strange dogs. Every time a read a reply that sounds like my situation, it brings me comfort...thanks!

Eli
Nikita (Aug 28 07) fawn, floppy, docked

 

[HeatherLynnG]

IMO, people who take their dogs to a dog park are irresponsible themselves. Sorry to say, but I say from experience. I used to take my dog, and I grew to hate it after the third time. What's wrong with taking your dog on a long relaxing walk? What's wrong with taking it to a fenced in baseball field and throwing it's frisbee or ball for 15-20 mins?

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You may have just opened a can of worms. A LOT of us BW members take our kiddo's to the dogpark and have very positive experiences. Yes, you do have to be mindful of other people's dogs...but I think thats just the reality of it. Mine are taken to the park about once a week, but I know some on here take thiers daily. Also, the dogpark is fantastic for socialization and off leash exercise that is hard to get in other places.
Please choose your wording carefully. Sounding judgemental can create a bit of a backlash.

Have a great day,

Heather and the kids

 

[Opus]

Debbie, I did notice one particular thing in your story - both dogs were leashed. I am told that this can actually make dogs a bit more aggressive under certain circumstances. They feel threatened when they are restrained, even more so when the other dogs are not. Our parks specify that dogs in the off-lease are should, indeed, be off-leash unless they are leaving. Some owners leave their leashes at the gate but I prefer mine in my hand in case of trouble. I've noticed this in our girl, Bella. She gets very defensive as soon as she's "hooked up" so we don't do it until we're at the gate. Our boxer-lab boy, Spike, couldn't care less. At 98 lbs+ nothing much phases him.

Alex, maybe different places have different customs and values but my experience has been just the opposite of yours. In our neck of the woods, it is the more responsible owners who take there dogs to the park. The irresponsible ones let them get their off-leash exercise by running loose in the neighborhood. That doesn't mean that everyone there is a saint. We've seen some people and dogs that didn't belong there and I have had no problem telling a couple of them just that. Our parks are city-owned and operated and an owner who can't control their dog and go by the rules can be banned and/or cited by the park police. I've reminded them that they are still financially liable for any damages their dog inflicts just as if it were out on the street.
People like this have been very much the exception rather than the rule, however.

My two love their park outings. They know what the phrase "dog park" means and we have to be very careful about saying out loud lest they get excited too soon. I think they are even starting to catch on to "dp" as well. All in all, I consider dog parks to be a positive thing for our guys and dog lovers of our community in general.
Your mileage may vary.

 

[Alex C.]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You may have just opened a can of worms. A LOT of us BW members take our kiddo's to the dogpark and have very positive experiences. Yes, you do have to be mindful of other people's dogs...but I think thats just the reality of it. Mine are taken to the park about once a week, but I know some on here take thiers daily. Also, the dogpark is fantastic for socialization and off leash exercise that is hard to get in other places.
Please choose your wording carefully. Sounding judgemental can create a bit of a backlash.

Have a great day,

Heather and the kids

Like I said, I'm judging off of my own experience. And many of the people who have positive experiences stop going when they experience that one negative.

Also, tell me WHY do you feel socialization is so important with strange dogs?

 

[ELubas]

Also, tell me WHY do you feel socialization is so important with strange dogs?

I think you have to be careful but socialization always happens with strange dogs initially, right? The dog may not be a stranger to you, the owner but at some point they are to your pup I think you can tell a lot from dog language. Observe the play before you enter and avoid the ones that seem too intense or overexcited. My thing with parks has always been that folks use them for excerise and I think that is where the trouble can start. I like to make sure my guy has some exercise before we go in and we alwys walk around outside first so he gets over some of his excitement before we go in. As for my Nysa, she is too aggresive and does not belong in there. And Murp.mm is so right. The first time my Ny jumped a dog I was HORRIFIED. She was nine weeks old . So I do not feel I was irresponsible then, but once I knew she was a potential problem then I certainly had a responsibility to keep her in check-and I take that very seriously. She is a great dog but will be not be running around loose in a dog park like my Fraze. Lastly, my Nysa does not do any better off leash than on so while you want to avoid tight leads a true bully will carry on once off lead as well-just ask my Ny

 

[lululove]

Debbie, I did notice one particular thing in your story - both dogs were leashed. I am told that this can actually make dogs a bit more aggressive under certain circumstances. They feel threatened when they are restrained, even more so when the other dogs are not. Our parks specify that dogs in the off-lease are should, indeed, be off-leash unless they are leaving.

Thanks for your response. Just wanted to let you know, my DH was not in the fenced off-leash area. We never leave her leash on there. You are requested not to..This dog park is very big. Around 100 acres. There are lots of trails, etc. My DH was walking the trails when the incident happened. Again,thanks for all the responses...

 

[lululove]

p.s. I am sorry, but how do you make your quote show up in a separate box. I am afraid my responses may be confusing.

 

[gmacleod]

You need to enclose the quote in tags. Above, you have the opening tag, but have deleted the ending (which should have been [/quote]). If you want quotes to work, you should only delete superflous text, not the tags themselves.

What happens if you delete the end tag:

p.s. I am sorry, but how do you make your quote show up in a separate box. I am afraid my responses may be confusing.


With the tag intact:

p.s. I am sorry, but how do you make your quote show up in a separate box. I am afraid my responses may be confusing.