Mean boxer at the dog park (long vent)

[Lola's Grrl]

I know I should have expected some dog park drama after all of the stories I have heard on this site, but Lola and I have had such great experiences we decided to keep going. We have a great 13 acre fenced in park. There is no weight restriction, and dogs must be 4 months old to play. At five months, Lola has been going to the dog park almost every day for about a month, and she has met some really great new friends (and so have I). We were there at a slow time, so we walked around the perimeter of the park with a labradoodle waiting for some more of the dogs and their owners to show. When we rounded a corner, I was really excited to see a great big flashy fawn boxer boy I had bever seen before arrive at the park with his big burly guy owner. As I smiled at him over the hill, the owner started yelling at me for having a puppy in the park. I politely told him Lola was five months old, had all of her shots, and had been coming to the park for a month. He grumbled that his dog was aggressive with puppies, and I should think about taking my dog out lest she get hurt. I ignored him, and walked away, Lola in tow.

Ten minutes later, Lola and a lab ran by the man and his dog (who he had to keep on leash when other dogs were nearby) and this 100 lb boxer lunges at the two dogs growling and frothing. It took all of the man's strength to hold that dog away from my terrified puppy and the lab. He basically gave me an "I told you so" look, and I took Lola home.

I gladly took Lola out of the park for her own safety, but I was so mad that we had to leave just because some guy brought a hyper-agressive dog to the park (that he was keeping on a leash). AND it was a boxer! I've NEVER seen a boxer act like that one did - what has that dog been through to react like it did? I just hope I don't see him there again, or I'll have to consider staying away from the park too...

 

[Rocky Hoya]

Oh my gosh. You had every right to stay and usually in the dog parks we go to the rule is dogs that are aggresive are not allowed.

 

[clara's parents]

OMG I'd be soooo mad! Why would a boxer act like that? Well maybe like owner, like boxer??

 

[xenaprincess]

Is there a rule about not allowing intact dogs in the park area? Maybe his dog was intact and therefore acting very territorial as most intact males would do? If not, then it's a more of a socialization problem...his owner may have never socialized him from puppyhood. If he was keeping him on a leash then I would say this guy KNOWS his dog is not socialized and is a threat to other dogs. As a regular at this park, you and some others should consider telling this guy his dog is a threat and you are not comfortable with him there. If he gets nasty, I would call the authorities. This guy sounds like a real bone-head, and is using the dog to suit his own "image". :mad:
Lola loves the park so much, you can't just cut her off because of this jerk! Maybe you can time it so he won't be there when you and Lola are? At least until ya'll make him uncomfortable enough to not want to go back there again! Best of luck to you and give Lola a smooch from us!

 

[Lola's Grrl]

Thanks for the kind words. And I forgot to add that, yes, he was an intact male, but unfortunetly our dog park doesn't have a rule against that. I think having him on the leash may have been giving him some leash aggression issues as well, but I would hate to see what could have happened if he wouldn't have been on that leash to hold back. I definately don't plan on letting him push me around again if I see him there, but it was so scary to see that huge dog going after my (submissive) little girl. Grrr.

 

[owen's mum]

One thing that I've noticed is that Owen is MORE protective/territorial on leash. He is a total idot until I take him off. The more room he has to run, the better he is.

In the future, you may want to get some of the other owners/park officals to gang up on this guy and ask him to leave. I've seen that happen here, and I ALWAYS remove Owen ASAP if any other owner thinks he is a problem. Don't give up. With such an unsocialized dog, that guy can't be there very often.
Good Luck!

 

[delilahbelle]

I live in the country in a small town. I know NOTHING about dog parks. I do know that Buster gets super upset when he sees another dog that he doesn't know - of ANY size. Before we fenced in our backyard, I had to break him out of several fights and drag his butt home...... I have since neutered him and don't know how he would react to another dog, but with that said - I would NEVER take him to a dog park knowing that he acts the way he does. He loves people, he loves children, and he loves his big sister, the Shih Tzu - but I know his limitations. That guy needs to recognize his dogs disposition and respect other people and their babies. He sounds like a total JERK!!!!!

 

[moira]

I can understand your anger at the way this guy spoke to you but I can also see a bit of his point of view. I have a white boxer girl Holly. Holly was rescued and we do not know what happened to her before we came along. S he is the sweetest kindest dog towards humans and her pal Kramer who is our Brindle boy but she is very dog aggressive . I am very careful where I walk Holly and nearly always keep her on a lead. We dont have doggy parks in Scotland and if we did I would not attempt to take her there so this guy was a bit silly to do so unless there was nowhere else to go. The one thing that really makes me angry is when I have Holly out on her lead and other FRIENDLY dogs usually out of the control of their owners run up to us. We are the ones who get the horrible looks for having an aggressive dog but really we are the ones who are in control of the situation as our AGGRESSIVE dog is unde r our complete control. I feel people may look at me and think that I have been cruel to Holly just as you maybe thought of this man. It is a difficult situation when you are ubable to socialise with other people and their dogs while trying to do the best for your own one.

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

First I think if there isn't a rule in place already, most parks DON'T ALLOW LEASHED DOGS in off leash parks. This was the man's only big mistake, other than his not training this boxer well.

Second, he was there ". . .at a slow time, so we walked around the perimeter of the park . . ." Perhaps he was working on training when you came along. I think since he said he knew his dog was puppy aggressive, he was being prudent in coming to the park at "off hours."

Give the guy a break. Don't let it discourage you from taking your dog and having a good time. And being neutered or not, doesn't matter. He warned you about his dog and you should heed these warnings in the future.

JMHO.

 

[Lola's Grrl]

I can see where you're coming from, and you're absolutely right that I shouldn't have just assumed that he, personally, had put his dog through anything that should make it agressive. But I don't think it's fair to have to "heed his warning" the next time I happen to see him there.

His warning to me was to take my puppy out of the park if his dog was there. In following this, I would be taking my dog out of the park only because he had brought an agressive dog there, in effect punishing us for his dog's agressive behavior. Because his dog is puppy agressive (and though he said his dog was only "puppy agressive" he growled and snapped at ANY dog who came near him), shouldn't he have to leave and not me? Isn't it dangerous to bring a dog to an off leash dog park if it's dog aggressive, even if you are bring him for training? Shouldn't you be aware of your dog's limitations and take him out of a situation if he's reacting inappropriately?

It was the first time I'd seen him there in the month I've been going, so I doubt it is a situation that will come up very often. But since the park rules state "Owners are responsible for pets at all times. Those creating problems will be asked to leave.", it seems reasonable to me that his dog should have to leave if it is the agressive animal.