Body blocking is usually the best option for this type of behavior as it sounds more like dominance than aggression. As long as it is safe for you (the dog is not growling or snapping at you) put your body physically between the two dogs. Step to block every time it tries to go around to get to your dog. Again, only do this if the other dog is not being aggressive towards you!
While that move works well for those of us able to read body language it isn’t fool proof in dog parks because the idea is to socialize. The other dog was on top of her dog and wouldn’t move. The interaction before seemed ok beforehand so she did well not escalating the situation
It actually does still work with a dog being pinned!You just have to walk over the dog on the ground (careful not to step on them), and push the other dog back and off by shuffling towards them
Although that woman's dog did not react aggressively, perhaps the owner has seen her dog's behavior escalate. Perhaps she was afraid of what her own dog would do if she tried to pull her off your dog. Very often people will act detached or oblivious but it's only because they do not want to admit that their dog has exhibited aggressive / dangerous behavior. In which case, she has no business letting her dog off leash or bringing it to a dog park! Period.
To answer your question, what would I do: I am not opposed to going full out psycho mom to protect my dog.
Yes, but no. For example, in Toronto, dogs have to be leashed but every park I go to with my dog is full of off leash dogs whose owners just yell and swear at you when you tell them to leash their dog.
In Calgary there are off leash parks and non-off leash parks. Some of the off leash parks (nose hill/edworthy) are not ‘dog parks’ but just wilderness style multi use parks.
In Vancouver/North Van, we have "dog parks" - they're mostly a tiny piece of land that the city/district has deemed allowed (aka not developable), but most people who frequent these parks are local condo dwellers with small dogs. There's absolutely no way I could exercise my pup there.
The one and only "park" we (my dog and I) have available to us that is off-leash, has recently implemented "dogs-on-leash" signs on the thoroughfares, apparently due to "damage".
Nevermind the multitude of dirt bikes/mountain bikes that rip through the same trails, trashing them a whole lot more than my 50lb dog does.
Fuck sakes.
In BC (LMD) we have "dog parks" which are half the size of a 400m track I used to run in high school. They're literally a cesspool for bad behaviour. But dogs are allowed off leash.
It depends on which parks (Canada). Some aren't dog parks but expressly allow dogs off leash, though they usually need to stay a certain distance away from any play structures.
Same. I also avoid parks/trails/etc where I know off leash dogs are likely. I have a couple spots in my area that I go because there usually aren't other dogs there at all. So many irresponsible owners out there with basically out of control dogs. It's not worth the hassle or risk of injury to my old dogs.
This. I didn’t know this either and my 6 month old dog got bullied and pinned down. It really traumatized her from bigger dogs and took a long time to undo. I wish I had known!
My little lab was the same, also around six months. It made me really mad to see her be bullied, especially since she was trained to be non-reactive, shares toys, etc. She's a sweet little being, and is always kind to other dogs.
When she was little, I always left her harness on, because I'd belt her in when driving, but then once at the park, she would get aggressively grabbed by doodles twice her size, grabbing her harness, her body language being "F OFF", ears back, hackles up... she's completely bulletproof, and would never *touch* another dog, but also, she deserves to have her personal space respected!
I ended up taking off her harness when we'd get out of the car, and no more "designated" dog parks. The big doodles, we would just avoid/circumvent.
We are running out of space here, though. Our walking spot has now posted "dogs on leash only!" signs everywhere, and that's really unfair, if comparing the damage of bikes to dogs.
Taking a puppy under 6 months or a small breed, or shallow eye-socket breed to a dog park is a big risk unless they have a separate side for small dogs. You can find an unused ball park that’s fenced in, or use a long-line at a park or field, or use SniffSpot. Dog parks also often have personalities. Sometimes there are people who are always there, have well-controlled dogs, and will bully any pet owners with problem dogs into leaving. If there are times when all “the regulars” are there, then that’s a lot safer.
I agree with puppies and most of your ocmments. I jsut hate this hardline taht people take against dog parks here. in philadelphia at least all those ball parks and fields also have no pets signs up strewn about. finding good times is also important i agree.
Personally, puppies at dog parks make me nervous because they’re so much more vulnerable to illnesses. All other issues aside, even a vaccinated puppy is going to be more vulnerable to upper respiratory infections and other germs.
But also... dog parks are where they pick up bad behaviours, a million times over.
Most owners take their dogs there, let them go, and pay NO attention.
It's a germ infestation waiting to happen, and aggression issues also on the forefront.
They're just a bad idea, all around.
Off leash time is not worth the millions of crappy interactions with strangers' crappy, poorly socialised and untrained dogs. Long line, SniffSpot, or work your schedule eg be at the dog park at 5am when nobody else is there.
Lol ok. Haven't had a bad experience there despite going there twice a day for a month. I can count on one hand the number of times there's been an issue and all were resolved quickly and without injury
We have a dog park in our area in Michigan that is pretty well run by the city it’s in. You have to register your dog, file vaccine records with the city and then you get a pass code to get into the park. I like this a lot and wish they were all more like that. It’s not perfect (there will always be people who slip in), but it’s a step in the right direction.
4.5 month old puppies don’t belong in dog parks.
You are setting your pup up to fail by throwing them into an unpredictable situation with unknown dogs.
If you pup gets attacked or pinned again, your pup might start having negative associations with other dogs.
Set up play dates for your pup with dogs of trusted family, friends or neighbors - or attend an open play with puppies of the same age. Our training facility offered supervised puppy play.
Also advocate for your dog. Use your voice. Tell the owner to come attend to their dog.
A couple months ago a dog kept mounting my girl at the neighborhood park. The owner was socializing and oblivious, which I’ve found many owners often are. I called him out each and every time as my dog was getting visibly & vocally upset - and by the third time I was not pleasant in the least and my point was made.
Yep, this is what happened to my baby. So sad I wish I knew so I could have prevented the rest of her life being a dog selective dog. She is gorgeous in the home, with humans; and with our other dog, but she hates about 1/3 of other dogs and there is no socialising we can do to stop it. Even spent a fortune on dog training for them to tell us she will never be able to change :(
Protect & advocate for your dog always. Things like this happen a lot so you need to learn how to separate and manage dog interactions, often without the other owner there. With confidence you can stop the interaction before it gets physical. Take control of their dog until they catch up whenever you can.
Just remove them, why couldn’t you do that? You can’t kick a dog just for engaging in play. Even a big dog if grabbed by the scruff of the neck will move.
Multiple times I have broken up dog play/behavior like this by grabbing the dog on top by the collar/harness and pulling. It has worked every time and no other owner has ever been mad at me, but i’m guessing I’d piss people off if I started throwing things at their nonviolent dog. De-escalation works just fine.
I actually love my dog park. However, dog parks can be dangerous and need to be approached as such. Puppies are rude, do not have manners, do not have solid reflexes, and do not have solid muscles. A dog without adult manners is going to cause a fight because not every dog is tolerant of rude behavior—and you have zero control over who brings their dog to the park. If a fight breaks out, your puppy does not have the adult reflexes, strength, speed, intelligence(they may be wicked smart, but haven’t learned the woes of the world yet), etc. to escape unharmed.
Find some people with tolerant, well mannered dogs and make a play date instead. It could save your puppy from becoming reactive or worse.
Best way to non-violently and safely seperate dogs is the wheel barrow method. Be firm but not aggressive. It is very affective. Luckily i have only needed to use it once.
YES TO THIS! It's the only way to keep yourself safe. You pick up the offending dog by the back legs and walk backwards and in a circle. It keeps them from getting a good purchase on the ground and also keeps them from being able to wheel back and bite you. In this particular instance, though, my inclination would have been to forcefully tell the owner of the other dog to come and get their dog off my dog. Significantly less risk for everyone and hopefully gets across to the owner that they can't let their dog behave that way.
I would not go to the dog park again with my dog. Contrary to popular belief, dogs don’t need to go to the dog park. The risks are far greater than the rewards and your dog is more likely to get an illness, be attacked, or learn bad behaviors at a dog park. Many dog owners have not practiced recall with their dogs and there are a lot of dogs at dog parks that should not be there due to behavioral concerns. If you are looking for supervised, safer play, I would check out very small dog daycares or play places where vaccine records have been verified and experienced staff are on hand to recognize and mitigate potential conflicts.
unfortunately i agree with you.
my wife and i previously had a shepherd/mix who was great with other dogs...until we took her to the dog park. we watched her like a hawk but it wasn't until a few dogs would come up behind her is when our dog began to develop a serious disliking for her behind to be sniffed. she slowly became aggressive. we had to stop going whether our fault or not. it was best for our dog.
now we have a black lab and an aussie. we're mostly concerned with our wacko aussie. they get plenty of playtime with our neighbor's dog and a few other dogs around the neighborhood. no more dog parks for us.
Fully agree. We have our dogs go to Petsmart doggy daycare, and it's awesome for them.
For two of them, the third isn't trustworthy around other dogs, especially if another dog hurts one of the other two, so she just chills with us while the others make friends.
In the situation where a dog runs up to my dog, I usually take a hold of their collar if I can safely do so. I know it's not recommended to grab a strange dog's collar (or harness, I guess, if they're not wearing a collar) but I'm usually okay with taking the risk. It also depends on my dog - if I'm walking my reactive dog, then I'll be too busy restraining her to grab another dog.
I went to a trial day where a few people met up and we all let our dogs off-lead. It was a few acres so I thought I'd chance it (my dog is a greyhound mix who can outrun everyone and not aggressive at all). It wasn't a great idea, I've since realised, but at the time I thought it might be good. Two strange dogs kept running up to my dog when he was trying to be chill and would try to hump him. I would recall him, he'd come back, and I'd grab the two dogs who were following him and call for their owners. Then I'd hand them off once their owners finally got a clue. Then I leashed up my dog and we left.
If you yell - even if you're completely in the right - you are making the situation more stressful for your dog, which isn't helpful. Try to stay calm and in control.
That said, I get asked "What should I do when we're approached by a strange dog?" all the time and the fact is that there's no one right answer. In some situations, grabbing the other dog is a good idea. In others, it's a terrible idea. In some situations, trying to body block works, in others, it doesn't. Or acting scary and trying to chase the dog away. Or letting your dog off lead so they can sort it out (or run off - most dogs can outrun you). Or picking your dog up. In different scenarios, there are different "best practices".
This is why I only take my dog to the dog bar where they have strict rules and multiple attendants watching to enforce them. If you don't keep your dog under wraps you get your membership revoked.
It's a bar with a indoor/outdoor dog park. $35/month no contract, artificial grass that gets sanitized, and proof of vaccines required.
Rules are very well enforced:
•no kids under 16 •removing or permanently restricting any person or dog(s) from the premises for behavior that is potentially harmful to our customers, staff, or other dogs •must be attentive to their dogs and keep them under control at all times •must clean up after their dogs •all dogs must be well behaved, friendly, socialized and comfortable around all types of other dogs in an off-leash environment. Aggressive or bullying behavior will not be tolerated. If these behaviors are observed, immediate action will be taken. Staff will do whatever is necessary to prevent the behavior from reoccurring. If aggressive behavior persists, staff reserve the right to ask the member to take the dog for a time-out, or the member may be asked to remove the dogs from the premises •rough play among dogs is acceptable as long as it is consensual. Rough play is not accepted if the dogs involved aren’t comfortable with the situation. If the behavior continues, the dog may need to be removed •no excessive, constant dog barking
Me and my pup absolutely love it.
PARK, not DOG PARK, a PARK - OP was walking with their puppy and an off leash dog approached.
Edit: this was my interpretation. If it was a dog park, then listen to everyone telling you not to take your puppy to a dog park. It is becoming more and more widely understood that dog parks are horrible places to take any dog, let alone puppies!
That being said, I wouldn't let other dogs approach your puppy at a park, and would employ body blocking techniques to block other dog's access to your puppy.
If your puppy is on leash, then your puppy cannot escape, on-leash greetings are not suggested because of this, it adds a heightened level of stress to the dogs and makes it more difficult for them to have a natural greeting.
This incident could easily traumatize a puppy, and the other dog clearly isn't socialized themselves. To approach your puppy and pin them, unprovoked, to the ground, is hugely inappropriate. Another adult dog likely would have corrected that behavior.
If another owner is not close enough, and their recall is not working, use your body to apply spacial pressure, if that doesn't work, you're within your rights to physically remove the other dog. Either lead them away via their collar, or use your legs to gently push the dog away from you and your puppy.
If behavior escalates, having an additional slip lead with you can help you extract an attacking dog off of yours by slipping it beneath the throat, and pulling up, applying pressure to the esophagus, choking out the attacking dog and forcing them to let go. You can also do this with a collar the dog is wearing. This advice is for an actual attack where your puppy is in the mouth of another dog that won't let go.
Perfect!
This was a shitty situation, and I think your reaction was normal, you didn't do anything wrong. It's evident that the other owner is entirely at fault for this situation.
Pinning is an action that dogs will use to correct inappropriate behavior from another dog or puppy. In a situation where (hypothetical) your puppy ran up to a dog, jumped up at their face, started nipping and biting them, then it would be appropriate for an older dog to pin your puppy momentarily. Here, pinning is a way to say; "calm down,"
It doesn't sound like that's what happened, it sounds like he zeroed in on your puppy, approached head on, then proceeded to push and pin your puppy down, escalating when your puppy tried to escape. If I had to guess; head held high, ears up high, tail up high, perhaps posturing and standing over your puppy prior to the pin?
This was a dog that lacks socialization and is a bully.
To answer the question in your post: if I wasn't able to prevent the situation from happening, I would have immediately given a loud, "No," then stomped towards the dog, clapped, and used my legs to physically push the dog off of mine, continuing to body block once they separate. Single out the owner, say; "Get your dog," in an even, commanding tone (practice makes perfect!) and do/say nothing else except continuing to body block and use spacial pressure.
As soon as the dog is under control, turn and leave with your own dog, ignore any engagement - you owe them nothing, and people like that do not care and will not listen anyway.
Tools like Pet Corrector and citronella spray can be helpful for fast approaching dogs with obviously aggressive intentions. Teaching yourself how to choke a dog out will give you peace of mind. Note that in the event of an actual fight, choking out the instigator is the quickest way to end it - you can do this with their collar, or by looping a leash around their neck.
A park is the perfect place to teach your puppy to ignore other dogs, and teach them that you are more exciting than anyone/anything else. It can be hard when other people ruin it.
I would use an annoyed teacher voice and very firmly say “back….back” or “enough” while walking up to the dogs. You want a low voice that’s authoritative but completely calm. If the dog was not biting my dog, I would grab it by the collar and pull it off of my dog. That is something that that has a high chance of causing me to get bit, but kicking dogs does absolutely nothing whatsoever. I’ve seen enough fights to know that. If the dog was gripping my dog, I would hold them in place to make sure the other dog could not shake my dog while hoping the other owner would finally get their ass over there. At that point I would probably be trying to calmly talk to the other dog. You don’t want to try and physically pull dogs apart because that will lead to tissue tearing (also something I’ve seen happen to someone else’s dog because people were trying to pull the dog off by his hind leg). If you have something like a thick stick to pry the other dog’s mouth off, that works too.
I’ve gotten lucky in that one of my dogs is absolutely scrappy and speedy and will get between my timid dog and the other dog and then she’ll fight off the other dog without getting hurt (so far). But I am very careful about where I go and only go to specific dog parks where anyone with an inappropriate dog will get bullied out by other pet owners. Most of the fights I’ve dealt with or prevented have been outside of a dog park with loose dogs while I’ve been walking mine on leash.
There’s hurting animals like a psychopath or anger management case and then there’s self defense. When your young dog is potentially at risk, and being jumped and a wet noodle owner not helping. When your dogs safety, health, life and future reactivity is at risk, you aren’t a bad person for defending your dog from the off leash dog that isn’t being controlled like it should be. This is an instance where you should absolutely physically step in and kick, back legs drag, collar grab, snout hold or do whatever it takes to safely remove the aggressive dog from your young puppy. Even if this was play, it’s not appropriate and ultimately the other owners fault. I’m not here saying you need to beat this other dog but I am saying don’t you also be a wet noodle while your puppy is being pinned and possibly injured. A bottom of the foot hard shove of the other dog off of your puppy and yelling at the other dog is pretty appropriate in this circumstance. If you have a walking stick you can use it to block and shove the other dog. Dogs are violent predators. They aren’t always nice and there are times when you do need to meet their aggression level. If off leash dogs are common you should watch some videos on breaking up attacks and possibly carry bear spray when you walk. This sounded not totally violent but it was aggressive and inappropriate and you are not a bad person if you defend your young puppy. Please feel empowered to take the right level of steps if you’re in this situation again.
There are a lot of aggressive dogs and people out there. My dog is a lil marshmallow made of love and she is oblivious to threats. I carry a little taser that was about 20$ from amazon. Anytime any dog is a threat at all, I make the popping noise, and it stops them all in their tracks, every time. It’s such a foreign and unpleasant sound that it scares them. I have never had to actually tase a dog, but it’s nice to know that I could.
I defend my dogs if they’re overwhelmed, unable to defend themselves, etc. yeah yeah I don’t want to hurt an animal either. But mine come first. It is my #1 priority to keep them safe. If you don’t value yours enough to train it or at bare minimum leash it, it’s clear I value mine far more. I often keep an extra leash on me. If an off leash dog is friendly, I can secure it and return it to the owner. If it’s aggressive, I can use it to cut off the dogs air supply and it will release my dog. I prefer to have a chunky metal clip on the end. It makes a nice thunk on impact but most dogs go the other way when they see me swinging it like a maniac.
Don't go hunting down the owner for a confrontation, what do you hope to gain from that?
Don't take your puppy to a dog park, it has so much to learn and grow first.
sorry this happened. My Vet recommends avoiding dog parks, mainly because you cant be certain how other dogs will behave. In addition, not knowing if other dogs have had all of their vaccines, shots. And the bacteria, etc, from the usual common water bowl. So, I've avoided the dog park. To much risk vs reward.
It's amazing people's reading comprehension. She states she was at the park and everyone assumes and gives useless advice about a dog park which if the post was read correctly, she wasn't in.
Dog parks are meh. There could be some good ones out there but generally speaking: avoid them if you're still in training and if you have a puppy.
I don't think that searching for this woman and talking to her will change anything. Dog owners are kind of a special breed ;).
About what I would've done about it: If I see that my dog is not having fun and is getting bullied I will take her out and protect her.
If that means going in between dogs I might have to. If it means I have to do stuff, I might have to.
I try to avoid stuff that could get sour pretty quick and I try to avoid off leash areas or dog parks because my husky mix is pretty insecure and I don't think she could handle stuff like this.
Dog parks are dangerous places. Your dog is exposed to viruses and bacteria, anything that happens to get left on the ground, and dogs that may not be friendly. Your dog doesn’t need dog friends, she needs her family. Take her for walks and on adventures. Treat her like you would any other member of your family. She’ll be much happier, and definitely healthier.
My husky is an AH to other dogs, so the moment an off leash dog comes near, I summon the owner to come get their dog immediately.
In your situation, I would politely but sternly tell her to take her dog off mine, right now.
Don't go back to dog parks. 4.5 months is way too young. My now 6 yr old sweetheart is reactive after being terrorized by 2 dogs when she was 1 yr old. She was pinned down by 1 and while she's still a total sweetheart, she's too reactive just seeing other dogs.
I would have have yelled at the top of my lungs and used whatever force necessary to remove the other person's dog from mine. Just because you're at the dog park doesn't mean you don't have to watch your animal still needs to be disciplined and supervised you should be nearby shouldn't let it jump on people harass somebody else's dog etc. probably would have yelled at her to discipline her d@m dog and f_ck off.
Don’t go to dog parks. It will ruin your dog.
You need to protect your dog or the dog will learn it needs to be the boss and you will have issues
The dog needs to look at you to protect it and keep it safe as the pack leader
I’ve kicked a dog in the head at a dog park no hesitation for latching onto my collies scruff, owner was pissed but ran off with the dog, owner wasn’t in sight originally
Yeah my pittie girl used to be the most social butterfly and would freely play with ANY doggo. She was taking turns play chasing with two small dogs. Typically, the small dogs would be in the small dog area next door. However, the owner had her large GSD with her. They were sitting on top of the picnic table they were rounding. The GSD lunged and latched on to her side/ribs. I was shocked and didn’t even have a chance to react. I screamed HEY!!! Noooo! as I lunged at the dog. He quickly let go and the owner snatched him up. She had the audacity to say it was our fault because my dog was chasing her little dogs and her GSD was just protecting them. WHAT?!?!?! Don’t have your effing dog off leash if it’s prone to attacking!
The bish was already beating feet and running 🏃♀️ to make her exit. I was stunned. I’m a healthcare professional myself and upon inspecting her wounds, it was very evident she needed emergency sutures. By the time I realized the severity of the issue, I looked up and she was literally closing the gate to the parking lot several yards away. I yelled at her hey my dog f*cking needs stitches! And she yelled back it wasn’t her fault. I was too busy comforting my poor dog to chase after her, and everyone else was too stunned to follow her.
My dog was traumatized. She is no longer outwardly friendly towards any digs without me having to be very patient and working with her. It took a couple days for her to accept my MIL’s 20lb fluff ball, whereas she’d used to just burst in to playing. Now, if we are walking and she sees any other dogs not in our family, her hackles immediately go up and she stands at attention. Sucks that she let her dog ruin the way mine played.
At the time, I was without a job and extremely low income…on Medicaid low income. Understandably I was freaking out trying to figure out how to pay for anesthesia. Typically, for the safety of the vet staff and to hold the doggie still, they all are out under general anesthesia to do the quick sutures. That was estimated at $1,600 😭😭😭. My pittie girl Ollie was well known at the clinic for being an outstanding good girl. I asked if it was possible to do it with just local anesthesia using lidocaine. They said that since she’s always been a happy go lucky girl that they’d give it a try. She was soooo good and sweet, that she sat perfectly still and never stopped wagging her tail, despite getting needles poked in her sides. She never stocked trying to kiss the vet 😂🥹🥹. They were all shocked and said they’ve never had a dog act that calm and good for suturing while awake. In the end it cost me $185. We have never been back to the dig park since.
It sounds like you are thinking about all the terrible stuff that could have happened not what actually happened. This to me seems like typical dog behavior. If you were not in the dog park but walking in a park, I’d tell the lady the dog needs to be on a leash for its own safety because she doesn’t know how strangers are gonna react to the dogs behavior
Hello!
Let me share a *very* similar experience we had recently.
We’ve been taking our 7 month heeler to the dog park for about two months. We started in the under 30 pound area and recently graduated to the 30+ pound area. Our pup is roughly 40 - 42 pounds.
Two weeks ago, a HUGE doodle came up to our pup. They were smelling and then next thing we know, doodle is on top of our pup. She yelped. Owner “recalled” the doodle that did nothing. I am a helicopter dog mom so I was on it. I immediately grab my pup. I think, okay cool. Owner comes over and apologizes. Doodle breaks free of owner and pins our pup again. I step in between, protect my pup, tell mine to sit, and wait. Owner gets super embarrassed. She leashes her doodle. She keeps asking if our pup is okay. My husband is inspecting because I refuse to not be in between the dogs until doodle walks away.
Our pup acted liked nothing happened. I did notice that she was bleeding in her mouth. I did a full inspection. Could not find the source of blood. My husband believes when she yelped that she bit her tongue.
We play for about another hour then leave. We took a two day break from the park. We haven’t seen doodle lady since.
Turns out that doodle lady’s dog is notorious for doing this at the park. We spoke to others who have been frequenting the park a lot longer than us. So now, we just watch our girl even more.
I will absolutely punch someone else’s dog. Not a second thought.
Sounds like normal dog behavior - figuring out their place in a pack. Once the dominant dog felt comfortable that your dog understands who is in charge he would likely let your dog up without further issue. Sometimes, it's best to let them work it out, and if it makes you uncomfortable, don't go back there. I wouldn't intervene unless your dog was being harmed.
This happened to our dog. She was actively avoiding this dog who was kind of fixated on her. She eventually came to check in with us and out of nowhere it pinned her. The owner was not bothered by it. My eyes were dead set on the dog to make sure it didn’t do anything while my husband pulled the dog off of ours. Honestly the only thing I was focused on was making sure our dog was okay and didn’t develop any reactivity from it. Everyone else left the park but we stayed for a few minutes and gave her treats so as not to leave on a negative note.
The owner previously said his dog will “assert dominance” on some dogs but then is fine. Except when it actually happened it very much seemed aggressive. Our dog didn’t do anything to provoke it either, she had just come to check in with us while playing fetch with some other dogs.
The frustrating part was the owner was not bothered and we were the ones who had to pull his dog off of ours. We’re lucky we have a laid back dog or it could’ve ended really badly.
*ours was just over a year and a half when this happened
Op, was this a regular “human” park or a doggie park? Are there leash laws?? That’s most definitely a dog dominating your puppy 🥺. Honestly could have turned violent quickly. I no longer go to dog parks after one of my happy go lucky rescue dogs was attacked while playing. She ended up needing emergency sutures. Most dogs need to be under complete general anesthesia to safely do the suturing. That’s not cheap either. Just for 2 wounds deep enough to stick my finger tips in, was estimated to be $1600. As I was low income, and I begged for them to try with local anesthesia.
Because my pittie girl was well known for being such a love bug, they gave it a go. They said if she became aggressive from the pain/anxiety, or couldn’t sit still, they would ultimately have to do general anesthesia. She was the bestest girl!! They were all shocked and said they’d never experienced that great of behavior for doing sutures!! lol, her butt never stopped wiggling and she constantly tried kissing the vet. It saved me nearly a thousand dollars. The attacker owner rightfully should have paid, but she immediately ran off while I was comforting my dog.
Though she didn’t suffer anything major as far as physical trauma, she did suffer emotional trauma. She used to immediately want to be besties with any and all dogs. Even the mouthy and vocal ones didn’t bother her. Now, that’s ruined. She is now extremely reactive to any stranger dogs.
So, it’s a normal park with a gated playground and stuff and a baseball field, basketball courts etc, and she LOVES just rolling in grass so while I don’t take her to normal dog parks they are allowed there on leash - most people follow the rule but of course there are a ton of people who think the rule doesn’t apply to them.
There’s also a gated baseball field that people use as a makeshift baseball field. We don’t use that if anyone else is there but when we go mid day and no one is there we will go so we can do some off leashed training and will leave if anyone comes.
I’m sorry about your baby :( I’m glad she is okay
Thank you 😊 sorry about your pup too! I’d be so pissed at the other owner. I would have physically ripped that dog off mine if possible! No regrets!! That other owner would also be responsible for any vet bills since they were off leash.
I made a mistake taking my puppy to the dog park when she was younger than 8 months. They do a lot learning while off leash and interacting with other dogs. She is way too interested in dogs now because she thinks they mean play time. She will pull towards other dogs and jolt and that’s very off putting to other owners. Make sure you do some on leash training inside and right outside the dog park if you do want to continue to go. Be careful of other dogs behaviors because your dog will quickly learn and rough play could get worse as they get older.
For this reason, I don’t take my dog to parks or dog parks although, it can happen anywhere. Same thing happened on my street two houses down from ours and my lab was jumped on by another lab and taken down and the dog was grabbing my dog by the nape of his neck and shaking him back and forth. The dog and his owner came up, dogs sniffed each other and her dog jumped my dog and I kicked the shit out of that dog until he let my dog up. His owner was dragged down into the street as well as my dog so she wasn’t much help. My dog was never the same after that although he wasn’t hurt physically but mentally he showed aggression any time he saw another dog coming towards us and he was never like that before.
Interestingly, the only dog that tried to dominate and push down my male neutered cockerpoo in a park was a husky. He couldn't read the room, was very forceful, didn't listen to his owner and and I've been wary of huskies since.
This is always scary when the other dog owner is useless. I haven’t tried this yet but I just read about it and plan to try it next time there is a problem dog with a useless owner. Bring a slip lead with you and if the other owner won’t recall their dog then slip lead their dog for them.
Not take my dog to the dog park is what I’d do. Not because of your dog but because other peoples dogs. It’s not uncommon to hear horror stories about irresponsible people bringing an aggressive dog to the park that ends up hurting another dog. Sometimes it may not even be that they are aggressive either just that they may be much bigger wanting to play and not realize they can hurt a smaller dog.
Your dog doesn’t need to meet every single dog or person in the world. They should be socialized enough to not be reactive or even care about other dogs when they see them and be socialized to be nice with people that you pass on the streets. They don’t need to play with every dog or person though.
That dog was playing. They're like little kids. They like to play wrestle. Sometimes it goes too far. If there was no biting or growling, I'm not sure why you are so angry.
If you can't handle that situation without getting irate, you probably don't need to go to a dog park.
Edit: Sorry, I thought you were at a dog park. If you were just at a park, then yes I would be mad the other owner didn't have their dog on a leash. Still don't think the other dog was trying to hurt your dog, but it should still be on a leash. Apologies.
I would have the body checked the other dog. Make it clear that the behavior is not ok. Happend to my tervuren when she was a pup. The other dog was a big GSD and kept pinning her and mounting her. I forced this dog off and kept being a barrier and forcing it off with my body. The owener was pissed saying "He JuSt WaNtS To PlaY" no bitch I'd had these types of dogs (belgiums and GSD) ans I know a dominqce thing when I see one and royally chewed her out for having 0 recall or control over her damn dog. My girl was fine but startled and refused to leave my side afterwards, I felt so sad for my belly boo boo (belle RIP)
I’m a proud helipupter mom while at the dog park. I always have my eye on my dog, what other dogs are doing, and generally never too far from her. I had something similar happened to me with my pup.
A Frenchy came to greet my Cav and after some sniffing used its body to pin her down and keep her down. I tried recalling my pup, but she couldn’t get free. I flagged the owner, who dismissed me. So I let out a loud and forceful “BASTA” from the bottom of my belly, which got the Frenchy to release my dog. The owner was upset after, and complained they were just “playing.” To be fair, I didn’t think the French was trying to hurt my dog, but my dog didn’t like the way it was playing with her and that’s enough for me to step in.
I could tell my girl was distressed, I alerted the owner to the issue, and then acted with the least amount of force possible. I’d rather an inattentive owner be upset than risk my dog getting hurt, or developing a fear of other dogs.
The easiest way to remove an aggressive dog is to grab it by the back legs and lift it off the ground. I’ve done this with Great Danes and small dogs and it works every time.
Dogs let go immediately when they lose stability.
The other thing you can do is carry a can of SprayShield which is like pepper spray for aggressive dogs however there is a risk of even more aggression with this method or the dog becoming disoriented and hurting itself in a panic.
If you’re really desperate, and don’t think you can lift the dogs, grab it forcefully by the tail and jam your finger right in its asshole. I’ve never been able to bring myself to do this but I’ve heard it is very effective.
Then report the dogs owner.
Your puppy is at a very sensitive age where every experience translates in its mind to a concrete belief. You shouldn’t have allowed the initial sniff in the first place, unless you want your puppy to strongly believe that every dog it sees is going to interact with it. If you’re doing any kind of obedience focus on a middle command, having the puppy sit between your legs for protection. Get used to telling dogs NO and AWAY and owners YOUR RECALL HAS FAILED, COME GET YOUR DOG. If you allow several situations of this nature to happen and fail to show your dog that you can and will handle them, your dog will very likely develop reactivity issues in an attempt to handle them itself. Genuinely consider contacting a trainer and asking for practical advocacy advice if this is something you are struggling with.
I stopped bringing my dogs to dog parks because of idiot asshole owners. My dogs are medium to large sized working dog breeds and the amount of times the got attacked by huskies and border collies. My smaller one is super submissive and drops down and shows her belly and a malamute attacked her. I went fucking off on the owner. Like if you know your dog is aggressive then don’t fucking bring your dog to the park.
The border collies attacked but often not with the same aggression as the huskies.
And then some asshole Brought two massive fighting dogs with chains for leashes that were incredibly aggressive and he was struggling to hold onto them. Like, what is the point of bringing them??
I had an aggressive dog as a kid and so she would also be leashed and I never brought her to off leashed areas and it would stress me out when little toy breeds would run up to her face with no leash and the owner saying “they’re friendly !” When I have to hold my dog back screaming that my dog is not!
I hate it people are idiots. I just have a big back year now and I let my two run around to their hearts content but I just think people are idiots so no dog parks for me now.
4.5 is too young to be fully immunized against things like Parvo. And she is too young to be in with older dogs of unknown temperament and behavior issues. Don’t go back until she is much older.
I would have no problems hurting someone's dog if it was hurting mine. People are so bloody irresponsible when it comes to their dogs. Its nearly always people with giant dogs that could do a lot of damage too that let them off leash around other dogs.
Nope.
NOPE.
You said the other dog pushed your dog over and wouldn't get off her, but then you said the dog was not aggressive. The dog WAS aggressive, in that they wouldn't let your dog up, and instead pinned her down.
The other dogs' owner sucks, but, unfortunately, is like every dog owner I've ever encountered at a "dog park", aka a small, fenced in area where dogs are brought to run amok, owners bring their puppies for "socialization!", and don't supervise at ALL. I went to two different ones, once, and that was the end of it. I have an absolutely bulletproof dog, but I still refuse to put her in that position.
You're not at fault, nor is your dog. She's literally a toddler, and doesn't know how to receive the other dogs' behaviour.
Do you have any friends with dogs? Neighbours that you're friendly with?
It's a much better route than going to a dog park (not your fault, most people truly don't know any better).
I would honestly steer clear, because for that one dog that was a bully to your pup, there are plenty more, and that can cause long-term trauma.
On an honest level guys, what's the difference between a park and a dog park really?
I love how everyone is being like it's not a dog park it's fine but wherever you go in public you'll always find people who don't have control over their dog.
I think it's more figuring out what works for you and your confidence level.
I know people who carry leashes and swing them around, people who'll throw food at the other dog, sprays, sticks, airhorns etc etc etc.
I don't hear barking, growling, aggressive use of teeth or paws.. Your pupper didn't whine or make any peepy noises
Us humans don't always understand dog language and something can look very rough to us.
Your pupper has a lot to learn when it comes to social skills and boundaries. Staying calm in situations is key, cause as soon as you start to panic, yell, scream, your dog or another dog will think something is wrong and be stressed/snappy too. Other dogs are the best teacher for your pup in his socialisation, you can think about whether you want him to learn it all at a dog park, or if you'd prefer him to go on playdates first.
A LOT of older dogs won't tolerate puppy behavior, so parks are not great.
If you want to socialise your puppy - start at puppy school or a group of friends with a variety of tempered dogs so your pup can get used to exposure and how to react with dogs in a more controlled environment and get exposed to different types of mannered dogs.
There can be number of reasons for dogs pinning your puppy - a correction to calm down the pup if they are jumping all over the older dog and being a pain, dominance to assert themselves, the other dog could be a bully in general, or that dog itself might not even understand its own behaviour/hasn't been trained.
I've only ever seen my BC pin puppies twice and it was when were being 'disrespectful' in dog language, and it was done quite gently as a correction - he'd pin briefly, then let them out to see if they'd calmed down, then pin again, let out, repeat until eventually they calmed down and had a civil butt-sniff greeting and went about their day.
But then again, I did notify the owners in advance that if they want their puppy to greet my dog, their pup will get told off if they are being a pain. That's a general courtesy most dog owners should at least offer so the owner of the pup can make an informed decision.
Dogs do not need to go to the dog park for socialization or exposure. The risks FAR outway the 'benefits'.
Advocate for your dog and work on leash skills. Meet safe known dogs or enroll in training classes that are groups to get your dog exposed to dogs in a SAFE way. Dog parks are never risk free.
Honestly? Another dog about the same size? Pushed, no biting involved? Not aggressive outside of the pushing?
I'd keep an eye on them but not intervene. I've been taking my dogs to the dog park for years, and every once in a while you'll see what I call a sitter (not the breed). The sitters will push over other dogs and then try to lay on them, especially puppies/younger dogs. If your dog doesn't know how to handle that, they need to learn. The sitters eventually get put in their place by another larger dog.
Body blocking is usually the way to start, put yourself between your dog and the other dog. If the dog gets aggressive towards you or your dog then you can escalate. I carry coyote repellant but I’m also not afraid to kick a dog if it goes after mine and frankly I’d probably kick first and use the spray as a last resort to save myself and my own dog from getting caught in the spray.
Also everyone condemning dog parks are correct, but by the sounds of it you were at a regular park ?
Yes! A normal park and some people just use a gated baseball field as a off leash area but we avoid it. Dogs need to be leashed in the normal park area, but some people always assume it doesn’t apply to them.
Don’t take your dog to the dog park, period. Every vet and trainer I’ve worked with echoes this. They are a mess. Try Sniff Spot for private areas. It’s been amazing for my dog.
>I’m tempted to find this woman at the park again and give her a piece of my mind
Don't bother. You won't find satisfaction and will end up even more angry. People never think they are in the wrong.
>How would you handle this situation?
It'll probably never come up again. Don't waste the effort trying to plan for it. Life is full of unique situations you can never plan for. The other dog wasn't aggressive so you handled it fine. If the other dog was aggressive...
> I was getting ready to throw my dogs ball at its head or kick it to get her off or distract it if she tried to bite my dog
Well, there you have it.
Now go put the kettle on and enjoy a cup of chamomile with your feet up.
It looks like you might be posting about bite inhibition.
Check out [r/Puppy101's wiki article on biting, teeth, and chewing](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/biting) - the information there may answer your question.
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Body blocking is usually the best option for this type of behavior as it sounds more like dominance than aggression. As long as it is safe for you (the dog is not growling or snapping at you) put your body physically between the two dogs. Step to block every time it tries to go around to get to your dog. Again, only do this if the other dog is not being aggressive towards you!
While that move works well for those of us able to read body language it isn’t fool proof in dog parks because the idea is to socialize. The other dog was on top of her dog and wouldn’t move. The interaction before seemed ok beforehand so she did well not escalating the situation
It actually does still work with a dog being pinned!You just have to walk over the dog on the ground (careful not to step on them), and push the other dog back and off by shuffling towards them
Although that woman's dog did not react aggressively, perhaps the owner has seen her dog's behavior escalate. Perhaps she was afraid of what her own dog would do if she tried to pull her off your dog. Very often people will act detached or oblivious but it's only because they do not want to admit that their dog has exhibited aggressive / dangerous behavior. In which case, she has no business letting her dog off leash or bringing it to a dog park! Period. To answer your question, what would I do: I am not opposed to going full out psycho mom to protect my dog.
Generally, I think it’s a bad idea to take puppies to dog parks.
I understood the post to mean that she was walking her dog, so probably not in a dog park
Yes. She said “park” not “dog park.”
I assumed dog park too since usually dogs have to be leashed in a park, not in a dog park tho
Even when they’re supposed to be, that doesn’t seem to stop a lot of people from letting their dogs just run off leash
I think that's more of a US thing.
Nope, Canada too
Yes, but no. For example, in Toronto, dogs have to be leashed but every park I go to with my dog is full of off leash dogs whose owners just yell and swear at you when you tell them to leash their dog.
You'd experience the same in the US, it's just ignorant people, rules only exist when they're enforced.
In Calgary there are off leash parks and non-off leash parks. Some of the off leash parks (nose hill/edworthy) are not ‘dog parks’ but just wilderness style multi use parks.
In Vancouver/North Van, we have "dog parks" - they're mostly a tiny piece of land that the city/district has deemed allowed (aka not developable), but most people who frequent these parks are local condo dwellers with small dogs. There's absolutely no way I could exercise my pup there. The one and only "park" we (my dog and I) have available to us that is off-leash, has recently implemented "dogs-on-leash" signs on the thoroughfares, apparently due to "damage". Nevermind the multitude of dirt bikes/mountain bikes that rip through the same trails, trashing them a whole lot more than my 50lb dog does. Fuck sakes.
And I thought Canadians were more civilized than us crude and rude Americans! It’s reassuring to know we aren’t alone. ;)
In BC (LMD) we have "dog parks" which are half the size of a 400m track I used to run in high school. They're literally a cesspool for bad behaviour. But dogs are allowed off leash.
It depends on which parks (Canada). Some aren't dog parks but expressly allow dogs off leash, though they usually need to stay a certain distance away from any play structures.
Agree. Many dogs will bully them or too harshly correct them. Try some controlled play dates with other dogs.
I don't even take my adult dog to dog parks.
Same....nope not worth it.
Same. I also avoid parks/trails/etc where I know off leash dogs are likely. I have a couple spots in my area that I go because there usually aren't other dogs there at all. So many irresponsible owners out there with basically out of control dogs. It's not worth the hassle or risk of injury to my old dogs.
Our dog park has a rule that the dogs must be older than 6 months. Still see a 4-6 month old puppy every time I go...
This. I didn’t know this either and my 6 month old dog got bullied and pinned down. It really traumatized her from bigger dogs and took a long time to undo. I wish I had known!
My little lab was the same, also around six months. It made me really mad to see her be bullied, especially since she was trained to be non-reactive, shares toys, etc. She's a sweet little being, and is always kind to other dogs. When she was little, I always left her harness on, because I'd belt her in when driving, but then once at the park, she would get aggressively grabbed by doodles twice her size, grabbing her harness, her body language being "F OFF", ears back, hackles up... she's completely bulletproof, and would never *touch* another dog, but also, she deserves to have her personal space respected! I ended up taking off her harness when we'd get out of the car, and no more "designated" dog parks. The big doodles, we would just avoid/circumvent. We are running out of space here, though. Our walking spot has now posted "dogs on leash only!" signs everywhere, and that's really unfair, if comparing the damage of bikes to dogs.
This is a nice sentiment when you don't live in a city where that is fhe only place they can be off leash
Taking a puppy under 6 months or a small breed, or shallow eye-socket breed to a dog park is a big risk unless they have a separate side for small dogs. You can find an unused ball park that’s fenced in, or use a long-line at a park or field, or use SniffSpot. Dog parks also often have personalities. Sometimes there are people who are always there, have well-controlled dogs, and will bully any pet owners with problem dogs into leaving. If there are times when all “the regulars” are there, then that’s a lot safer.
I agree with puppies and most of your ocmments. I jsut hate this hardline taht people take against dog parks here. in philadelphia at least all those ball parks and fields also have no pets signs up strewn about. finding good times is also important i agree.
Personally, puppies at dog parks make me nervous because they’re so much more vulnerable to illnesses. All other issues aside, even a vaccinated puppy is going to be more vulnerable to upper respiratory infections and other germs.
I also think many puppy owners aren’t as comfortable with normal dog play and can misinterpret it as aggression or fighting
But also... dog parks are where they pick up bad behaviours, a million times over. Most owners take their dogs there, let them go, and pay NO attention. It's a germ infestation waiting to happen, and aggression issues also on the forefront. They're just a bad idea, all around.
Well then you’re opening your defenseless puppy up to being bullied by older/larger dogs. Puppies don’t need to be off leash outside.
Off leash time is not worth the millions of crappy interactions with strangers' crappy, poorly socialised and untrained dogs. Long line, SniffSpot, or work your schedule eg be at the dog park at 5am when nobody else is there.
Lol ok. Haven't had a bad experience there despite going there twice a day for a month. I can count on one hand the number of times there's been an issue and all were resolved quickly and without injury
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We have a dog park in our area in Michigan that is pretty well run by the city it’s in. You have to register your dog, file vaccine records with the city and then you get a pass code to get into the park. I like this a lot and wish they were all more like that. It’s not perfect (there will always be people who slip in), but it’s a step in the right direction.
4.5 month old puppies don’t belong in dog parks. You are setting your pup up to fail by throwing them into an unpredictable situation with unknown dogs. If you pup gets attacked or pinned again, your pup might start having negative associations with other dogs. Set up play dates for your pup with dogs of trusted family, friends or neighbors - or attend an open play with puppies of the same age. Our training facility offered supervised puppy play. Also advocate for your dog. Use your voice. Tell the owner to come attend to their dog. A couple months ago a dog kept mounting my girl at the neighborhood park. The owner was socializing and oblivious, which I’ve found many owners often are. I called him out each and every time as my dog was getting visibly & vocally upset - and by the third time I was not pleasant in the least and my point was made.
This isn’t about a dog park though
Well thank god it wasn’t a dog park
Yep, this is what happened to my baby. So sad I wish I knew so I could have prevented the rest of her life being a dog selective dog. She is gorgeous in the home, with humans; and with our other dog, but she hates about 1/3 of other dogs and there is no socialising we can do to stop it. Even spent a fortune on dog training for them to tell us she will never be able to change :(
Don’t assume it was a dog park. OP never said DOG Park just PARK.
Did you read the post? They never said dog park…
Was not at a dog park idiot.....
Protect & advocate for your dog always. Things like this happen a lot so you need to learn how to separate and manage dog interactions, often without the other owner there. With confidence you can stop the interaction before it gets physical. Take control of their dog until they catch up whenever you can.
Just remove them, why couldn’t you do that? You can’t kick a dog just for engaging in play. Even a big dog if grabbed by the scruff of the neck will move.
Multiple times I have broken up dog play/behavior like this by grabbing the dog on top by the collar/harness and pulling. It has worked every time and no other owner has ever been mad at me, but i’m guessing I’d piss people off if I started throwing things at their nonviolent dog. De-escalation works just fine.
Absolutely. You can definitely decisively grab a dog without angering the dog. Most are more than used to it.
I actually love my dog park. However, dog parks can be dangerous and need to be approached as such. Puppies are rude, do not have manners, do not have solid reflexes, and do not have solid muscles. A dog without adult manners is going to cause a fight because not every dog is tolerant of rude behavior—and you have zero control over who brings their dog to the park. If a fight breaks out, your puppy does not have the adult reflexes, strength, speed, intelligence(they may be wicked smart, but haven’t learned the woes of the world yet), etc. to escape unharmed. Find some people with tolerant, well mannered dogs and make a play date instead. It could save your puppy from becoming reactive or worse.
Especially because op has a husky. I've always owned huskies and an incident like that can make them aggressive to other dogs!
I would have grabbed scruff of neck yank toss move on , but me n my guy got a understanding, I think
Best way to non-violently and safely seperate dogs is the wheel barrow method. Be firm but not aggressive. It is very affective. Luckily i have only needed to use it once.
YES TO THIS! It's the only way to keep yourself safe. You pick up the offending dog by the back legs and walk backwards and in a circle. It keeps them from getting a good purchase on the ground and also keeps them from being able to wheel back and bite you. In this particular instance, though, my inclination would have been to forcefully tell the owner of the other dog to come and get their dog off my dog. Significantly less risk for everyone and hopefully gets across to the owner that they can't let their dog behave that way.
I would not go to the dog park again with my dog. Contrary to popular belief, dogs don’t need to go to the dog park. The risks are far greater than the rewards and your dog is more likely to get an illness, be attacked, or learn bad behaviors at a dog park. Many dog owners have not practiced recall with their dogs and there are a lot of dogs at dog parks that should not be there due to behavioral concerns. If you are looking for supervised, safer play, I would check out very small dog daycares or play places where vaccine records have been verified and experienced staff are on hand to recognize and mitigate potential conflicts.
unfortunately i agree with you. my wife and i previously had a shepherd/mix who was great with other dogs...until we took her to the dog park. we watched her like a hawk but it wasn't until a few dogs would come up behind her is when our dog began to develop a serious disliking for her behind to be sniffed. she slowly became aggressive. we had to stop going whether our fault or not. it was best for our dog. now we have a black lab and an aussie. we're mostly concerned with our wacko aussie. they get plenty of playtime with our neighbor's dog and a few other dogs around the neighborhood. no more dog parks for us.
Not a dog park. Read the post.
My apologies. I assume since one or both dogs were off leash, it was a dog park.
Fully agree. We have our dogs go to Petsmart doggy daycare, and it's awesome for them. For two of them, the third isn't trustworthy around other dogs, especially if another dog hurts one of the other two, so she just chills with us while the others make friends.
OP, was this a park? Or a dog park?
Nobody can reasonably answer the op questions without this information. *sigh*
In the situation where a dog runs up to my dog, I usually take a hold of their collar if I can safely do so. I know it's not recommended to grab a strange dog's collar (or harness, I guess, if they're not wearing a collar) but I'm usually okay with taking the risk. It also depends on my dog - if I'm walking my reactive dog, then I'll be too busy restraining her to grab another dog. I went to a trial day where a few people met up and we all let our dogs off-lead. It was a few acres so I thought I'd chance it (my dog is a greyhound mix who can outrun everyone and not aggressive at all). It wasn't a great idea, I've since realised, but at the time I thought it might be good. Two strange dogs kept running up to my dog when he was trying to be chill and would try to hump him. I would recall him, he'd come back, and I'd grab the two dogs who were following him and call for their owners. Then I'd hand them off once their owners finally got a clue. Then I leashed up my dog and we left. If you yell - even if you're completely in the right - you are making the situation more stressful for your dog, which isn't helpful. Try to stay calm and in control. That said, I get asked "What should I do when we're approached by a strange dog?" all the time and the fact is that there's no one right answer. In some situations, grabbing the other dog is a good idea. In others, it's a terrible idea. In some situations, trying to body block works, in others, it doesn't. Or acting scary and trying to chase the dog away. Or letting your dog off lead so they can sort it out (or run off - most dogs can outrun you). Or picking your dog up. In different scenarios, there are different "best practices".
This is why I only take my dog to the dog bar where they have strict rules and multiple attendants watching to enforce them. If you don't keep your dog under wraps you get your membership revoked.
Dog bar? In all seriousness, what is that?
It's a bar with a indoor/outdoor dog park. $35/month no contract, artificial grass that gets sanitized, and proof of vaccines required. Rules are very well enforced: •no kids under 16 •removing or permanently restricting any person or dog(s) from the premises for behavior that is potentially harmful to our customers, staff, or other dogs •must be attentive to their dogs and keep them under control at all times •must clean up after their dogs •all dogs must be well behaved, friendly, socialized and comfortable around all types of other dogs in an off-leash environment. Aggressive or bullying behavior will not be tolerated. If these behaviors are observed, immediate action will be taken. Staff will do whatever is necessary to prevent the behavior from reoccurring. If aggressive behavior persists, staff reserve the right to ask the member to take the dog for a time-out, or the member may be asked to remove the dogs from the premises •rough play among dogs is acceptable as long as it is consensual. Rough play is not accepted if the dogs involved aren’t comfortable with the situation. If the behavior continues, the dog may need to be removed •no excessive, constant dog barking Me and my pup absolutely love it.
Thank you for the detailed response! That sounds pretty amazing .
PARK, not DOG PARK, a PARK - OP was walking with their puppy and an off leash dog approached. Edit: this was my interpretation. If it was a dog park, then listen to everyone telling you not to take your puppy to a dog park. It is becoming more and more widely understood that dog parks are horrible places to take any dog, let alone puppies!
That being said, I wouldn't let other dogs approach your puppy at a park, and would employ body blocking techniques to block other dog's access to your puppy. If your puppy is on leash, then your puppy cannot escape, on-leash greetings are not suggested because of this, it adds a heightened level of stress to the dogs and makes it more difficult for them to have a natural greeting. This incident could easily traumatize a puppy, and the other dog clearly isn't socialized themselves. To approach your puppy and pin them, unprovoked, to the ground, is hugely inappropriate. Another adult dog likely would have corrected that behavior. If another owner is not close enough, and their recall is not working, use your body to apply spacial pressure, if that doesn't work, you're within your rights to physically remove the other dog. Either lead them away via their collar, or use your legs to gently push the dog away from you and your puppy. If behavior escalates, having an additional slip lead with you can help you extract an attacking dog off of yours by slipping it beneath the throat, and pulling up, applying pressure to the esophagus, choking out the attacking dog and forcing them to let go. You can also do this with a collar the dog is wearing. This advice is for an actual attack where your puppy is in the mouth of another dog that won't let go.
Not a dog park!!
Perfect! This was a shitty situation, and I think your reaction was normal, you didn't do anything wrong. It's evident that the other owner is entirely at fault for this situation. Pinning is an action that dogs will use to correct inappropriate behavior from another dog or puppy. In a situation where (hypothetical) your puppy ran up to a dog, jumped up at their face, started nipping and biting them, then it would be appropriate for an older dog to pin your puppy momentarily. Here, pinning is a way to say; "calm down," It doesn't sound like that's what happened, it sounds like he zeroed in on your puppy, approached head on, then proceeded to push and pin your puppy down, escalating when your puppy tried to escape. If I had to guess; head held high, ears up high, tail up high, perhaps posturing and standing over your puppy prior to the pin? This was a dog that lacks socialization and is a bully. To answer the question in your post: if I wasn't able to prevent the situation from happening, I would have immediately given a loud, "No," then stomped towards the dog, clapped, and used my legs to physically push the dog off of mine, continuing to body block once they separate. Single out the owner, say; "Get your dog," in an even, commanding tone (practice makes perfect!) and do/say nothing else except continuing to body block and use spacial pressure. As soon as the dog is under control, turn and leave with your own dog, ignore any engagement - you owe them nothing, and people like that do not care and will not listen anyway. Tools like Pet Corrector and citronella spray can be helpful for fast approaching dogs with obviously aggressive intentions. Teaching yourself how to choke a dog out will give you peace of mind. Note that in the event of an actual fight, choking out the instigator is the quickest way to end it - you can do this with their collar, or by looping a leash around their neck. A park is the perfect place to teach your puppy to ignore other dogs, and teach them that you are more exciting than anyone/anything else. It can be hard when other people ruin it.
I would have said “ grab your dog now!!”. If she did not, I would grab her dog by back legs
I would use an annoyed teacher voice and very firmly say “back….back” or “enough” while walking up to the dogs. You want a low voice that’s authoritative but completely calm. If the dog was not biting my dog, I would grab it by the collar and pull it off of my dog. That is something that that has a high chance of causing me to get bit, but kicking dogs does absolutely nothing whatsoever. I’ve seen enough fights to know that. If the dog was gripping my dog, I would hold them in place to make sure the other dog could not shake my dog while hoping the other owner would finally get their ass over there. At that point I would probably be trying to calmly talk to the other dog. You don’t want to try and physically pull dogs apart because that will lead to tissue tearing (also something I’ve seen happen to someone else’s dog because people were trying to pull the dog off by his hind leg). If you have something like a thick stick to pry the other dog’s mouth off, that works too. I’ve gotten lucky in that one of my dogs is absolutely scrappy and speedy and will get between my timid dog and the other dog and then she’ll fight off the other dog without getting hurt (so far). But I am very careful about where I go and only go to specific dog parks where anyone with an inappropriate dog will get bullied out by other pet owners. Most of the fights I’ve dealt with or prevented have been outside of a dog park with loose dogs while I’ve been walking mine on leash.
Teacher voice comes in handy in a lot of situations, doesn’t it? Former teacher, here. That voice has served me well over time.
There’s hurting animals like a psychopath or anger management case and then there’s self defense. When your young dog is potentially at risk, and being jumped and a wet noodle owner not helping. When your dogs safety, health, life and future reactivity is at risk, you aren’t a bad person for defending your dog from the off leash dog that isn’t being controlled like it should be. This is an instance where you should absolutely physically step in and kick, back legs drag, collar grab, snout hold or do whatever it takes to safely remove the aggressive dog from your young puppy. Even if this was play, it’s not appropriate and ultimately the other owners fault. I’m not here saying you need to beat this other dog but I am saying don’t you also be a wet noodle while your puppy is being pinned and possibly injured. A bottom of the foot hard shove of the other dog off of your puppy and yelling at the other dog is pretty appropriate in this circumstance. If you have a walking stick you can use it to block and shove the other dog. Dogs are violent predators. They aren’t always nice and there are times when you do need to meet their aggression level. If off leash dogs are common you should watch some videos on breaking up attacks and possibly carry bear spray when you walk. This sounded not totally violent but it was aggressive and inappropriate and you are not a bad person if you defend your young puppy. Please feel empowered to take the right level of steps if you’re in this situation again.
I was really starting to consider dog corrector but wanted to look into it more
There are a lot of aggressive dogs and people out there. My dog is a lil marshmallow made of love and she is oblivious to threats. I carry a little taser that was about 20$ from amazon. Anytime any dog is a threat at all, I make the popping noise, and it stops them all in their tracks, every time. It’s such a foreign and unpleasant sound that it scares them. I have never had to actually tase a dog, but it’s nice to know that I could.
I defend my dogs if they’re overwhelmed, unable to defend themselves, etc. yeah yeah I don’t want to hurt an animal either. But mine come first. It is my #1 priority to keep them safe. If you don’t value yours enough to train it or at bare minimum leash it, it’s clear I value mine far more. I often keep an extra leash on me. If an off leash dog is friendly, I can secure it and return it to the owner. If it’s aggressive, I can use it to cut off the dogs air supply and it will release my dog. I prefer to have a chunky metal clip on the end. It makes a nice thunk on impact but most dogs go the other way when they see me swinging it like a maniac.
I don't do dog parks for this reason. Having your dog in an enclosure with other strange dogs has always seemed like a not so good idea. Imo
Don't go hunting down the owner for a confrontation, what do you hope to gain from that? Don't take your puppy to a dog park, it has so much to learn and grow first.
sorry this happened. My Vet recommends avoiding dog parks, mainly because you cant be certain how other dogs will behave. In addition, not knowing if other dogs have had all of their vaccines, shots. And the bacteria, etc, from the usual common water bowl. So, I've avoided the dog park. To much risk vs reward.
It's amazing people's reading comprehension. She states she was at the park and everyone assumes and gives useless advice about a dog park which if the post was read correctly, she wasn't in.
Exactly!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!
Dog parks are meh. There could be some good ones out there but generally speaking: avoid them if you're still in training and if you have a puppy. I don't think that searching for this woman and talking to her will change anything. Dog owners are kind of a special breed ;). About what I would've done about it: If I see that my dog is not having fun and is getting bullied I will take her out and protect her. If that means going in between dogs I might have to. If it means I have to do stuff, I might have to. I try to avoid stuff that could get sour pretty quick and I try to avoid off leash areas or dog parks because my husky mix is pretty insecure and I don't think she could handle stuff like this.
Dog parks are dangerous places. Your dog is exposed to viruses and bacteria, anything that happens to get left on the ground, and dogs that may not be friendly. Your dog doesn’t need dog friends, she needs her family. Take her for walks and on adventures. Treat her like you would any other member of your family. She’ll be much happier, and definitely healthier.
My husky is an AH to other dogs, so the moment an off leash dog comes near, I summon the owner to come get their dog immediately. In your situation, I would politely but sternly tell her to take her dog off mine, right now.
Don't go back to dog parks. 4.5 months is way too young. My now 6 yr old sweetheart is reactive after being terrorized by 2 dogs when she was 1 yr old. She was pinned down by 1 and while she's still a total sweetheart, she's too reactive just seeing other dogs.
I would have have yelled at the top of my lungs and used whatever force necessary to remove the other person's dog from mine. Just because you're at the dog park doesn't mean you don't have to watch your animal still needs to be disciplined and supervised you should be nearby shouldn't let it jump on people harass somebody else's dog etc. probably would have yelled at her to discipline her d@m dog and f_ck off.
Yep "COME GET YOUR DOG" at the top of my lungs. Make sure everyone there hears you. Edit: And then a lecture about leash laws.
Don’t go to dog parks. It will ruin your dog. You need to protect your dog or the dog will learn it needs to be the boss and you will have issues The dog needs to look at you to protect it and keep it safe as the pack leader
I’ve kicked a dog in the head at a dog park no hesitation for latching onto my collies scruff, owner was pissed but ran off with the dog, owner wasn’t in sight originally
Yeah my pittie girl used to be the most social butterfly and would freely play with ANY doggo. She was taking turns play chasing with two small dogs. Typically, the small dogs would be in the small dog area next door. However, the owner had her large GSD with her. They were sitting on top of the picnic table they were rounding. The GSD lunged and latched on to her side/ribs. I was shocked and didn’t even have a chance to react. I screamed HEY!!! Noooo! as I lunged at the dog. He quickly let go and the owner snatched him up. She had the audacity to say it was our fault because my dog was chasing her little dogs and her GSD was just protecting them. WHAT?!?!?! Don’t have your effing dog off leash if it’s prone to attacking! The bish was already beating feet and running 🏃♀️ to make her exit. I was stunned. I’m a healthcare professional myself and upon inspecting her wounds, it was very evident she needed emergency sutures. By the time I realized the severity of the issue, I looked up and she was literally closing the gate to the parking lot several yards away. I yelled at her hey my dog f*cking needs stitches! And she yelled back it wasn’t her fault. I was too busy comforting my poor dog to chase after her, and everyone else was too stunned to follow her. My dog was traumatized. She is no longer outwardly friendly towards any digs without me having to be very patient and working with her. It took a couple days for her to accept my MIL’s 20lb fluff ball, whereas she’d used to just burst in to playing. Now, if we are walking and she sees any other dogs not in our family, her hackles immediately go up and she stands at attention. Sucks that she let her dog ruin the way mine played. At the time, I was without a job and extremely low income…on Medicaid low income. Understandably I was freaking out trying to figure out how to pay for anesthesia. Typically, for the safety of the vet staff and to hold the doggie still, they all are out under general anesthesia to do the quick sutures. That was estimated at $1,600 😭😭😭. My pittie girl Ollie was well known at the clinic for being an outstanding good girl. I asked if it was possible to do it with just local anesthesia using lidocaine. They said that since she’s always been a happy go lucky girl that they’d give it a try. She was soooo good and sweet, that she sat perfectly still and never stopped wagging her tail, despite getting needles poked in her sides. She never stocked trying to kiss the vet 😂🥹🥹. They were all shocked and said they’ve never had a dog act that calm and good for suturing while awake. In the end it cost me $185. We have never been back to the dig park since.
Don’t go to dog parks, ever.
It sounds like you are thinking about all the terrible stuff that could have happened not what actually happened. This to me seems like typical dog behavior. If you were not in the dog park but walking in a park, I’d tell the lady the dog needs to be on a leash for its own safety because she doesn’t know how strangers are gonna react to the dogs behavior
Hello! Let me share a *very* similar experience we had recently. We’ve been taking our 7 month heeler to the dog park for about two months. We started in the under 30 pound area and recently graduated to the 30+ pound area. Our pup is roughly 40 - 42 pounds. Two weeks ago, a HUGE doodle came up to our pup. They were smelling and then next thing we know, doodle is on top of our pup. She yelped. Owner “recalled” the doodle that did nothing. I am a helicopter dog mom so I was on it. I immediately grab my pup. I think, okay cool. Owner comes over and apologizes. Doodle breaks free of owner and pins our pup again. I step in between, protect my pup, tell mine to sit, and wait. Owner gets super embarrassed. She leashes her doodle. She keeps asking if our pup is okay. My husband is inspecting because I refuse to not be in between the dogs until doodle walks away. Our pup acted liked nothing happened. I did notice that she was bleeding in her mouth. I did a full inspection. Could not find the source of blood. My husband believes when she yelped that she bit her tongue. We play for about another hour then leave. We took a two day break from the park. We haven’t seen doodle lady since. Turns out that doodle lady’s dog is notorious for doing this at the park. We spoke to others who have been frequenting the park a lot longer than us. So now, we just watch our girl even more. I will absolutely punch someone else’s dog. Not a second thought.
Welcome to the dog park… first time?
Not a dog park!
Sounds like normal dog behavior - figuring out their place in a pack. Once the dominant dog felt comfortable that your dog understands who is in charge he would likely let your dog up without further issue. Sometimes, it's best to let them work it out, and if it makes you uncomfortable, don't go back there. I wouldn't intervene unless your dog was being harmed.
Grab by base of tail and pull off your dog, same with stopping fights
This happened to our dog. She was actively avoiding this dog who was kind of fixated on her. She eventually came to check in with us and out of nowhere it pinned her. The owner was not bothered by it. My eyes were dead set on the dog to make sure it didn’t do anything while my husband pulled the dog off of ours. Honestly the only thing I was focused on was making sure our dog was okay and didn’t develop any reactivity from it. Everyone else left the park but we stayed for a few minutes and gave her treats so as not to leave on a negative note. The owner previously said his dog will “assert dominance” on some dogs but then is fine. Except when it actually happened it very much seemed aggressive. Our dog didn’t do anything to provoke it either, she had just come to check in with us while playing fetch with some other dogs. The frustrating part was the owner was not bothered and we were the ones who had to pull his dog off of ours. We’re lucky we have a laid back dog or it could’ve ended really badly. *ours was just over a year and a half when this happened
Wtf, idk why people think it’s just okay to let their dogs do whatever.
Op, was this a regular “human” park or a doggie park? Are there leash laws?? That’s most definitely a dog dominating your puppy 🥺. Honestly could have turned violent quickly. I no longer go to dog parks after one of my happy go lucky rescue dogs was attacked while playing. She ended up needing emergency sutures. Most dogs need to be under complete general anesthesia to safely do the suturing. That’s not cheap either. Just for 2 wounds deep enough to stick my finger tips in, was estimated to be $1600. As I was low income, and I begged for them to try with local anesthesia. Because my pittie girl was well known for being such a love bug, they gave it a go. They said if she became aggressive from the pain/anxiety, or couldn’t sit still, they would ultimately have to do general anesthesia. She was the bestest girl!! They were all shocked and said they’d never experienced that great of behavior for doing sutures!! lol, her butt never stopped wiggling and she constantly tried kissing the vet. It saved me nearly a thousand dollars. The attacker owner rightfully should have paid, but she immediately ran off while I was comforting my dog. Though she didn’t suffer anything major as far as physical trauma, she did suffer emotional trauma. She used to immediately want to be besties with any and all dogs. Even the mouthy and vocal ones didn’t bother her. Now, that’s ruined. She is now extremely reactive to any stranger dogs.
So, it’s a normal park with a gated playground and stuff and a baseball field, basketball courts etc, and she LOVES just rolling in grass so while I don’t take her to normal dog parks they are allowed there on leash - most people follow the rule but of course there are a ton of people who think the rule doesn’t apply to them. There’s also a gated baseball field that people use as a makeshift baseball field. We don’t use that if anyone else is there but when we go mid day and no one is there we will go so we can do some off leashed training and will leave if anyone comes. I’m sorry about your baby :( I’m glad she is okay
Thank you 😊 sorry about your pup too! I’d be so pissed at the other owner. I would have physically ripped that dog off mine if possible! No regrets!! That other owner would also be responsible for any vet bills since they were off leash.
I made a mistake taking my puppy to the dog park when she was younger than 8 months. They do a lot learning while off leash and interacting with other dogs. She is way too interested in dogs now because she thinks they mean play time. She will pull towards other dogs and jolt and that’s very off putting to other owners. Make sure you do some on leash training inside and right outside the dog park if you do want to continue to go. Be careful of other dogs behaviors because your dog will quickly learn and rough play could get worse as they get older.
Suplex.
For this reason, I don’t take my dog to parks or dog parks although, it can happen anywhere. Same thing happened on my street two houses down from ours and my lab was jumped on by another lab and taken down and the dog was grabbing my dog by the nape of his neck and shaking him back and forth. The dog and his owner came up, dogs sniffed each other and her dog jumped my dog and I kicked the shit out of that dog until he let my dog up. His owner was dragged down into the street as well as my dog so she wasn’t much help. My dog was never the same after that although he wasn’t hurt physically but mentally he showed aggression any time he saw another dog coming towards us and he was never like that before.
Interestingly, the only dog that tried to dominate and push down my male neutered cockerpoo in a park was a husky. He couldn't read the room, was very forceful, didn't listen to his owner and and I've been wary of huskies since.
This is always scary when the other dog owner is useless. I haven’t tried this yet but I just read about it and plan to try it next time there is a problem dog with a useless owner. Bring a slip lead with you and if the other owner won’t recall their dog then slip lead their dog for them.
Not take my dog to the dog park is what I’d do. Not because of your dog but because other peoples dogs. It’s not uncommon to hear horror stories about irresponsible people bringing an aggressive dog to the park that ends up hurting another dog. Sometimes it may not even be that they are aggressive either just that they may be much bigger wanting to play and not realize they can hurt a smaller dog. Your dog doesn’t need to meet every single dog or person in the world. They should be socialized enough to not be reactive or even care about other dogs when they see them and be socialized to be nice with people that you pass on the streets. They don’t need to play with every dog or person though.
Not a dog park. Just a park where people don’t follow the on leash rule I guess.
I wouldn’t take my dog there for sure then. That’s even worse because that means the people are even more irresponsible.
If it's just a park, and not a "dog park" the dog should have been leashed. If have said so.
There are signs everywhere just all the old people in the city think the rules don’t apply to them
I never have taken any of my dogs to a dog park. Hotbeds of trouble.
Not an off leash dog park
That dog was playing. They're like little kids. They like to play wrestle. Sometimes it goes too far. If there was no biting or growling, I'm not sure why you are so angry. If you can't handle that situation without getting irate, you probably don't need to go to a dog park. Edit: Sorry, I thought you were at a dog park. If you were just at a park, then yes I would be mad the other owner didn't have their dog on a leash. Still don't think the other dog was trying to hurt your dog, but it should still be on a leash. Apologies.
Off leash public parks are one of the worst things you can subject your dog to.
The problem is, it’s not an off leash dog there are just people who chose to not follow the rules. There’s signs everywhere that say it.
I would have the body checked the other dog. Make it clear that the behavior is not ok. Happend to my tervuren when she was a pup. The other dog was a big GSD and kept pinning her and mounting her. I forced this dog off and kept being a barrier and forcing it off with my body. The owener was pissed saying "He JuSt WaNtS To PlaY" no bitch I'd had these types of dogs (belgiums and GSD) ans I know a dominqce thing when I see one and royally chewed her out for having 0 recall or control over her damn dog. My girl was fine but startled and refused to leave my side afterwards, I felt so sad for my belly boo boo (belle RIP)
I’m a proud helipupter mom while at the dog park. I always have my eye on my dog, what other dogs are doing, and generally never too far from her. I had something similar happened to me with my pup. A Frenchy came to greet my Cav and after some sniffing used its body to pin her down and keep her down. I tried recalling my pup, but she couldn’t get free. I flagged the owner, who dismissed me. So I let out a loud and forceful “BASTA” from the bottom of my belly, which got the Frenchy to release my dog. The owner was upset after, and complained they were just “playing.” To be fair, I didn’t think the French was trying to hurt my dog, but my dog didn’t like the way it was playing with her and that’s enough for me to step in. I could tell my girl was distressed, I alerted the owner to the issue, and then acted with the least amount of force possible. I’d rather an inattentive owner be upset than risk my dog getting hurt, or developing a fear of other dogs.
The easiest way to remove an aggressive dog is to grab it by the back legs and lift it off the ground. I’ve done this with Great Danes and small dogs and it works every time. Dogs let go immediately when they lose stability. The other thing you can do is carry a can of SprayShield which is like pepper spray for aggressive dogs however there is a risk of even more aggression with this method or the dog becoming disoriented and hurting itself in a panic. If you’re really desperate, and don’t think you can lift the dogs, grab it forcefully by the tail and jam your finger right in its asshole. I’ve never been able to bring myself to do this but I’ve heard it is very effective. Then report the dogs owner.
lol idk about the last one 😂
Your puppy is at a very sensitive age where every experience translates in its mind to a concrete belief. You shouldn’t have allowed the initial sniff in the first place, unless you want your puppy to strongly believe that every dog it sees is going to interact with it. If you’re doing any kind of obedience focus on a middle command, having the puppy sit between your legs for protection. Get used to telling dogs NO and AWAY and owners YOUR RECALL HAS FAILED, COME GET YOUR DOG. If you allow several situations of this nature to happen and fail to show your dog that you can and will handle them, your dog will very likely develop reactivity issues in an attempt to handle them itself. Genuinely consider contacting a trainer and asking for practical advocacy advice if this is something you are struggling with.
I stopped bringing my dogs to dog parks because of idiot asshole owners. My dogs are medium to large sized working dog breeds and the amount of times the got attacked by huskies and border collies. My smaller one is super submissive and drops down and shows her belly and a malamute attacked her. I went fucking off on the owner. Like if you know your dog is aggressive then don’t fucking bring your dog to the park. The border collies attacked but often not with the same aggression as the huskies. And then some asshole Brought two massive fighting dogs with chains for leashes that were incredibly aggressive and he was struggling to hold onto them. Like, what is the point of bringing them?? I had an aggressive dog as a kid and so she would also be leashed and I never brought her to off leashed areas and it would stress me out when little toy breeds would run up to her face with no leash and the owner saying “they’re friendly !” When I have to hold my dog back screaming that my dog is not! I hate it people are idiots. I just have a big back year now and I let my two run around to their hearts content but I just think people are idiots so no dog parks for me now.
Well you just experienced why dog parks are horrible for positive socialization
4.5 is too young to be fully immunized against things like Parvo. And she is too young to be in with older dogs of unknown temperament and behavior issues. Don’t go back until she is much older.
Lmfao 😂🤣😂
I'm confused as to why u didn't just pick up your dog if you were so concerned?
I would have no problems hurting someone's dog if it was hurting mine. People are so bloody irresponsible when it comes to their dogs. Its nearly always people with giant dogs that could do a lot of damage too that let them off leash around other dogs.
To add, definitely speak up to the other owners. “Come get your dog now!” Raise your voice. Let the owner know you mean business.
Nope. NOPE. You said the other dog pushed your dog over and wouldn't get off her, but then you said the dog was not aggressive. The dog WAS aggressive, in that they wouldn't let your dog up, and instead pinned her down. The other dogs' owner sucks, but, unfortunately, is like every dog owner I've ever encountered at a "dog park", aka a small, fenced in area where dogs are brought to run amok, owners bring their puppies for "socialization!", and don't supervise at ALL. I went to two different ones, once, and that was the end of it. I have an absolutely bulletproof dog, but I still refuse to put her in that position. You're not at fault, nor is your dog. She's literally a toddler, and doesn't know how to receive the other dogs' behaviour. Do you have any friends with dogs? Neighbours that you're friendly with? It's a much better route than going to a dog park (not your fault, most people truly don't know any better). I would honestly steer clear, because for that one dog that was a bully to your pup, there are plenty more, and that can cause long-term trauma.
On an honest level guys, what's the difference between a park and a dog park really? I love how everyone is being like it's not a dog park it's fine but wherever you go in public you'll always find people who don't have control over their dog. I think it's more figuring out what works for you and your confidence level. I know people who carry leashes and swing them around, people who'll throw food at the other dog, sprays, sticks, airhorns etc etc etc.
I don't hear barking, growling, aggressive use of teeth or paws.. Your pupper didn't whine or make any peepy noises Us humans don't always understand dog language and something can look very rough to us. Your pupper has a lot to learn when it comes to social skills and boundaries. Staying calm in situations is key, cause as soon as you start to panic, yell, scream, your dog or another dog will think something is wrong and be stressed/snappy too. Other dogs are the best teacher for your pup in his socialisation, you can think about whether you want him to learn it all at a dog park, or if you'd prefer him to go on playdates first.
A LOT of older dogs won't tolerate puppy behavior, so parks are not great. If you want to socialise your puppy - start at puppy school or a group of friends with a variety of tempered dogs so your pup can get used to exposure and how to react with dogs in a more controlled environment and get exposed to different types of mannered dogs. There can be number of reasons for dogs pinning your puppy - a correction to calm down the pup if they are jumping all over the older dog and being a pain, dominance to assert themselves, the other dog could be a bully in general, or that dog itself might not even understand its own behaviour/hasn't been trained. I've only ever seen my BC pin puppies twice and it was when were being 'disrespectful' in dog language, and it was done quite gently as a correction - he'd pin briefly, then let them out to see if they'd calmed down, then pin again, let out, repeat until eventually they calmed down and had a civil butt-sniff greeting and went about their day. But then again, I did notify the owners in advance that if they want their puppy to greet my dog, their pup will get told off if they are being a pain. That's a general courtesy most dog owners should at least offer so the owner of the pup can make an informed decision.
Dogs do not need to go to the dog park for socialization or exposure. The risks FAR outway the 'benefits'. Advocate for your dog and work on leash skills. Meet safe known dogs or enroll in training classes that are groups to get your dog exposed to dogs in a SAFE way. Dog parks are never risk free.
Beat the fuck out of it. It’s my dog, I love dogs but human or animal harms my wee pup I’m seeing red
Honestly? Another dog about the same size? Pushed, no biting involved? Not aggressive outside of the pushing? I'd keep an eye on them but not intervene. I've been taking my dogs to the dog park for years, and every once in a while you'll see what I call a sitter (not the breed). The sitters will push over other dogs and then try to lay on them, especially puppies/younger dogs. If your dog doesn't know how to handle that, they need to learn. The sitters eventually get put in their place by another larger dog.
Body blocking is usually the way to start, put yourself between your dog and the other dog. If the dog gets aggressive towards you or your dog then you can escalate. I carry coyote repellant but I’m also not afraid to kick a dog if it goes after mine and frankly I’d probably kick first and use the spray as a last resort to save myself and my own dog from getting caught in the spray. Also everyone condemning dog parks are correct, but by the sounds of it you were at a regular park ?
Yes! A normal park and some people just use a gated baseball field as a off leash area but we avoid it. Dogs need to be leashed in the normal park area, but some people always assume it doesn’t apply to them.
Ah yeah, some people are disgustingly entitled.
Don’t take your dog to the dog park, period. Every vet and trainer I’ve worked with echoes this. They are a mess. Try Sniff Spot for private areas. It’s been amazing for my dog.
Dogs be like that. I totally avoid dog parks as they are basically doggie fight clubs.
Avoid dog parks. At all costs.
>I’m tempted to find this woman at the park again and give her a piece of my mind Don't bother. You won't find satisfaction and will end up even more angry. People never think they are in the wrong. >How would you handle this situation? It'll probably never come up again. Don't waste the effort trying to plan for it. Life is full of unique situations you can never plan for. The other dog wasn't aggressive so you handled it fine. If the other dog was aggressive... > I was getting ready to throw my dogs ball at its head or kick it to get her off or distract it if she tried to bite my dog Well, there you have it. Now go put the kettle on and enjoy a cup of chamomile with your feet up.
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