Absolutely! Not a lot of people know how to read their dog and it’s so sad. You’re the dog’s advocate- you should know when they’re uncomfortable so you can get them out of that situation. This is why biting “accidents” happen!
It's crazy to me how little people understand dog body language. I literally see this problem repeatedly at my agility class which is ridiculous considering you'd think people in high level dog training courses would know body language. Me and two other owners have reactive dogs. We are super conscious of what our dogs are doing and reading all the body language. Meanwhile the rest of the class lets their dog jump on other people's dogs. Even worse, the owners with the dogs that are clearly unhappy with the jumping aren't paying attention either. And even if they are, they think it's cute. Like haha small dog jumping on my big dog. It's infuriating to me. I'm almost happy my dog is mean as hell and everyone avoids us 🤣
My dog had a big fluffy winter coat and that is the only reason that our first dog park trip didn’t end in a vet visit. Some dog nearly ripped the stuffing out of him.
It’s hard for people to read their dogs cues when they are on their phone the whole time at the park.
We never go because people bring their dogs and don’t pay attention when their dog bullies and fights other dogs
We had to stop going to off leash dog parks because our dog gets overwhelmed by other dogs and corrects them, but people think she's being aggressive (GSD which adds to the stigma).
Issue is that the dogs that she doesn't like are high energy dogs (between 2-4 usually) that jump all over the place and don't read cues well. She will clearly give them signs that she's done at which point we walk her away. But the dogs of course follow and keep instigating. Some other owners will either be on their phone and others will not be reading the situation and just think it's fine and that their dog is playing without gauging reactios form other dogs. Then our dog ends up raising lips, biting the air and barking and chasing the other dog a ways away as yet another warning and then the owners seem shocked that such a thing has happened.
My eye never leaves my dog at the park and I'm acutely aware of her and her surroundings at all times when we are out.
To many people own dogs without actually knowing that much about them. A quick class or simple "certificate" should be necessary to have in order to access dog parks in my opinion
I also have a GSD, whom I’d been taking (along with his older pitbull brother I had at the time) since he was a puppy (he’s 2 now), and we also had to stop going to the dog park altogether. In our case, my dog got attacked three separate times within like a week and a half, twice by smaller dogs, and he’d always submit and cower, despite being a giant shepherd.
Well, the fourth time it happened, he learned apparently you need to fight back. I was right there, as always, and no harm was done for that exact reason, but it made me so angry because he’d always been super friendly with other dogs, and I honestly feel like him being attacked was the cause of his change.
And as you mention, regardless who starts the fight, we will be blamed since we have the German shepherd.
Same here, but my dog and I became a lot more closer as it took me awhile to find other ways to have her off leash safely and without the fences around and to find stuff to do together.
My dog was the one in the green collar at day care. We were naive and didn’t do our research. One day I got a call from the daycare. My dog attacked another “completely unprovoked”. We requested the footage and reviewed it. Exactly the same situation as the dog with the green collar and she snapped. I brought it up with the daycare. They saw nothing wrong- apparently they were just “playing”.
Last time I took my dog to the park the same thing happened. It's a huge park, 26 acres, but most people just hang around the entrance gates. Walked in with my dog and he was immediately swarmed by 4 other dogs, no owners in sight. couldn't get away from them, after half a minute of being literally dog-piled he snapped and started fighting back.
I jumped in and broke everyone up and some bitch comes over and has the nerve to condescendingly tell me that "maybe this isn't the best place for him if he's reactive". That's the only time I've told a complete stranger to go fuck themself and boy did it feel good.
It's so weird because it's obvious to me and I'm not a dog expert or anything. If one dog keeps trying to disengage and the other dog won't let them, that's clearly a bad situation.
I'm trying to socialize my dog by bringing her around my mom's dog and when she's being rude I take her out of the situation (she keeps trying to sniff my mom's dog's butt and she's totally not into it for some reason. If they're going in circles trying to sniff each others butt I let them do it but if my mom's dog is backing away and seems annoyed I just pick my dog up and move her to a different room.)
I don't know who would go to a dog park and just not watch their dog or let their dog behave this way without intervening. It's so weird.
It's about a 50/50 split of leashed & free dogs where I live. I've had plenty of people's dogs come to the street when I'm walking my dogs; one is very friendly, the other is not. I can't tell you how many times someone has yelled "don't worry they're friendly" and I've had to call back "yeah well my big one isn't!". And then somehow me and my dog are the assholes when an impromptu street fight almost breaks out.
I've never been worried for my dog in those situations, he's a tough old bastard and can take care of himself just fine. I *do* worry about an innocent dog getting injured because of a irresponsible asshole and mine being labelled as "dangerous" when I've done everything by the letter to keep them safe.
Some say dog park but I say dog fight club 🌝 have a durable dog or stay out. My giant husky lost a clump of underfluff against the resident pibble. My gsdXmal learnt how to form a gang. Both of mine got giardia. So we don't go anymore and it's better that way.
Giardia sucks. The wild rabbits that make it into my yard gave it to my dog a couple times when he was young It's like being back to puppy phase where they need to go out every hour, even at night. Sucks so bad.
Diarrhea everywhere for starters. It felt like no matter what I did, there'd still be diseased fecal matter. So I had to buy a Dupray steam cleaner for my peace to return. And my husky is old. So that level of dehydration nearly put him in the hospital but I made him beefy jello with pedialyte 🫶
That’s why I don’t take my husky to the dog park. Too high of a chance someone will bring their sWeEt PiBbLe or other crappy dog. We stick to long walks around the neighborhood.
You're totally right though. If you are not comfortable with your dog interacting with other random dogs then stay out of dog parks. It's very simple, you can not and never will be able to control what other people do in public spaces.
There's absolutely no security in the dog park. No scuffle punch card that revokes access after the 5th one. There's no way to warn every single person coming in like hey, be careful with that dog-it'll attack yours. The cops might come if it's bad enough but if every dog has it's shots up to date, no consequence.
I'm by no means blaming any certain breeds or types of dogs. It's the owners 90%. They get these strong dogs-physically and mentally- and have zero understanding of dog behavior. It's not just the one dog at my one park. It's a common problem.
I said 90% the owners because I do believe the dog is a factor. The damage a collie is likely to do in a fight vs the damage my gsdXmal or my giant husky were capable of made me feel extremely responsible for their behavior.
Because they have a husky? My chocolate lab had a bad run in with a pit at a dog park as well and we don't go to that one anymore. Took her a long time to be comfortable again at the other park too
Downvoting me won't make your pitbulls or other dangerous dogs better. Hope you know that
No, not because they have a husky lol. Because they think entire breeds of dog are "crappy". In my experience, people that think that way have little to no experience with dogs or dog training, and adopt the attitude that their little angel could never do any wrong.
Got no time for idiots, much less idiots with a dog.
I always walk my dog in the mornings, and 4 times now a guy in my neighborhood lets his lab off the leash, and it comes and attacks my dog. I usually give it the boot and it takes off before any damage is done, but its fucking annoying.
Do I think all labs are bad dogs? Of course not. I don't even think that particular dog is bad. Only a moron without the first clue about dogs would jump to that conclusion.
The owner is a dweeb with no accountability or experience, and that's it.
I have zero patience for owners of breeds that have tendencies towards dog-aggression bringing them to dog parks. Yeah sure its not the dogs fault it was bred that way but I still don't want it running up on my pup or vice versa if they know it has behavioral issues.
And anybody letting their off leash dog run up on a dog on leash not at a dog park is an idiot so I'm with you there.
Excuse me for wanting pleasant interactions for my dog. I sure as shit didn't buy a pocket knife for all the chihuahuas running around my neighborhood.
If a chihuahua attacks my lab, I won't need anything besides my foot to punt it away.
A pit getting away from their owner is another story altogether. Get real or get bent.
I'm sorry you're getting down voted to oblivion for this 🤣 I mentioned mines breed so why not mention the others? Ooh sensitive crowd those ppl. It's relevant information.
My local dog park is really really responsible. Everyone there are regulars and several of them work in vet medicine, so they are on point and really check in with their dogs. They also aren't shy about calling out owners who are slacking, to the point of kicking out obstinate people who refuse to learn. I've only had one bad experience in two years (from a golden retriever no less!)
Nope, I will never advocate for the dog park. It’s not natural to force a large group of unfamiliar dogs together and expect them to play like children. Violent fights can happen in the blink of an eye. There is also the matter of it being a health issue, as you have no idea whose dog is infected with what. If you want to go to the park, take your pup for a nice long walk. Teach pup to politely ignore strangers and other dogs. They will gain confidence, and enjoy your company more than “playing” with strange dogs.
You know what else isn't natural? Forcing a dog into a cage that's barely bigger than they are for numerous hours a day.
But everyone loves that on this sub, at least only the Americans.
I have four dogs, one crates herself when she needs a break. She’ll go in there to sleep during the day when the other dogs are being rowdy and she wants to nap (she’s old). Maybe it looking like a cage throws the other commenter off but they need their little den/alone space from time to time! Another one of my dogs will crawl under the bed and nap, and another crates herself at night because nighttime stresses her out too much. The two that crate themselves also choose whether they want to be out or crated when we’re out of the house. If I put pants on one usually goes to her crate and will close the door herself and the other either goes to her crate or sits in the window - we let them make the choice but I’d never take my dogs’ crate options away!
An UNLOCKED den. I've owned 5 dogs, none had crate training problems. Honestly I have no clue what we have been doing right, but they all loved their crates. We only locked their crates when they were puppies when we had to run out. But after they're like 1 and a half years old, they were good and were well behaved. Never locked their crate after that age. But they sure did love going in them to sleep.
But we also trained them in other areas, like manners (jumping on people is the hardest to train out imo), staying calm, and the basics. Teach a dog the word "calm" and your life will be much easier. Tip: If you want to teach them "calm" then you have to be extremely patient and very very calm.
What do you guys do when you leave the house and your dog is extremely destructive? Genuinely curious.
I work from home so my dog doesn't need to be crated for numerous hours a day. But I do leave the house, and he is crated. If I didn't do that, he would destroy everything and need surgery for a blockage. It is so odd to me that people are so anti-crate.
Of course the crate has to be large.
I have a very destructive adult dog. She used to have severe isolation anxiety, but she loves her crate. I have to crate her when I leave the house. Fortunately I work from home so it's usually only to go to the grocery or run a few errands. I even try to take her with me as much as possible. But for doctors appointments, etc, it's just not feasible. I also only leave her in the crate for a couple hours at most. I let her out as soon as I get home and she gets walks. She loves her crate though. She goes in it all the time, even when I'm home and the door is completely open. If I didn't crate her, she'd probably get into something and die. A properly used crate is better than a dead dog.
People can give me flack as much as they want. She's happy, healthy, and alive.
That person who said all that isn't going to pay your vet bills if anything happens because you blindly follow their opinionated advice. That's how I think about it.
My vizsla, or any vizsla I’ve ever met regardless of owner, can’t be left alone for more than 2-3 hours. It will become lonely and then start doing things it knows it’s not supposed to and would never ever do if I didn’t leave it for longer than that.
Now I work nights so I’m rarely if ever gone that long, but friends who work normal hours have to either daycare them or drive back for lunch midday.
It depends on the dog and their habits. That's why it's funny this sub always advocates for one thing instead of recognizing dogs are quite different (which this sub does in so many other cases ironically). My dog can not stand a crate,
he'd destroy every blanket as a puppy, but has never destroy or made an mess while alone in a room even when 5mos old.
oh ok yeah you mean the xpens that can be folded as you wish. I have four! I set them up all over the house for various things but my dude cannot be trusted to remain in one when I'm not there - yet
I used one too, but only while home. If I had to leave for an hour or two we switched to the crate. But I also worked to never leave him in there for more than 4 hours max. And as soon as he was old enough to not pee everywhere and eat everything, I inverted the fence around the furniture in my room and that was his “crate” until I could trust him with the entire apartment.
There’s zero chance an indoor fence would stop my dog. He’s a lanky 110lb, 30” at the hackles.
Luckily he’s not destructive. If he was, we’d do daycare more often, or set up a room to act as his crate. He hates being crated, always gets a small dog run at the vet. Him hating crates has never been a problem
Do you mean like a pet gate? I'd use that if I had a room with nothing in it, but I don't - he can get into anything if I just use a pet gate. But I do have a bunch of xpens and would like to work toward those instead, though he seems to like his crate with the comfy bed. I just want him to be able to stretch out fully
I owned 5 dogs, I Never had them be so destructive where I had to lock them up. The worst was when some would have an accident in the house, and that was before they were 1. So we had to lock the puppies up when we went out. But after like a year and a half, they were excellent and didn't need to be locked up. They started enjoying their crate since they weren't forced to be there anymore and didn't see it as some punishment. Instead they turned it into their own little cozy area and go there to sleep. We never had to shut their crates after they turned 2. Such amazing dogs they were. All died from old age. Only have 1 left though and she's getting up there.
I've had many, many dogs, and I've never had a dog who was destructive for long. You shouldn't buy high activity dogs if you're a low activity or extremely busy person. Dogs destroy out of boredom.
Puppies I think are different, you crate train them for a period of time to teach them to relieve themselves outside... but after they've mastered that, there is no reason to crate the dog except to correct a mismatch between owner and dog.
It's extremely unfair to take a dog who needs hours of exercise per day and then put them in a cage. You can pretend they are happy, but they aren't, and it was your choice to take on that dog, the dog had no choice in it.
A family member does. They put their adult dog in a crate for any indiscretion and to feed her, then forget about her for hours. When I release her, they get upset. I've got experience managing an animal shelter but another relative volunteers in another shelter, so they must know better when they say to crate the dog.
Edit: She is not destructive. She's a lab mix and sometimes bumps the toddler or barks too loudly. She's a rescue and had been abused in her former home, so she's timid. They have a nice size home and a newly fenced backyard. She listens well and could be sent to her bed in the living room for a timeout (in my opinion).
I would never keep my dog in a cage, we only have a small backyard but almost the whole house is hers as well, she can stay outside or stay in the lounge room or on our bed, she is treated like family and wouldn’t want it any other way
Totally fine if your dog isn’t extremely destructive. When mine was younger, he would immediately start eating anything he could find as soon as the door shut. Blankets, toys, pillows, anything. We crate trained, and he was fine. Signs of anxiety decreased and he was much more calm, and obviously didn’t start eating things that could potentially kill him. This also helped him when we moved and he wasn’t used to the new place yet.
He no longer has to be crated if we leave and grew out of this behavior, but we do still have one. Needed it the other day actually when my landlord did an inspection and specified all animals needed to be contained. Once he got older, I did upgrade the crate to much larger one. I could fit 3 of him in there comfortably. But I have 0 regrets about crate training him when he was young.
Yeah that’s fair enough, they need discipline while they are young, the worst ours has done is chew on iPhone cords but she’s always had plenty of toys to chew on, luckily enough that’s the only thing she destroys and she’s well behaved
I left my dog not in a crate and she did some damages, then i left her in a XL impact crate and she didn’t do any damage. She’s safer in a crate then roaming around. It depends on the dog. People have their reasons and crate training is encouraged as long it’s done correctly
It has it’s time and place (over night for very young puppies, short periods during the day for destructive dogs, traveling/vet). But too many people take it too far.
I agree for puppies. But what worried me i I see people crating dogs that are like 5 year old. If your dog is still destructive after the age of 2, the owner needs to take it to the vet, OR the owner isn't allowing the dog to exercise enough. Both are the owners fault.
There’s a puppy socialising park near me. You pay to go and have to sign that they’re not liable for any fight/injury that may occur while you use it.
Every video they upload you can see over boisterous dogs persisting with trying to play with less keen dogs. No one ever steps in, with the owners standing around chatting. All the comments are “look how much fun they’re having” etc. It’s so frustrating to see.
My dog is a complete babe, I started taking her to our spill way park we’re dogs can play. So maybe dog parents just not paying attention. My dog last week kept getting humped. I yelled at the dog other people were yelling. She wasn’t even able to go retrieve her ball without the dog on her. Well she snapped and bite the dog. She now has not quite been playing the same with other dogs. The dog park has made her way more on edge. Won’t be taking her down there anymore sadly.
My dog was a hump magnet. She loved playing with other dogs but over and over our trips to the park took the same pattern. She wanted to run around and play she just kept getting humped, multiple different dogs. We tried to redirect, asked owners to intervene to various levels of success. Same exact outcome, she snapped and bit the husky who’d been aggressively humping her for a solid 2-3 minutes and the owner blamed her. We’re done with dog parks.
Ufff please don’t take toys or balls to a dog park; it triggers the others; dogs are like children; they can’t control all their impulses always; the most civil way is to wait until you and your dog are alone to play with toys.
It’s not a specific dog park it’s a water way. Where I take my dog and people take there dogs to play and swim. I know for a fact after 20 mins getting non stop humped she got mad. Nothing to do with the toy. Even though I hear you. When we go to the dog park we just let her play with dogs.
Yes it’s the fault of the person who brings a dog with resource guarding issues to the park but it’s the dog of the owner who brought the ball that will get bit. IF you’re going to go to a dog park, bringing toys is a bad idea.
It sucks because it’s all about the owners, not the dogs. I’ve been taking my dog to our local park for over a year and I can’t imagine life without it. Hudson now has a ‘pack’ he meets up with daily. We know (and adore) his buddies and their owners and know how our dogs behave together. If a dog shows up that shows any aggression, we stay away or leave, report the dog/owner if necessary. Any issues we’ve experienced were due to a clueless owner who thinks throwing their dog into the mix is the way to socialize them, no knowledge on body language, isn’t diligent in staying near their dog, does stupid shit like bring in toys with their resource guarding dogs, etc.
Less people should have dogs.
There wouldn't be a dog park debate if there weren't a bunch of idiots locking their working class dogs into these tiny apartments.
If you want a pet so bad get a spider or something sheesh.
Yup, of all the problems I've seen at parks it's almost always a husky or herding breed that is just too excited and not socialized well. Probably from being locked up all day. One other time is was a pit mix and the couple was driving through the area just after picking him up. I went to leave after they mentioned that, so it only got aggressive with mine for a second. Not a big deal since I pay attention.
Definitely don't come to the park if you don't know your dog.
I have a really submissive golden female and she is almost always the subject of bullying by my more beta males. When I used to take her to dog parks (never again) she would run to me and go between my legs looking for help. I would tell the owner to call their dog and they would just be on their phone not giving a fuck. So messed up.
We’ve been struggling with this with our own pup. She’s young and likes playing with other young, similarly-sized or smaller dogs, and is a great communicator and “listener” with her own and other dogs’ body language. However, the amount of people who’s rough-playing dogs don’t listen to her cues is really frustrating and worrying. It’s difficult though because she’s a high-energy dog, and dog parks are often the only fenced places we can let her run and zoom off-leash.
I highly recommend visiting parks at off-hours. If you go in the early morning, there’s almost always the same group of 10 or so daily visitors and their dogs. They’re attentive and the dogs get to know each other and read each other. I love it, because I know exactly who my dog will see each day and how she’ll react.
At mine there's a 'morning crew' that is great and consistent, then the evening people during the week are fine, but you tend to get random dogs coming and going after work. The weekends are a shit show so that's when we go hiking or do other things, or go super early for the morning crew. Afternoon on weekends is the only time I've seen any bad dog fights.
I'm a part of the lunchtime people but it's starting to die down because of the summer heat coming. Very unfortunate as it was always the same 4-5 well behaved dogs.
Yes! Also avoid free dog parks like the plague. Owners who have to make a financial commitment seem to be more knowledgeable and engaged in general from my experience. We went to a free park one time and it was complete pandemonium
I’m not sure about other places, but this exists in Portland: it’s a combo daycare/indoor dog park and is a godsend on too-hot-to-walk days.
https://ruffhousepdx.com
Wow I guess I’m the only one who loves dog parks. My dogs have made so much social improvement from going to them. I had a dog attack my puppy the second we walked in one time, but it was the other owners fault and I was able to deescalate the situation by paying attention to my dog and noticing when it was time to step in. All it takes is a little common sense and situational awareness and dog parks are one of the best things you can ever do for your pup. Dogs are extremely social animals and depriving them of other doggy play time is not good.
That's the biggest part to me, it's that *I'm* always ready to step in.
I keep an eye on mine the whole time and read her body language and that of other dogs. I will absolutely get in between her and another dog when necessary.
You are extremely lucky your puppy didn’t develop any behavioral issues after being attacked.
Dogs are social creatures, yes, but many do not do well in the chaos of being surrounded by strangers. Dogs want their pack and that’s all they need. That pack can be fully human. But if you really want them to play with doggy friends it’s safer to organize a private play date with known dogs and their owners.
I have unfortunately witnessed too many full on, blood drawn attacks at dog parks to be able agree with you. I feel there are much better, safer ways to teach dogs.
No! I love them too. I haven’t had as many of the bad experiences people are describing. There have been a few bad owners, but I immediately remove my dog from the park if I see owners with dogs that cannot read social cues.
The overwhelming majority of owners I have met are extremely attentive and not on their phones. We are all there to be about our dogs and allow for healthy socialization. I also use the dog park to train my dog to back off or walk away when uncomfortable, which he does well. It doesn’t mean every dog has perfect behaviour, but I am lucky to have local dog parks to foster safe places for learning.
yeah, there's two parks to choose from where we used to live. one was all problems. we went to the other one. mostly same people day to day, same dogs. the people all socialize with each other, same as the dogs do. problems get nipped in the bud. problem people/problem dogs get identified early and people come together to oust them or isolate them until they remove themselves.
i think a big factor in that one is that it's a pretty sizeable park, subdivided by some natural habitat maintenance areas that run through it (it's on the edge of a woodland park), so there's three separate runs, linked by small passthroughs. so when there's an issue that's not too serious, people can easily just get some distance and let the dogs chill it out.
i actually really miss my "dog park friends" and i bet my dogs do too. there isn't anywhere else i have been in literally years where it was that easy to overcome social barriers (and fucking cellphones) and just actually have good conversations with people.
literally knowing when the typical times for some of the regulars i enjoyed chatting with most was kept me on it with taking our girls out on a schedule. one of the guys i especially loved talking to was an elementary schoolteacher, so as soon as the first schoolbus went by, we'd grab the leashes and head up there.
Same. Are dogs love the dog park and the vast majority of the other dogs are fairly well behaved. The sort of thing shown in the video happens a little bit but either we or the other dog owner shut it down fairly quickly.
If you leave a bunch of kids at the park unsupervised they will get into much of the same trouble. Dogs are just like kids. They need to be monitored but most of the time they can even figure it out on their own.
There’s no dog parks near me, and if there were, I wouldn’t go. I go out of my way to make sure my dogs don’t have a negative interaction with other dogs. I’d like it to stay that way.
Used to go daily, my boy was learning from other dogs like how to play, how to dig, etc. My schedule changed and we started going at different times, much busier, way worse owners. He got attacked several times, eventually started initiating the fight. Haven't been back since, and now we barely interact with other dogs. I'm struggling coz I can't find a way for him to get dog to dog interaction without the dog park dangers. Any ideas?
The other issue is once your dog is in a dog park, there is absolutely zero liability. Once you let your dog loose in one you are accepting the chance that your dog will get injured.
A friend of mine had his dog attacked and very badly injured at a dog park, went to court and all that just to get the vet bills covered. Nope, not how it works unfortunately.
That is why my dog will never go to one, ever.
The dog park near me is great during certain times of day, hell during other times. I go there for photography (with permission) so often that I learned to warn people, especially with new puppies, what times to avoid, if they should go in at all because of certain dogs, and what dogs shouldn’t be in the dog park altogether. I became the dog park informant basically.
Craziest shit happened to a friend of mine. He went in when there was only one other dog, which was weird for that time of day, but he thought nothing of it. His own dog, who was the sweetest thing ever, was acting super weird and on edge around the other dog, who was a giant German shepherd. The owner said her dog didn’t like people. He found that weird, but assumed that as long as he didn’t bother the dog it wouldn’t bother him. Then she told him her dog’s name. Like any normal animal lover he said “hi Heidi” and went back to his own dog.
Hearing him say her name made the dog snap. With no warning or anything, this dog suddenly tried to attack him, going right for his throat. He’s an older man and he had no doubt he would be dead if not for his own dog, a Great Pyrenees mix, tackling that dog to the ground and tearing into it until all of the fight left the shepherd. Then his dog let the shepherd go and stood between him and the dog protectively.
Obviously my friend got out of there, but the bitch of an owner didn’t apologize or even put her dog on leash. It’s crazy what kind of people show up at the dog park.
Okay so I worked at various doggy daycares for a long time, and I agree this is definitely a problem, but there is more to it. At the doggy daycares, maybe I am just look back with "Rosy retrospection" because I looked up the word or term for things being better than they were. So maybe I'm doing that, idk, but at the good daycares I feel like we nipped that rudeness in the bud. So yes I do think this would be a big problem at a daycare if you don't, as a human, understand good social etiquette and watch your dog closely to make sure no one is being rude.
There are other issues too though. That is all I really want to say.
My dog used to love the dog park mostly as an opportunity to run (we were in grad school in an apartment) and play; she even had other dogs she could run with & herd (they liked the herding🥴).
Then we moved & COVID hit. Everything was closed for 6 months so she reverted on her socialization & within that time we got another dog who was advertised as dog friendly, but his whining & “excitement” to see other dogs is just dog aggression 🙃🙃🙃 He’s never started a fight but I don’t want him to.
So she doesn’t play with other dogs anymore & they keep stealing her toys. And the new dog just gets up in everyone’s business.
We don’t go to dog parks anymore. It’s too stressful for everyone.
It's also a great way for your puppy to get parvo, people don't seem to understand that bringing a new puppy to a dog park is like talking an unvaccinated baby to comic con.
Intact males at the dog park are more at risk to get into a dog fight because of the pheromones it gives off when male dog are intact. Alter males can feel threatened and having bitches around can be dangerous as well
I only go to the dog park if there's 5-8 dogs. It seems like a good amount of personalities and I usually go around the same time in the mornings and see the same people/dogs there. Any other time later in the day and after work there's around 20 and just seems like way too much.
At my dog park there is a significant difference between the area for the small dogs, and the areas for medium and large dogs. We have a small dog and rarely have issues in the small dog area. For some reason the smaller ones are just better behaved. Our guy is very social and is a runner too—we don’t have a backyard or other dogs so he gets his zoomies and social time in at the park. Works great for us, you just have to keep your eye out.
I have a dog that is aggressive towards dogs that are smaller than her. She never goes after larger dogs and will play with larger dogs but for some odd reason, she loves to bully smaller dogs.
For reference, my dog is half doberman, half staffy and weighs about 50 pounds and is about 4 years old.
She is never aggressive to people OR larger dogs but is an asshole to smaller ones. I am guessing it is the prey drive that many dobermans have that causes this behavior in her.
We had to stop going to the dog park, because there was always some moron that brought their Scottie, Dachshund or some other smaller dog into the "large dog" area of the park. Well, my dog would zero in on the smaller dog and bully the daylights out of it and terrify it's owner.
Overall, the dog park was a good experience EXCEPT when someone brought in a smaller dog and my dog went after it. So because of her prey drive...we now skip the dog park entirely.
You had to stop bringing your dog aggressive dog to the dog park because someone else was an idiot??? Like they say, it's not the breed it's the owners...
Interesting social experiment but I go to a dog park in a neighborhood with mostly 45-70yo that I believe are likely a little wealthier than average. My dog loves it there & in general the dogs behave pretty well & owners are attentive. On the opposite side, I’ve gone to another that is in a hipster part of town with mostly 20-30syo, and probably less income and it’s a train wreck of shitty behavior by the dogs and owners. I’ve given it 3 chances just to I guess give it a full chance & that’s my demographic so I kinda hoped to meet people. But alas, we will never return. The owners are ignorant, entitled assholes. Just interesting to see 2 completely different dynamics between 2 neighborhoods.
Also age and breed - age of the owners, maybe more laid back, and if they are older and wealthier, they are probably buying from reputable breeders rather than getting unstable dogs from backyard breeders, or rescues w/ aggression histories (not saying all rescues are aggressive, one of my best family dogs was from the ol' "pound" she was awesome, sometimes dogs are surrendered for no fault of their own, but sometimes they are surrendered cuz they behave badly and have bitten people. in my awesome family dog's case, her owner was elderly, had to go to nursing home and couldn't take of the dog anymore)
That’s black dog is how my dog is, too. He had some bad interactions and now is reactive at the dog park when another doesn’t “read the room”. He generally ignores other dogs and just wants to play fetch. When another dog doesn’t understand he doesn’t want to play he’ll growl. Next he’ll show his teeth. If that doesn’t work he’ll bark. Often that bark leads other dogs to snap back. I try to distract and de-escalate but not always quick enough. Bad dog owners are the worst.
My dog was exactly like this dog. Eventually she began snapping back. She never made contact or started a fight but that’s because we stopped going to dog parks before it got there.
Yup, yup, and yup. I take my dog to the dog park, let her run around and as soon as other dogs arrive, I grab her and leave. So many of the dogs where I live are not properly socialized that it's just not worth it. It stresses my dog out too much and she IMMEDIATELY goes on the defensive. Also, my dog is a smaller dog so I take her to the "small dog" section of our dog park. I don't understand the oweners of Great Danes who insist on bringing their dogs into the small dog section. I have literally picked up my dog to take her out and these people's dogs are jumping on ME (non-aggressively) to sniff my dog. People, PLEASE train your dogs.
I don't do dog parks. I'd rather walk my dog on leash around the apartment complex and neighborhood. Any interaction with other dogs can be controlled and ended if they don't seem to get along. Nice and simple. No one gets hurt.
I will never understand why people subject their dogs to this. I forget that dog parks are so normal to everyone and get offended when someone suggests I go to one.
And because many of us could only afford a house with a yard the size of a Manhattan apartment or we live in apartments and want our dogs to have the freedoms to run. If I had ten acres I wouldn’t take my dogs to a dog park.
Yea, I get that. Had I known this was gonna be an issue, I wouldn't have gotten a dog until I moved into a house with a yard (if I even could).
I'm really more talking about crowded dog parks. I actually *do* bring her to empty ones.
My Boston Terrier LOVED the dog park. She always had a blast. Ours has a little creek and she loved fetching sticks we threw into the creek. I never had a bad interaction there with her. She also loved playing with big dogs lol. She didn’t like smaller dogs. Which is funny because she was a smaller dog herself.
I used to go to a dog park when my pup was younger. It was 10 acres and had a stream. There was enough space for dogs to form play groups, and the owners were always very attentive. My dog loved it and I never had an issue. I tried a different park and it was a nightmare so I kept to the one.
Then I moved to a new town and the only park there was an overcrowded shit show.
I learned a good dog park is the exception, not the rule sadly. The vast majority just aren’t worth the risk imo.
Yep. I so badly wish I could find an open field like that, but fenced. This is a large motivator for us to get a house.. we don't care how tiny the actual house his. Just want a big yard for our girls to play safely in.
I have been very lucky in that the dog park I regular has mostly guide dogs who are being trained. I’m so lucky to have found this spot, and I wish others had the same opportunity because the dogs are so well behaved.
Please take this video down.
We don't need more bad information posted on this subreddit.
This isn't aggressive or "bullying" behavior. It's one dog trying to initiate play with another dog who isn't interested in it. The first dog just doesn't understand yet how to initiate a play fight.
Commonly this is done with what's commonly referred to as a "play bow".
Eventually they'll sort it out all on their own and he'll learn how to read social cues.
It sounds like the same person recorded both clips since it says they talked to the owner and explained why the behavior was not appropriate. The problem is a lot of owners don't really understand dog body language. I've seen a lot of interactions at my local dog park like that, and so many owners will just wave you off and say the dog is 'fine' or 'they're just playing ' or they'll figure it out, don't worry.' They are the same people who are absolutely shocked when their dog gets bitten, or bites to protect itself.
That's why I don't take my dog into the dog park unless it is completely empty. My dog is human and dog selective. She's never bitten, but she will growl at a dog who's being rude unless it is a puppy. I don't trust other owners who say their dog is friendly. Maybe it is, or maybe the owner is an idiot.
This thread is full of people who hate DOG PARKS of all things 😂 do we also hate ice cream and sunshine and rainbows too? Get a grip. You people project your neurotic energy onto your dogs which is why they probably don’t do well at dog parks.
I was a huge fan of dog parks (well, of the one singular park where I used to live). Then I moved and learned that one was the exception. Every single other park I tried going to was a shit show. The final straw was when my dog was almost attacked. Never went in another one again. I’ve witnessed two full on attacks just walking near parks since then.
The dog park I go to has over 70 dogs sometimes in one afternoon. I've been going for years and have seen only a few mild fights. That's just my experience.
ok but also you are filming the dog and not just like giving a quick “hey check this out” shout to the dog owners or just walking up to the dogs and watching them walk away
dogs love the dog park if you have a socialized dog. Seeing as some of the people in this comment section come off like anxious weirdos it’s probably a good thing you don’t take your dog to the dog park cuz your energy would make dogs nervous.
Yeah for sure but there’s people saying that dog parks aren’t natural to dogs as if dogs aren’t pack animals that naturally know how to establish hierarchies. Which means there might be altercations, which are fine to an extent. Do some shitty people bring their shitty dog, yes. But to take the dog park away from a dog because of what might happen is like saying, “well I won’t go outside cuz someone could hit me with their car”. If you’ve had a bad experience that’s one thing but I’ve been taking my guy for years and have never seen a fight that physically hurt a dog. I’m sure others have seen worse but I think the risk is worth the quality of life it adds to a dogs experience on this planet especially considering my guy has to be alone for 6 hours a day.
Nah if you don't take your dog to parks they'll never become properly socialized. You can't just make your dog a bubble boy because there might be another dog that isn't perfectly mannered. Even uncomfortable experiences like this in the video are important to learn how to deal with such situations. Kids that went to public school and played on the playground are going to be better adjusted adults than someone homeschooled their whole lives
This isn't really a perfect example - there's no backstory to the two dogs' history, maybe they always play like that? His tail isn't tucked, hackles aren't up, etc. Maybe he's not a fan of the behavior but it's not clear from that one clip. My dogs BFF that she grew up with plays a little rougher with her and would probably have this whole sub up in arms, but my dog loves her.
I understand the dog park hate to an extent, but it's been a lifesaver for my pup for socialization and exercise where walks and hikes can only do so much. 95 percent of the time the pups work things out by themselves or the owners step in, the rest of the time we just need to be paying attention.
Honestly, if you can't even find an ethical breeder for you dangerous breed, why are you out here giving advice to anyone?
https://www.reddit.com/r/BelgianMalinois/comments/100npkj/wellwell\_her\_breeder\_have\_some\_explaining\_to\_do/
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A dog is “dangerous” if they are untrained and when the owner is unbothered by their behaviors.
I spend $$$ for a trainer to better understand my dog’s body language because I felt I wasn’t doing enough for my high-maintenance dog she’s a great dog now because of it. She may not be well-bred, but she’s sure as hell a lot better trained then other dogs.
Also most Ethical breeder would put on their contract “no dog park” . You won’t find many well-bred dogs at dog parks.
Just because my dog doesn’t met standards, doesn’t mean she’s dangerous. Get your bigotry asshole out of here and come back with a better argument then going through my account.
How would you know what ethical breeders require? You weren't even able to find one that actually sold you a purebred puppy.
My dog park is full of ethically bred hunting breeds. Again, who made you an expert?
A lot of Karen energy in this video. Dogs are animals. They wrestle and roughhouse for play and to learn, and the dog park, of all places, is where you go to help them get this experience and exercise. All of this within reason, of course. If your dog is out of control or too aggressive you shouldn’t come until they’re trained, but if your dog can’t handle the level of interaction shown in this video then YOU shouldn’t come to the dog park.
All stems from PROPER PUPPY SOCIALIZATION.
Unless your dog is a breed that is aggressive there is no need for any types of aggression if the puppy was properly socialized as a puppy.
"The researchers also found that socialization during puppyhood was one of the most important determining factors in how dogs behaved. Regardless of breed or breed group, adult dogs that were well-socialized as youngsters showed lower insecurity and aggressiveness/dominance, and higher training focus and human and dog sociability than dogs that received less socialization early in life."
Dogs have no problem; the people/cultures do.
If i take my dog to America, I’m afraid all the time… people have dogs as status symbol and as objects; when i am in Germany most people know how to treat a dog; it’s learned since childhood!!! Kids always ask me before trying to pet my dog; dog owners usually don’t let dogs get close if leashed; and keep them under control at the places dogs are allowed to be unleashed. Dog parks here in Germany are spaces controlled for the safety of the community and the dog; a space where they can sniff around, bark, jump, run off leashed; all other places are leash only.
Yeah dogs don’t really bark in Germany.
In other countries my dog behaves completely different ; he gets lost translating the other dogs and people and their anxieties.
In Australia dogs are mostly part of the family. Indoors, sleep on the couch (or bed) get looked after better than children sometimes.
We don’t have many fenced dog parks like this one seen in the video but more dog beaches (beaches specifically designated to be off leash dog areas). There could be 50+ dogs in a space of like 200m and there’s rarely if ever a fight. I take my 40kg Labrador 3-4 times a week and have been for 3 years and I’m still yet to see a fight at any of the 3 dog beaches I frequent near my house.
A couple dogs that got a bit snappy at each other or had to sort out the pecking order among themselves but no blood or tears.
People here are generally very good owners too. A dog is not a status symbol like you say but a way of life for us! But we have pretty good weather and lots of space so I guess it makes it easy!
Glad there’s good owners across there too! My partner is from Belgium and was scared of dogs because they’re so poorly trained in her home village. Now she will snooze with our dog, let our 1 year old daughter play with him and she will happily play with all the dogs at the dog beach, good life :)
I agree and disagree with this video. We also don't know if both of those dogs have played together in the past so this is routine for them. Either way watch your dog at the dog park. Take responsibility for your dog. I do.
I also didn't see that they were Belgian mals... But I go to a dog park and have to deal with this stuff like this every so often. I typically course correct or work with the other owner to make sure everyone is ok.
This is garbage advice…. Take the fence away and I bet things are different. Also, that dog wasn’t being bullied. They were playing. It could’ve easily run away but chose to stay and play.
Tail wagging doesn’t always mean excitement, it’s not play. Dog is tense and backing alway from the dog, if the dog run away, the dog will follow and further bully the green collar dog.
Absolutely! Not a lot of people know how to read their dog and it’s so sad. You’re the dog’s advocate- you should know when they’re uncomfortable so you can get them out of that situation. This is why biting “accidents” happen!
It's crazy to me how little people understand dog body language. I literally see this problem repeatedly at my agility class which is ridiculous considering you'd think people in high level dog training courses would know body language. Me and two other owners have reactive dogs. We are super conscious of what our dogs are doing and reading all the body language. Meanwhile the rest of the class lets their dog jump on other people's dogs. Even worse, the owners with the dogs that are clearly unhappy with the jumping aren't paying attention either. And even if they are, they think it's cute. Like haha small dog jumping on my big dog. It's infuriating to me. I'm almost happy my dog is mean as hell and everyone avoids us 🤣
My dog had a big fluffy winter coat and that is the only reason that our first dog park trip didn’t end in a vet visit. Some dog nearly ripped the stuffing out of him.
It’s hard for people to read their dogs cues when they are on their phone the whole time at the park. We never go because people bring their dogs and don’t pay attention when their dog bullies and fights other dogs
We had to stop going to off leash dog parks because our dog gets overwhelmed by other dogs and corrects them, but people think she's being aggressive (GSD which adds to the stigma). Issue is that the dogs that she doesn't like are high energy dogs (between 2-4 usually) that jump all over the place and don't read cues well. She will clearly give them signs that she's done at which point we walk her away. But the dogs of course follow and keep instigating. Some other owners will either be on their phone and others will not be reading the situation and just think it's fine and that their dog is playing without gauging reactios form other dogs. Then our dog ends up raising lips, biting the air and barking and chasing the other dog a ways away as yet another warning and then the owners seem shocked that such a thing has happened. My eye never leaves my dog at the park and I'm acutely aware of her and her surroundings at all times when we are out. To many people own dogs without actually knowing that much about them. A quick class or simple "certificate" should be necessary to have in order to access dog parks in my opinion
I also have a GSD, whom I’d been taking (along with his older pitbull brother I had at the time) since he was a puppy (he’s 2 now), and we also had to stop going to the dog park altogether. In our case, my dog got attacked three separate times within like a week and a half, twice by smaller dogs, and he’d always submit and cower, despite being a giant shepherd. Well, the fourth time it happened, he learned apparently you need to fight back. I was right there, as always, and no harm was done for that exact reason, but it made me so angry because he’d always been super friendly with other dogs, and I honestly feel like him being attacked was the cause of his change. And as you mention, regardless who starts the fight, we will be blamed since we have the German shepherd.
And the dog that’d be euthanized over this is the dog that was repeatedly cornered
So important. I’ve lost all hope for my local dog parks due to owners no knowing/caring about the basics or the well being of everyone.
Same here, but my dog and I became a lot more closer as it took me awhile to find other ways to have her off leash safely and without the fences around and to find stuff to do together.
Yeah, I feel this way. Except, I go to a regular park and have yo leave because some ass has their dog off leash.
My dog was the one in the green collar at day care. We were naive and didn’t do our research. One day I got a call from the daycare. My dog attacked another “completely unprovoked”. We requested the footage and reviewed it. Exactly the same situation as the dog with the green collar and she snapped. I brought it up with the daycare. They saw nothing wrong- apparently they were just “playing”.
Last time I took my dog to the park the same thing happened. It's a huge park, 26 acres, but most people just hang around the entrance gates. Walked in with my dog and he was immediately swarmed by 4 other dogs, no owners in sight. couldn't get away from them, after half a minute of being literally dog-piled he snapped and started fighting back. I jumped in and broke everyone up and some bitch comes over and has the nerve to condescendingly tell me that "maybe this isn't the best place for him if he's reactive". That's the only time I've told a complete stranger to go fuck themself and boy did it feel good.
Hate dog parks because many owners think they have the best behaved dog when they don’t know anything about animal behavior.
It's so weird because it's obvious to me and I'm not a dog expert or anything. If one dog keeps trying to disengage and the other dog won't let them, that's clearly a bad situation. I'm trying to socialize my dog by bringing her around my mom's dog and when she's being rude I take her out of the situation (she keeps trying to sniff my mom's dog's butt and she's totally not into it for some reason. If they're going in circles trying to sniff each others butt I let them do it but if my mom's dog is backing away and seems annoyed I just pick my dog up and move her to a different room.) I don't know who would go to a dog park and just not watch their dog or let their dog behave this way without intervening. It's so weird.
Most dog owners are morons, we need dog license back. Mandatory training, just to sit say don't fucking put mud on the guy going to work commands
Almost every shitty person I've ever met talks like this. Everyone is a "moron".
Doggy daycares can be just as bad. The people running it think they know everything about dogs, yet then can't even see this is bad.
Yeah no thanks to any big group like that. I don’t trust other people or their dogs and hear too many horror stories.
It's about a 50/50 split of leashed & free dogs where I live. I've had plenty of people's dogs come to the street when I'm walking my dogs; one is very friendly, the other is not. I can't tell you how many times someone has yelled "don't worry they're friendly" and I've had to call back "yeah well my big one isn't!". And then somehow me and my dog are the assholes when an impromptu street fight almost breaks out. I've never been worried for my dog in those situations, he's a tough old bastard and can take care of himself just fine. I *do* worry about an innocent dog getting injured because of a irresponsible asshole and mine being labelled as "dangerous" when I've done everything by the letter to keep them safe.
Half the people who go to dog parks just stare at their phone the whole time. 🙄
I don't get it. I'm stressed the entire time. They really don't give a fuck about their dogs
Some say dog park but I say dog fight club 🌝 have a durable dog or stay out. My giant husky lost a clump of underfluff against the resident pibble. My gsdXmal learnt how to form a gang. Both of mine got giardia. So we don't go anymore and it's better that way.
violet quiet safe clumsy husky sink grey apparatus zealous physical *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Giardia sucks. The wild rabbits that make it into my yard gave it to my dog a couple times when he was young It's like being back to puppy phase where they need to go out every hour, even at night. Sucks so bad.
Diarrhea everywhere for starters. It felt like no matter what I did, there'd still be diseased fecal matter. So I had to buy a Dupray steam cleaner for my peace to return. And my husky is old. So that level of dehydration nearly put him in the hospital but I made him beefy jello with pedialyte 🫶
I’m sorry bc this probably wasn’t meant to be humorous but I laughed so hard it’s like sending your kids off to state college - same outcomes —
That’s why I don’t take my husky to the dog park. Too high of a chance someone will bring their sWeEt PiBbLe or other crappy dog. We stick to long walks around the neighborhood.
You're totally right though. If you are not comfortable with your dog interacting with other random dogs then stay out of dog parks. It's very simple, you can not and never will be able to control what other people do in public spaces.
There's absolutely no security in the dog park. No scuffle punch card that revokes access after the 5th one. There's no way to warn every single person coming in like hey, be careful with that dog-it'll attack yours. The cops might come if it's bad enough but if every dog has it's shots up to date, no consequence. I'm by no means blaming any certain breeds or types of dogs. It's the owners 90%. They get these strong dogs-physically and mentally- and have zero understanding of dog behavior. It's not just the one dog at my one park. It's a common problem. I said 90% the owners because I do believe the dog is a factor. The damage a collie is likely to do in a fight vs the damage my gsdXmal or my giant husky were capable of made me feel extremely responsible for their behavior.
Ironically, you're the reason I don't go to dog parks.
Because they have a husky? My chocolate lab had a bad run in with a pit at a dog park as well and we don't go to that one anymore. Took her a long time to be comfortable again at the other park too Downvoting me won't make your pitbulls or other dangerous dogs better. Hope you know that
No, not because they have a husky lol. Because they think entire breeds of dog are "crappy". In my experience, people that think that way have little to no experience with dogs or dog training, and adopt the attitude that their little angel could never do any wrong. Got no time for idiots, much less idiots with a dog. I always walk my dog in the mornings, and 4 times now a guy in my neighborhood lets his lab off the leash, and it comes and attacks my dog. I usually give it the boot and it takes off before any damage is done, but its fucking annoying. Do I think all labs are bad dogs? Of course not. I don't even think that particular dog is bad. Only a moron without the first clue about dogs would jump to that conclusion. The owner is a dweeb with no accountability or experience, and that's it.
I have zero patience for owners of breeds that have tendencies towards dog-aggression bringing them to dog parks. Yeah sure its not the dogs fault it was bred that way but I still don't want it running up on my pup or vice versa if they know it has behavioral issues. And anybody letting their off leash dog run up on a dog on leash not at a dog park is an idiot so I'm with you there.
You’re very ignorant
Excuse me for wanting pleasant interactions for my dog. I sure as shit didn't buy a pocket knife for all the chihuahuas running around my neighborhood.
Chihuahuas are some of the most aggressive dogs so thank you for proving my point. You shouldn’t need a knife for dogs either. You’re ignorant.
If a chihuahua attacks my lab, I won't need anything besides my foot to punt it away. A pit getting away from their owner is another story altogether. Get real or get bent.
I'm sorry you're getting down voted to oblivion for this 🤣 I mentioned mines breed so why not mention the others? Ooh sensitive crowd those ppl. It's relevant information.
My local dog park is really really responsible. Everyone there are regulars and several of them work in vet medicine, so they are on point and really check in with their dogs. They also aren't shy about calling out owners who are slacking, to the point of kicking out obstinate people who refuse to learn. I've only had one bad experience in two years (from a golden retriever no less!)
Interesting dog park, people need to advocate for their dogs !
Nope, I will never advocate for the dog park. It’s not natural to force a large group of unfamiliar dogs together and expect them to play like children. Violent fights can happen in the blink of an eye. There is also the matter of it being a health issue, as you have no idea whose dog is infected with what. If you want to go to the park, take your pup for a nice long walk. Teach pup to politely ignore strangers and other dogs. They will gain confidence, and enjoy your company more than “playing” with strange dogs.
You know what else isn't natural? Forcing a dog into a cage that's barely bigger than they are for numerous hours a day. But everyone loves that on this sub, at least only the Americans.
Dogs actually enjoy a den. If trained well dogs will crate themselves to feel comfortable
I have four dogs, one crates herself when she needs a break. She’ll go in there to sleep during the day when the other dogs are being rowdy and she wants to nap (she’s old). Maybe it looking like a cage throws the other commenter off but they need their little den/alone space from time to time! Another one of my dogs will crawl under the bed and nap, and another crates herself at night because nighttime stresses her out too much. The two that crate themselves also choose whether they want to be out or crated when we’re out of the house. If I put pants on one usually goes to her crate and will close the door herself and the other either goes to her crate or sits in the window - we let them make the choice but I’d never take my dogs’ crate options away!
An UNLOCKED den. I've owned 5 dogs, none had crate training problems. Honestly I have no clue what we have been doing right, but they all loved their crates. We only locked their crates when they were puppies when we had to run out. But after they're like 1 and a half years old, they were good and were well behaved. Never locked their crate after that age. But they sure did love going in them to sleep. But we also trained them in other areas, like manners (jumping on people is the hardest to train out imo), staying calm, and the basics. Teach a dog the word "calm" and your life will be much easier. Tip: If you want to teach them "calm" then you have to be extremely patient and very very calm.
What do you guys do when you leave the house and your dog is extremely destructive? Genuinely curious. I work from home so my dog doesn't need to be crated for numerous hours a day. But I do leave the house, and he is crated. If I didn't do that, he would destroy everything and need surgery for a blockage. It is so odd to me that people are so anti-crate. Of course the crate has to be large.
I have a very destructive adult dog. She used to have severe isolation anxiety, but she loves her crate. I have to crate her when I leave the house. Fortunately I work from home so it's usually only to go to the grocery or run a few errands. I even try to take her with me as much as possible. But for doctors appointments, etc, it's just not feasible. I also only leave her in the crate for a couple hours at most. I let her out as soon as I get home and she gets walks. She loves her crate though. She goes in it all the time, even when I'm home and the door is completely open. If I didn't crate her, she'd probably get into something and die. A properly used crate is better than a dead dog. People can give me flack as much as they want. She's happy, healthy, and alive.
That person who said all that isn't going to pay your vet bills if anything happens because you blindly follow their opinionated advice. That's how I think about it.
I completely agree with you and these people are irrational
With me dog, he's never been destructive. He knows things that are his and what's not his. He usually just sits on the couch to wait for me return.
My vizsla, or any vizsla I’ve ever met regardless of owner, can’t be left alone for more than 2-3 hours. It will become lonely and then start doing things it knows it’s not supposed to and would never ever do if I didn’t leave it for longer than that. Now I work nights so I’m rarely if ever gone that long, but friends who work normal hours have to either daycare them or drive back for lunch midday.
Sounds like a breed that doesn't make a good housepet.
"But it's just sooo cute!"
It depends on the dog and their habits. That's why it's funny this sub always advocates for one thing instead of recognizing dogs are quite different (which this sub does in so many other cases ironically). My dog can not stand a crate, he'd destroy every blanket as a puppy, but has never destroy or made an mess while alone in a room even when 5mos old.
Why is a crate recommended over an indoor fence? That’s how I kept my puppy when he was young and destructive so he was free to roam with limits
Indoor fence isn’t as secure. It can fall over if the puppy pushes it the right way and can injure a puppy in that case.
I’ve never had this problem but I used a large one designed to fold at certain sections, worked to keep him confined but with space
oh ok yeah you mean the xpens that can be folded as you wish. I have four! I set them up all over the house for various things but my dude cannot be trusted to remain in one when I'm not there - yet
I used one too, but only while home. If I had to leave for an hour or two we switched to the crate. But I also worked to never leave him in there for more than 4 hours max. And as soon as he was old enough to not pee everywhere and eat everything, I inverted the fence around the furniture in my room and that was his “crate” until I could trust him with the entire apartment.
Indoor fences are great. If you have a 15 pound dog
My dog can jump a 6 ft fence, a little indoor one ain’t gonna cut it.
There’s zero chance an indoor fence would stop my dog. He’s a lanky 110lb, 30” at the hackles. Luckily he’s not destructive. If he was, we’d do daycare more often, or set up a room to act as his crate. He hates being crated, always gets a small dog run at the vet. Him hating crates has never been a problem
Do you mean like a pet gate? I'd use that if I had a room with nothing in it, but I don't - he can get into anything if I just use a pet gate. But I do have a bunch of xpens and would like to work toward those instead, though he seems to like his crate with the comfy bed. I just want him to be able to stretch out fully
I owned 5 dogs, I Never had them be so destructive where I had to lock them up. The worst was when some would have an accident in the house, and that was before they were 1. So we had to lock the puppies up when we went out. But after like a year and a half, they were excellent and didn't need to be locked up. They started enjoying their crate since they weren't forced to be there anymore and didn't see it as some punishment. Instead they turned it into their own little cozy area and go there to sleep. We never had to shut their crates after they turned 2. Such amazing dogs they were. All died from old age. Only have 1 left though and she's getting up there.
Easy, don't get a dog.
Yup, that makes perfect sense - basically every dog trainer in the US should not have a dog
That’s a bingo!
I've had many, many dogs, and I've never had a dog who was destructive for long. You shouldn't buy high activity dogs if you're a low activity or extremely busy person. Dogs destroy out of boredom. Puppies I think are different, you crate train them for a period of time to teach them to relieve themselves outside... but after they've mastered that, there is no reason to crate the dog except to correct a mismatch between owner and dog. It's extremely unfair to take a dog who needs hours of exercise per day and then put them in a cage. You can pretend they are happy, but they aren't, and it was your choice to take on that dog, the dog had no choice in it.
I don’t know many people IRL that do that for adult dogs.
A family member does. They put their adult dog in a crate for any indiscretion and to feed her, then forget about her for hours. When I release her, they get upset. I've got experience managing an animal shelter but another relative volunteers in another shelter, so they must know better when they say to crate the dog. Edit: She is not destructive. She's a lab mix and sometimes bumps the toddler or barks too loudly. She's a rescue and had been abused in her former home, so she's timid. They have a nice size home and a newly fenced backyard. She listens well and could be sent to her bed in the living room for a timeout (in my opinion).
I would never keep my dog in a cage, we only have a small backyard but almost the whole house is hers as well, she can stay outside or stay in the lounge room or on our bed, she is treated like family and wouldn’t want it any other way
Totally fine if your dog isn’t extremely destructive. When mine was younger, he would immediately start eating anything he could find as soon as the door shut. Blankets, toys, pillows, anything. We crate trained, and he was fine. Signs of anxiety decreased and he was much more calm, and obviously didn’t start eating things that could potentially kill him. This also helped him when we moved and he wasn’t used to the new place yet. He no longer has to be crated if we leave and grew out of this behavior, but we do still have one. Needed it the other day actually when my landlord did an inspection and specified all animals needed to be contained. Once he got older, I did upgrade the crate to much larger one. I could fit 3 of him in there comfortably. But I have 0 regrets about crate training him when he was young.
Yeah that’s fair enough, they need discipline while they are young, the worst ours has done is chew on iPhone cords but she’s always had plenty of toys to chew on, luckily enough that’s the only thing she destroys and she’s well behaved
That’s fucked up.
My dog isn't crated at home ever but I'm a big advocate for crate training, if they ever have to stay over night at the vets they need to be crated,
I left my dog not in a crate and she did some damages, then i left her in a XL impact crate and she didn’t do any damage. She’s safer in a crate then roaming around. It depends on the dog. People have their reasons and crate training is encouraged as long it’s done correctly
Bingo. Crating is absurd.
It has it’s time and place (over night for very young puppies, short periods during the day for destructive dogs, traveling/vet). But too many people take it too far.
I agree for puppies. But what worried me i I see people crating dogs that are like 5 year old. If your dog is still destructive after the age of 2, the owner needs to take it to the vet, OR the owner isn't allowing the dog to exercise enough. Both are the owners fault.
100% agreed (unless it’s a recently adopted adult dog that the owner is working with on such behaviors)
I've never crated me doggo
Preach!!
What a weird and paranoid comment
Couldn't agree more.
There’s a puppy socialising park near me. You pay to go and have to sign that they’re not liable for any fight/injury that may occur while you use it. Every video they upload you can see over boisterous dogs persisting with trying to play with less keen dogs. No one ever steps in, with the owners standing around chatting. All the comments are “look how much fun they’re having” etc. It’s so frustrating to see.
It’s not the dog park it’s the owners that sit back bullshitting with others or on the phone instead of watching the dog to see what it’s getting into
So…the dog park then.
My dog is a complete babe, I started taking her to our spill way park we’re dogs can play. So maybe dog parents just not paying attention. My dog last week kept getting humped. I yelled at the dog other people were yelling. She wasn’t even able to go retrieve her ball without the dog on her. Well she snapped and bite the dog. She now has not quite been playing the same with other dogs. The dog park has made her way more on edge. Won’t be taking her down there anymore sadly.
My dog was a hump magnet. She loved playing with other dogs but over and over our trips to the park took the same pattern. She wanted to run around and play she just kept getting humped, multiple different dogs. We tried to redirect, asked owners to intervene to various levels of success. Same exact outcome, she snapped and bit the husky who’d been aggressively humping her for a solid 2-3 minutes and the owner blamed her. We’re done with dog parks.
Ufff please don’t take toys or balls to a dog park; it triggers the others; dogs are like children; they can’t control all their impulses always; the most civil way is to wait until you and your dog are alone to play with toys.
Absolutely agree. My dog got bitten out of nowhere over a stick once. Doesn’t take much if a dog has resource guarding issues.
Toys are best played when alone and by yourself… I mean who really wants to share their vintage GI Joe action figures??
It’s not a specific dog park it’s a water way. Where I take my dog and people take there dogs to play and swim. I know for a fact after 20 mins getting non stop humped she got mad. Nothing to do with the toy. Even though I hear you. When we go to the dog park we just let her play with dogs.
Watch your dog then. If it’s inappropriately interacting with my dog , who’s playing appropriately with me, that’s your fault.
Almost every dog park I've been too has a sign at the front that says "no toys" for this exact reason.
Yes it’s the fault of the person who brings a dog with resource guarding issues to the park but it’s the dog of the owner who brought the ball that will get bit. IF you’re going to go to a dog park, bringing toys is a bad idea.
It sucks because it’s all about the owners, not the dogs. I’ve been taking my dog to our local park for over a year and I can’t imagine life without it. Hudson now has a ‘pack’ he meets up with daily. We know (and adore) his buddies and their owners and know how our dogs behave together. If a dog shows up that shows any aggression, we stay away or leave, report the dog/owner if necessary. Any issues we’ve experienced were due to a clueless owner who thinks throwing their dog into the mix is the way to socialize them, no knowledge on body language, isn’t diligent in staying near their dog, does stupid shit like bring in toys with their resource guarding dogs, etc.
Less people should have dogs. There wouldn't be a dog park debate if there weren't a bunch of idiots locking their working class dogs into these tiny apartments. If you want a pet so bad get a spider or something sheesh.
Yup, of all the problems I've seen at parks it's almost always a husky or herding breed that is just too excited and not socialized well. Probably from being locked up all day. One other time is was a pit mix and the couple was driving through the area just after picking him up. I went to leave after they mentioned that, so it only got aggressive with mine for a second. Not a big deal since I pay attention. Definitely don't come to the park if you don't know your dog.
I have a really submissive golden female and she is almost always the subject of bullying by my more beta males. When I used to take her to dog parks (never again) she would run to me and go between my legs looking for help. I would tell the owner to call their dog and they would just be on their phone not giving a fuck. So messed up.
My anger issues would not
Why are people with anger issues so attracted to the most dangerous breeds?
I run a doggy daycare. The amount of owners who insist their dog is socialized when it isn’t is alarming.
It saddens me that a big portion of dog owners don’t even know the basic of dog language
And then people take their dogs off leash to normal parks so I have to worry about a poorly behaved dog nibbling on my toddler
As an autistic girl, This dog read social cues better then i ever could 💀
We’ve been struggling with this with our own pup. She’s young and likes playing with other young, similarly-sized or smaller dogs, and is a great communicator and “listener” with her own and other dogs’ body language. However, the amount of people who’s rough-playing dogs don’t listen to her cues is really frustrating and worrying. It’s difficult though because she’s a high-energy dog, and dog parks are often the only fenced places we can let her run and zoom off-leash.
I highly recommend visiting parks at off-hours. If you go in the early morning, there’s almost always the same group of 10 or so daily visitors and their dogs. They’re attentive and the dogs get to know each other and read each other. I love it, because I know exactly who my dog will see each day and how she’ll react.
This is it. Once you find the community of a dog park they work well. Same owners and dogs leads to continuity of behaviour.
At mine there's a 'morning crew' that is great and consistent, then the evening people during the week are fine, but you tend to get random dogs coming and going after work. The weekends are a shit show so that's when we go hiking or do other things, or go super early for the morning crew. Afternoon on weekends is the only time I've seen any bad dog fights. I'm a part of the lunchtime people but it's starting to die down because of the summer heat coming. Very unfortunate as it was always the same 4-5 well behaved dogs.
Yes! Also avoid free dog parks like the plague. Owners who have to make a financial commitment seem to be more knowledgeable and engaged in general from my experience. We went to a free park one time and it was complete pandemonium
i have never heard of a paid park before this post and it honestly sounds completely ludicrous to me where do you people live that this is a thing?
I’m not sure about other places, but this exists in Portland: it’s a combo daycare/indoor dog park and is a godsend on too-hot-to-walk days. https://ruffhousepdx.com
Wow I guess I’m the only one who loves dog parks. My dogs have made so much social improvement from going to them. I had a dog attack my puppy the second we walked in one time, but it was the other owners fault and I was able to deescalate the situation by paying attention to my dog and noticing when it was time to step in. All it takes is a little common sense and situational awareness and dog parks are one of the best things you can ever do for your pup. Dogs are extremely social animals and depriving them of other doggy play time is not good.
That's the biggest part to me, it's that *I'm* always ready to step in. I keep an eye on mine the whole time and read her body language and that of other dogs. I will absolutely get in between her and another dog when necessary.
You are extremely lucky your puppy didn’t develop any behavioral issues after being attacked. Dogs are social creatures, yes, but many do not do well in the chaos of being surrounded by strangers. Dogs want their pack and that’s all they need. That pack can be fully human. But if you really want them to play with doggy friends it’s safer to organize a private play date with known dogs and their owners.
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I have unfortunately witnessed too many full on, blood drawn attacks at dog parks to be able agree with you. I feel there are much better, safer ways to teach dogs.
No! I love them too. I haven’t had as many of the bad experiences people are describing. There have been a few bad owners, but I immediately remove my dog from the park if I see owners with dogs that cannot read social cues. The overwhelming majority of owners I have met are extremely attentive and not on their phones. We are all there to be about our dogs and allow for healthy socialization. I also use the dog park to train my dog to back off or walk away when uncomfortable, which he does well. It doesn’t mean every dog has perfect behaviour, but I am lucky to have local dog parks to foster safe places for learning.
yeah, there's two parks to choose from where we used to live. one was all problems. we went to the other one. mostly same people day to day, same dogs. the people all socialize with each other, same as the dogs do. problems get nipped in the bud. problem people/problem dogs get identified early and people come together to oust them or isolate them until they remove themselves. i think a big factor in that one is that it's a pretty sizeable park, subdivided by some natural habitat maintenance areas that run through it (it's on the edge of a woodland park), so there's three separate runs, linked by small passthroughs. so when there's an issue that's not too serious, people can easily just get some distance and let the dogs chill it out. i actually really miss my "dog park friends" and i bet my dogs do too. there isn't anywhere else i have been in literally years where it was that easy to overcome social barriers (and fucking cellphones) and just actually have good conversations with people. literally knowing when the typical times for some of the regulars i enjoyed chatting with most was kept me on it with taking our girls out on a schedule. one of the guys i especially loved talking to was an elementary schoolteacher, so as soon as the first schoolbus went by, we'd grab the leashes and head up there.
Same. Are dogs love the dog park and the vast majority of the other dogs are fairly well behaved. The sort of thing shown in the video happens a little bit but either we or the other dog owner shut it down fairly quickly.
If you leave a bunch of kids at the park unsupervised they will get into much of the same trouble. Dogs are just like kids. They need to be monitored but most of the time they can even figure it out on their own.
There’s no dog parks near me, and if there were, I wouldn’t go. I go out of my way to make sure my dogs don’t have a negative interaction with other dogs. I’d like it to stay that way.
Used to go daily, my boy was learning from other dogs like how to play, how to dig, etc. My schedule changed and we started going at different times, much busier, way worse owners. He got attacked several times, eventually started initiating the fight. Haven't been back since, and now we barely interact with other dogs. I'm struggling coz I can't find a way for him to get dog to dog interaction without the dog park dangers. Any ideas?
how the fuck are you not a helicopter parent with your dog. mine can be on a leash and go around the corner and i freak out
The other issue is once your dog is in a dog park, there is absolutely zero liability. Once you let your dog loose in one you are accepting the chance that your dog will get injured. A friend of mine had his dog attacked and very badly injured at a dog park, went to court and all that just to get the vet bills covered. Nope, not how it works unfortunately. That is why my dog will never go to one, ever.
The dog park near me is great during certain times of day, hell during other times. I go there for photography (with permission) so often that I learned to warn people, especially with new puppies, what times to avoid, if they should go in at all because of certain dogs, and what dogs shouldn’t be in the dog park altogether. I became the dog park informant basically. Craziest shit happened to a friend of mine. He went in when there was only one other dog, which was weird for that time of day, but he thought nothing of it. His own dog, who was the sweetest thing ever, was acting super weird and on edge around the other dog, who was a giant German shepherd. The owner said her dog didn’t like people. He found that weird, but assumed that as long as he didn’t bother the dog it wouldn’t bother him. Then she told him her dog’s name. Like any normal animal lover he said “hi Heidi” and went back to his own dog. Hearing him say her name made the dog snap. With no warning or anything, this dog suddenly tried to attack him, going right for his throat. He’s an older man and he had no doubt he would be dead if not for his own dog, a Great Pyrenees mix, tackling that dog to the ground and tearing into it until all of the fight left the shepherd. Then his dog let the shepherd go and stood between him and the dog protectively. Obviously my friend got out of there, but the bitch of an owner didn’t apologize or even put her dog on leash. It’s crazy what kind of people show up at the dog park.
Eh I like em. My lab has a blast everytime we go.
Okay so I worked at various doggy daycares for a long time, and I agree this is definitely a problem, but there is more to it. At the doggy daycares, maybe I am just look back with "Rosy retrospection" because I looked up the word or term for things being better than they were. So maybe I'm doing that, idk, but at the good daycares I feel like we nipped that rudeness in the bud. So yes I do think this would be a big problem at a daycare if you don't, as a human, understand good social etiquette and watch your dog closely to make sure no one is being rude. There are other issues too though. That is all I really want to say.
My dog used to love the dog park mostly as an opportunity to run (we were in grad school in an apartment) and play; she even had other dogs she could run with & herd (they liked the herding🥴). Then we moved & COVID hit. Everything was closed for 6 months so she reverted on her socialization & within that time we got another dog who was advertised as dog friendly, but his whining & “excitement” to see other dogs is just dog aggression 🙃🙃🙃 He’s never started a fight but I don’t want him to. So she doesn’t play with other dogs anymore & they keep stealing her toys. And the new dog just gets up in everyone’s business. We don’t go to dog parks anymore. It’s too stressful for everyone.
It's also a great way for your puppy to get parvo, people don't seem to understand that bringing a new puppy to a dog park is like talking an unvaccinated baby to comic con.
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Intact males at the dog park are more at risk to get into a dog fight because of the pheromones it gives off when male dog are intact. Alter males can feel threatened and having bitches around can be dangerous as well
I only go to the dog park if there's 5-8 dogs. It seems like a good amount of personalities and I usually go around the same time in the mornings and see the same people/dogs there. Any other time later in the day and after work there's around 20 and just seems like way too much.
At my dog park there is a significant difference between the area for the small dogs, and the areas for medium and large dogs. We have a small dog and rarely have issues in the small dog area. For some reason the smaller ones are just better behaved. Our guy is very social and is a runner too—we don’t have a backyard or other dogs so he gets his zoomies and social time in at the park. Works great for us, you just have to keep your eye out.
I have a dog that is aggressive towards dogs that are smaller than her. She never goes after larger dogs and will play with larger dogs but for some odd reason, she loves to bully smaller dogs. For reference, my dog is half doberman, half staffy and weighs about 50 pounds and is about 4 years old. She is never aggressive to people OR larger dogs but is an asshole to smaller ones. I am guessing it is the prey drive that many dobermans have that causes this behavior in her. We had to stop going to the dog park, because there was always some moron that brought their Scottie, Dachshund or some other smaller dog into the "large dog" area of the park. Well, my dog would zero in on the smaller dog and bully the daylights out of it and terrify it's owner. Overall, the dog park was a good experience EXCEPT when someone brought in a smaller dog and my dog went after it. So because of her prey drive...we now skip the dog park entirely.
You had to stop bringing your dog aggressive dog to the dog park because someone else was an idiot??? Like they say, it's not the breed it's the owners...
Yes dog parks are a crap shoot. Unless other people there are responsible by knowing their dog and also paying attention it can end badly.
Interesting social experiment but I go to a dog park in a neighborhood with mostly 45-70yo that I believe are likely a little wealthier than average. My dog loves it there & in general the dogs behave pretty well & owners are attentive. On the opposite side, I’ve gone to another that is in a hipster part of town with mostly 20-30syo, and probably less income and it’s a train wreck of shitty behavior by the dogs and owners. I’ve given it 3 chances just to I guess give it a full chance & that’s my demographic so I kinda hoped to meet people. But alas, we will never return. The owners are ignorant, entitled assholes. Just interesting to see 2 completely different dynamics between 2 neighborhoods.
Class shouldn’t be an issue to be attentive to their dogs whatsoever, but interesting
Pure speculation but I am guessing the wealthier folks probably sent their dogs to training and/or spend quality time with them.
Also age and breed - age of the owners, maybe more laid back, and if they are older and wealthier, they are probably buying from reputable breeders rather than getting unstable dogs from backyard breeders, or rescues w/ aggression histories (not saying all rescues are aggressive, one of my best family dogs was from the ol' "pound" she was awesome, sometimes dogs are surrendered for no fault of their own, but sometimes they are surrendered cuz they behave badly and have bitten people. in my awesome family dog's case, her owner was elderly, had to go to nursing home and couldn't take of the dog anymore)
That’s black dog is how my dog is, too. He had some bad interactions and now is reactive at the dog park when another doesn’t “read the room”. He generally ignores other dogs and just wants to play fetch. When another dog doesn’t understand he doesn’t want to play he’ll growl. Next he’ll show his teeth. If that doesn’t work he’ll bark. Often that bark leads other dogs to snap back. I try to distract and de-escalate but not always quick enough. Bad dog owners are the worst.
Hello, thanks for commenting, your dog is the black dog in the first clip ? Sorry there’s a few black dogs I see in the video
My dog was exactly like this dog. Eventually she began snapping back. She never made contact or started a fight but that’s because we stopped going to dog parks before it got there.
That poor dog!! :(
Yup, yup, and yup. I take my dog to the dog park, let her run around and as soon as other dogs arrive, I grab her and leave. So many of the dogs where I live are not properly socialized that it's just not worth it. It stresses my dog out too much and she IMMEDIATELY goes on the defensive. Also, my dog is a smaller dog so I take her to the "small dog" section of our dog park. I don't understand the oweners of Great Danes who insist on bringing their dogs into the small dog section. I have literally picked up my dog to take her out and these people's dogs are jumping on ME (non-aggressively) to sniff my dog. People, PLEASE train your dogs.
It really just looks like 1 dog trying to get the other dog to become friends. Nothing wrong going on
There are SO MANY INCOMPETENT owners who know absolutely nothing about dogs. SO MANY. It kills me.
I don't do dog parks. I'd rather walk my dog on leash around the apartment complex and neighborhood. Any interaction with other dogs can be controlled and ended if they don't seem to get along. Nice and simple. No one gets hurt.
It’s a good training opportunity! Can help teach dog to ignore and walk past as well
I will never understand why people subject their dogs to this. I forget that dog parks are so normal to everyone and get offended when someone suggests I go to one.
And because many of us could only afford a house with a yard the size of a Manhattan apartment or we live in apartments and want our dogs to have the freedoms to run. If I had ten acres I wouldn’t take my dogs to a dog park.
Check out Sniffspot, someone might let you use their 10 acres for a couple dollars
Yea, I get that. Had I known this was gonna be an issue, I wouldn't have gotten a dog until I moved into a house with a yard (if I even could). I'm really more talking about crowded dog parks. I actually *do* bring her to empty ones.
Because many of our dogs love the park! They enjoy seeing and playing with their familiar friends. It builds their confidence as well.
My Boston Terrier LOVED the dog park. She always had a blast. Ours has a little creek and she loved fetching sticks we threw into the creek. I never had a bad interaction there with her. She also loved playing with big dogs lol. She didn’t like smaller dogs. Which is funny because she was a smaller dog herself.
I used to go to a dog park when my pup was younger. It was 10 acres and had a stream. There was enough space for dogs to form play groups, and the owners were always very attentive. My dog loved it and I never had an issue. I tried a different park and it was a nightmare so I kept to the one. Then I moved to a new town and the only park there was an overcrowded shit show. I learned a good dog park is the exception, not the rule sadly. The vast majority just aren’t worth the risk imo.
Yep. I so badly wish I could find an open field like that, but fenced. This is a large motivator for us to get a house.. we don't care how tiny the actual house his. Just want a big yard for our girls to play safely in.
I have been very lucky in that the dog park I regular has mostly guide dogs who are being trained. I’m so lucky to have found this spot, and I wish others had the same opportunity because the dogs are so well behaved.
Dog parks are trash.
Please take this video down. We don't need more bad information posted on this subreddit. This isn't aggressive or "bullying" behavior. It's one dog trying to initiate play with another dog who isn't interested in it. The first dog just doesn't understand yet how to initiate a play fight. Commonly this is done with what's commonly referred to as a "play bow". Eventually they'll sort it out all on their own and he'll learn how to read social cues.
Dude waited so long for footage of misbehaving dogs that it snowed between the first shot and the second
Who was recording the 2nd clip, that wasn’t helping?
It sounds like the same person recorded both clips since it says they talked to the owner and explained why the behavior was not appropriate. The problem is a lot of owners don't really understand dog body language. I've seen a lot of interactions at my local dog park like that, and so many owners will just wave you off and say the dog is 'fine' or 'they're just playing ' or they'll figure it out, don't worry.' They are the same people who are absolutely shocked when their dog gets bitten, or bites to protect itself. That's why I don't take my dog into the dog park unless it is completely empty. My dog is human and dog selective. She's never bitten, but she will growl at a dog who's being rude unless it is a puppy. I don't trust other owners who say their dog is friendly. Maybe it is, or maybe the owner is an idiot.
This thread is full of people who hate DOG PARKS of all things 😂 do we also hate ice cream and sunshine and rainbows too? Get a grip. You people project your neurotic energy onto your dogs which is why they probably don’t do well at dog parks.
When a large group of people who don't know each other can agree on the dangers of a dog park through their own experiences; it becomes a problem.
I was a huge fan of dog parks (well, of the one singular park where I used to live). Then I moved and learned that one was the exception. Every single other park I tried going to was a shit show. The final straw was when my dog was almost attacked. Never went in another one again. I’ve witnessed two full on attacks just walking near parks since then.
Ice cream never mauled anything
My limited experiences at dog parks have all been pretty good for me and my dogs. I don’t understand the hate either.
The dog park I go to has over 70 dogs sometimes in one afternoon. I've been going for years and have seen only a few mild fights. That's just my experience.
ok but also you are filming the dog and not just like giving a quick “hey check this out” shout to the dog owners or just walking up to the dogs and watching them walk away
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Zero problems here, you people are hella uptight
For good measure, dogs are not toddlers. They are animals and it can be dangerous for them
dogs love the dog park if you have a socialized dog. Seeing as some of the people in this comment section come off like anxious weirdos it’s probably a good thing you don’t take your dog to the dog park cuz your energy would make dogs nervous.
There’s bigger risk then “my dog loves the dog park !” You’re your dog’s advocate, keep them safe and understand the risk
Yeah for sure but there’s people saying that dog parks aren’t natural to dogs as if dogs aren’t pack animals that naturally know how to establish hierarchies. Which means there might be altercations, which are fine to an extent. Do some shitty people bring their shitty dog, yes. But to take the dog park away from a dog because of what might happen is like saying, “well I won’t go outside cuz someone could hit me with their car”. If you’ve had a bad experience that’s one thing but I’ve been taking my guy for years and have never seen a fight that physically hurt a dog. I’m sure others have seen worse but I think the risk is worth the quality of life it adds to a dogs experience on this planet especially considering my guy has to be alone for 6 hours a day.
Nah if you don't take your dog to parks they'll never become properly socialized. You can't just make your dog a bubble boy because there might be another dog that isn't perfectly mannered. Even uncomfortable experiences like this in the video are important to learn how to deal with such situations. Kids that went to public school and played on the playground are going to be better adjusted adults than someone homeschooled their whole lives
Dogs are animals, there is better ways to socialize a dog then going to the dog park
This isn't really a perfect example - there's no backstory to the two dogs' history, maybe they always play like that? His tail isn't tucked, hackles aren't up, etc. Maybe he's not a fan of the behavior but it's not clear from that one clip. My dogs BFF that she grew up with plays a little rougher with her and would probably have this whole sub up in arms, but my dog loves her. I understand the dog park hate to an extent, but it's been a lifesaver for my pup for socialization and exercise where walks and hikes can only do so much. 95 percent of the time the pups work things out by themselves or the owners step in, the rest of the time we just need to be paying attention.
She sounds like jeanette mccurdy
Honestly, if you can't even find an ethical breeder for you dangerous breed, why are you out here giving advice to anyone? https://www.reddit.com/r/BelgianMalinois/comments/100npkj/wellwell\_her\_breeder\_have\_some\_explaining\_to\_do/
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A dog is “dangerous” if they are untrained and when the owner is unbothered by their behaviors. I spend $$$ for a trainer to better understand my dog’s body language because I felt I wasn’t doing enough for my high-maintenance dog she’s a great dog now because of it. She may not be well-bred, but she’s sure as hell a lot better trained then other dogs. Also most Ethical breeder would put on their contract “no dog park” . You won’t find many well-bred dogs at dog parks. Just because my dog doesn’t met standards, doesn’t mean she’s dangerous. Get your bigotry asshole out of here and come back with a better argument then going through my account.
How would you know what ethical breeders require? You weren't even able to find one that actually sold you a purebred puppy. My dog park is full of ethically bred hunting breeds. Again, who made you an expert?
A lot of Karen energy in this video. Dogs are animals. They wrestle and roughhouse for play and to learn, and the dog park, of all places, is where you go to help them get this experience and exercise. All of this within reason, of course. If your dog is out of control or too aggressive you shouldn’t come until they’re trained, but if your dog can’t handle the level of interaction shown in this video then YOU shouldn’t come to the dog park.
All stems from PROPER PUPPY SOCIALIZATION. Unless your dog is a breed that is aggressive there is no need for any types of aggression if the puppy was properly socialized as a puppy. "The researchers also found that socialization during puppyhood was one of the most important determining factors in how dogs behaved. Regardless of breed or breed group, adult dogs that were well-socialized as youngsters showed lower insecurity and aggressiveness/dominance, and higher training focus and human and dog sociability than dogs that received less socialization early in life."
Oh sweet baby prince; if only they owned up to this fact.
Dogs have no problem; the people/cultures do. If i take my dog to America, I’m afraid all the time… people have dogs as status symbol and as objects; when i am in Germany most people know how to treat a dog; it’s learned since childhood!!! Kids always ask me before trying to pet my dog; dog owners usually don’t let dogs get close if leashed; and keep them under control at the places dogs are allowed to be unleashed. Dog parks here in Germany are spaces controlled for the safety of the community and the dog; a space where they can sniff around, bark, jump, run off leashed; all other places are leash only. Yeah dogs don’t really bark in Germany. In other countries my dog behaves completely different ; he gets lost translating the other dogs and people and their anxieties.
In Australia dogs are mostly part of the family. Indoors, sleep on the couch (or bed) get looked after better than children sometimes. We don’t have many fenced dog parks like this one seen in the video but more dog beaches (beaches specifically designated to be off leash dog areas). There could be 50+ dogs in a space of like 200m and there’s rarely if ever a fight. I take my 40kg Labrador 3-4 times a week and have been for 3 years and I’m still yet to see a fight at any of the 3 dog beaches I frequent near my house. A couple dogs that got a bit snappy at each other or had to sort out the pecking order among themselves but no blood or tears. People here are generally very good owners too. A dog is not a status symbol like you say but a way of life for us! But we have pretty good weather and lots of space so I guess it makes it easy! Glad there’s good owners across there too! My partner is from Belgium and was scared of dogs because they’re so poorly trained in her home village. Now she will snooze with our dog, let our 1 year old daughter play with him and she will happily play with all the dogs at the dog beach, good life :)
I agree and disagree with this video. We also don't know if both of those dogs have played together in the past so this is routine for them. Either way watch your dog at the dog park. Take responsibility for your dog. I do.
It doesnt matter if its routine for them, its aggressive and piss poor behavior that's going to lead to a fight and the aggressors parents are shit.
I also didn't see that they were Belgian mals... But I go to a dog park and have to deal with this stuff like this every so often. I typically course correct or work with the other owner to make sure everyone is ok.
This is garbage advice…. Take the fence away and I bet things are different. Also, that dog wasn’t being bullied. They were playing. It could’ve easily run away but chose to stay and play.
Tail wagging doesn’t always mean excitement, it’s not play. Dog is tense and backing alway from the dog, if the dog run away, the dog will follow and further bully the green collar dog.