Dog Park Etiquette

In My Humble Opinion
21

Folks have a difficult time identifying dog breeds unless it’s an “obvious” one like a Labrador (which get confused for other Retriever varieties). Here are some examples:

Commonly mistaken for pitbulls
Media-Reported breed mis-identification and dog bite incidents
Breed identification vs. DNA testing (PDF)
Our boxer mix often gets the reaction of “OMG, it’s a PIT BULL! RUN AWAY! Hide your kids, hide your wife!” behavior from many dog owners and non-dog owners alike, the worst being those who own a poorly socialized small dog. However, she and our other dog served as the “good dog ambassadors” when we were living in a part of Central Florida where most of our neighbors were not familiar with people who kept dogs who weren’t trained to attack strangers. Once most parents and kids figured out that our dogs are patient and will sit still while the kids pat them, giving them licks on the hand and face, they would calm down a bit about the presence of me and my husband walking them around the neighborhood in the mornings. There were those whose fear of dogs was so ingrained that no demonstration of “these are friendly dogs who will not harm you” was enough to not run away screaming. And they would, too. We would be on leash, we’d see a neighbor a few houses away who’d see the dogs and start shrieking while doing the cartoon run in place for a few paces before they decided to head for their front door.

I just discovered that there’s official website documentation of the rules for all dog parks in my county:

22

We don’t go to our local dog park any more since we appear to be the only people in the whole neighborhood that bothered to fix our dog. She is a french bulldog and is pretty small so I already worry about her being in with the big dogs a little bit, but when the big dogs are all fully intact mastiffs, pit bulls, boxers, and other dogs big enough to rip me apart without much thought I don’t allow my dog to get in and play with them. With neutered dogs she is welcome to get out there and roughhouse but with intact dogs she is not allowed to play. Fix your damn dogs, people!

23

Nope, not the same at all. Dominance is when your boss expects you to drop whatever you are doing and come to his office at a moments notice. Aggression is when he punches you in the face.

If you don’t allow dogs to sort out the pecking order with non violent power plays, then they WILL get aggressive, because it is not clear who is the leader and who is the follower, and they don’t feel like they are part of the same pack, so must be rivals.

24

Don’t scream at your damn dog.

25

I have found that a depressing number of the people who bring their dogs to dog parks are the type of people who don’t exercise or socialize their dog whatsoever, except to bring it to the dog park a few times for week. This type of person seem to be drawn to the most active/high-strung dog breeds, rarely knows how to train them properly or doesn’t even attempt, and has zero understanding of the basics of canine behavior and communication. It’s a recipe for disaster.

My two dogs are 11 and 14 and don’t care to run and play with other dogs, so we skip the dog park these days and go to a regular park where there’s peace and quiet. When I was fostering a young, friendly dog I used to take him to our local dog park regularly and about 50% of the time I would witness some crisis precipitated by one or two incompetent/careless/asshole owners neglecting to supervise or curtail their dog. Thankfully my own dog (s) were never directly involved.

26

Portsmouth, NH dog park rules.

27

Ah, makes sense. The dog we look after is a retriever mix and would probably be better off with big dogs - small dogs sometimes seem to see her as a threat and go after her. (Not my small dog - she’s small but, though she has her faults, she does play extremely well with other dogs).

Funny to have a thread about rules for public behaviour and all those listed are so thoroughly reasonable - I think that’s pretty uncommon on the Dope.

28

Bumping a zombie thread because I have some questions after observing my dog in a few parks . . . he is an 8 year old dog of unknown breed, although if I had to guess I would say some kind of english shepherd/australian shepherd/german shepherd cross. He is about 65 lbs and neutered. At home he is the only dog.

He is very, very docile at home; however, he likes to assert himself at the dog park. Usually this takes the form of peeing and scratching. He often will find females and follow them around for a bit, until they lose interest. He very rarely humps, and when he does we tell him to stop and he does immediately.

However, I have noticed that he does show some aggressive behavior, always after provocation. For instance, the other day I took him to a dog park with only two other dogs; one of the dogs (a male as well) immediately started humping him. He snarled and snapped at the dog and from that point on they avoided each other. Does this type of behavior mean he is not well-suited for dog parks?

29

He wasn’t being aggressive at all, IMO. The other dog was being very rude (humping is typically dominance-based.) Your dog told him off quite appropriately, and it sounds as if the other dog got the message.

I’d watch both dogs in the future though, just watch body language.
The humper-dog’s owner ought to have been right in his face and not allowing that, IMHO. Just as you say you’ve done.

My beta dog (I have three) is a very docile and easy-going black Lab. I don’t do dog parks but have done supervised doggie day-care. The single and only time my Lab ever got a bit pissy with another dog was because he was being humped. Snarl, bark, grrr, done. Of course in that case both myself and the day-care owner also corrected the offending dog.

Another data point: my smallest dog is a JRTx bitch and she is very strict with puppies. I’ve done a fair amount of fostering dogs and pups and I think it’s wonderful to have a bossy bitch teach them manners. She’s the second such dog I’ve had like this and both were fantastic with pups and uppity young dogs. She’s all teeth and snarl and warning, but no bite. She “raised” my 110 lb Rottweiler to play nice, and keeps both him and the Lab in line.

Anyway, given that this is an online forum and I haven’t watched your dog interact, from what you wrote it seems that you are responsible owners and your dog was being perfectly appropriate. :slight_smile:

30

From what I was taught by our dog trainer (someone correct me if he was wrong ), that behavior-the humping-is part of establishing the pecking order and in that case has nothing to do with making puppies. In the interim, I’d see how your dog behaves in a one-on-one situation with another dog first in a controlled environment before introduce the dog again to strange/foreign dogs.

My pug, who is fixed, will do the humping. But only when his “sister”, the olde English bulldogge is playing with another dog and that dog is down to the pug’s level. He is definitely the crony as he wouldn’t ever try to usurp an alpha’s title.

On a side note, one of the last trips to the dog park before it got too cold here was the most satisfying of the year. There’s a woman who brings her pomeranians to the dog park. They’re cute but have ugly personalities. Any sniffing around the dogs by any dog results in growling, snipping, and occasional a bite. When I see them arrive, I tend to either leave or go to a different spot. Well, this last time, the woman brought her 4 year old daughter with her. Now, our bulldogge is a licker especially when the face is at her level. If I try to tie my shoes, she’s right there to obscure my vision. Needless to say, we were all standing around and lo was the first nastiness from one of the poms. The bulldogge backed away and saw the kid and went up to lick her. The pug saw this and (I’m not sure he knew to do this) but stood behind the girl as the bulldogge neared and she tripped backwards onto the woodchip pile which gave both of our dogs and another dog the chance to really lick this little girl. She was giggling hard while her mom stood there horrified. It was the cutest bit of karma when the girl re-surfaced completely covered in dog saliva.

31

How did I miss this thread? Heh.

The rules for our local dog park:

[ul][li]The Off-Leash Dog Area is for dogs, their handlers and those accompanying them. No other use is allowed.[/li][li]All dogs must be legally licensed and vaccinated, and shall wear a visible dog license[/li][li]No dogs under four months of age[/li][li]No female dogs in heat[/li][li]Dogs must be on leash when entering or exiting the off-leash dog area[/li][li]Dogs must be under the control of their handler and in view of their handler at all times[/li][li]No spiked collars[/li][li]Children 8 and under are not allowed in the off-leash dog area[/li][li]Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult[/li][li]Handlers must be 16 years of age or older[/li][li]Handlers must have possession of the dog leash at all times[/li][li]Maximum of two dogs per handler[/li][li]Handlers must “Scoop The Poop”[/li][li]Handlers must fill all holes dug up by the dog(s) under their control[/li][li]No food and no drinks in glass containers - training treats are allowed[/li][li]Dogs must be removed from the off-leash dog area at the first sign of aggression[/li][li]No animals other than dogs shall be permitted in the area[/li][li]Handlers are responsible for any injuries caused by the dog(s) under their control[/li]Users of this facility do so at their own risk. Neither the County nor the [association] shall be liable for any injury or damage caused by any dog in the Off Leash Area.[/ul]

32

you’ll need to add one more important rule, to appease pit bull owners (based on the infamous case Saliboat linked to):

**9. No Park Police officers allowed on Police Horses when pit bulls are present **(despite the obvious fact that it was a county park that fall under the Park Police jurisdiction)

107,000 fellow pit bull nutters have signed a petition to free Charlie, the unleashed Am Staff terrior, that latched on to a mounted Park Police Officer on horseback, pulled him off the horse, knocked him unconscious, than proceeded to “severely” maul the horse.

The owner confirms it was an Am Staff, just over a year old, and referred to it as a puppy. I did more research, and it seems the owner failed to have it neutered, which was the local law regarding pit bulls.

The land shark was sentenced to a dirt nap on Dec 10, but due to the success of 107000 fellow nutters signing a petition, he has until year end to have a stay of execution.

PS Can anyone name any any non pit bull, that, as a puppy, has knocked a cop of his horse, knocked the cop out, then severely mauled the horse, while only sustaining minor injuries?

Think I’m kidding? Lot at the tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of comments left by pit bull nutters on the comments section - all saying the cop was wrong to bring a horse to a county Dog Park. The pit bull chased the horse 1.6 miles, and was killing it, when another cop caught up with the, Shame on that 2nd cop as well.

33

Here’s one with an American bulldog and boxer. Not exactly the same, but similar.

Why the obsession with pitbulls? I really don’t get it.

34

Cite?

There was the Golden retriever that strangled a six-year-old.

The Dashund that killed a six-week-old baby.
Golden retriever who killed a two month old child.

Pomeranian who killed an eight-week old.

The first person ever to undergo a face transplant was a French woman who was mauled by the family Labrador retriever.

I could go on and on.

Unfortunately, pit bulls (a high-drive, game, strong breed of dog) are overwhelmingly owned by people who should not own a house plant, let alone a dog. They are the ghetto breed of choice.

Seriously, it is not the breed, it is the owner. I do fully agree that many breeds (or types) of dogs should NOT be owned by casual/family pet owners as a general rule.

BTW, it’s terrier, not “terrior”. Also Am Staffs are not the same breed as APBT’s.

I have fostered many pit bull/pit mixes over the last 20+ years. Plus I have owned Rottweilers since 1987. And have trained many dogs to titles and championships in tracking, agility and obedience. Seriously. It is NOT the breed. It’s the type of person who tends to own a particular breed, and who is not typically prone to be a responsible dog-owner.

35

My impressions after reading that article: Mainly, the dog owner was clueless about drive and reasons her dogs chased the horse. This is NOT somebody who should own a dog at all.

Why did you ask about an “obsession with pitbulls [sic][?”
Neither dog was a pit bull. Boxers are not pit bulls. American bulldogs are not pit bulls. Why even bring up this article, then talk about pit bulls?

36

Read the post I was responding to. (ETA: Sorry, I didn’t quote it. It’s the post before that one.) I am not neither stridently pro- nor anti-pit bull, though I do own one. Cougar58 appears, in my impression, to be on some kind of strong anti-pit bull crusade, judging by the posts here and another thread. If you have a favorable or neutral impression of pit bulls, it appears that you are a “nutter” in his book. Just my impression.

37

I was referring to the Sailboat linked report, that the OP referenced, to vote that we should add a rule about no police horses, per this OP.

PS That was very much an Amer Staff Terrier, per the owner.

And, FYI, Per Wiki:

The term pit bull refers to certain breeds of dog – namely, the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and any crosses between the three. In a few parts of the world, the American Bulldog is also classified as ‘Pit Bull’-type dog.

38

Your rare instances of fatals by Poms and Dashunds, are just that: statistical flyers. In fact, in 32 yrs of data points, only one human (a baby) was killed by a Pom…Pits killed hundreds

Cite:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_report

This is going off OP…Again I only references the Sailboat OP, because pit bull owners are petitioning that an Am Staff Terrier not be euthanized, which Wiki and many other sources say is one of 3 (or 4) breeds that define “pit bull”, - and their claim is that mounted Park Police should not be allowed in Parks that are under their jurisdiction. Therefore, I say we appease them, and add that rule.

Whats the issue? I am siding with pit bull nutters…Do you want a cite to the petition, as well as their FB pages with these comments?

39

I have no clue what link you are referring to. This one,perhaps? Or, what am I missing.

“Pit bull” as in true APBT is not a type. APBT is a recognised breed.
“Bully breeds” are a type. Although I grant you that bully breeds tend to be lumped together in the media as the “same sort of dog” but lumping a Frenchiewith an APBT with a questionable mix (take the quiz and post how you did!) is not accurate at all.

40

Dude, what is your major malfunction? I did NOT link to that story in this thread, nor does the OP have anything to do with the story you ARE complaining about – it predates the events discussed in the thread you allude to, look at the date stamp on the OP. Are you asserting I can travel through time?

Why are you following me into this thread and dragging your issue into it? It’s stalkerlike and frankly unbecoming.

You claim to be a statistician, but I don’t think it’s a very supportable claim, since you don’t seem to be very good at it. Specifically:

The Clifton report has been disavowed by the people that funded it – the CDC – for a very specific reason they enunciate: its statistical methodology is suspect in several ways the CDC explains. Both the CDC and the American Veterinary Association have explicitly stated that bite statistics cannot be determined by breed for three reasons (plentiful cites provided in previous pit bull threads and freely available on the web for those interested, but here’s one [warning: .pdf]). At best, your only recourse is to claim that you’re smarter than the scientists at the Center for Disease Control and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Do you so claim, sir?

Nice way to address me (and the scientists and veterinarians as well).

.