Yeah, hey there Clyde, what’s that? You don’t like all the dogs attracted to you like a magnet? Here’s a clue: DON’T BRING TREATS TO THE DOG PARK. Don’t stuff your pockets with liver snaps and then whine when they’re on you like a plastic surgeon on Joan Rivers.
Oh, and one more thing. That thing that your dog is doing that bothers you so much, that makes you nervous and makes you grab his collar and shout “NO, RUSTY! CUT IT OUT! BAD, RUSTY!” Yeah, that thing is called PLAYING, lunkhead. Dogs play with their mouths. They haven’t perfected jacks, softball or bowling yet so they wrestle and run and chase and playfully bite and mouth each other. They’re DOGS. They LIKE THAT.
Isn’t that your mutt taking a dump over there? What’s that? You didn’t bring a bag? Sheeeeez…
Just spent a couple of hours at the dog park – Bailey romped with about 50 other canines.
What? Your male dog is humping another male dog? YOUR DOG ISN’T GAY! YOUR DOG ISN’T CONFUSED! He’s just trying to show dominance. You don’t have to break them up – they won’t get into a fight, and the rest of us dog park veterans like to have as many things to point to and laugh about. The rare sight of a three-dog humping chain is art, man.
I’ve ranted about the isolationist Border Collie owners here in the past, FWIW. Usually they’re hippie types who get upset when other dogs approach their BC while they’re retrieving their flying disk. “Man, I’m training, dude … could you, like, back off?” IT’S A DOG PARK, AND OTHER DOGS WANT TO PLAY WITH YOUR DOG! What sane dog won’t chase after another dog retrieving a disk?
I equate picking up dog turds to deer hunting. Just as if you track down a deer you’ve wounded to finish it off, even if it takes hours, you must hunt down that steamer your dog just sank into the Kentucky Blue or St. Augustine, even if you have to scour a patch of turf for hours to find it.
My dog loves kids; It’s a breed trait of Porties. She will always approach the smallest human in a group, sneak up behind them, and licks their ear gently. If you don’t want “unanitary” dogs licking your kids, DON’T BRING THEM TO A DOGPARK!!! If your kids are afraid of dogs, DON’T BRING THEM TO A DOGPARK!!!
Well put, although I admit I cringe when I see Floyd pulling his humping act. The only reason owners try to stop that behavior is because it emabarrasses them (us).
Personally, I like it when the pup tries humping them from the front.
Hey, my female pit bull will hump my male german shepherd. I really don’t know what to think about that, and apparently, neither does the german shepherd. He just looks annoyed and confused.
Dogs are weird. But I think we can learn something from them. I just hope it’s not humping in public.
Yes, and by the way, I don’t need the poo police for this procedure either. The other day as I was pulling a plastic bag from my pocket a woman came running off the nearby playground and started yelling at me. She said I’d better clean up my dog’s mess because CHILDREN play in the park. Then she informed me that the reason others hate dog owners is because of the mess they make and then leave behind for others to clean up.
Umm…lady? I’ve got a plastic bag right here. Want to wait until I get it out of my pocket? Can I wait until the dog’s done crapping to clean it up or should I try to simply CATCH it in the bag?
What kind of a witch yells at someone with a labrador puppy?
The whole humping thing is very funny. My roomie’s dog a female 40lb. Aussie Cattle Dog is always mounting my 75lb. male Boxer. It is funny because he is half his size, but she is also alot older than my dog Butch.
Um, if I may be the still small voice of mild dissent:
First, my dog is very well trained. We work on it all the time. A lot of what I tell her to do is in furtherance of that. Yes, she may just be playing with your dog, but when I tell her to disengage and come back to me, that’s what I expect her to do, and immediately. That may be why I called her back.
Second, your dog is a lot bigger than mine. Yes, mine is playful, but she also gets increasingly anxious if a big dog tries to dominate her, even playfully, and I bet you wouldn’t be so thrilled about them playing if it cumulates in her snapping at your dog. That may also be why I called her back.
Third, sometimes we’re at the dog park for her to do her bidness and a catch breath of fresh air, but I don’t want her riled up. (Days when I’m going back out, for example, and must leave her home alone and don’t want her tearing around.) That may also be why I called her back.
Fourth, if I bring treats for my dog, that doesn’t mean I’ve brought treats for every dog. I don’t allow my dog to rush you, jump up on you, or nuzzle you in the crotch, and I expect you to keep your dog from doing such things to me. If it can’t or won’t, maybe it could do with some additional training.
Sorry to take issue, but it amazes me how many people think that loving their dogs means they shouldn’t train them, and that everyone else should just cheerfully put up with the fact that their animals have no manners.
Actually, I’m with you too. I’m working with my puppy to make sure he’s a good citizen. And I also try to understand that while I my love my puppy like crazy, not everyone wants to be subjected to him. I warn people that he’s not trained not to jump on them yet. I tell people with little kids who approach my puppy that he might knock them over. And I work with him daily to get rid of these problematic behaviors. In fact, we have a puppy kindergarten class this evening.
But I do think there should be some leeway in the dog park. At least in my area, the “dog park” is a place to take your dog off his leash and let him run around and play with other dogs. I work on calling my dog to me when he has other distractions, and he’s very good about doing that already. But I still subscribe to the notion that if you don’t want dogs jumping on you or licking you then perhaps the dog park is not the place for you. There are quieter, more isolated places to teach your dog to behave using a pocketful of liversnaps. My dog goes NUTS when he smells liversnaps. Even though I heartily apologize for his licking the backs of your knees and I’m trying desperately to break him of this habit, it still happens.
