# We can't go to the Dog Park



## kbsorensen (Sep 22, 2011)

I have a two year old GSD that has been spayed. She is extremely attached to me. Wherever I go she follows. I live alone and don't have any friends with other dogs to expose her to. Recently we found a dog park to go to; however, she exhibits unusual behavior and I don't know how to correct it. When we first get there, she is excited and pulling very hard to reach the entrance. Once inside, if any dogs approach her, she sniffs and soon starts to snarl and acts like she is going to bite but to date hasn't clamped down. Her hair is up on her back and she appears very nervous and does a lot of pacing. Some dogs don't put up with it and bark, growl and bite back. When they do, she runs to me, yipping looking for protection. If any dogs come close to me, she begins this behavior all over again. She won't leave my side for more than 10 to 15 feet and tries to keep other dogs out of this range. How can I correct this behavior? I want her to enjoy the company of other dogs and to run and play.


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

She sounds like she's scared and afraid. I wouldn't take her to the dog park. You could try socializing her with a calmer dog of similar size, but I don't know if it will help given her age.

ETA: you could try and walk her around the perimeter of the dog park so she can get used to being around a ton of dogs or go during a time with less dog traffic and see if it helps.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

A dog park is not the right place for your dog. It's not fair for her or the other dogs there. Eventually she will act on all that growling and a fights going to break out. It will happen sooner or later.

Can you get in any kind of reactive dog classes near you? Do you have any training facilities in your area? That would probably do wonders for her with the right trainer.


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

Hackles don't necessarily mean what many people think they do. If the hackles are all the way down the back it could mean uncertainty or fear. Unfortunately the more fearful your dog is the more it will draw dogs to her. (for lack of better term make her an omega) I'd be concerned with her keeping dogs away from you at a 10-15 foot range though, that sounds a bit resouce guardy with no confidence. 

I wouldn't do dog parks especially at peak times with her. GSDs tend to do fight when presented with "fight or flight mode"

Personally, I would look to someplace like Lucy Dog suggested a "reactive class" or even a facility that will re-hab. Something like bring out one dog at a time, usually dogs a little younger or smaller than her at first to build her confidence.
You get the right trainer though, and two years old is not ancient. GSDs really aren't what you'd expect for dog park type dogs. They usually care about their owners and a ball/frisbee and nothing else.


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## RichardMorris (Jul 24, 2011)

CarrieJ said:


> . GSDs really aren't what you'd expect for dog park type dogs. They usually care about their owners and a ball/frisbee and nothing else.


Great point. Our 23 mo old Raven is happy to play with her 3 "very select canine friends" during the week, and other than that spends her time around us, playing ball, or learning something new. She couldn't care less about other dogs, except when she is walking with me, and then it is a cursory glance at best.

Richard


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I had a behaviorist come over to access my new dog who also has confidence/fear issues. 

He suggested go to parks with walking trails where people take their dogs for walks. We have one that circles a lake and there are always people walking dogs. 

The behaviorist suggested I take my dog to the where the path starts and let him see the dogs and then give the "watch" command to have him look at me. Then treat. Eventually we were able to move closer and closer until my dog had enough confidence to go for a walk on the trail. 

My dog still will not tolerate dogs who stare at him, and his aggressive display will scare the pants off of people. Oddly, he's pretty good in dog parks. It's being on a leash that is his issue.

Now my female is another matter. She does NOT like other dogs and is also OCD. So I just love her the way she is.


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## Duke-2009 (Apr 13, 2009)

Dog parks and GSD's generally don't mix. GSD's really don't care about other dogs or strange people. They prefer to hang with the family and people they know. Other breeds can't wait to play. 

We have another dog and they are best of friends. We also do doggy day care at a very controlled facility. Just the right amount of dogs unlike a dog park where it is a free for all with little supervision. 

Find a few friends with dogs to have play dates with at neutral spots. This will help socialize her to other dogs and build trust.


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

The OP said she does not have firends with dogs. I'm in the same situation.

Dakota did develope some dog issues and what I did was go to a behaviouist. One exercise that I really like, and am going to do again, is to visit a dog park. I have an SUV, which is perfect for this exercise. I parked near the fence, but not near the entrance as some dogs enter off leash, by backing in my SUV. Have a bunch of treats. The first time I just drove up, parked and drove off. The next time I opened the back of the SUV, made sure she saw the dogs playing, safely behind the fence and feed. The next time I removed her from the car, treated, and worked on the "home base" command - which is in the back of the SUV. Gradually increase the distance from the car to the fence line. Work on the watch me command, and treat, treat, treat.

This really bosted her confidence. She never actually got to meet a dog, or sniff a dog, or go into the park. This was not the purpose of the exercise. I'm sure people thought I was weird, but I don't care.

I didn't go at the same time every day so I saw lots of different dogs. if I went the same time everyday I'm sure I would have meet someone who would be willing to help me work on this by walking their dog around her, on leash, while I worked on this. Of course you would need a really calm dog. Hey, you may be lucky and meet someone with a dog that would be a perfect match to yours and then have a play buddy.

Good luck.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Yeah, I know a lot of dog people, but not many nearby. It's always hard to find people who have the time to help out.


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

My problem is finding people with dogs Alice's size. We went on our "pack walk" with four dogs and it included:
1 pug
1 sm. terrier X
1 Zoey the weasel

Fun, but being restrained around the littles is hard work for big ampy dog.
I need to adjust my schedule to get into a training club or something.


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## Salix (Feb 13, 2011)

kbsorensen said:


> I have a two year old GSD that has been spayed. She is extremely attached to me. Wherever I go she follows. I live alone and don't have any friends with other dogs to expose her to. Recently we found a dog park to go to; however, she exhibits unusual behavior and I don't know how to correct it. When we first get there, she is excited and pulling very hard to reach the entrance. Once inside, if any dogs approach her, she sniffs and soon starts to snarl and acts like she is going to bite but to date hasn't clamped down. Her hair is up on her back and she appears very nervous and does a lot of pacing. Some dogs don't put up with it and bark, growl and bite back. When they do, she runs to me, yipping looking for protection. If any dogs come close to me, she begins this behavior all over again. She won't leave my side for more than 10 to 15 feet and tries to keep other dogs out of this range. How can I correct this behavior? I want her to enjoy the company of other dogs and to run and play.


She senses you don't know what to do in this situation and you aren't correcting her or emphasizing that calm leadership. Think about your own emotions during this time. Are _you _nervous or feel jittery or a little out of sorts or powerless? Your dog is picking up on this. You haven't handled the situation or taught her how to deal with meeting new dogs in a very potentially overwhelming situation - particularly for a dog that isn't well socialized. 

This doesn't bode well as you'll find (or may have already found) many owners and their dogs don't welcome unstable dogs at dog parks. 

An easy solution would be the following: 
1) Take her out more often with you on mild/short trips. It doesn't matter if you're filling up gas in your vehicle, or if it's a trip to the grocery store. Take an extra ten minutes in your errands to walk her around the block. Let her sniff around, check things out, stare at people, whatever she desires _but lead her on a close leash_. If she meets a dog on the way, that's great. But keep her on leash. Keep doing this until you are able to meet other dogs on the street in a much calmer or stable manner. Always keep her on leash. I prefer prong collars and a quick snap and a sharp 'shht!' several times gets the message across. This has always worked for me in the early months. I still do it now. For the opposite reason! (An overly friendly and inquisitive dog that must stay more focused on walks because he wants to make friends with everyone!)

2) I do not recommend dog parks for many reasons but if you should decide to treat her to a dog park later on, _have her on leash. _I hope you're seeing the pattern here. The leash is important because it keeps you in control of the situation and any inappropriate reactions coming from her. It reduces your feeling of powerlessness because as the owner, you are responsible for your animal. 

Step 1 is so important. I would never let her off leash at a dog park until she has proven to be calm and stable around other dogs or have learned the proper social cues when greeting or playing. Taking her for controlled play-lessons with a certified trainer or someone who knows what they're doing and can place your dog in an appropriate class of other dogs may work but I think this highly dependent on the skill of the trainer. It could be brilliant or it could be ****. At the dog park, I used to see a lot of scared and timid dogs who would be preyed upon by the ones with higher drive, and then there were the fearful-possessive ones which sound like your dog. She's out of control because there is no control. I personally wouldn't reintroduce her to the dog park for a long time and after a lot of rehabilitation and training.


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## Salix (Feb 13, 2011)

The site would not let me add the following but I want to also address what you mentioned: ''I want her to enjoy the company of other dogs and to run and play.'' 

I think this is so wonderful and I hope this will be your motivation during your time and training with her. But before we run, we need to learn how to walk. Go slow, one step at a time. Sometimes we also have to face it that our dogs have personalities of their own. We can train them for obedience but they _will _have their preferences. If your dog prefers not to be around other dogs, it is just the way she is and we should let that be. 

The most pressing concern right now is the snarling, or any exhibition of aggression. Remove that nervousness in her and expose her to more experiences, people, places and things, build up her confidence and cut out any aggression. I also like the genius and understanding of Caledon's approach. It is associating the scariness of the dog park with the joy of a treat. This is positive association. I would try that too.


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