# Unneutered male dog in dog park



## Iannotti

Its almost about that age where I will slowly bring my male GSD into the dog park. The mornings there are great, about 7-8 people all good owners with a good group of dogs. I was told though if my dog is not neutered it may set off the other dogs? is this true? I only known that un-neutered dogs may become more aggressive to others as they got older. I never heard it will set off other dogs, any truth to this?


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## Stosh

I don't think so- there are several intact males in our training club and their behavior isn't any different than the neutered males. Unless of course there's a female in heat.


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## martemchik

Many people will blame their dog being aggressive on that. I don't know how many times I've heard "he doesn't like un-neutered dogs" from other patrons at the park. My question is then "Why do you bring him here then? Do you expect your dog to be the only un-neutered one in the park?" I have a 14 month old who could care less if the dog has balls or not, that is different around females in heat though and he does get defensive over one of his "girlfriends" (they've known each other since he was 2 months old). I have to be pretty vigalent to make sure another dog doesn't challenge him because he isn't one to start a fight, but he will end one.

Do they smell different if they are un-neutered? Probably. But it isn't the only reason dogs "go off." You're going to have a big, strong, dog that is going to challenge the heirarchy of the pack when he enters the dog park, and its going to be up to you to make sure he knows how to handle himself.

How old is your male? We started ours really young and he learned dog park manners before his hormones were an issue.


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## jade_14

My dog is intact, and I've never had any issues with him and other males, and he's always got along with females with no problems. I don't take him to dog parks though, too many things that could happen (not with him being the issue, but other dogs and owners). 
There's a dog boarding kennel nearby I emailed to see if they would allow him (I was going away for a weekend) and they said no because he's intact and would create 'tension' in the kennel... :rolleyes2: I was unimpressed.


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## Iannotti

martemchik said:


> Many people will blame their dog being aggressive on that. I don't know how many times I've heard "he doesn't like un-neutered dogs" from other patrons at the park. My question is then "Why do you bring him here then? Do you expect your dog to be the only un-neutered one in the park?" I have a 14 month old who could care less if the dog has balls or not, that is different around females in heat though and he does get defensive over one of his "girlfriends" (they've known each other since he was 2 months old). I have to be pretty vigalent to make sure another dog doesn't challenge him because he isn't one to start a fight, but he will end one.
> 
> Do they smell different if they are un-neutered? Probably. But it isn't the only reason dogs "go off." You're going to have a big, strong, dog that is going to challenge the heirarchy of the pack when he enters the dog park, and its going to be up to you to make sure he knows how to handle himself.
> 
> How old is your male? We started ours really young and he learned dog park manners before his hormones were an issue.



Ace is 15 weeks old, I already brought him into the small dog run area, but those lil dogs are nippy and don't seem to like GSD puppies. I'm going to wait another 1-3 weeks until Ace is a bit bigger before I bring him in the large dog run here.

I'm not sure why they said that, but it seemed odd to me that they said my un neutered male would set off the other dogs...


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## Iannotti

jade_14 said:


> My dog is intact, and I've never had any issues with him and other males, and he's always got along with females with no problems. I don't take him to dog parks though, too many things that could happen (not with him being the issue, but other dogs and owners).
> There's a dog boarding kennel nearby I emailed to see if they would allow him (I was going away for a weekend) and they said no because he's intact and would create 'tension' in the kennel... :rolleyes2: I was unimpressed.



See, there must be something to this if they felt this way. I'm not sure what the real answer is, but sure want to find out!


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## BlackPuppy

There are dog parks that do not allow intact males. 

I've taken Doerak (intact) to dog parks. He was fine, but other dogs didn't like him much. People there told me I shouldn't take an intact male to a dog park. Hmm. 

I stopped taking Boaz (intact) when he was about 9 months. He really doesn't like other dogs much anyway.

Camp Bow-Bow daycare does not allow intact males either. I think that might be a trend for daycare.


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## gagsd

I have one intact male who will not tolerate other, large, intact males. He is fine with little poodle types.
Can I walk him thorough Petco? YES.
Would I ever let him off-leash to "play" ......no way in the world.


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## Konotashi

Ozzy's intact and he's never had an issue with other males. He'll be clingy to some of the girls sometimes, but he loves all dogs of every shape and size, intact or not. Other dogs don't seem to have an issue with him either, unless he pees on 'their' pole. In which case, they come right behind him and pee over it. lol


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## suzzyq01

Both of my males are intact and we attend the dog park. I have to keep a shock collar on Onyx because he can be dominant if not controlled. If the collar is on him he is fine because my controller trumps his dominance. Sonar is more submissive and is just now realizing he is a real boy! lol

Firstly if your dog is dominant and not under control by the owner it doesn't matter if he/she is altered or not, it is all about control. Being intact does highten the need to dominate the pack and be "top dog" but it's not to say that an altered dog wouldn't do the same thing. 

I can tell you that Onyx takes more interest in other intact dogs because in his mind he must fight to be "top dog" to insure he is able to reproduce. (not that it will happen but...It's encoded in their DNA.) I just have to watch him closer if another intact dog comes in the park. I assess the other dog and if I feel it will be a conflict (ie the other dog is also showing dominance or the owner is not in control) then I put Onyx in the mini run until I can see how the other dog interacts with the pack. If he is fine then I let Onyx out and just keep an eye on him. He won't attack and avoids contact with the other dog but if he is humped he will defend himself. We have really never had any problems except one dog a 15 month old, intact, 160lbs St Bernard who was completely out of control and didn't listen to anyone. Onyx walked passed him and he mauled Onyx. Ever since then he has had a heightened awareness of other intact males. Can't say I blame him, I also am VERY aware of intact males entering the park now also.


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## msvette2u

More than anything, I'd be concerned about another clueless owner bringing in an intact female _in heat_ and your dog producing an unnecessary litter of puppies.
Dog parks aren't all they are cracked up to be anyway.


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## missykel3

I have had a lot of experience with dealing with neutered and un-neutered males in dog parks. I own an un-neutered male who wasn't neutered until he was 1 1/2 years old. He acts the same as he did before he got neutered...only difference is he isn't as intense in situations, but still very confrontational. However, if he meets a neutered male, he will get along ok if the dog doesn't try and challenge him. If the other dog does challenge him, they get in a scuffle, but it isn't major and usually ends in a couple seconds. Take that same dog that is un-neutered, and tries to challenge him, the outcome is more intense. If he sees a female in heat, he will mount and go to town...and he's neutered! I don't do dog parks with my male...he just thinks it is his job to run everyone down and he plays too rough--we have been attacked on walks by so many dogs, I think it has soured him a little to be a bully. I let him have play-dates with dogs that match well with his play style, and one on one he is fine with other dogs...in a pack situation it is not so fun unless all the dogs are submissive, but that is highly unlikely. So, I think overall it just affects the intensity of the situation. More hormones always do!


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## BowWowMeow

I don't think the issue is with the unneutered male dog's behavior, it's with the neutered male dogs' reactions to him. I have seen this so many times--the neutered males act like the unneutered male is an alien and get all macho with him. There is a lot of mounting behavior and I have seen neutered males also gang up on unneutered males. My Basu was really stupid around unneutered males and would get all humpy around them. I saw Rafi do some posturing with an unneutered 9mo male dog this summer and my cousins' (neutered) dog was doing the same thing. 

I would just watch your dog carefully. If the other males are bugging him I would stop taking him to the dog park because you don't want him to start having issues with other dogs.


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## Draugr

I've heard that neutered males sometimes become aggressive toward intact males. Not sure how true that is. I think it might be because being intact, they automatically smell more "dominant" than the neutered dog's own smell, and that seems threatening? I don't know. I've never personally witnessed that.

As for me, I think it's almost always a behavior/training issue. If your dog isn't well-behaved or socialized, then, intact or not, he needs some more work before being introduced to a dog park situation.

I avoid dog parks at all costs =/. They seem like a recipe for trouble.


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## sharkey19

To be honest, I don't think people should bring intact males or females to the dog park...


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## PaddyD

Iannotti said:


> Ace is 15 weeks old, I already brought him into the small dog run area, but those lil dogs are nippy and don't seem to like GSD puppies. I'm going to wait another 1-3 weeks until Ace is a bit bigger before I bring him in the large dog run here.
> 
> I'm not sure why they said that, but it seemed odd to me that they said my un neutered male would set off the other dogs...


At 15 weeks I don't think that his 'sex' has kicked in yet.
He's still a baby.


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## doggiedad

i've never had a dog neutered. my dog is
4 yrs old. we go to the dog park and he plays
in the woods with a bunch of dogs (play group/gathering).
there's other dogs in the dog park and in the woods that 
are intact and there's no problems.


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## Salix

Fortunately to date I have also had no major problems with my (intact) male dog. We do not go to dog parks for many reasons anymore. The dog park has outlived its purpose.

He doesn't push it if he knows he can't get one up and either lays down, plays sub or runs along. But the most common behaviour I saw was him asserting dominance by looking over/resting his head on another intact male's neck. 

The most dangerous situation I wasn't prepared for was at a dog park with an ex-convict's pitbull. Earlier that week, I had heard from other owners about this individual frequenting that park. I thought my chances running into this man and his dog were slim. Not so. The pitbull had thick chains and spikes around its neck that looked painfully heavy. The man started talking to me about how he punches his dog in the face if the dog is stupid. It was then that I realized his dog was intact as well. By then Denver was already doing his intact male thing and asserting his dominance. Thank god the pitbull didn't lash out in a fight and surprisingly let Denver do it and they were very calm. I was warned that this dog had been provoked by smaller dogs and clamped his jaws. I wouldn't have liked to see two good animals hurt. By then the ex-convict had finished prattling off how his intact pitbull gets along great with other intact males. Great..


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## dazedtrucker

sharkey19 said:


> To be honest, I don't think people should bring intact males or females to the dog park...



may I ask why? unless a female is in heat, i guess i don't see the problem? most dogs are just happy to play with other dogs IMHO


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## PaddyD

dazedtrucker said:


> may I ask why? unless a female is in heat, i guess i don't see the problem? most dogs are just happy to play with other dogs IMHO


It depends on the occupants of the dog park and their owners at the time you go there. And that can be highly variable. My experience is that about 1/2 of the dogs actually play. The rest ignore, avoid, or are involved chasing something their owners are throwing.


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## chelle

Salix said:


> .... The pitbull had thick chains and spikes around its neck that looked painfully heavy. The man started talking to me about how he punches his dog in the face if the dog is stupid.


Oh Lord. Punches it in the face. How were you able to be nice.. ?  I'm not very nice. That woulda just pissed me off. Ugh. Stupid humans.


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## dazedtrucker

PaddyD said:


> It depends on the occupants of the dog park and their owners at the time you go there. And that can be highly variable. My experience is that about 1/2 of the dogs actually play. The rest ignore, avoid, or are involved chasing something their owners are throwing.


I agree. The dog park here is not very popular, but I went to the 1 @ Horsetooth lake in Ft Collins a little while ago I saw exactly what you are describing. I saw a dog get attacked because it would not quit harrasing what looked like a husky akita mix, while the owner COMPLETELY ignored the dog, and was reading a book. If they ignore and avoid, they are probably not enjoying it, and the owners should pay attention to their dogs and realize they are not having fun...chasing something..well, as long as they are not bothering anyone, and are being "nice" when other dogs are around, that sounds like social skills, maybe the owner doesn't have a big yard and wants to get them out to play...and yes, stupid owners are everywhere. But what does being "INTACT" have to do with this? My 7 month old LOVES playing at the park, he is intact, my 3 year old rescue, not so much...he does not like other dogs in his space, I saw this right away, and is not a problem. Is this really about testicles? Some dogs, for whatever reason (my rescue was a puppy mill adult dog) just don't enjoy it. Don't take them.
If anyone thinks I'm offbase I'd love to hear it. I plan on getting my rescue fixed in the very near future, just giving him time to settle in...does anyone think that is going to change his whole disposition? I've been wanting to ask this for a while...what does nuetering actually do for an adult male dog? If he has been used for breeding his entire life (like my puppy mill dog) and you neuter him, is his attitude REALLY GOING TO CHANGE? I'm thinking not....input appreciated, I am just curious. I don't think that my boy is ever going to appreciate another dog running up on him, he gets defensive, and will snap...is removing his balls going to cure this? I don't think so...but then he'd be welcome so many more places  if I was dum enough to put him in that situation. Thoughts?


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## Salix

chelle said:


> Oh Lord. Punches it in the face. How were you able to be nice.. ?  I'm not very nice. That woulda just pissed me off. Ugh. Stupid humans.


My immediate concern was for my own safety to be very honest with you. I was alone in the park with this guy who approached me first and introduced himself and seemed quite chatty and friendly. He openly told me he was in jail for a number of reasons. I wanted to evacuate quickly but didn't think that would be wise and my dog was running around. I'm a 4'11'' female and he was a lot bigger and taller. I didn't doubt Denver's ability to handle himself except when I started noticing Denver was trying to assert his dominance rather in-your-face like to the pitbull. I was trying my best to stay calm and collected during that meeting.

I was concerned for the pitbull, my dog and my own safety. I don't get angry easily. It would have shown on my face and I think my agitation wouldn't have helped the situation. I understand what you mean though. The encounter did make me very upset afterwards.


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## sharkey19

dazedtrucker said:


> may I ask why? unless a female is in heat, i guess i don't see the problem? most dogs are just happy to play with other dogs IMHO



I don't think it is a good argument to put the onus of the mating issue on the females owner. Sometimes females can be in heat with no signs. And frankly I don't think that matters. Both parties are equally responsible if a mating happens at a dog park by bringing intact dogs there. It takes two.


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## chelle

Salix said:


> My immediate concern was for my own safety to be very honest with you. I was alone in the park with this guy who approached me first and introduced himself and seemed quite chatty and friendly. He openly told me he was in jail for a number of reasons. I wanted to evacuate quickly but didn't think that would be wise and my dog was running around. I'm a 4'11'' female and he was a lot bigger and taller. I didn't doubt Denver's ability to handle himself except when I started noticing Denver was trying to assert his dominance rather in-your-face like to the pitbull. I was trying my best to stay calm and collected during that meeting.
> 
> I was concerned for the pitbull, my dog and my own safety. I don't get angry easily. It would have shown on my face and I think my agitation wouldn't have helped the situation. I understand what you mean though. The encounter did make me very upset afterwards.


Yikes, yes I bet that was upsetting.! It's too easy to say what you'd do, after the fact. Sounds like you handled it the best it could've been handled. Kudos for keeping it together. :thumbup:


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## dazedtrucker

sharkey19 said:


> I don't think it is a good argument to put the onus of the mating issue on the females owner. Sometimes females can be in heat with no signs. And frankly I don't think that matters. Both parties are equally responsible if a mating happens at a dog park by bringing intact dogs there. It takes two.


Seriously? A female, with no signs of heat, getting pregnant at a dog park? That is absurd. In most places, you cannot bring an in-heat female anywhere outside your home without a fine....god forbid my male has testicles. Arrgh.
Try being responsible.


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## dazedtrucker

Seriously. Has anyone here heard of a female being in heat, with NO SIGNS..AND GETTING PREGNANT AT A DOG PARK??? REALLY? O 4 GODS SAKE.:crazy:


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## Konotashi

The very first time I went to the dog park, there was a little Chihuahua that kept going after a female pit bull. The pit put up with it for a while, until all of a sudden, she got sick of getting attacked by the little rat, and turned, grabbed him, and started throwing him around like a ragdoll. It was in the water, and she was thrashing him underwater, and other dogs started trying to jump in, and it was bad. The pit bull's owner was the LAST one to the scene! Some random guy got her off of the Chi, and then her owner came up and DRAGGED her away by her choke chain IN THE AIR. Basically hanging her, and punching her in the face, screaming at her! I wanted to go over and bang her head into the concrete. 
If the Chi's owner had been paying attention, or if he cared, or maybe thought of the consequences, then that wouldn't have happened. Thankfully he wasn't hurt, but he was (obviously) very shaken. Both him and his owner.


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## TriadGSD

i took Triad to a dog park just for the lake and there was a intact dog trying to hump other dogs including my neutered male.


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## jade_14

My intact male is very good friends with my friends neutered male. They were introduced as adults and got along great. The neutered male actually humps my boy all the time. I have never seen my dog hump another dog ever. He tends to be submissive to other dogs. Our neighbors have a female who he's known since a puppy and she was spayed at 6 months and she constantly humps him when he's around. 
If a dog is humping another dog I wouldn't always blame it on the fact that he's intact.


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## chelle

jade_14 said:


> If a dog is humping another dog I wouldn't always blame it on the fact that he's intact.


Heck no. My eight year old spayed female tries to hump. I shut that down asap. In her case, I believe it to be about dominance, which is hilarious, because that's the last thing she usually tries to ever be.

At the dog park today, there was a male trying to hump several dogs. The owner was sitting on the bench saying "no..no... you can't do that whatever-his-name-was." Super weak. I don't know if he was intact or not. When he tried it with Bailey, I was right on it, I don't like that, told him NO HUMP and backed him off. Thankfully he didn't try it again. If it was my dog trying that crap, I'd be just as on top of it. Just the hazards of a dog park, I guess.  The other owners allowed their dogs to be humped and let their dogs deal with getting the humper away/off. Maybe I'm the wrong one here, but I'm just not going to let that go on with my own dog right in front of me. The owner never got her behind off the park bench to control anything. She might've been mad at me for correcting her dog, but I don't care.


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## spidermilk

Konotashi said:


> The very first time I went to the dog park, there was a little Chihuahua that kept going after a female pit bull. The pit put up with it for a while, until all of a sudden, she got sick of getting attacked by the little rat, and turned, grabbed him, and started throwing him around like a ragdoll. It was in the water, and she was thrashing him underwater, and other dogs started trying to jump in, and it was bad. The pit bull's owner was the LAST one to the scene! Some random guy got her off of the Chi, and then her owner came up and DRAGGED her away by her choke chain IN THE AIR. Basically hanging her, and punching her in the face, screaming at her! I wanted to go over and bang her head into the concrete.
> If the Chi's owner had been paying attention, or if he cared, or maybe thought of the consequences, then that wouldn't have happened. Thankfully he wasn't hurt, but he was (obviously) very shaken. Both him and his owner.


This is exactly why we don't go to the dog park! I have seen dogs pestering other dogs even when one dog is giving clear 'back off' signals and the owners do nothing. I have also seen people drag an obviously very fearful dog into the dog park and then just walk away as it tried to hide between their legs! It is a dog fight waiting to happen.

My dog is unneutered and plays fine with other unneutered males. We don't play with just any strange dogs though- Dax does not do well with a dog who acts fearful of him. I honestly don't think that this is because he is not neutered- I think it is a fear-based reaction from a lack of confidence- possibly a combination of weak nerves and not enough good socialization?


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## sharkey19

dazedtrucker said:


> Seriously? A female, with no signs of heat, getting pregnant at a dog park? That is absurd. In most places, you cannot bring an in-heat female anywhere outside your home without a fine....god forbid my male has testicles. Arrgh.
> Try being responsible.


First of all, I don't know any dog park that has people checking for females in heat, and never heard of this fine thing. I've worked in a vet hospital for many years and can tell you that a lot of people don't even know anything about females going into heat, and yes, some females can go into heat without showing signs.

It takes two to make a litter, not just the female. You are just as irresponsible for having an intact dog there as the person with the intact female. If you want your dog to play with other dogs, do it in a fenced area with dogs you know. 

I would say anyone who brings an intact animal to an off leash park should "try being responsible". That is ridiculous that an owner of an intact male wouldn't take any of the blame for something that might happen. Absolutely hypocritical.


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## Pepper311

Never ever let a interacted male off leash in puplic. You never know if the female down the street is in heat or if some stupid person has a dog in heat at the park. Too many unwanted dogs be responsible. I agree not all people know anything about dog heat cycles. They don't show signs the whole time they can get pregnant. Their are signs a dog is in heat but they can be different and some people don't relies it.

As for the way they act.... I found all the interacted dogs I knew were more serious. They always Would sniff everything a lot and very intence about it. They were not always aggressive or crazy.


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## sharkey19

Pepper311 said:


> Never ever let a interacted male off leash in puplic. You never know if the female down the street is in heat or if some stupid person has a dog in heat at the park. Too many unwanted dogs be responsible.


Thanks. I thought no one would agree with me on that.


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## dazedtrucker

sharkey19 said:


> First of all, I don't know any dog park that has people checking for females in heat, and never heard of this fine thing. I've worked in a vet hospital for many years and can tell you that a lot of people don't even know anything about females going into heat, and yes, some females can go into heat without showing signs.
> 
> It takes two to make a litter, not just the female. You are just as irresponsible for having an intact dog there as the person with the intact female. If you want your dog to play with other dogs, do it in a fenced area with dogs you know.
> 
> I would say anyone who brings an intact animal to an off leash park should "try being responsible". That is ridiculous that an owner of an intact male wouldn't take any of the blame for something that might happen. Absolutely hypocritical.


I guess I didn't say that quite right. I wasn't implying that only the person with the female was responsible. (it is a FACT that many municipalities have stiff fines for a female in heat being outside AT ALL). I am saying that if there is a female in heat, I am going to notice my males behaviour long before he mounts her, and being RESPONSIBLE, I would put a stop to it right away...I actually watch my dog when we are in public.
The fine thing...check out KCK laws...500.00. you can't even let her out to potty. I questioned an officer extensivly about this. You are not allowed to have a female in heat outside AT ALL. Even in your own back yard, on leash, doesn't matter. I had a male camped on my porch and called AC to remove him. That's when I learned it was my own fault legally for taking her out to potty....


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## sharkey19

dazedtrucker said:


> you can't even let her out to potty. I questioned an officer extensivly about this. You are not allowed to have a female in heat outside AT ALL. Even in your own back yard, on leash, doesn't matter. I had a male camped on my porch and called AC to remove him. That's when I learned it was my own fault legally for taking her out to potty....


I've never heard of that. Maybe its more of a U.S. thing? Hope you didn't get fined for that, that's a little ridiculous. The male's owner should have been fined for that.


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## dazedtrucker

sharkey19 said:


> I've never heard of that. Maybe its more of a U.S. thing? Hope you didn't get fined for that, that's a little ridiculous. The male's owner should have been fined for that.


I know, its TOTALLY ridiculous. I got a stern warning, but didn't get the ticket. That is what I argued...there are leash laws, why is ok for a loose dog, to be on my property? Thats when I was told it was my fault, they would remove the dog, but if he came back (which he did), they weren't going to do anything. This was kansas city ks, 19 years ago. He was a VERY sweet golden retriever. Just horny...we just dealt with him after that, LOL!


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## Salix

Konotashi said:


> The very first time I went to the dog park, there was a little Chihuahua that kept going after a female pit bull. The pit put up with it for a while, until all of a sudden, she got sick of getting attacked by the little rat, and turned, grabbed him, and started throwing him around like a ragdoll. It was in the water, and she was thrashing him underwater, and other dogs started trying to jump in, and it was bad. The pit bull's owner was the LAST one to the scene! Some random guy got her off of the Chi, and then her owner came up and DRAGGED her away by her choke chain IN THE AIR. Basically hanging her, and punching her in the face, screaming at her! I wanted to go over and bang her head into the concrete.
> If the Chi's owner had been paying attention, or if he cared, or maybe thought of the consequences, then that wouldn't have happened. Thankfully he wasn't hurt, but he was (obviously) very shaken. Both him and his owner.


Yes, I have seen this happen and heard the stories from others who frequented the dog parks I went to. It disturbs me that some owners of both smaller dogs and big dogs have no understanding of dog in general. Dogs should never be provoked, no matter how well trained, or put in the position where they must tolerate abhorrent or unstable-aggressive dogs. _All aggressive behaviour must be addressed. _I don't care how teacup a dog is. Now why didn't anyone complain that this smaller dog was _aggressive_ to start with? 

There is the wrong mindset, the wrong idea about what's right and what's wrong depending on the size of a dog when it comes to these things.


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## Courtney

GSD + unknown dogs (dog park) = disaster


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## Pepper311

dazedtrucker said:


> I guess I didn't say that quite right. I wasn't implying that only the person with the female was responsible. (it is a FACT that many municipalities have stiff fines for a female in heat being outside AT ALL). I am saying that if there is a female in heat, I am going to notice my males behaviour long before he mounts her, and being RESPONSIBLE, I would put a stop to it right away...I actually watch my dog when we are in public.
> The fine thing...check out KCK laws...500.00. you can't even let her out to potty. I questioned an officer extensivly about this. You are not allowed to have a female in heat outside AT ALL. Even in your own back yard, on leash, doesn't matter. I had a male camped on my porch and called AC to remove him. That's when I learned it was my own fault legally for taking her out to potty....


Thats Not fair. You can't have a interacted female out but you can have an interacted male free. Even female dogs get the crap end of the stick. I have never heard of that law. It should go both ways not just for females. Males run away and go far to get to a female in heat. They are the ones that seek out the females. So don't let your interacted dog run. I don't care how well trained your dog is hormones are a strong force. It also dose not take long from the deed to be done. Get your dog fixed or keep it on leash.


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## Joyb0218

*Our first experience with a dog park...*

Well, this is our story... While we are waiting to close on our house (which is tomorrow, yay!), we have been staying in my mom's tiny one-bedroom apartment. Our GSD, Reese will be one year old Dec. 29th and will be fixed a week from today. With that being said, we weren't all that keen on fixing him before a year old anyhow (just our preference) which ties in with my question coming up.

Due to being in this tiny apartment with our 80 lb. boy, we've had to take him to the dog park to stretch his legs (not only that, my husband works nights, so to let him sleep in the mornings, we have to leave as Reese likes to play with my mom's little maltese and they can get noisy! ).

We've been taking Reese to the park for a week now and he LOVES LOVES LOVES IT. He's a big fat WUSS, which is great. He plays great with little dogs, big dogs, you name it. He's somewhat wary of people, so when they try to pet him, he shies away. Not always, but most of the time.

So, the other day, he kept trying to mount this poor beagle. No idea who the owner was, they probably, obviously didn't care, but I don't leave my GSD unattended in the park EVER (nor does he leave us!), so I was constantly working to correct him. He wouldn't stop, so we I just re-focused him elsewhere and went along our way.

Come to today, an owner brought their pitbull. Who by the way, was doing just fine, but Reese continually made attempts to mount him and shadow him (this pit was neutered). Unlike the beagle, this pit was correcting him. Not too rough, just enough to say BACK OFF. Both the owner and I were working to keep Reese off. But, she kept saying that the *only* reason my dog was mounting her dog was because he wan't fixed.

She was agitated and I don't blame her. I really was trying to do my best and be sensitive and correct my own dog, but she eventually ended up leaving (not sure if it was all because of my dog, she had been there a while and when we first got there, the dogs did play some. I don't want to give the impression that she left in a huff over it).

So, out of the seven days we've been there, this has happened twice out of the nearly 100 other dogs he has played with. All the dogs unknown to him and he's done really great.

My question is, is this TRULY a correctable behavior? If you think of it, nobody knows the future. We can't say 100% whether neutering will fix the problem (many, many people say it's a dominance thing, neutered or not), no one is going to know that till he's fixed. If he stops, GREAT. If he doesn't, what is the proper mode of correction? When he tries, he's really determined if you know what I mean . Is there another way other than leaving the area, or park altogether? We really like going there.

Other than that, Reese is a speciman of a GSD in MHO


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## SueDoNimm

Joyb, this is just my anecdotal experience with one dog, but my dog was neutered at age 2.5. He was with a foster family for about 2 weeks before we got him and he was neutered two days before he came home with us. They said that he was very friendly with all dogs, but he would try to mount their female and other dogs and he would "flex his muscles" with other males. I was a little worried about both these things, but he has never done either of these things in the time he's been with us. Never once tried, even though he's been around lots of dogs. I think it must be because he was neutered.


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## Joyb0218

Hi Sue!

Thank you for your comment. That gives me hope! Especially with your dog being 2.5 yrs. at neuter. We are hoping that it stops, but you know how it is... you just never know! 

After being in this tiny apartment, we are moving to a farm. That will be a WHOLE new experience. I'm now researching how I can best train him to be around horses. Should be fun! So, I'm going to be on this board A LOT.

Thanks again.

--Joy


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## Kirsty195

Iannotti said:


> Its almost about that age where I will slowly bring my male GSD into the dog park. The mornings there are great, about 7-8 people all good owners with a good group of dogs. I was told though if my dog is not neutered it may set off the other dogs? is this true? I only known that un-neutered dogs may become more aggressive to others as they got older. I never heard it will set off other dogs, any truth to this?


Trust me is so true I have a 12 yo labradoodle n all the puppies from first lockdown now coming to age where they want to attack him. Everyone says oh my dog never attacked anyone before or my dog won’t attack trust me when ur dog gets smells my dog it will. I actually broke down in the park today when a guy just kept shouting my dogs never attacked any, but ur dog never been near mine before, amount of times I heard that unbelievable n to make it worst it was a fighting dog I was literally a rattling wreck n owner had no consideration for what really could of happened. I get I probably don’t help situation with getting so uptight but my dog usually now just let’s the dog attack him n doesn’t try fight back but at 12 he is an old age pensioner in dog years. The park is now my social life n after today I literally can’t take anymore n can’t go back n it isn’t a dog park just a park xxx


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## Shefali

My boy is intact, 15 months old. I take him to the dog park once a week and he also has a couple of dog friends that he has play dates with once a week. I also take him hiking on off-leash trails. He has not shown any aggression. Right at 10 months or so, he was feeling his oats and started mounting other dogs. So I corrected this. If we were at the dog park and he did this, I'd say "No!" and pull him off. If he did it again, he got a time-out. Third time? He got taken home. After a few iterations of this, he stopped the behavior. 

At this point, the only possible negative behavior - he marks quite a bit. But I don't mind that. I have noticed a few times a neutered male has had issues with him, but he is not aggressive. He's confident but not interested in fighting.


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## BigOzzy2018

most will be upset with this pic but it’s the truth. Not one person can tell me it’s ok to take your dog to a dog park. No I will not get into any debates.


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