# Crying at the dog park



## MarkMulder (Feb 13, 2013)

Hey guys, my 5 month old puppy seems to love the dog park, but I noticed that sometimes he gets chased by bigger/older dogs. When these dogs close in on him, he cries and yelps. I'm not sure if he's being hurt physically, or if he's just scared. Should I let this behavior go on?


----------



## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

He is scared.

You probably don't want to hear this, but I wouldn't go to the dog park. It's seriously an accident waiting to happen.


----------



## MarkMulder (Feb 13, 2013)

dogfaeries said:


> He is scared.
> 
> You probably don't want to hear this, but I wouldn't go to the dog park. It's seriously an accident waiting to happen.


Will it change as he gets older? Or is his temperament just prone to being scared?


----------



## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

dog park is a bad idea especially if your dog is a wuss and crying and yelping. all that does is amp the other dogs up even more. btw yeah you should step in. the dog is crying and yelping in the first place because he knows your not there to protect him.


----------



## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I used to go to the dog park with my Doberman, and never had a problem. She was also an older dog that stayed right by me. We just wandered around.

I would be concerned about other dogs bullying my puppy. All too often people at dog parks aren't watching their dogs. They just turn them loose and then ignore them. Not a good situation if one, or some, of them gets amped up and gets too rough with your dog. It's your job to keep your puppy safe. It doesn't mean your dog is a "wuss" either. Good grief, it's a puppy. Something to think about.


----------



## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Your puppy is not a wuss or wimp, he is a baby being chased by full grown strange dogs!!!
Its your job to protect your puppy so stop taking this young pup to such a dangerous place.


----------



## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Saphire said:


> Your puppy is not a wuss or wimp, he is a baby being chased by full grown strange dogs!!!
> Its your job to protect your puppy so stop taking this young pup to such a dangerous place.


Exactly and this is only going to create more problems down the road if this keeps happening. 

A dog park is probably the last place I'd ever take any of my dogs for reasons like this.


----------



## alexg (Mar 22, 2013)

boomer11 said:


> dog park is a bad idea especially if your dog is a wuss and crying and yelping. all that does is amp the other dogs up even more. btw yeah you should step in. the dog is crying and yelping in the first place because he knows your not there to protect him.


Nice choice of words, ....


----------



## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

You already sensed that this isn't good for him, because you are here asking. 

A puppy's experiences and interactions should all be positive. Now is the time you are doing imprinting for the rest of his life. What he encounters and goes through now is very important. 
If he is anything but a very stable dog, this could trigger some behaviors you will have trouble with later. 

Dog parks are really not a good idea if your puppy is being harassed by packs of older dogs.


----------



## Kahrg4 (Dec 19, 2012)

Dog Parks are not a held in high regard on this forum. I go when the park is empty and it is just my dogs. If you are worried about getting your puppy socialized do it with your friends who have dogs in a controlled environment where you can step and defend your pup when necessary. Or perhaps sign up for a puppy socialization class at a training club. It is great to start socialization young, but not at the cost of the puppy having bad experiences. Best of luck!


----------



## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

Sent you a PM.


----------



## MarkMulder (Feb 13, 2013)

Thank you guys for all the answers and advice! Definitely no more off leash dog parks from now on, until he's older anyway. Thankfully this has only happened twice, so I doubt it's affected him in any permanent way


----------



## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

He will out grow it. Dex would run if dogs were just trying to wrestle with him. Now at 11 months. Hes in the mix and plays bavk. 

. Its true that dog parks may not be for everyone. One day a guy came in with his rottweiler (with his baby strapped to his chest) his dog was trying to hump Dex and Dexter growled at him. I looked at the dogs owner and he was just stsnding there. Not that hed be able to reach down and break up a dog fight with a baby. Thankfully the dog left. After that I only go once a week on a day when people I know and their dogs are tjere. No more random weekends for us.


----------



## GSDluver4lyfe (Nov 15, 2006)

MarkMulder said:


> Will it change as he gets older? Or is his temperament just prone to being scared?


Think of it this way. When you were 5 years old and a couple of big scary men where charging at you would you be scared? And if this happened on a regular basis wouldn't you more and likely grow up fearing big scary men? Now that could motivate you to fight or flight (get defensive, aggressive, nervous, agitated, scared etc just by the sight of them) now in your adult state. Not saying this will affect him just that it could if this problem persisted. He's a baby and inherited the right to be a "wuss" as that was so eloquently put  by his inexperience and baby stature. He needs to be nurtured and protected in his toddler/adolescent years. IMO I would stay away from dog parks. Socialization classes for puppies of his own age as someone mentioned earlier sounds like a much better alternative. (BTW I am NOT saying your dog is a wuss!)


----------



## Colie CVT (Nov 10, 2013)

After my golden got charged at by many an older dog (often for just trying to come into the park), I'm avoiding them like the plague until my new puppy is older. Or really honestly I just avoid them period now. I got extremely lucky that my golden is a very forgiving boy. He hit the dirt extremely fast when other dogs would come at him, which saved any issues with fights, but that isn't the case with every dog you see. 

One day I literally pushed the gate open and a beagle was on top of Myles. He was probably 6-7 months old at the time. I got tired of seeing that kind of thing. Now he doesn't care much for dog parks. He wants to play ball, but otherwise he avoids interacting with anyone outside of dogs he came with or knows.

We actually helped get a dog hiking group going and we have a few younger canine members.  The amount of trouble we've had with the group has been extremely slim, because people get stretched out and no one is trapped because we go to off leash dog trails all around the area. Much better socialization and everyone is much more relaxed.

Puppy class or playdates with known dog friendly dogs is a safer bet in the really developmental phases. I have a friend who has a dog that takes the offensive when dealing with dogs in his face at dog parks and even inside of pet stores at times. He was attacked several times in a few week span when he was about 7 or so months old. He absolutely hates boxers because of it.


----------



## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

I personally wouldn't go to the dog park, I took my dog from the time he was about that age and the result is a super dog focused and dog reactive dog. It effected our training especially if another dog is around he would rather focus on them then me, it's taken a lot of work to reverse that. My next puppy, no way! They don't need to play with other dogs for socialization either just being out and about and seeing them is enough. Things could change as he gets older as well, mine was always amazing with other dogs, loved them but a few months after he turned one he started being a domineering bully to other dogs so even if I wanted to go to the dog park we no longer can... It only caused headaches for me.


----------



## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

agree with all the advice, definitely no dogs parks. its an uncontrolled atmosphere and anything can happen. to over whelming for some young pups. a better choice is to set up one on one meetings with maybe pups his age, pups that are like him. if this sort of thing continued it can sometimes work the opposite and he can become dog aggressive as he ages. its actually the same thing in like a doggie day care situation for some of these pups. so i would stay away from that. keep all his interactions positive and you control all situations.


----------

