# My Dog Park Experience



## ZoeandMoe (Dec 6, 2013)

I have read a lot of stories on this board about people not advising or even going to a dog park for a number of reasons. Just wanted to share my experience yesterday. I took Moe. to a local park with the hopes of introducing him to other dogs/pups. Moe. is 15 months old. When arriving, He was barking playfully at the other dogs but I wanted to take him to the section "under 20lb" dogs because no one was in there. We weren't in there 2 minutes when a woman came over to me and said what a beautiful GSD, can I bring my Shepherd over to that side? Her's was about a month older and running around with the bigger dogs. I said, sure, why not. Moe. and her dog began playing together for a minute, then her's began chasing Moe. Every time she caught him, she would knock him down. Playfully, not aggressively. this went on for about ten minutes until one time her dog knocked Moe. down and they began barking/snarling at each other. I quickly separated Moe. and thought, OK, time to leave. The woman said to me, Oh, it's OK, they will be fine. I let Moe. go after making him calm down and he stayed at my feet until her dog came running and plowing him over again. This time it was a full on puppy fight. I broke it up immediately, put on Moe's. leash and began to leave. She said to me like nothing had happened, "Nice meeting you, see you next time". I thought to myself, No you won't. Maybe I was over reacting but I wanted him to socialize, Not learn how to fight or defend himself.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

a dog park can be fine. i go to the dog park. there's a section
in the woods near my house where people gather with their dogs.
somtimes there's 25 dogs running around, in out of the creek.
the creek is low in this section of the woods. people riding their horses 
cross there. lots of times they stop to watch the dogs play. i used
the dog park as a training aid.

my got in a fight at the dog park. the next time he saw the dog there
they played like nothing ever happened. if you don't feel comfortable
about the other dog leave the park when they show up. 

set up some play dates with some dogs that are friendly.


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## halo2013 (Jan 6, 2014)

ZoeandMoe said:


> I have read a lot of stories on this board about people not advising or even going to a dog park for a number of reasons. Just wanted to share my experience yesterday. I took Moe. to a local park with the hopes of introducing him to other dogs/pups. Moe. is 15 months old. When arriving, He was barking playfully at the other dogs but I wanted to take him to the section "under 20lb" dogs because no one was in there. We weren't in there 2 minutes when a woman came over to me and said what a beautiful GSD, can I bring my Shepherd over to that side? Her's was about a month older and running around with the bigger dogs. I said, sure, why not. Moe. and her dog began playing together for a minute, then her's began chasing Moe. Every time she caught him, she would knock him down. Playfully, not aggressively. this went on for about ten minutes until one time her dog knocked Moe. down and they began barking/snarling at each other. I quickly separated Moe. and thought, OK, time to leave. The woman said to me, Oh, it's OK, they will be fine. I let Moe. go after making him calm down and he stayed at my feet until her dog came running and plowing him over again. This time it was a full on puppy fight. I broke it up immediately, put on Moe's. leash and began to leave. She said to me like nothing had happened, "Nice meeting you, see you next time". I thought to myself, No you won't. Maybe I was over reacting but I wanted him to socialize, Not learn how to fight or defend himself.


I don't take my dog to dog parks. Never have. I'm not above at all correcting someone else's dog to defend mine. And if I get "oh they're fine as an answer" I'm usually rude enough to say something. I can't stand people that let their animals be bullies and just brush it off. 

When I worked at my old job in Mech. A jack Russell was brought in tore up by a gsd. The jack Russell took off and was found a local and brought in it took that little guy 15 stitches. When the owner got there she said the lady that was responsible for the gsd said the same nothing oh hes just a puppy hes just playing

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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Can I say "We told you so"?


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

My dogs have never gone to a dog park. They are civil around people and civil around other dogs but they don't play with other dogs 

Lots of people are idiots why were their dogs be any different?


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## Sp00ks (Nov 8, 2013)

It isn't the dogs I dislike about dog parks......


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

your not over reacting, dog parks are fine, till there not, you found real quick there not


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Are you sure it was a real fight and not just rough play?

My GSD and my Dalmatian get really loud and make terrible noises when they are playing, they look like they are really fighting but they are not. My GSD literally sounds like an angry bear when they wrestle.


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## ZoeandMoe (Dec 6, 2013)

LaRen616 said:


> Are you sure it was a real fight and not just rough play?
> 
> My GSD and my Dalmatian get really loud and make terrible noises when they are playing, they look like they are really fighting but they are not. My GSD literally sounds like an angry bear when they wrestle.


I'm pretty sure it was a fight. I have two others at home he play fights with everyday. This time though, It was different. I seen every tooth in both dogs mouths and they were going for each others throats. 



Sunflowers said:


> Can I say "We told you so"?


Haha, yes you can


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## halo2013 (Jan 6, 2014)

LaRen616 said:


> Are you sure it was a real fight and not just rough play?
> 
> My GSD and my Dalmatian get really loud and make terrible noises when they are playing, they look like they are really fighting but they are not. My GSD literally sounds like an angry bear when they wrestle.


My sister n law has a redbone **** hound named luke him and halo play all the time they draw a lot of attention. And sometimes they get a little carried away with themselves we have to separate them sometimes..but here in Pa all the dog parks are nothing to brag about. All dogs gang up on the new kid. 

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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

I stopped taking mine about a year ago, lots of shady people doing drugs around the park and some reports of people leaving poison out.


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

We have no yard, no parks or hiking places here in St Pete, Florida so dog park is very convenient. We are very careful and never let dogs 2 on 1 and Zeus now knows "easy" or "Take a break". He did get attacked once and did not fight back so we pulled the other dog off and owner left. No harm was done. 

But when we schedule a play date with Z's buddy Swagger, we clear the park!!!  haha 

These two grew up together and trained together.


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## Waldi (Jun 14, 2013)

I take my GS female dog (12 months now) since she was 8 months old. Park is large and well used. She goes and plays sometimes with some dogs and not interested in playing with other dogs. In fact, shs was exposed to dog park during our obedience training class and at about 5-6 months old and she did very well. yes she is very excited and lound whne we arrive at the park, once in there she is acting very controlled way. We were told to have ability to recall our dog as required for off leash park in our city. We found that it is good for her to experience meeting other dogs, small and big on "neutral" ground. She is very social but at the same time if not interested in playing will ignore invites. perhaps it helps that we have older golden retriever (11 years) with us and she is excellent in terms of social skills with other dogs.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Not that I am a fan of dog parks but...

Zoeandmoe one of the mistakes it sounds like you made was allowing your dog to shelter under you while another dog was coming to play. There are few things that start a fight quicker. If you were to stay put your job at that point is to make the dog that was coming veer off and stop playing for a bit until your dog regained comfort. Otherwise you need to get away from both dogs. 

I see it all the time in the kennel yard. If you let a dog that has a relationship with you play rough near you it runs a serious chance of starting a fight even if it wouldn't have happened otherwise. Not even going to take a guess as to why it happens because it isn't really important. All I know is it starts fights.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

In regards to the OP's story...should've left the first time you saw a problem. Or tried to get to a part of the park where that dog wouldn't bother you.

I don't go to dog parks often, we have county parks that I use to let my dog swim/run in and since he has excellent recall I can safely walk through them off-lead. When I go to dog parks, I go to large ones, where I can walk laps and make my dog come with me. I don't allow my dog to interact very long with a single dog. It's usually, meet, play for a few seconds, keep going to the next one.

The OP's situation doesn't sound terrible. It sounds like the dog was friendly, but wasn't taught to play properly. It sounds like OP didn't like the level of aggression the dog was showing, but because it wasn't outward aggression, 95% of dog owners wouldn't have minded it at all. I've noticed at a dog park its the dog that snarls/growls/bites first rather than the one that's been posturing and bullying for the last 30 minutes. Many times bullying behavior is looked at as play...play that has never been challenged before by a bigger/badder dog.

I have a strong/rough playing dog. I don't allow him to get to that level of play because I'm uncomfortable allowing my dog to "play" the way he likes to play. I know most people won't say anything to the person who's dog is bullying (without showing the outward signs of aggression), partially because they don't realize what's going on, and partially because you don't want to be yelling at the person who's dog is bullying while your dog is snarling out of fear. Remember...most people see growling/snarling as aggression, they don't think it could come from fear and be caused by another dog doing something bad. The dog park is also the worst place in the world to be offering training advice when you're not asked for it. So some people are like me, they know they have powerful dogs, and prevent anything. Others don't realize it, because the majority of dog park dogs are pretty docile and don't get into confrontations and so the bully never gets his style of "play" get challenged.

I've thought back to how many times I've seen a true dog fight or just a scruffle at a dog park, and its easily less than 1% of the time that I've been there. But I can also easily spot dogs that are just not going to get along well with my boy and keep him away from them.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Sorry...I really dislike these posts because they truly are a minor % of dog park experiences. But these experiences get posted on the forum because as people we generally only post the bad experiences. Think about reviews about a product...not many people are going to take time to post a positive review of a product that does what it claims to do...but the moment that product doesn't meet expectations, they're on the internet screaming about it.

I'm sure there are plenty of people on this forum that visit dog parks. When nothing happens there except some happy play and some off-lead exercise, people don't come on here to post about it because the story is boring. "My dog played with other dogs and no one faught." Awesome. No one cares right? But the stories where a fight happens...has to be posted, its exciting...and we can always blame the other dog owner and have a ball discussing how terrible of a person they are.


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## halo2013 (Jan 6, 2014)

martemchik said:


> Sorry...I really dislike these posts because they truly are a minor % of dog park experiences. But these experiences get posted on the forum because as people we generally only post the bad experiences. Think about reviews about a product...not many people are going to take time to post a positive review of a product that does what it claims to do...but the moment that product doesn't meet expectations, they're on the internet screaming about it.
> 
> I'm sure there are plenty of people on this forum that visit dog parks. When nothing happens there except some happy play and some off-lead exercise, people don't come on here to post about it because the story is boring. "My dog played with other dogs and no one faught." Awesome. No one cares right? But the stories where a fight happens...has to be posted, its exciting...and we can always blame the other dog owner and have a ball discussing how terrible of a person they are.


If its an experience one has and they feel frustrated then so be it. It wouldn't have been an experience if everything was controlled. 

However its reality some people have bad experiences at a dog park and it scares them from going back. I've met a lot of people that like them. I've met a lot of people that feel neutral about them. I've met people that hate them. 



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## AkariKuragi (Dec 19, 2011)

I agree, I think dog parks are great. It's not a place you can go and just be an inactive spectator though. You gotta follow your dog around (or have them follow you), and make sure they stay away from dogs that are causing problems. And if something doesn't 't feel right... LEAVE! Don't wait for something bad to happen. It's definitely the type of place where you have to be proactive.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

halo2013 said:


> If its an experience one has and they feel frustrated then so be it. It wouldn't have been an experience if everything was controlled.
> 
> However its reality some people have bad experiences at a dog park and it scares them from going back. I've met a lot of people that like them. I've met a lot of people that feel neutral about them. I've met people that hate them.


I'm with you 100%...but the bad rap that dog parks get on this forum and many times in the real world is due to the fact that everytime a dog park conversation comes up, people scream about their bad experiences, and those that have gone hundreds/thousands of times without an incident don't really care enough to talk about their experience. It's not that I don't believe people have bad experiences, its that these threads make it sound like 95% of the time something bad happens, when its almost the opposite of that and most times there are no problems at all.

So someone that might want to try a dog park, will read this stuff, and get scared and not go. When in reality their park might be very friendly and very good for the dog. Especially if they live in the city/apartment where the dog doesn't have much green space to run in of its own.

I've tested my theory before...I made a thread about a "normal, nothing happened" experience at a dog park and asked others to do the same. It lasted all of 3 pages. These "bad time at dog park" threads, can go on for days!


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## ZoeandMoe (Dec 6, 2013)

Well thanx for everyone's input. I had read about the good, bad and the ugly but wanted to experience "my" dog park. Granted, It was my first time there and this happened with one person. I'm not going to say I will never go back. I'm sure I will down the line. I just wanted to post my experience visiting one for the first time. I certainly had no intentions of bashing the other owner.


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## kristinloveschief (Sep 12, 2013)

There's two dog parks where I live within 20 min of eachother. One of them, the further one from me I rarely go to is pretty bad. I think the one is so bad because all it is, is a small square area fenced in that gets crammed with dogs and all the dogs have to do is be bad plus the owners don't care. I saw one GSD get in a fight with another dog and the owners think it's just "play" while in the mean time my 5 month old puppy is getting mounted by some big standard poodle. We left right after that. The dog park that's by my house house is huge with a wooded area and a big field.. the dogs have more room to spread out and so far it's been ok (dogs are nice, owners are responsible). Only one time did we have to leave the park by our house. This man came in with his two huskys and they kept circling my puppy then would bump him to knock him to the ground and stand on top of him snarling. They gang up on all the dogs. My husband and I now leave when we see the man pull up with his huskys. Other than that, it's been okay and our boy loves chasing the other dogs and playing fetch there!


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

To many quacks out there and I won't risk injuries to my dog.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/...ll-at-Auburn-dog-park-229979771.html?mobile=y


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

I had the same thing happen to me with someone's rambunctious young female. This wasn't at the dog park, it was at an area we locals use. My male was 6 months younger than this female, and he'd already met lots of dogs at the dog park, but this female was relentless - and nothing like any other dog he'd ever met, lol. They had a good time together but she did freak him out a bit. She's the kind of GSD to advise the owner to not bring into the dog park, because she'd have started a fight for sure. I did what Baillif was talking about - just ignored them and wouldn't let my dog hide behind me - and they were fine. I could tell she wasn't used to playing with other dogs and was just being overbearing in that not-uncommon GSD way.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I used to take my GSD to dog parks all the time when he was younger, we had several great times but then I encountered more and more dogs that were bullies and their owners didn't watch them or didn't care how their dogs behaved so we stopped going because it wasn't fun anymore.


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## ZoeandMoe (Dec 6, 2013)

Saphire said:


> To many quacks out there and I won't risk injuries to my dog.
> 
> Man accused of fatally stabbing pit bull at Auburn dog park | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News


omg


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

ZoeandMoe said:


> omg


yep omg. Too many unknowns for me.


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

For all my whitby, oshawa and ajax people. They are building one at the dead end by cochrane. Should be good, runs down to heber downs.


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Saphire said:


> To many quacks out there and I won't risk injuries to my dog.
> 
> Man accused of fatally stabbing pit bull at Auburn dog park | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News


That is horrific. I felt sick while reading it.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

That is obviously an extreme and hopefully uncommon dog park occurrence. I gave it as a worst possible case scenario and by no means suggest it happens daily.


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## Darth_Ariel (Jun 20, 2013)

As someone with a rough player, I have to take up a little bit of sympathy for the woman with the mow-em-down GSD. It can be hard to convey that your vocal shepherd who keeps tackling other dogs is really friendly and loves other dogs, but it just a little socially inept. Playmates tend to get revoked and they never get to really learn acceptable playing habits. 

As a 6 and 7 month old at my vet office's Puppy Socialization classes, Vader was constantly terrifying other owners. He'd get running/barking/grumbling and they thought he was on attack with the vet, vet tech staff and myself telling them it was okay. 

I wasn't there but maybe it was just misinterpreted?


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

in the past when i took my dog to parks there were some dogs my dog was just crazy around and it looked like she hated them but then the next time she saw that dog they played like they were long lost sisters

Dogs are just wierd sometimes thats probably why the woman did not take it serious


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

this is how I look at dogs parks, , puppy socialization class, play dates etc, if you stop and think, in your life time, how many people have you met that you just instantly can`t stand? its no different with dogs, except we as humans are taught to be tolerant, dogs are not, they will react, just my 2 cents


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## halo2013 (Jan 6, 2014)

ken k said:


> this is how I look at dogs parks, , puppy socialization class, play dates etc, if you stop and think, in your life time, how many people have you met that you just instantly can`t stand? its no different with dogs, except we as humans are taught to be tolerant, dogs are not, they will react, just my 2 cents


Couldn't have said it better.

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## ChunksDad (Jan 6, 2014)

This topic is so relevant to both of my dogs.. I have had both good and bad experiences but as of now my dogs won't be playing there any more... 
When our current female Tascha was 3-4 months old we started socializing her with other dogs at the local park in San Jose. On the positive side she grew up well socialized and not a threat or problem to most every dog. The park was a little community, regular groups at different times many really nice people. Most of the owners were dog crazy like my wife and I are and we enjoyed socializing. There was the occasional goof ball like the two clown who argued who's dog would win in a fight but this was the exception to the rule. It was a great place for my hyperactive WL female to work off some of her energy. The only real bad incident we ever had was when a man and his parents brought in his two bully male boxers and the constantly followed Tascha around and tried to fight with her. I asked the fellow nicely to control his dogs and you would have thought I threatened to shoot his parents... He started screaming and swearing at me and threatening to beat me up. I asked his parents to calm both he and his out of control dogs down and they just said my dog started it. Things escalated so seriously that I pulled my cell phone out and asked him whether he wanted to spend the nite in jail. I told him that if he didn't back off I was going to call 911 and have him arrested for assault if he touched me.. This kept on going for awhile and as I finally started to dial he started crying and walked away to another corner of the park. I did actually call the police and they responded, I left and never returned. 
We moved to a small town in the central valley of California called Oakdale. They built a park that we took Tascha to occasionally and many of the same positive elements were there as well. The only negative thing that ever happened was when Tascha was playing with another smaller mix GSD and Tascha were playing. The dog got really possessive over a ball and attacked Tascha when she got to it before the other dog did. When a fight ensued, Tascha quickly put the smaller dog in a submission hold and the struggle ended peacefully. However.. Out of the corner of my eye I see the owner of the smaller dog come flying over the two dogs, pulling Tascha off his and putting her in a submission hold. A few moments later he released her and came back to where we all were standing. After thinking about it he said, "That was really dumb" to which I said he was right. We left the park and never returned..
I am really grateful because Tascha and her son are now both protection trained and had it happened recently the results would have been much different. I don't take either dog anywhere where they can't be controlled or are at risk from the individual that would do something stupid. Both have been affection trained and (aside from their rambunctious spirit) are safe to be around anyone. There are lots of kids in the neighborhood and when we go out the dogs are really happy to be around them. They both go everywhere with us and we rarely have any worries.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

ChunksDad said:


> This topic is so relevant to both of my dogs.. I have had both good and bad experiences but as of now my dogs won't be playing there any more...
> When our current female Tascha was 3-4 months old we started socializing her with other dogs at the local park in San Jose. On the positive side she grew up well socialized and not a threat or problem to most every dog. The park was a little community, regular groups at different times many really nice people. Most of the owners were dog crazy like my wife and I are and we enjoyed socializing. There was the occasional goof ball like the two clown who argued who's dog would win in a fight but this was the exception to the rule. It was a great place for my hyperactive WL female to work off some of her energy. The only real bad incident we ever had was when a man and his parents brought in his two bully male boxers and the constantly followed Tascha around and tried to fight with her. I asked the fellow nicely to control his dogs and you would have thought I threatened to shoot his parents... He started screaming and swearing at me and threatening to beat me up. I asked his parents to calm both he and his out of control dogs down and they just said my dog started it. Things escalated so seriously that I pulled my cell phone out and asked him whether he wanted to spend the nite in jail. I told him that if he didn't back off I was going to call 911 and have him arrested for assault if he touched me.. This kept on going for awhile and as I finally started to dial he started crying and walked away to another corner of the park. I did actually call the police and they responded, I left and never returned.
> We moved to a small town in the central valley of California called Oakdale. They built a park that we took Tascha to occasionally and many of the same positive elements were there as well. The only negative thing that ever happened was when Tascha was playing with another smaller mix GSD and Tascha were playing. The dog got really possessive over a ball and attacked Tascha when she got to it before the other dog did. When a fight ensued, Tascha quickly put the smaller dog in a submission hold and the struggle ended peacefully. However.. Out of the corner of my eye I see the owner of the smaller dog come flying over the two dogs, pulling Tascha off his and putting her in a submission hold. A few moments later he released her and came back to where we all were standing. After thinking about it he said, "That was really dumb" to which I said he was right. We left the park and never returned..
> I am really grateful because Tascha and her son are now both protection trained and had it happened recently the results would have been much different. I don't take either dog anywhere where they can't be controlled or are at risk from the individual that would do something stupid. Both have been affection trained and (aside from their rambunctious spirit) are safe to be around anyone. There are lots of kids in the neighborhood and when we go out the dogs are really happy to be around them. They both go everywhere with us and we rarely have any worries.


Yep pretty much, I never had an issue myself...I never go to dog parks. Problem solved!


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

My 2 GSDs can play like this until one goes too far, and then they have quite loud german words together! They usually sort out the issue themselves, rarely do I have to separate them, but GSDs are very rough, noisy and loud players. If you are not used to it, it can be a bit of a shock especially with dogs and owners that are strangers to you and your dog.

My opinion - not keen on dog parks, they can be good for young puppies if there are other young puppies around, but as they get older I think dog parks can be a breeding ground for trouble when you lump dogs that are essentially strangers to each other in a caged area and expect them all to like each other and get on. 

And then the owners, gosh have I met some unbelievable ones.


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

Of course the other woman is fine with it, her dog is not the one being bullied. Something similar has bappened to me. However dont feel badto let her know her dogs behavior can be considered rude. I told the other woman I didnt want my dog to learn how to be a bully and took him to the other side . I dont go as much as we used to, because we are so busy lately and we are working on being around other dogs without trying to run up to them to play.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I'm happy I experienced the dog park before both of my GSD's came along. Based on those observations alone I know that both of mine would get into a fight, not because they are aggressive, but because how they play. IMO its just like kids, they play, someone doesn't like the way the other is playing and it escalates really fast.


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## Redrider469 (Jul 19, 2013)

We go a couple times a week. Have never had an issue. GSD's can play rough and just because you can see teeth does not mean it's a fight. You know you dog and if it made you feel uncomfortable, good to just remove your dog from the situation.


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## _Zero_ (Sep 1, 2013)

Dog parks are all about managing YOUR OWN dog. If you go and you feel like the other dogs there aren't right to play with your dog, the way your dog plays, then don't stick around. Too many people treat dog parks like socialization centers and let their dogs run amok and figure they'll sort out their own issues.

My boy does get rough and "herdy" when a chase game starts up. I work very hard to ensure I match him up with an appropriate playmate and he doesn't get over-stimulated when another dog gets the zoomies. Similarly, I'm always on the lookout for other dogs displaying behavior that I know my guy will react to.

Honestly I think dog parks can be very valuable tools for exercise, socialization, and stimulation, so long as you find the right park and you're CONSTANTLY managing what your dog is doing. We have a park in my neighborhood with a group of "regulars" that meet up almost every evening. Everyone knows everyone else's dogs and their play styles. We're very accepting of newcomers so long as they show they'll properly look after their dog and the way it's behaving. If the owner does anything to suggest otherwise, they're typically politely asked to leave and not return.

Personally I love my dog park and I'll continue to take my dog there.


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## jafo220 (Mar 16, 2013)

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First of all, LOVE the name Moe. 

As far as dog parks, like others have said. It's not so much the dogs themselves, but their owners. Some owners are just mindless idiots, as long as it's not their dog getting tore up. 

I have been to dog parks. It about wrecked my dogs confidence being pushed around by bigger dogs. Lucky, I took the advice from people here and just stayed out. Dogs don't need other dogs. They do need us their owners though. Thats the bond that matters. I have to admit, with in reason, dog parks would be a good training tool as long as you stay outside the area.


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## OriginalWacky (Dec 21, 2011)

Neko said:


> We have no yard, no parks or hiking places here in St Pete, Florida so dog park is very convenient. We are very careful and never let dogs 2 on 1 and Zeus now knows "easy" or "Take a break". He did get attacked once and did not fight back so we pulled the other dog off and owner left. No harm was done.
> 
> But when we schedule a play date with Z's buddy Swagger, we clear the park!!!  haha
> 
> These two grew up together and trained together.


Absolutely gorgeous pair of dogs! I saw this pic and showed my son, and told him "That's going to be us in a couple years" since I'm getting a GSD when I can, and he's getting a Dobe. The I looked up and saw your user name, and cracked right up, as one of the nicknames he uses regularly is Neko.


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## Lobobear44 (Jan 28, 2013)

ZoeandMoe said:


> I have read a lot of stories on this board about people not advising or even going to a dog park for a number of reasons. Just wanted to share my experience yesterday. I took Moe. to a local park with the hopes of introducing him to other dogs/pups. Moe. is 15 months old. When arriving, He was barking playfully at the other dogs but I wanted to take him to the section "under 20lb" dogs because no one was in there. We weren't in there 2 minutes when a woman came over to me and said what a beautiful GSD, can I bring my Shepherd over to that side? Her's was about a month older and running around with the bigger dogs. I said, sure, why not. Moe. and her dog began playing together for a minute, then her's began chasing Moe. Every time she caught him, she would knock him down. Playfully, not aggressively. this went on for about ten minutes until one time her dog knocked Moe. down and they began barking/snarling at each other. I quickly separated Moe. and thought, OK, time to leave. The woman said to me, Oh, it's OK, they will be fine. I let Moe. go after making him calm down and he stayed at my feet until her dog came running and plowing him over again. This time it was a full on puppy fight. I broke it up immediately, put on Moe's. leash and began to leave. She said to me like nothing had happened, "Nice meeting you, see you next time". I thought to myself, No you won't. Maybe I was over reacting but I wanted him to socialize, Not learn how to fight or defend himself.


Calm down dogs do this kind of thing all the time.


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

OriginalWacky said:


> Absolutely gorgeous pair of dogs! I saw this pic and showed my son, and told him "That's going to be us in a couple years" since I'm getting a GSD when I can, and he's getting a Dobe. The I looked up and saw your user name, and cracked right up, as one of the nicknames he uses regularly is Neko.


=) 

I know a few people at the club who got a dobe and gsd and train together at the club as a family, both dogs grew up super.


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