Pit bulls and dog parks

[DanL]

Originally Posted by Amstaffer

I know this is a very touchy subject but most dog parks are used by poor dog owners. I used to have no problem with Athena and then Sal at the dog parks but the one nearest my house had a guy with three Goldens who were very aggressive and another guy with a crazy dalmatian. I stop going there because of those two guys bringing DA dogs to the park. Oddly I never hear people say you shouldn't bring those two breeds.

My point is that the Bullys I have had or known are usually more stable and dog friendly than the average Golden (no offense to the breed just my experience). Because of a few bad owners and the media Pitties are discriminated against; its not the breeds its our society.

I would challenge anyone and any dog to a "Friendly" contest and Sal would at defeat 99% of the dogs out there and tie the other 1%.

Where I now go is an "unofficial" dog park where everyone who goes there knows each other and for the most part the dogs all get along great and things are much more controlled.

I recommend you find some play buddies and try to arrange a play club of good dogs and responsible owners who train and vaccinate their dogs.

While I agree with your post, I think it's more than a few bad owners who have given pits a bad name. It's a lot of bad owners.

[sammgirl]

Pits are a breed that require a specific type of handler/owner and most people who have them don't fit the bill.

I know alot of breeds like that- I could say the same for German Shepherds, Rottis, and pretty much any type of terrier.

I personally don't believe that pits belong in a dog park. I myself have had negative experiences with them in the dog park creating a hostile atmosphere for the other dogs and owners.

It's sad for the breed, but I think that there are safer venues for pit owners to go to socialize their dogs then to a dog park. I know that for example my local all breed club offeres obedience for $7.00 a class.

[Sweet72947]

The thing about APBTs is that they can easily get overstimulated in a situation such as a dog park, and WHAM! A fight happens. Or, if some other dogs start a fight, they will likely join in the fray. I think the safest and best approach for APBT owners with dog-friendly dogs would be to arrange playdates in a controlled environment with other savvy owners.

[xpaeanx]

Originally Posted by elegy

i recently read a comment that was something like "all dogs can fight, pit bulls just tend to do it better" and that pretty much sums it up for me. imo, no, pit bulls do not belong in dog parks.

bad rap says no dog parks for pit bulls.
so does pit bull rescue central.

these are folks with tons more experience with the breed than i'll ever have, and while badrap has (especially recently) adopted the tone that all dogs are individuals and that breed is somehow a stereotype, they still don't buy into pit bulls in dog parks as a safe option.

i think there are cold pit bulls out there who would do fine in a dog park situation, but the problem is, you're testing and trusting that presumed coldness with the lives and well-being of other peoples' dogs. and if it goes wrong, you could lose your dog and i could lose my dog, because people are always looking for another good excuse to ban them.

This.

And I only think this because even if you are one of the good responsible owners, *if* anything does happen you're just adding to the bad image of the breed.

[Romy]

To answer the pits in dog park question I will say this:

When we lived in Tucson, I would take Strider to the dog park. I stopped because people would bring their nasty aggressive dogs. He's been snarked at by danes, pointers, heelers, goldens, etc. but NEVER a pit bull. I know it's just the luck of the draw, but then maybe not since they were the most common breed in there. His best buddy in Tucson was a little blue pitty girl who looked just like Tallulah without the brindle. They were awesome friends from the start. I do not think it's "just the breed"

That being said, I don't do dog parks at all anymore. Too many dogs get killed by other dogs all the time. Ideally you would have only responsible ownesr being realistic about whether their dogs are ready for it, but they are not.

We had a big debate about this on this forum at one point, and the consensus by the end is if your dog has the potential to have some latent drive activated and harm another dog, do not bring it. When I pointed out that many sight hounds have a latent prey drive that could be triggered by smaller dogs running around, people screamed "Don't ever take a sight hound to a dog park!" So no bullies and no sight hounds. Got it. Oh, no malamutes either? So, only golden retrievers and toy dogs allowed?

Oh wait, maybe we should just restrict all dogs except the ones with nerf teeth.

On that note, I do feel that the responsible thing to do if you have a pit, is keep them out of situations where they can be blamed if a fight happens, regardless of who started it.

[GSDlover_4ever]

If everyone knew their dog and understood their temperament fully, then I wouldnt have a problem with any breed at a dog park. But thats the problem most people have no clue. It's not white/black when it comes to temperament. Sometimes its simple, DA can be very obvious. But sometimes you have to sit back and really observe to come to a conclusion as to whether or not your dog WILL be a nuisance and fight.

My current dog, I would never take to a dog park. He's rude, he's a bully and will fight back. It would not seem as if he started the fight but he will push a dog until it starts fighting him off and all hell would break loose. He shows no signs of DA, and is a marshmellow to people and dogs in a controlled environment. But I know and understand his temperament and I will not set him up to fail.

My last dog had DA issues (I should say reactive, because it was fear based "I'm gonna get you before you get me") and I would trust him more in a dog park than my current dog that has no APPARENT issues.

Know your dog (faults and all). If you believe your dog will be a problem do not test it. There are other ways to exercise a dog. But to answer the question. No I do not thing pit bulls should go to dog parks because of idiot owners. But I can list numerous breeds as a whole, who should not be allowed in dog parks either because of more idiot owners.

[Boemy]

I wouldn't take a pit bull to a dog park, just like I wouldn't take a beagle to the 25th Annual Rabbit Convention. Even if the beagle had never displayed aggression towards rabbits before, given the history of the breed, it would be a bad choice. And if anything did happen, someone else's pet could wind up hurt or dead and it would be my fault.

[dogsarebetter]

I always thought this logic

Ruckus is a herding breed. He is very very likely to herd.

Pits are bred to fight. Aren't they just as likely to fight as Ruckus is to herd???

I love pits, they are one of my fav breeds! I am not breed bashing! I just dont think its a good idea to have them with other dogs.

[DanL]

Originally Posted by GSDlover_4ever

If everyone knew their dog and understood their temperament fully, then I wouldnt have a problem with any breed at a dog park. But thats the problem most people have no clue. It's not white/black when it comes to temperament. Sometimes its simple, DA can be very obvious. But sometimes you have to sit back and really observe to come to a conclusion as to whether or not your dog WILL be a nuisance and fight.

My current dog, I would never take to a dog park. He's rude, he's a bully and will fight back. It would not seem as if he started the fight but he will push a dog until it starts fighting him off and all hell would break loose. He shows no signs of DA, and is a marshmellow to people and dogs in a controlled environment. But I know and understand his temperament and I will not set him up to fail.

My last dog had DA issues (I should say reactive, because it was fear based "I'm gonna get you before you get me") and I would trust him more in a dog park than my current dog that has no APPARENT issues.

Know your dog (faults and all). If you believe your dog will be a problem do not test it. There are other ways to exercise a dog. But to answer the question. No I do not thing pit bulls should go to dog parks because of idiot owners. But I can list numerous breeds as a whole, who should not be allowed in dog parks either because of more idiot owners.

I'd never take Gunnar to a dog park for these same reasons. He's reactive and will not tolerate strange dogs in his "space". A pack of fun loving dogs rushing him as he entered a dog park would be a disaster. I know better, so I don't take him there.

Daisy on the other hand is every dog's friend so she's fine.

[elegy]

Originally Posted by Romy

We had a big debate about this on this forum at one point, and the consensus by the end is if your dog has the potential to have some latent drive activated and harm another dog, do not bring it. When I pointed out that many sight hounds have a latent prey drive that could be triggered by smaller dogs running around, people screamed "Don't ever take a sight hound to a dog park!" So no bullies and no sight hounds. Got it. Oh, no malamutes either? So, only golden retrievers and toy dogs allowed?

Oh wait, maybe we should just restrict all dogs except the ones with nerf teeth.

in all honesty, i think there's a very small population of dogs who are truly good dog park candidates. much, much smaller than the population of dogs who frequent dog parks. dog parks strike me as a kind of weird invention designed more for humans than for dogs.

pit bulls were bred for dog-on-dog combat. there's just no way around that. and while, yes, there are pits who would cry uncle in a fighting ring these days, how do you evaluate the odds? how do you say for sure that your dog won't fight back if he's snarked at? and what is the risk if he does? if another dog starts a fight and the pit bull ends it, everybody's going to remember how nobody could pry open the pit bull's jaws, not the other dog who got ugly first. and if you take a break stick along to the dog park, then you're guilty for knowing your pit bull had the tendency to be aggressive.