Speaking of dog parks....

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#21
The thing with expecting all dogs to be perfect.. well to me thats more than silly. YES many people go to the dog park to train. How else do you get to work your dog around many other dogs? You can't proof except around what you are proofing against.
Exactly.

My dogs are really reliable with recall. Can be called off mid chase of either other dog or prey. But I would never say 100% because I just don't know and I would know even less if I hadn't been going to the dog park with them for years.

I hate small children at the dog park and I especially hate kids that can't even walk at dog parks.

I had a time a lady brought a stroller into our dog park and then was so twitchy everytime a dog came within 50 ft of her. Her dog then procedded to pick up on that and start fights with other dogs.

I also had the pleasure of having a kid on a bike at our dog park. Now, neither of mine are bike chasers in fact Kaylee is terrified of them unless she's running next to mine. But I know from my daily bike ride with her they are in the minority and a lot of dogs chase, lung and try and bite when you go by on a bike.

Off leash dogs with a kid on a bike going fast....not good
 

Beanie

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#22
Agree with Dekka & Doberluv. Auggie LOVES other dogs but he doesn't get to go to the dog park and play because some people can't follow the rules and insist on bringing their kids. He had a major blast out there the first time we went... the second and last time was not nearly so fun. And actually the annoying rambunctious puppy was his FAVE to play with.

Dogs are dogs... not robots. There is no 100%. Things DO happen. I do my best to avoid putting my dog into a situation where if something DOES happen, somebody - be it dog or child - will get hurt... that's all I can do.
 

FoxyWench

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#23
the dog park is for DOGS...
the child park is down the way...

i went to one in milford (where i was living with my now ex) i went once without the dogs to see what it was like...
i refuse to take them...flat out.

there were families ther in the fenced in dog park area with NO dogs...
when asked why they came...
"oh my kids just LOVE dogs and this is the only place i can let them run wild!"

after that, oh HELL no.
when talking to some of the dog owners (who all started to leave as soon as the kids showed up...)
this happens ALOT, families using it as some kind of petting zoo/energy outlet.

just before i left, i hear one of the kids crying, the child was about 3, mabe 4 tops...and one of the dogs at the park, a rambunctious young dane, he had been playing wonderfully with the other dogs all morning, sharing his toys, playing nice having a blast...
well this toddler (whos mother is about 10 ft away) decided he HAS to have the toy the dane and a shepard were playing with.
the dane lets him have the toy...but then it was a game as the kid waved it round in the air.

lets see huge rambunctious CLUMSY puppy, 3 mabe 4 yr old toddler and a toy...

DUMP, the whole thing took a few seconds, a blink and it was all over...the kid starts screaming, the puppies owner calls him and he leaves the kid imediatly...
but the mother gets all pissy, screaming at the puppies owner that he needs to have that dangerous dog on a leash, if theres even a scratch on her kid...blah blah...
another dog owner reamed the mother, told her this wasnt a petting zoo and she should have been keeping a better eye on her toddler...

the kid was fine...and the owner of the dane puppy left, the 2 families and their mass of children stayed to continue "letting them have some doggy playtime"

THAT drives me nuts.

yes i do feel that a dog at a dog park should have basic training socilization maners and a good recal, and i feel the owners of said dog should be watching their animals...
theres no question theres...

100% recall, no i dont think 100% is an absolute nesecity, a good solid recall incase of emergencies, sure, but 100%...not nessicarily, the park is fenced for a reason and sometimes you just need to let dogs be dogs...

but in some of these cases, the dogs were playing nicely and the mother of the kid is too busy chatting to watch the child and it gets dumped because it decided taking a large dogs toy and swinigng it round its head is a great idea...

the dog park is that, a DOG park not a playground, not a childs daycare...
i wish rules like no children under 10 were STRICTLY enforced, i wish when theres kids running round the park because the parent things its a good idea the people there with their dogs SHOULD say something, and not in a nicey nice kind of way...

i flat out said "you knwo the KIDS playground is just around the corner, this areas for the dogs, what happens if your kid falls in dog poop or gets bitten?" and i got shruged off...i think however if others said something as well they would have left rather than keep listening to people complaining about their presence...

i dunno, just bugs me when parents think its theri right to use other peoples dogs however they wish...
then again ive also been throughly reamed when i told a woman her obnoixious hyper SCREAMING child couldnt pet ruby because she was working!
 

ihartgonzo

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#24
I don't mind people who bring in kids... as long as the parent is holding their hand for the ENTIRE stay, the kid isn't running around, and the kid isn't petting dogs without asking. But that kind of parent is 1 in 100.

Once, a lady came in with her daughter, who had to be 4 years old at the most, and an obnoxious adolescent GSD. The little girl is running around with the dog. It was almost dark out, the big dog side with a large group of dogs still out there, and I was doing the laser for Fozzie and a few other dogs. This lady encourages her daughter to CHASE IT WITH THE DOGS!???! I tell her to stop. She doesn't even pay attention, and continues to encourage her daughter to chase it with a pack of dogs. Fozzie gives me an uncomfortable look and stops chasing his laser, as the little girl is stepping on it. The lady's dog poops on the other side of the dog park and she gets out a flashlight to find it for 10 minutes... and... tells her TODDLER to "stay with them until she comes back". Me and my friend just stood there while she scoured the hillsides for her dog's poop, dumbfounded, and her bitchy dog attacks Fozzie for being near the child all the while. We told her she needs to watch her own kid and her own dog (when she finally got back) or don't come to the dog park. We didn't cuss her out only for the sake of that poor little girl. :mad:
 

Doberluv

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#25
Wow Foxy and Ihart...some amazing stories. I know those things would raise my blood pressure to boiling. I would reach my tolerance threhold in seconds with people like that! It's just unfathomable! People who use dog parks really ought to insist that they make it for dogs, not kids. (unless the kid is leashed to the park bench or in a stroller) No kidding. Leashed!
 

sillysally

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#26
The thing with expecting all dogs to be perfect.. well to me thats more than silly. YES many people go to the dog park to train. How else do you get to work your dog around many other dogs? You can't proof except around what you are proofing against.

I do think dogs should have the basics. But 100% recall is not basic. In fact it is extreemly advanced.. in fact nigh impossible. Humans aren't perfect and neither are dogs. You can train all you want, but that doesn't mean things can't happen.
^This.

I don't have a lot of friends with dogs and training classes are not for letting all the dogs play together and then trying to recall them. There is no training class in this area at least that has such a class.

Our dog park has a no small children rule, and I love it. Heck, Jack could knock a toddler down with his tail--he wouldn't even need to jump. Either way, I think it is incredibly stupid to allow your small child to mingle with a group of strange off leash, hyped up dogs--I don't care how good their recall is.
 

CaliTerp07

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#27
Dog parks are for dogs. I don't let my dog off leash in your kid park, so please don't let your kid let go of your hand in my dog park. If you bring in your kid, you are assuming the risk that they may get bumped, bruised, and/or bit (just the same way every time I walk into the park, I assume that risk for myself)

I'm actually really lucky. There are several kids who come to my park, but for the most part they're all well behaved. They play with their dog, or hold their parent's hand. A few moms come with strollers/babies, but they guard the strollers carefully and nothing bad has happened (not saying it couldn't, obviously).

One time there was a trio of kids after school...maybe 10/12/14? They didn't have a dog, they were just hanging out there for the afternoon (probably because they were bored and had no parents home to watch out for them). The youngest one liked to chase the dogs, and the older ones thought it was fun to pick them up. Lucy LOVES people, so she was playing with them...till they tried to pick her up, and she was squirmy and wiggling and I thought for sure she was going to fall and hurt herself. I ran YELLING across the park for them to put her down. I got disgusted looks from the kids, but seriously? You don't try to pick up any dog that isn't yours, let alone a 25+ lb squirmy thing. She's not carrying size.

My dog will probably never have 100% recall. I'm SO grateful that I can take her to the dog park daily though. She needs hours of exercise each day to become a dog you can live with, and when Zach and I both work full time, taking her to the dog park is the only way to get that in. When we first got Lucy, it took us a good 20 minutes to chase her down and leash her up when it was time to go!! If only perfectly trained dogs got to go to the park, I'd honestly have taken her back to the shelter by now because there's no way we could exercise her fully.

As long as a dog is friendly with other dogs, I'm happy to see it at our park.

Edited to add: My dog park is only about the size of a football field...so that may be why my perception is different. No matter what is going on, you can be there in a few seconds. It's not like your dog or kid can ever get out of sight.
 
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#28
If the dog park says no kids... no kids... I am all for following rules.

But if kids are allowed and are behaving, I dont see why they cant come with their parents and need to risk being bit... if your dog will bite a person/ other dog, they shouldnt be at the dog park. If a dog jumps up in a playful mood and accidentally knocks a kid over, no big deal... but dogs shouldnt be allowed to bite anyone.
 

smkie

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#29
OUR park is huge granted. People bring their children, i see them often but they are watched carefully. Hyia goes with me regularly without problems. I don't think you can take your dog into any public setting and get a guarantee that everything is going to be peachy keen. THe point is to prepare your dog for the greatest success.
 

CaliTerp07

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#30
If the dog park says no kids... no kids... I am all for following rules.

But if kids are allowed and are behaving, I dont see why they cant come with their parents and need to risk being bit... if your dog will bite a person/ other dog, they shouldnt be at the dog park. If a dog jumps up in a playful mood and accidentally knocks a kid over, no big deal... but dogs shouldnt be allowed to bite anyone.
Completely agree! BUT, by entering a place with a bunch of riled up dogs who have the potential to bite, you have to accept that it's a risk. If it happens, you have every right to take action for it...but you also could have prevented it by not bringing your kid to a place where that could happen.

Fights happen at dog parks. Period. Most of the time, all the dogs get along just fine, but on occasion someone gets provoked, and it's dangerous to have a small kid there then.
 
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#31
Completely agree! BUT, by entering a place with a bunch of riled up dogs who have the potential to bite, you have to accept that it's a risk. If it happens, you have every right to take action for it...but you also could have prevented it by not bringing your kid to a place where that could happen.

Fights happen at dog parks. Period. Most of the time, all the dogs get along just fine, but on occasion someone gets provoked, and it's dangerous to have a small kid there then.
I see your point... I personally wouldnt bring a kid to a dog park but I dont mind seeing them there really as long as they are behaving... I just in general think too many people with no common sense bring dogs to the dog park (<-- and that had nothing to do with what you said, LOL.. just threw it in there)
 

Southpaw

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#32
I hate seeing kids at dog parks. Juno is typically fine with kids, she spends her entire day with them... but the dog park tends to make her very excited and silly and I can't guarantee that she won't jump up on a child that's running around. She's a puppy and to her something running around possibly with it's arms flailing is just an invitation to play.

Aside from that I just think it's a very bad idea for parents to bring their kids in. When those dogs are playing with each other they are soooo oblivious to everything around them, and I don't think there has been a single time I've gone without having dogs slam into my legs. I can anticipate when it's going to happen and I can hold my ground, but children could easily get knocked over left and right. That's not about badly behaved dogs who lack training--that's just about dogs running around having fun, and kids getting in the way.

Luckily I've only seen kids at my dog park maybe a handful of times.
 

Juicy

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#33
My dogs are well-behaved at home, not sure what it is, but at the dog park, forget about it lol. Though they have a good recall, if I want to get them to do something at times, its like all they block it out once at the park, all they notice is the other dogs, they aren't even interested in toys or balls.

Now as for kids, I'm OK with it as long as the parent is watching them and not just dumping them there, and they are well-behaved or the parent is supervising over them.

I hate when people just drop their kids off at the park, or those annoying kids that ask you 564867421324874645378788 questions, and the best are the ones with parents, who aren't even paying attention to them and let them do whatever, once I saw a kid pick up Valentino when he was a puppy and almost DROPPED HIM trying to show him to his mom.

Not just kids though, I've seen people just grab my dogs without even asking me. It FREAKS ME OUT, because I'm trying to keep an eye out for four dogs, and I don't want someone one of my dogs while I'm not looking, so I get a big attitude about it when people do that!!

But I LOVE kids that are polite, play chase/fetch with your dog, and ask to pet your dog, ask a COUPLE of questions, thats cute, but when it hits like question 50, I'm like ok kid, uuuh go over to your mom or something lol. Not that I'm mean or anything, it doesn't bother me as much, but I'm trying to pay attention to MY DOGS and spend quality time with them, not babysit your kid and answer all their questions the whole time I'm there!!
 

Lolas Dad

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#34
IF your dog goes to the dog park your dog should have one hundred percent recall and you should be watching your dog. SO YES it is your fault. IF you saw your dog running toward a child you should have called your dog back and your dog should have been redirected. IF your dog does not have solid recall or you are the kind of owner that is easily distracted then you should not be in an off leash dog park.
If the child was 5 years old in our dog parks it would be the parent's fault because in our dog parks if your child is under 8 years old they do not belong inside the dog park. If the child is 8 years or older than they need to be supervised closely by the parents. That's not saying that parents follow the rules though as I have seen children younger than 8 years old in the dog park. Fortunately nothing has happened yet that I know of.

http://monmouthcountyparks.com/documents/133/offleach.pdf
 
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#35
IF your dog goes to the dog park your dog should have one hundred percent recall and you should be watching your dog. SO YES it is your fault. IF you saw your dog running toward a child you should have called your dog back and your dog should have been redirected. IF your dog does not have solid recall or you are the kind of owner that is easily distracted then you should not be in an off leash dog park.

I agree.

Blaze would love nothing more then to chase a group of kids at the dog park.but He knows better then to do that. I wouldbe mortified i he did it.

What happens if you are walking your dog on leash and a child runs by? same thing your dog jumps/ same situation, except dog is on leash, and child is running down a steet.

People need better control. IMO.

Which is why I hide at ourdog park. which VERy lucky and able to do. never running in to a single sole if I dont want too.
 

FoxyWench

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#36
but what happens if that same child runs up to the dog...
runs up to a pair of dogs playing roughly ect?

i have no problem with well behaved children under their parents direct supervision playing calmly and nicely, mabe playing fetch or off to the side fussing a "quiet" dog...

but uncontroled children running around like lunatics, running up to dogs getting in the middle of a group of riled up playing dogs, there going to get bumped, knocked down, mabe even accidentally nipped if the kid decides to grab a tug toy ect...

personally i dont think somone who takes their dog to a dog park should have to stop their dogs when playing nicely JUST because a parent is letting their kid run around uncontroled...
i think its incredibly unfair to the dogs who are playing nicely...BUT playing like dogs play...
 

smkie

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#37
IF there is a child running about playing inappropriately or in an area where I Think my dog might bump the child I would leash up. I leash up for lots and reasons at a dog park if i think the situation is iffy. That is what I meant by monitoring every move your dog makes when your dog is out there. Like a coach in a field sport you referee..it is what you are suppose to do. We have moved to other parts of the dog park, down the beach, leashed up and waiting for someone to leave. You don't however let your dog be around a situation where you think he might get in trouble. IF you haven't taught him not to jump on children, and there is a child there, leash up or leave. Dog parks are all about common sense. I wouldn't set foot in one of those 2 acre parks. IMO it's too small and not safe for anyone. The only large one i have been to is 55 acres. THere is plenty of room to go elsewhere. I also think there is a big difference between being jumped on and being bumped into. Either way if It hink the child is in danger I am not going to be an active participant in it.

I have never set up a pole but if i had the energy I would.

I would like to know when people post their opinions on dog parks and dog park behaviors what their dog park experiences are. WHat size of dog park they attend. I think it would be a great help in understanding their perspective. I have gone with up to 3 dogs at a time and one child to our park. I have gone for a decade without incident. I go at least once a month and for years i went every Saturday morning. I have usually met up with someone like Zoom and our dogs know each other so sometimes we could be a group of up to 6.
 

FoxyWench

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#38
deifnatly lucky there smikie...
the LARGEST dog park in FFC CT is only 1/2 an acre for the large dogs and 1/4 an acre for the small dog area. thats IT...and thats the largest most popular park.

so deinfatly in your case leash up and move to a different area...

but around here, parents use it as a petting zoo and the only way to keep a kid safe like that is to leash up and leave completly...why shoudl a dog have to imediatly ends its fun just because some parent hasnt got control over their child.

the worst case so far was posted on a newsgroup im on for a dog park in the area...
a chihuahua mix was killed today when a young (5) yr old boy, whos mother was busy talking to her frined at the picknic table, fell on the chihuahua mix, breaking its back and then snapping the dogs neck when he tried to get up.

family did NOT have a dog, when asked why they were there the reson given "because he LOVES little dogs" the owner of the dog was no more than 5 ft away leashing her other chihuahua getting ready to leave because of the presnece of the family when the toddler ran over to the dog and fell on it.

the family are refusing to pay anything and refusing to offer more than a back arsed apology.

their apology "were realy sory this happend, but when people bring their pets to a place kids play accidents happen"

i can tell you now, had the dog bitten the child all hell would have broken loose!

the dog park is NOT the pace for your kids to play, thats what the other 20 acres of the park and 2 acreses of dedicated TODDLER playspace is for...

the owner of the dog is folloing up legally for the cost of cremation for the dog, and the comittee for the dog park is petitioning for stricter rules and the additional funds to employ 2-3 people to enforce the "no children under 8, and no unsupervised children rules.
these emploees would have the power to remove families using the park as a petting zoo, and call the police shoudl they refuse...

its one thing when you have 20 acres to move your dogs around in...but in 1/2 acre kids have no place in that setting...especially when for many dogs its the ONLY place they get to play offleash.
 
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#39
I would like to know when people post their opinions on dog parks and dog park behaviors what their dog park experiences are. WHat size of dog park they attend. I think it would be a great help in understanding their perspective.
I agree, it is a good thing to know what kind of dog parks people are thinking about when talking about this because not all dog parks are made equal.

Mine sounds a lot like yours. Very very large with lots of areas you can go off to and not be bothered. Takes me a good hour to walk around the whole thing at a fast pace and that's not even going on the other trails, beaches or other places.

But because of that I think it makes it even more dangerous to have out of control kids there. There are hills at my DP and twists and turns, trees and brush. I can't see around every bend and my dog will get ahead of me. If I need to I can call them back because their recall is very good (again, I will never say 100% because you NEVER know) but that means I have to see it to know that I have to call them back.

What it comes down to is you need to have control of your dog at the dog park or have the ability to gain control but no dog should be expected to be on it's best and most reliable behavior at a dog park. It's one of the few places they can just be dogs.

Parents of children need to do the same, their child needs to be in control and they need to have the ability to take control if they have to. But it's a dog park. It's not there for the child's entertainment and in my opinion they need to be held under much stricter and higher standard of control for the safety of themselves and other dogs.

If my dog runs, jumps and knocks over your kid at a play ground or even just on the street then I would responsibility. But if a kid not under control at the DOG park does things to encourage my dogs to chase, jump and possibly knock over your child then that parent is responsible. Maybe my dog didn't stop on a dime and turn around when faced with a highly distracting small child they are never exposed to doing a whole bunch of really interesting things at the place where they get to run, play, swim and roll in dead things but I'm sorry, but I place the blame at the parents feet
 

smkie

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#40
I wouldn't set foot in one the size of the 2 acres they have in the city. Too small too much of a chance for cramped play = fights. No room to run away from a bully either.
 

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