Aggressive Play Behavior at Dog Park

[bruss01]

Ok, so we have had our new guy Captain for just over a week now. He is a delightful sweet dog. At 12 months, he looks like an adult but is really just a very big puppy mentally and emotionally. He's very physically robust - solidly built and fast. He loves to play, especially with other dogs.

For the past week, he has been going to the dog park daily, sometimes twice a day. In all that time, he has played well with other dogs - running, chasing, being chased, play bowing, jumping etc. He has had a lot of fun and apparently so did the dogs he played with. Any dogs who reacted negatively to his play overatures, he simply wandered away and found someone else to play with. Sounds like perfect dog play behavior to me...

Anyway, last night we were at the dog park just before sundown. Captain was roaming and occasionally playing with various dogs. Suddenly out of nowhere (apparently I was paying attention to my own dog and not keeping an eye out for new arrivals) two matching pit bull terriers descended on him. These dogs apparently have a rough and tumble style of play that involves wrestling and play fighting rather than just chasing and posturing - in short, they make a contact sport of it. They surrounded Captain and came at him from both directions simultaneously - snarling, growling and pouncing (not near him, ON him).

My wife and I called for the owner to call in her dogs, she yelled "they're just playing!" but I don't know this owner, or her dogs, and Captain doesn't know them and that they're "just playing". Especially with being double teamed, I felt the situation had the potential to rapidly escalate into REAL fighting if, out of fear, Captain felt like he needed to defend himself. Captiain acted confused and was trying to back away from the one in front of him, who continued to press in, and was being hit from behind by the other one. We yelled again for the owner to call in her dogs, she yelled back "they're just playing, if you don't like it you can LEAVE!" We were pretty angry, but I felt the best thing to do under the circumstances was to take our dogs and leave... too much to be lost, too little to be gained by staying. We did not get her name, which I regret now. We simply took our dogs out of the park and went home.

So, questions - is this a common problem? Did we do the right thing? What can we do in the future? We do not want our dog to become dog-aggressive or fearful of other dogs - but did we over-react?

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

First, report the dogs. That type of behavior is what ruins dog parks. It is NOT playing if a dog is being "attacked" in any means.

You'll find that many chazzers are against dog parks. They can be great, but there are so many idiot owners that just ruin every experience. With that said, I like to take Buddy to the dog park, he needs room to stretch his long legs. We like to go in slow/odd times, to avoid idiots.

 

[elegy]

you did *not* overreact. not at all.

your number one priority is to keep your dog safe. you weren't comfortable with the situation, so you got your dog out of it before something bad happened. that was absolutely the right thing to do.

 

[bruss01]

A question that occured to me was, in a case where play quickly escallates into real agression, what are a dog owner's options? getting in the middle of two or more fighting dogs is a good recipie for an ER visit. I have thought that I might try yelling and swinging my jacket, distract them long enough to grab my dog and go. It's occured to me that I might need to start taking our tazer or OC spray to the park for just such an emergency. Thankfully, the dogs last night WERE actually playing, although in a manner that would lead many to believe they were actually mounting an attack. But if it had been a REAL attack, I would have been without an option to end it without harm coming to any of us. We have been going to this park for 3 years, and we have witnessed "too rough" play before but we have never had an experience like last night. I'm just wondering what others have tried that has worked for them.

 

[bubbatd]

I'm happy for you that Captain didn't take it wrong if they were just " playing " .......yes, I'd report !

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

This is the reason why I would NEVER EVER take my dogs to a place where I know other dogs will be off leash and uncontrolled.

Too many uncontrollable variables, + ignorant and/or stupid careless people who cannot or will not control their dogs.

Good luck sorting it out, but for me, no thanks.

 

[Zoom]

There are a couple of threads on here on how to break up fights, but in order for it to work out properly, you're going to need to have a couple of people helping you. The easiest thing is just to avoid a potential fight whenever possible. I would have left the moment the other two dogs started getting that rough. Actually, if any dog comes charging at mine, I get in between and ward them off.

I dearly love pitbulls but they DO NOT belong in dog parks and it sounds like their owner is an uninformed, if well-meaning (which is just as dangerous) idiot who is going to be one of those people who end up going "they've never done that before!"

I love the dog park and so do my dogs, but like Buddy'sParents, I stick to the slower times. There are a lot of people out there with happy fuzzy views of their dogs and how they react and it has the potential to end quite badly.

 

[bubbatd]

When I had Ollie at Camp Bow-Wow , I saw that they didn't accept Pits and thought that it was rather discriminating ........but understand their position .

 

[SizzleDog]

Dog parks are iffy places - I frequent two dog parks - one is semi-private and we've never really had a problem. The other one is in the heart of the largest city in Iowa (haha...) so the idiots are usually present... probably even more so since IA has finally come out of permafrost.

I don't take Ronin or Ada to the big park - Ilsa is amazingly good at steering clear of the troubemakers, she's a bombproof dog who handles dog parks very well.

But I'm constantly vigilant - you have to be if you're in a dog park.

 

[Chewbecca]

I dearly love pitbulls but they DO NOT belong in dog parks and it sounds like their owner is an uninformed, if well-meaning (which is just as dangerous) idiot who is going to be one of those people who end up going "they've never done that before!"

And this is VERY true. And a LOT of times, people who own pit bulls are on the one extreme side of the pit bull owner spectrum and they are so concerned with proving how GREAT and misunderstood their dogs are, that they do something as CARELESS as bring their pit bulls to dog parks even though they've been TOLD better. They think, "Oh but my pit bull is so sweet and LOVES other dogs and, why, I just simply cannot believe that people would think these dogs are mean and vicious!" so then they bring their "dog friendly" pit bull to the dog park and, POOF, OH MY. Their pit bull one day (usually after 2 years old once it's matured into an adult pit bull) decides to be a...uh, pit bull.

No pit bulls are NOT human killing machines AT ALL. They do NOT eat babies. BUT they were bred for hundreds of years to fight other dogs in pits. Dog aggression is part of their genetic make up and owners who bring their pit bulls to dog parks are doing their dogs an injustice by DENYING that.
Sure, some pit bulls can love other dogs and even be dog social until the day they die. But it's STILL in their genetic make up. All it takes is for the right situation to bring that out. And, besides, even if a pit bull at a dog park DOESN'T start a fight, it will NOT back down. And with the reputation of the breed today, the pit bull WILL be blamed for it.

Sorry to ramble. Being an owner of a pit bull it BURNS MY BLOOD to hear of people bringing their pit bulls to dog parks. It's irresponsible.

 

[Miakoda]

This is the reason why I would NEVER EVER take my dogs to a place where I know other dogs will be off leash and uncontrolled.

Too many uncontrollable variables, + ignorant and/or stupid careless people who cannot or will not control their dogs.

Good luck sorting it out, but for me, no thanks.

I totally agree.

Playdates with people you know and dogs you know are a much better alternative than a disease ridden park with a bunch of out of control dogs with stupid owners who are too busy chatting to care what the hell is going on.

And that lady needs a wake-up call.......before all the rest of us "pit bull" owners have to read about it in the headlines.

 

[ihartgonzo]

This is one of the things I DESPISE about dog parks...

One rule is "No aggressive dogs", at any dog park. Unfortunately, that is a very subjective term. Many owners don't feel that their dogs are aggressive, over-looking the inappopriate, rude, and bullying behaviors.

I wish one of the rules at the dog park was "No rude dogs". People bring rude, out-of-control dogs to the dog park and get angry when another dog attempts to put the dog in it's place. IMHO, a rude, rambunctious, pushy dog is just as dangerous/inconsiderate to bring to a dog park as an aggressive dog. D:<

It's definitely wise to leave any time that happens, and let the owner know (as politely as possible), that their dogs are not "playing nice". Whether that means each of the dogs is brought seperately so they don't gang up on other dogs, or not bringing them at all.

That said, if you haven't already, make sure you understand the body language of dogs. Some dogs DO play politely, but happen to be very vocal (Huskies, for instance). And that freaks some people out, even though it's just them communicating.

 

[ACooper]

I am with the crowd here, you did NOT over react. You did everything right EXCEPT getting her name or license plate number so you can report her.

"They're just playing" is NOT an acceptable answer, and you know what? Even if they WERE she should have respected that you were concerned and called them off anyway.

IDIOT owners always wreck the places for everyone else.

 

[SarahFair]

When is a good time to go. Like not alot of ppl there??

 

[Suzzie]

i find early sunday mornings are the best time for me... the church crowd isn't there yet, and it seems most people sleep in on sundays. About 9am is when we go, and leave at 10am or 11am.

That's the bad thing about public dog parks - there are no temperament tests, no one to kick the dogs out. Yesterday we left when an aggressive chocolate lab began attacking dogs at random. The owner thought it was funny. He'd think it was really funny when I pepper sprayed his dog if it attacked any of mine, I bet. Look into a private park - not only are they nicer, they usually test the dogs. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

 

[milos_mommy]

My dog thinks "playing" means pouncing, body-slamming, and nipping. Basically full on wrestling.

Aside from the fact that he can be d/a, i'd never bring him to a dog park because of those ^ reasons. Most dogs don't like being pummelled by a psycho terrier (and most certainly nothing larger). It's rude, it's scary, and if another dog doesn't like it, i'm not gonna blame it for tearing his face off.

I agree it depends on the dog park and depends on the people their. I'd never bring a nervous dog to a dog park the way i'd never bring a crazy, Milo-like dog.

I'll also suggest trying to go at quieter times.

 

[bruss01]

Thanks for the advice and input folks.

My dog needs a lot of exercise in order to be calm at home. At the dog park, I can get him the exercise in 30-40 minutes that it would take me two hours to give him just going for a walk. The benefits outweigh the down side of having to remove him on those infrequent occasions that a bullying dog makes an appearance. We will keep going to the dog park, and we will just have to stay a little more alert from now on to spot inbound agressors. And I am seriously thinking about sticking the OC and shocker in my pocket from now on, just as a safety precaution.

 

[Lilavati]

Oddly, early mornings seem to be better all around. I thought my dog park was largely immune to most of this trouble . . .until we had the East Coast meet-up there last Saturday afternoon and I saw the afternoon crowd! :yikes:

I'd never been there past 1pm before, and I have never seen so many scuffles, fights, and poorly behaved dogs in one trip. Perhaps responsible owners get up early?

 

[SarahFair]

Perhaps responsible owners get up early?

I have a comment to back this up..but I will keep it to myself not to offend anyone

 

[darkchild16]

And this is VERY true. And a LOT of times, people who own pit bulls are on the one extreme side of the pit bull owner spectrum and they are so concerned with proving how GREAT and misunderstood their dogs are, that they do something as CARELESS as bring their pit bulls to dog parks even though they've been TOLD better. They think, "Oh but my pit bull is so sweet and LOVES other dogs and, why, I just simply cannot believe that people would think these dogs are mean and vicious!" so then they bring their "dog friendly" pit bull to the dog park and, POOF, OH MY. Their pit bull one day (usually after 2 years old once it's matured into an adult pit bull) decides to be a...uh, pit bull.

No pit bulls are NOT human killing machines AT ALL. They do NOT eat babies. BUT they were bred for hundreds of years to fight other dogs in pits. Dog aggression is part of their genetic make up and owners who bring their pit bulls to dog parks are doing their dogs an injustice by DENYING that.
Sure, some pit bulls can love other dogs and even be dog social until the day they die. But it's STILL in their genetic make up. All it takes is for the right situation to bring that out. And, besides, even if a pit bull at a dog park DOESN'T start a fight, it will NOT back down. And with the reputation of the breed today, the pit bull WILL be blamed for it.

Sorry to ramble. Being an owner of a pit bull it BURNS MY BLOOD to hear of people bringing their pit bulls to dog parks. It's irresponsible.

:hail::hail::hail:

Plus in my experience (I.E. hunt club and my own APBT) this is the way most APBT play hence the no dog park rule for me. Walker plays this way from playing with Tytus and all the other APBT throughout his life. Which is why I only go when I know a certain crowd that has like dogs is there. We used to meet around 4-5 in the afternoon and be there about half an hour. All our dogs got to play and nobody got offended. It seriously looked like a WWE match in the park.