# Bad experience at the dog park



## Flint14 (Nov 1, 2012)

Hey everybody, I've taken Flint to the dog park twice now, and the first time was wonderful! However, yesterday when I took him, there was only one other dog there - a full grown German Shepard. I asked the GSD's owner if we could come in (it's a fully fenced park on a military base), and she said of course, that her dog was friendly. It attacked my pup immediately. Thankfully, Flint isn't hurt, but how should I proceed when going to the park? He is now afraid of other dogs, even our cat at this point.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

I would get in touch with some friends with friendly dogs who Flint has already met so he can have a positive experience and learn that not all dogs are bad. When Miles was bitten by a Malamute, we took him to our neighbor's right away (after his wounds were assessed of course) so he could play and decrease fear. Took him a few months to not be afraid of fluffy white dogs. 

As for dog parks, we have had our ups and downs and go only on off hours now. 

So sorry that happened to Flint!


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Please, please, PLEASE don't take your puppy to dog parks! It is a recipe for disaster... especially with baby puppies. :'(

Find some people near you with friendly pups/dogs so you can set up some playdates. In our area, we have a Vizsla walk group that was great for Riley to learn how to play and have good manners. Are there any doggie daycares near you? We took Riley to a "puppy social club" that a daycare by us put on every Saturday. It was $5 and Riley got to play for 45 minutes with puppies her same age that were fully vaccinated and there were several employees supervising the play experience. They must form positive associations when they are little - the experiences they have when they are tiny affect them for the rest of their life.


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## Vida (Dec 26, 2011)

I doubt very much if the Gsd attacked your pup. 
If a fully grown shepherd did attack you wouldn't have a puppy left!!
Most adult dogs ,yes,MOST adult dogs,will play too rough with a pup.it's natural. But still upsetting for you and the puppy.
Vet the dogs you meet for play dates. You should choose the experiences and interactions Flint gets.


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Vida said:


> I doubt very much if the Gsd attacked your pup.
> If a fully grown shepherd did attack you wouldn't have a puppy left!!
> Most adult dogs ,yes,MOST adult dogs,will play too rough with a pup.it's natural. But still upsetting for you and the puppy.
> Vet the dogs you meet for play dates. You should choose the experiences and interactions Flint gets.


Riley has been attacked by GSDs several times, but she was too fast for them to catch her (thank goodness). Just because the GSD didn't hurt the pup doesn't mean it wasn't an attack. GSDs are naturally not as quick and agile as the Vizslas. If they were, Riley would have plenty of scars from GSD bites.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

It wouldn't have to be a attack to scare the pup and its owner. Put yourself in their shoes, If you had a GSD pin you to the ground while snarling above you. Not something you want to have happen to a new puppy.


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## Kay92 (Oct 19, 2012)

The same thing happened with Riley when we took him when he was a puppy. He was scared of everything for the longest time. But we kept taking him and he got over it very quick.


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

I would ditto the play date or social group advice. We had Oso in "puppy playtime" at our local petco from age 10weeks to 4 months. All the pups had to have at least two shots and it was supervised by a trainer. We took him 3 or 4 times a week and it was really great for him. 

We do frequent dog parks, but there is obviously risk for that. I'm sorry that you and your pup had such a bad experience. Attending the "puppy playtime" helped me understand what is typical in play and atypical in play as well.


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

We've been to dog parks a few times. The first time we went, within 30 seconds of us going in, my little 4 month old Ruby got pinned to the ground and growled at by a little Jack Russell. Our Ruby is very submissive, but she is not timid or shy. I've never once heard her growl or bark at a dog. She also submits to any dog who comes up to her and sniffs her.

Though she is submissive, she has no lasting ill effects if a dog snaps at her. She gets back up and plays again, but more cautiously. She's also never actually been bit or hurt, it's mainly just some noise. Most times it sounds worse than it is. I do stop it right away if it seems to escalate or looks like it isn't going to stop, but most times I have found it just lasts 5 seconds or so and then the dogs are fine with each other. She doesn't get picked on now that she's older. 

I do agree that dog parks aren't the best place to socialize a NEW pup, and sometimes dog parks just aren't good at all depending on the dogs/owners there. I would definitely do small playgroups for early socialization. Even in those you are going to run into some snarls and barks between the dogs. Always monitor it carefully, but I'll go against what others might think and say to not coddle your dog if a minor disagreement happens. I've always reassured Ruby (I will say "OH you're fine let's go play!" in a happy/excited voice) and then redirected her attention to have her start playing again, slightly away from the dog that she had a spat with. I think this is part of why her "attack" the first time we went to a dog park didn't upset her much.


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

Lilyloo, I agree on the not coddling. Since I wasn't there though, it's hard to know if the dog was actually dangerous or not. 

Oso has gotten hurt and needed stitches and dog attacks do happen quite frequently. Although, it's not good to give attention to a dog when it is scared, safety has to come first.


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## Flint14 (Nov 1, 2012)

Thanks for all the replies! About the "attack", I guess I could have used a better word, since my puppy is fine, but it was definitely not just rough play. I've grown up with large dogs, and I'm not unfamiliar with play growling vs real growling. That dog snarled and lunged for my pup, bit him and jumped on him. He limped afterwords for about a half hour, but has since been fine. 

-The other times I've taken Flint to the park, he played quite roughly with a Scottish Deerhound and a Cane Corso. Usually, if he gets stepped on or knocked down, I encourage him to get back up and get back out there and play! 

I live on an overseas US Air force base, and I don't know many people here, so I'm not sure how to arrange a puppy play date. I don't even have play dates for my toddler. I think we'll just wait a little while before taking him again, and hopefully he won't run into that same dog again. =)


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