# dog park etiquette



## InTheNet (Jun 1, 2016)

My wife has been taking our now 7 month old v (Zoltan) to a dog park for about a month and a half. HAs been going well till the last visit when 2 people made comments about him. 
Zoltan is high energy. He does not stop. His play is rough housing to the max. There are a couple of boxers and a mix that seem to arrive the same time and they all get along very well. Lots of chest bumps /growling barking (not aggressive) / mouthing/ rolling around. Zoltan is always last man standing! he wears the others out.

Last time there was another boxer( young adult) and a 6 month old pit bull showed up. To my wife they were playing well. All chasing each other not trying to hide or escape. Both owners made comments loud enough to be heard by my wife about Zoltan being to wild. My wife left shortly after. 

I guess my thoughts are as long as every dog is giving as well as receiving and there is no sign of things getting out of hand. Let them have at it.
Both the Boxer and the pit were bigger than our v.

I can see that if a dog was out of control and aggressively biting/ snapping it would be time to put things back in control. 

What should our expectations be? All the dogs romping thru the meadow with daisies in there mouth? I have watched a few videos and the higher energy dogs act like our v. I know his style of play would not work with a Yorkie or other lap dogs (like ours is not )

This is mostly a rant on my part, but my wife seems uncomfortable to go back. I am not able to go during the week and we find other things to do on the weekends.

Should we go or should we stay?


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## Anida (Jun 10, 2016)

I would keep going. From your description it sounds like Zoltan is just being a normal V and like you said -- as long as it is playing and there isn't any aggression I really don't see the problem. I quit taking Kaylee to a socialization thing because there was an out of control german shepherd puppy, but she was attacking other dogs and being aggressive. 

My only other concern is does Zolton understand when another dog is done playing? Kaylee is over a year now and there are times that I have to essentially put her in timeout because my other dogs have had enough of her energy but she either isn't picking up on their queues or she is just ignoring them (I tend to think it's the later because she gives them a "break" but a minute later she is pestering them).

I feel like if the owners really have an issue with it; they should approach you(your wife) and explain their concerns. You can also try going at a little bit different of a time to avoid them.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I don't do dog parks, but if both dogs are enjoying the rough housing its normal play.
Dog parks are for dogs that are well socialized dogs, that have a good temperament. They also either need to have good recall, or heed the signs the other dog is ready for a break. If they don't heed the signs, the other dog may correct them. As long as the correction fits the offence, the younger dog learns a lesson, and no one gets hurt.
Get a overzealous correction from a dog, and you could be at the vets. 

The problem with dog parks is you have no idea what type of dog/owner is going to be there on any given day.
Just driving by the dog park I've seen numerous dog fights.
While I love all dogs, I don't allow mine to play with Pitts. Its not that I think they are all vicious. I've just seen the amount of damage they can do, and I'd rather not take the chance.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

We don't do dog parks either, reason being that we have a large enough area here in NW England that we aren't hemmed in so to speak. But we can have dogfights in the "beaters wagon", that's were we're all crammed into a cattle trailer,,dogs, and handlers,,to be transported to driven shoot,,,the dogs bitch and moan about whereabouts in the trailer they want to be positioned,,usually the cocker spaniels kick off, easily handled, pick them up by the scruff of the neck, tell them "behave!" and all's fine, The V's are the best behaved in this close proximity though, not just mine, but the V's that in there in general are well behaved..but even after the confinement of the beaters wagon, 2 dogs that 2 minutes ago were ready to fight tooth and nail are working brilliantly *together*


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

We here in the Los Angeles area are constantly challenged, finding a decent area, safe enough and large enough for our V's to run. We have the dog beaches which are off leash, and several off leash dog parks... we have had to fore go the use of at least two " Dog Parks" because of the aggression of just a few. It really is the luck of the draw on any given day what sort of dog you might run into, and then the owners are the other wild card. We asses the behavior of the dogs, and the owners every time we visit the off leash areas... it is a must.
We now go to a Park ,where it is a crime to have the dogs off leash... but everyone that frequents this place, has an understanding. We all let our dogs run off leash, the park is big enough that if the little nasty dogs are there, we can run on the other side, and stay away from dogs in question.

If Fergy begins to get to overbearing or begins playing to rough, I distract him by throwing a Stick, or a ball, or just run with him to the other side of the park. 
I never allow him to get rough, or bully other dogs. I do not like to let him play in a large group of dogs... pack mentality can mislead good behavior.
I keep him away from pit bull dogs and all other dogs that have know aggressive tenancies. He thinks all dogs are his best friend, this has been true since he was a tiny pup... We rarely have issues. 
The biggest problem we have, not at that park, but when I walk the canyon near my home, is running into people afraid of dogs, or people with dogs that don't like other dogs and are aggressive, and the owners are upset that our dogs are running free.


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## InTheNet (Jun 1, 2016)

My wife takes him to the dog park to wear him out. She has left a couple of times when there are adult pits there understanding that temperament could be a problem. He is strong and feisty but a bite from a pit would not be good. He can always out run them 
WE are on 28 acres so he has room to roam and we exercise him but it is not the same as the non stop action at the park. Winter is making it harder for us to get him enough exercise. We just started working on the treadmill. When spring time comes riding bikes will tire him out.

She keeps a good eye on zoltan and he seems to know when his first playmate has had enough and then moves on to the next. Quite often there are several dogs in a heap at once.

Maybe she( and I) were oversensitive to the 2 people that she had not encountered before. She knows that if it gets to rough to intervene. We don't want anything to happen to our dog or someone else's.

I am going to go to the park this weekend with her to get her confidence going .


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Maybe invite the ones he normally plays well with over to your place to play. 

I'm not trying to run down pitts, and belive owners should be able to own whatever breed they like.
Any breed can bite, and not all dogs are always going to get along. My logic is that if a fight ever does happen, you want it to be a even match, or a known dog that will not severely over correct a young dog. 
I've seen a beagle have its hind leg ripped off at the hip by a Pitt. I also have a good friend that almost lost her hand when her Pitt turned on her. The police had to shoot the dog to get it off her. Both dogs had been raised in the home from puppies. 
I also have 2 family members that own pitts, and swear they are the sweetest dogs they have ever owned. I don't doubt them, and their dogs might never feel the need to bite. But they will never interact with my dogs. It could be my dog that bites off more than it could chew.


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## Cooperpooperscooper (Jan 25, 2015)

There is always someone at the park that isn't happy. If Cooper gets annoying I move him to another area of the park and he gladly moves. Cooper tends to play with the more energetic dogs; husky, boxers, some pits. We rarely see a v at the park. 

Cooper tends to hump to dominate...some dogs hate it and will let him know. Others just submit.. Some owners hate it even though it's quite a normal dog behavior. If owners have an issues I just get him to play with other dogs. my dog in general plays like yours. Lots of rough housing. He's besties with my brothers pit who plays the same way and he's been playing like that's since a pup. My friends husky and Cooper would destroy my living room if allowed to play indoors.


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

tknafox2 said:


> The biggest problem we have, not at that park, but when I walk the canyon near my home, is running into people afraid of dogs, or people with dogs that don't like other dogs and are aggressive, and the owners are upset that our dogs are running free.


How do you handle this? I'm about an hour north of LA but have the same problem. Pretty much everyone has their dogs off-leash on hikes, but you run into the occasional person that has an aggressive dog and gets upset, or the occasional person that is either afraid of or doesn't like dogs. I've been working very hard with Mia on recall and she's doing really well, but it's not yet perfect, especially when she sees other dogs because she LOVES all the dogs. And I don't think perfection is realistic. Still, I sort of see these owners' point - off-leash hiking is technically not allowed on most of the trails, and they need to exercise their dogs, too. On the other hand, I've been hiking here for almost 12 years and this is the culture - I just got my dog a year ago. I keep Mia on leash on many hikes because of these very occasional encounters and it stinks because she loves to be off-leash. A lot of times I'm first on the trail so she gets to be off-leash on the way up and on-leash on the way down when we encounter more people. Sometimes I leave her off-leash and work on passing people without reacting to them. She thinks humans exist to pet her. 

There is one trail near my house where off-leash hiking is allowed. It really aggravates me when people say something on that trail. I make an effort to keep my dog on-leash on other trails but this one shouldn't have to be a worry.


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

I would suggest working with your dog, on trails on a long lead (50+ feet). When you encounter people ahead call your dog back to you and get them into the heel position (if they will heel beside you) or at least leash them so you can get them past the distraction (be it a person who doesn't like dogs, or a person with a dog who doesn't wish to interact with yours). You can use a whistle, verbal command, whatever.

This will keep your pup safe, and keep you out of undesirable encounters with other trail users. 

Reliable recall isn't unrealistic, but it does take lots of practice.


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## Cooperpooperscooper (Jan 25, 2015)

If the other owner has an aggressive dog inpit my guy on a leash. Dogs feed of the energy of their owner so I try not to make the other dog owner more aggravated. I need them to be able to control their dog. As for other times I make sure cooper is in sight at all times. If others make a comment I have Cooper heal and ignore the others. Try bridge to no where almost everyone has their dog off leash. Mt Wilson, baldy, cucamonga peak. Try to stick to trails don't have heavy traffic. Bridge to no where is Azusa is my favorite bc of the river.


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## Spy Car (Sep 3, 2014)

tknafox2 said:


> We here in the Los Angeles area are constantly challenged, finding a decent area, safe enough and large enough for our V's to run. We have the dog beaches which are off leash, and several off leash dog parks... we have had to fore go the use of at least two " Dog Parks" because of the aggression of just a few. It really is the luck of the draw on any given day what sort of dog you might run into, and then the owners are the other wild card. We asses the behavior of the dogs, and the owners every time we visit the off leash areas... it is a must.
> We now go to a Park ,where it is a crime to have the dogs off leash... but everyone that frequents this place, has an understanding. We all let our dogs run off leash, the park is big enough that if the little nasty dogs are there, we can run on the other side, and stay away from dogs in question.
> 
> If Fergy begins to get to overbearing or begins playing to rough, I distract him by throwing a Stick, or a ball, or just run with him to the other side of the park.
> ...


If you are near Brentwood-Encino the Westridge-Canyonback trail is off-leash legal and a very cool place to run a Vizsla.

Bill


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

Canadian said:


> I would suggest working with your dog, on trails on a long lead (50+ feet). When you encounter people ahead call your dog back to you and get them into the heel position (if they will heel beside you) or at least leash them so you can get them past the distraction (be it a person who doesn't like dogs, or a person with a dog who doesn't wish to interact with yours). You can use a whistle, verbal command, whatever.
> 
> This will keep your pup safe, and keep you out of undesirable encounters with other trail users.
> 
> Reliable recall isn't unrealistic, but it does take lots of practice.


I don't think reliable recall is unrealistic (clearly it isn't as there are many examples of dogs with very reliable recall), but perfection is. And I've been doing these things with her already, and keeping her on leash while improving her recall. 

I was really asking how tknafox2 handles the people, not the training, especially on a narrow trail where my dog is allowed off-leash and it's impossible to pass without being close to people or other dogs. And you can't step off them - they're narrow trails on the sides of mountains.


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## Cooperpooperscooper (Jan 25, 2015)

in cases like those if i see a dog coming i yell out that i have a dog and they are friendly. i always get the other owner yelling back the same. I then move as far to the side that i can and have cooper sit until the dog passes. Hope this helps


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## jean (Feb 17, 2015)

> As long as the correction fits the offence, the younger dog learns a lesson, and no one gets hurt.


I agree with this, but find that many owners of "normal" dogs don't appreciate any correction, even if it fits the offense. So, be aware of that. I tend to be oversensitive (like your wife may be), so I just don't do dog parks anymore. I can't take the pressure for my dog to be perfect!

Instead, we do walks with other dogs in open areas where they can run with plenty of space and fewer dogs - or we do hikes with him on his own (where he runs into other dogs for socialization, but generally isn't allowed to play for long with unknown dogs). 



> There is one trail near my house where off-leash hiking is allowed. It really aggravates me when people say something on that trail. I make an effort to keep my dog on-leash on other trails but this one shouldn't have to be a worry.


In my area, most trails are off-leash therefore the ideal etiquette is to leash your dog if you spot another dog walking on leash until paths are crossed. If the other dog is off-leash, I assume it is friendly / under control and just let them pass. For humans on narrow trails, I usually make him sit. On wider trails, he walks at heel unless the human seems scared. I can see how this all would be really annoying/frustrating in areas where you cross people and leashed dogs frequently, and I have no good advice for that situation :/ People only ever said anything to us when our dog was legit being annoying (running up to people, etc.) and we were unable to prevent it. It was especially bad the time he ran up to greet a young woman when he had his Outfox mask on. She (rightfully) was a bit freaked out and upset - and we felt terrible and took immediate steps to improve his recall.

In areas where off-leash is allowed, you are likely required to have your dog under voice control - a friend got a ticket for this error. If your dog has predictably unreliable recall around other dogs, it is an issue. You are doing long line training. E-collar training is also very effective. After 6 months of ensuring he came every time when called, we no longer regularly use it. We can call him off crazy playing with a friend, which was the goal. Frankly, we could not make the commitment to keeping him on a long lead until his recall was up to par and didn't have the time to devote to the training. Ecollar training was a shortcut, but we were desperate to get his off leash behavior under control, since being off leash is a huge part of his life. (Consult a trainer familiar with the breed if you consider this route - but I get it if you aren't interested.)


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

Nymeria... to answer your interest... When I encounter grumpy people, I usually ask them to just ignore the dogs and pass by, that the dogs won't bother them, I can promptly put them on the leash , listen to their complaining, and be admonished for breaking the law etc. etc. then keep moving...
Aggressive dogs We have run into, have fortunately been on a leash, and surprising enough my dogs sense the rejection and seem to stay back. I get them leashed up as quick as I can.
I am lucky that Fergy has very good recall, we trained him with an E collar (which I rarely ever use anymore) and he comes to my whistle. Pearl on the other hand will chase down man, woman, child, dog, what ever she smells or sees. It is the nature of the Bloodhound, and they are not Good off leash. Even though she is genital a a lamb, and loves everyone and everything. I'm sure it is a terrifying sight for some unsuspecting poor soul to look up and see this big drooly monster barreling down on them. 
I must admit though, I have had my share of verbal confrontations, and fortunately no dog fight confrontations.
When I have Both Fergy and Max ( both V's are 3yrs.) Max is not well disciplined, and doesn't mind, but when the two are together they are easy to keep moving, they are much more interested in each other than others people or dogs. I can just pick up the pace and jog by the person/dog obstacle calling out "Come on Lets GO" and the dogs are delighted to run along with me. Even Pearl likes this.


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## ks310 (Sep 28, 2015)

Ugh I hate these people and they give dog parks a bad name. When I see a dog like yours at my dog park 9 times out of 10 its a puppy. I don't call the puppy wild I just know its a puppy and that is natural play and boundary testing for a puppy. 

Ive spent a lot of time in dog parks because Ive always had dogs in cities. My biggest and best advice is make friends with people who have the dogs your dog likes to play with. This helps in two ways, the first is you can start to plan with them when to be there at the same time for your dog. Second, and I know this is so silly but dog parks can become really cliquey. When you have people around you who can attest to your dog being sweet natured and just playing it can really help in a heated situation. Our Vizsla's first friend at the dog park was a German Pointer who was only a few weeks younger than her. He came in when she was still too scared to play with other dogs and he immediately came for her. She saw he was her size and they played immediately. After that she was way more comfortable to play with dogs of all shapes and sizes.

After all, our dogs are incredibly close to our hearts. When someone criticizes your dog it is really hard to be level headed and if you don't have friends around to support you in that moment it can feel really overwhelming. That happened to me once and thankfully I had friends in the dog park.


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