Yesterday I went to the dog park for a client. She was having problems with her small dog when at the dog park. While I stated my opinion again that I do not prefer dog parks because of the inability to control certain factors (like the other dogs owners) I went with her. According to her, the dog would snap when another dog came up. In evaluating the dog, I found that this little girl was very small, and did not really want bigger dogs noses in places they shouldn’t be. She was not aggressive, just simply requesting politeness from other dogs. This is not the point of this post however. WHILE I was at the dog park, within 30 minutes of being there in fact, I witnessed two dog “arguments”. The first one seemed more like a snapping incident on the big side. Apparently a poodle jumped on the back of a lab who didn’t like it and an argument ensued. I watched as it started to escalate, while the owners were busy talking at the other end of the dog park, completely oblivious to the fact that their dogs were arguing. It ended with a lot of straight legged strutting and nobody was hurt. Ok, one down.
The next “argument” did end up in a slight injury. This one happened about 10 minutes later. A jack russell and a maltese mix. I didn’t catch exactly what happened. The owner of the jack russell sat on a bench and watched as his dog got into a fight, and as the owner of the maltese reached in to the argument, the jack russell leaped up and bit her soundly on the arm (leaving two punctures, bruising, and quite a bit of blood mind you). After inspecting the maltese, one of her nails was torn off and bleeding. What did the owner of the jack russell do? absolutely nothing. He sat there watching the whole thing and said nothing at all. Acted like it was her fault entirely, maybe she shouldn’t have brought HER dogs to the dog park? Actually after having seen the attitude of the JRT throughout his time there, and the casualness of his owner, I think it was more then likely the JRT that started it. The owner of the maltese left, and the owner of the JRT continued to sit on the bench and watch his dog challenge every dog in the park.
In reality, it is not the fault of the dog parks. They offer a large enclosed area that allow dogs the freedom to run uninhibited by a leash. The problem is really that of the owners (just as with any of the dogs problems)! Put together a bunch of clueless owners with no concept of personal responsibility regarding their dogs, nor an understanding of dog behavior, and throw in a bunch of barely socialized dogs, and you’re headed for a disaster. Even if YOU are a responsible owner, well versed in dog behavior, you can’t control the other owners. Which is why I state my opinion AGAIN that I do not prefer dog parks. I DO agree with a well run freeplay or as some trainers call them “LFS – Large field socialization groups” These groups allow for a professional to step in and control more of the variables. Generally shot records are required, and rules are followed. While there is always still a risk for an “argument” the risks are lessened. They really are a good thing!
