Skip to content

Growling at the dog park

Behavioral Issues
  • I would absolutely NOT leash her in an offleash park. That is the absolute worst thing you can do to prevent aggression. Once the leash is on the dog has no choice but to fight if a dog continues to approach when your dog is giving distance increasing signals. And the distance increasing signals will escalate, picture someone screaming profanity that would make a sailor blush.

    If you can't redirect then it is time to leave for the day.

  • @lvoss:

    I would absolutely NOT leash her in an offleash park. That is the absolute worst thing you can do to prevent aggression. Once the leash is on the dog has no choice but to fight if a dog continues to approach when your dog is giving distance increasing signals. And the distance increasing signals will escalate, picture someone screaming profanity that would make a sailor blush.

    If you can't redirect then it is time to leave for the day.

    I totally agree… which is what I said before... I would never leash a dog in an off leash park....

  • @lvoss:

    I would absolutely NOT leash her in an offleash park. That is the absolute worst thing you can do to prevent aggression. Once the leash is on the dog has no choice but to fight if a dog continues to approach when your dog is giving distance increasing signals. And the distance increasing signals will escalate, picture someone screaming profanity that would make a sailor blush.

    If you can't redirect then it is time to leave for the day.

    To clarify: Leash walking outside the dogpark (it's part of a larger park).

    Should have said that earlier.

  • That's fine and the she still gets a nice stimulating walk. I have seen so many people bring on leash dogs to the off leash dog park with awful results that I just had to say something. What is worse than the dog's cursing sometimes is the owner's since they seem to think that there shouldn't be any problem with the situation.

  • Dog parks are a tricky situation. You don't know who's going to be there and the temperament of that dog they bring. Some days are really good and some days are bad and you have to get your B outta there. And then you have people bring balls and some dogs get possessive and well you know what that means.

  • Yeah, when there is a bad situation, it's better to just leave and have a nice walk. When the dog park is good, it's great! When it's not good, better to be elsewhere.

  • Update: We've had better luck of late. There's still a few growling incidents but based on the situation we've been putting her down until she calms down or letting it slide if the growl was "justified". So we're kind of handling it on a case by case basis.

    And she's become more playful at the park - getting involved in group chases/runs, being more sociable, actually letting other dogs sniff her, etc.

    Our new hurdle is when people bring in treats to train their dogs. :) All of a sudden they have more than just She-Ra commanding their attention. I'm thinking of bringing some of our own just to keep her attention away from the poor guys who are just trying to train their dogs.

  • That is great that things are going better. The treats are good thing. Have fun at the park and enjoy.

    Rita Jean

  • Groan! Our park has a "no food or treats" and we gently point that out to people. The park is "play time" not class-time! We tell them that our Nicky is the "training tool" for the 'no treats in the park' rule.

  • being a frequent dog park person, I would say leave the treats at home. I'm not sure about the parks in your area but it always causes a problem and is normally posted on the rule's bored. I know its frustrating when people bring treats thank goodness down here in my area its rare. I remember one time I was in the bay area CA and a man brought a big raw hide bone!
    As for the growling, I would say keep moving while you are at the park or you could hang out in the area's that are less crowded like the back corner. Try going to the park during the slow hours of the day when she will not be overwhelmed. It also depends how long she has been going to the dog park. The more often you go the more confident you will both be. It takes time but well worth it. Good Luck

  • The treat issues haven't been too horrible. Most of the time the people who bring them quickly learn the downside of it and don't do it again. :)

    She's been doing a lot better, and I've been determining when it's okay to discipline and when not. If she's doing a "give me space" where three or four dogs are sniffing her at once, I hold back, but occasionally she's gone after just one dog and I put her down for that. Next thing you know she's just playing with the dog, chasing or whatever. So it seems to be working.

    She's gotten a lot better at coming on command as well, even from across the park. It's tough to break that ADD that most 'Senji's have :), but of late she's gotten really good at breaking away from what she's doing if I call her.

    Who knows…we may make a dog out of this "cat-dog" yet! :)

Suggested Topics

  • Recent Growling at Dogs During Walk

    Behavioral Issues
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    6k Views
    FlashF
    Unfortunately we have the same problem with our boy (9) and girl (10). Off leash they play well - 95% of the time. The other 5% can be a disaster especially with small frightened dogs. My guys have gone after such animals and even bitten them - once drawing a small amount of blood. This behaviour seems quite instinctive and regrettably I have not been able to curb it. I do hope your pleasant little fellow doesn’t go this far. But we are talking about a very primitive breed.
  • 0 Votes
    2 Posts
    3k Views
    tanzaT
    In the US most all dog parks do not allow intact males or females
  • Lap dogs?

    Behavioral Issues
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    5k Views
    wizardW
    On the couch Gossy either justs sits on my lap or curls up next to me; on the recliner she prefers directly in my lap. On the other hand, if I'm on the couch in the evening Teddy will slowly climb up onto my lap as if he thinks I won't notice then he'll curl up leaning against my chest and go to sleep! If Gossy is already in my lap, he'll try to squeeze in between :)
  • Dog Park behaviour help.

    Behavioral Issues
    19
    0 Votes
    19 Posts
    5k Views
    P
    Going back to an earlier suggestion on Bewler's post - I wouldn't throw a bowl of water over two dogs in a fight - it will most probably make them even angrier. What a shame that some owners arer so irresponsible in taking aggressive dogs into the park. It is a privilege to be able to allow interaction in a friendly level in such an environment.
  • Its Me Or The Dog…..

    Behavioral Issues
    19
    0 Votes
    19 Posts
    7k Views
    hdolbowH
    i'm feeling your pain on this one. dan and i broke up a few months ago so i moved home and mia went from sleeping with rocky and maggie on the couch to sleeping in bed with me. if i'd go out at night, my mom, instead of crating her would let her sleep in bed with my parents. (because she cried and mom felt bad) then dad told mom he didnt want her in bed with them so mom would sleep in a spare bedroom just to keep her from crying in her crate! (typical grandmother.. she spoiled her rotten) Now dan and i are trying to work things out so i brought mia with me last night to stay over and he keeps maggie and rocky in the laundry room with their beds and they are content with that, but Mia was NOT having it. she sat at the gate and cried for a good 2 hours. They aren't allowed in the bedroom because he got new furniture, so she has to get used to it i guess.. Only time will tell i suppose.. but uggh that crying.. its enough to make you wanna pull your hair out. im hoping when the 3 warm up to each other again she'll stop..
  • Dog to dog greeting aggression question

    Behavioral Issues
    12
    0 Votes
    12 Posts
    5k Views
    S
    I will take a bit of time, but it does work. Please let us know how it goes.