Do you take your dog to the local dog park?

Question

I have a six month old puppy that absolutely loves going to the dog park. We go every morning. My question is "How do you handle the owner that either doesn't watch their dog at play or pick up after them when they go potty?" Some dogs are very aggressive and I don't feel it is safe for me to pull them off of my dog. I also don't like picking up after all the other dogs. I ALWAYS pick up after mine.

Answer 1

Guide your dog to another area of the park.Go as far away from these people and dogs as possible and stay in that area.If they come toward you move farther away pretty soon they should get the hint and go one their way.
Now some people just can't take a hint.I'm a fairly straight-forward person so I've told men twice my size that my dog is'nt brought to the park for his to maul so he'll be less frustrated when they get home.If they can't control their animal and keep it from hurting mine then I'd appreciate it if they could at least hold it back until we leave the area.
I've also explained the following with excellant result:
"One of my dogs is arthritic and very hyper dogs as well as overly aggressive ones could push him to play too hard and have him in alot of pain.And he just got over having a bad spell where he limped horribly."This is a completely true statement and most folks are understanding.
But there are the occasional "who gives a darn"buttheads who can't take the hint no matter what I say until they hear "if you refuse to leash your dog or at the very least remove it from this area then I fully intend to get your plate number and make and model of your car and will use it to find and force you to pay vet bills after one of my dogs is injured."
Some older folks will tell people their dogs had surgery recently.That works well for them.But the best excuse I've ever heard was from a guy who was as fed up as you over the same issues.He tells people he'd happily let his dog play with theirs.But his dog has Parvo and was just diagnosed Kennel Cough to boot as he reaches to put his dog on the ground.he has'nt had anyone so far let the dogs paws hit dirt before they were reaching for their dogs collars.

Answer 2

For the potty issue, carry several bags with you. When you see a dog go and the owners ignore it, approach the owner with the bag and say "I think your dog just went over there, here's a bag." No confrontations, no "You never clean up after your dog", no "The rules say you have to clean up", just a simple nudge in the right direction is usually enough. If they don't respond, let them know there is a $100 fine for not cleaning up and you'd hate to see them get hit with it. Tell them you saw someone being issued a ticket last week.

For aggressive dogs, call to the owner. If the dog is being confrontational, tell the owner to "control his dog". You can say "Could you please control your dog, he's growling at other dogs." And if he doesn't, call the police. I know it sound over dramatic, but if you feel threatened, it's a police matter.

Luckily our local dog park is HUGE, so we can go to another area when the stupid people arrive with their aggressive dogs. If this is an option, try it. I know it sucks not to be around all the other dogs, but eventually others will probably head your way to avoid the mean dogs.

Good luck to you.

Answer 3

Sigh. That IS the problem at dog parks: negligent owners. There is not that much you can do. People do tend to frequent the dog parks at roughly the same time each day, so if your schedule allows some flexibility, you might try other times of day.

Also, some parks have separate areas for smaller dogs. If yours doesn't you might militate for it, I am sure others would back you up.

Answer 4

I would'nt recommend going to a dog park, unless you dog has all it's shots. It is so young, and there are so many dogs that go there, and they don't have their shots. Your puppy can get really sick. I think he's way too young to take there anyway. You can do a Google Search, just type in "Are dog parks safe?", and there is so much information there about the pros and cons of dog parks.

Answer 5

I take my 2 dogs every chance I can. I would talk to the owner that's not picking up after their dog and let them know that they have to clean up after them. My dog park has a sign stating the rules as you walk in.

Answer 6

no I dont cause you have dogs there that are not vacinated ,they carry fleas and usually out of the crowd you have some that are agressive and the owner is too busy chatting with someone else to notice that his or her dog is becoming agressive with the other dogs . Too many morons at the dog park !!! No thank you. Yes i own a chihuahua ,not having to pay a hospital bill because of some moron.!!! good luck to you.

Answer 7

No way! Bunch of rude, out of control dogs with clueless owners. The dogs may or may not have communicable diseases, and who even knows if they had vaccinations.

Take your puppy to a pre-agility class, fun for both of you and she will be around other dogs as well.

Answer 8

they should pick pick up after their dog. If you see them ignoring it, walk up to them and hand them a bag and say, " I noticed your dog went and you don't have a bag, do you need one?"

And the ones who get too aggressive I address right away. I tell them if they can't control their dog, then they need to be reported to the Humane Society. Sorry, but not only dogs can get hurt, but people bring little kids and such there too.

Answer 9

First talk to the owner of the dog. and describe your feelings on the issue of responsible dog ownership. if this does not work then go to the owner of the park and tell then your displeasure in other dog owners. if this does not fix the problem. then find another place to go, may be start your own park.

Answer 10

that is why some people no longer go to the dog park. find a time when the park is less busy