Two days ago I witnessed a Dane and a pitmix gang up on a Swiss Mt.Dog (I think that’s the breed). The Dane bit at her back and the owners chased the two away. They did a quick check-over of their dog, saw no blood or injury. By this time the owner of the two caught up and apologized, making sure their dog was alright and getting her two under control. The three of them spoke briefly as I watched from a short distance, wondering if they needed a witness. The Swiss Mt.Dog was still very frightened and broke away with her tail between her legs and headed for the gate, a good 75 yds. away. Her owners, of course, went after her.
However, at this point, another dog owner of two Australian shepherds came by and asked me what I’d seen. She remarked that those same two dogs (Dane and Pitmix) had ganged up on one of her dogs over by the other gate, with no damage done, thanks to quick intervention by the A.shepherds owner. We agreed it would be good to connect with the damaging duo’s owner about the matter. We engaged her just as she’d loaded her dogs into her car (this was about 7:45 pm) and let her know what had happened earlier and that I’d also been a witness to the more recent episode in which I clearly saw the Dane take a bite at the Swiss Mt.Dog. We felt it would be good for her to know that her dogs were ganging up on other dogs and that this behavior needed to be averted by having one dog on a lead or take the dogs separately to the park or whatever. The Dane/Pitmix owner was fairly gracious and apologetic, explaining that the dogs had only been together about 8 months (one was a rescue, I believe). She was willing to do whatever necessary to avoid this becoming standard operating procedure for her dogs… hopefully she’ll be able to carry through on this.
It is so important for us to help one another with our dog’s behaviour at the park… and, thankfully, this was a dog owner who was appreciative. I believe that most of us would appreciate this kind of communication at the park, and it is the exceptions who make it difficult to enjoy park play with our dogs.Â
Let’s do what we can to help each other, go the extra mile and approach another dog owner, get involved if you’ve seen something, communicate, warn others when necessary of naughty dog behaviour.
Great post, Belindaloo.
We have all seen how rough and tumble play can turn into a fight, especially when multiple dogs are “ganging up” on a single dog. The pack mentality can take over quickly, which is why it’s critical to keep an eye on our dogs at all times and intervene when we see the danger signs: tucked tail on the victim dog, nipping/bullying, other dogs running over to join in.
Submissive dogs tend to attract this kind of behavior. In the wild, sick and weak dogs are a threat to pack survival, so they are basically executed by the rest of the dogs.
Owners of dogs at both ends of the spectrum–fearful, submissive dogs at one end and dominant, alpha types at the other–need to be especially vigilant at the park and ready to step in and redirect their dogs away from situations BEFORE they turn ugly.
I don’t want to offend anyone here, but I feel it necessary to add that owners of pit bulls need to be ESPECIALLY alert to their dog’s every move at a dog park. I love pitties (and I’m completely against breed-specific legislation, by the way), but we need to face the reality of what comes from predisposing a breed to fight. Most pitties will find it very difficult to walk away from a dogfight, even fights they didn’t start. They can’t help it, it’s in their genes–just like most retrievers would find it very difficult not to run after a ball that’s thrown in front of them.
Genetic predisposition isn’t everything, but it does factor into a dog’s behavior, especially when its instinctive reflexes kick in, which is why it’s so important not to allow a situation to get to that point.
So, yes, as Belinda says, let’s help each other out at the dog park in the kindest way possible. Communication is key, as is prevention and intervention before situations escalate.
(I really do love pitties. I think they’re awesome dogs. )
Left by Devon & Chaz on August 28th, 2007