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Still Looking for advice…we miss the park!

Just to give you background:

I am the owner of Allie.  A 1 1/2 year old yellow lab who starting going to the airport dog park at 5 months.  Needless to say it was her favorite thing in life, and I also enjoyed it too-the people and the dogs.  A few months ago she had gotten into a horrible fight at the park and I had gotten great advice on why it may have happened, what to do etc. so thank you for that.

 Now…I need more advice.  I’m am not sure if this is possible but Allie seems to actually draw negative/aggressive attention from dogs.  I know that dog park dogs for the most part are the most social and friendly but she honestly seems to get most of them worked up to where they almost bully her.  I noticed this when I took my sisters retriever to the park wtih us for a couple days and dogs would ignore my sisters dog and go straight for Allie.  I know it’s not anyones fault but I’m not sure what to do.  She seems to have almost a nervous submissive energy when approaching dogs.  When/if they accept her then she’s just fine and she plays well, even on the rough side with the pits, boxers, and other labs.  Unfortunately we don’t get very far wtih most dogs now because it gets too aggressive and charged right away.  She still is able to play with dogs she knows in the normal fashion but isn’t making any new friends and seems to be making more enemies.

 Should I take her to some sort of training?  Should I stop taking her to the park?  Just not sure what to do and I don’t want to put her or any other dogs in a bad situation.

Posted by snarlycat on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 4:44 pm.

5 Responses to “Still Looking for advice…we miss the park!”

I’d actually have someone take your dog to the park, it may be a multiplier effect, your dog gets nervous when dogs come around, you get nervous, she knows you;re nervous and gets more nervous, etc…

Also if she has dogs that she’s comfortable with, maybe walk with them at the park (if possible) and stay away from the main pack of dogs for awhile, until she gets alittle more comfortable.

you may want to talk to a trainer and discuss this issue as well, there could be a host of things you are doing without even knowing that are making the situation worse. Plus they have dogs they can bring in to help your dog with meeting new puppies.

Good luck!

Left by megandryan on April 28th, 2008

My Jessie is very pushie (A bully) when it come to other dog that are sheepish. She will charge any dog to see if see can get a reaction. If they stand up to her she moves on. We walk in a pack and the dogs recognize their pack. Sensa (one of the pack) is a little sheepish. When we first greet Sensa it a big to do. Jessie pushes her around growling and showing her teeth. She looks really mean but is just establishing rank. After a few minutes everythings cool. Sensa is getting much better at greeting and almost seems to like Jessie’s attention. I also walk my neighbors dog “timid” Tootsie. Tootsie is very shy and gets overwhelmed sometimes with all the dogs. Our dogs seem to like to walk in a small pack and we try to keep moving and watch the dogs to avoid potential situations. Maybe you can find some dogs that Allie is comfortable with and it may help her gain confidence. Your certainly welcome to walk with us. We really miss “muddy” Allie and Charla.

Left by Brian w/Jessie & Tootsie on April 29th, 2008

It seems to me that both Allie and Jessie could use some training. Allie for self-confidence and Jessie for basic manners. No dog needs to establish dominance or should pull rank at a dog park.

Left by Millicent on May 4th, 2008

This is a wild and untested idea, but you might want to look into getting a “DAP” collar for Allie. If you are not familiar with “DAP,” it is a dog appeasing pheromone that also comes in a bottled, liquid form that you plug into a wall socket to slowly dispense the odor — it’s supposed to help calm anxiety in dogs, but maybe it would also help repel hostility from other dogs if that Allie wore it in a collar form. I am currently trying the DAP collar out on my dog, as she suffers a bit from separation anxiety, and she suffers severely from thunderstorm anxiety.

You might also want to carry a loud horn or that “stop” spray just in case an aggressive dog does attack your Allie.

Good luck!

Frida’s “mom”

Left by Frida on May 6th, 2008

I know a great trainer…The K9 Coach in Mpls. The owner and her staff are great! We ( me and my 75pd pup) have taken basic/advanced training classes and they have been great. I also know 2 people that have worked with them for dog behavioral problems and have been very satisfied with the results. Check out the website….good luck!

Left by DLM on May 9th, 2008

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