[new2dobe]

Hi Dobe Friends,

I am going to make this as short as possible... I had a black lab that was aggressive because as I learned my husband and I did everything wrong... it was sadly our fault and I promised myself I would never allow a dog to be that way again. I have read, volunteered, fostered , observed, and listened to many people and learned... that being said

This is my second Dobe who is a 55lb 6month old(the first sadly was taken too early) and we have done everything the right way. Socialization... I run out and stop people and have them pet the dog... we have been to classes and are getting our CGC. We do alot more with him but you get my point. I realize there is a stigma with the breed so he has to be on his best behavior always.

The trouble has come at the dog park- not an aggressive bone in the dog... he plays and plays and plays... often he cries when a dog runs too fast towards him and he has learned when to back off from dogs. I had a lady tell me that my dog should not bite while playing (this woman was a nervous dog owner and my dog and her dog had played before , only she was not there at the time) Last night I was at the park again and a lady told me that my dog was aggressive and her husband told me that he will be viscous if I do not get him neutered(he will get neutered- we are waiting until 12months).

The woman said my dog left a mark on her golden doodle- I replied that I was sorry but Benny was a puppy and those sharp teeth can cut ... she then proceeded to tell me that there was no way my dog was still a puppy... These are the type of people that complain and I am not sure what to do... My dog loves the park and loves to play and there are many dog there that are helping to teach him the way to behave etc. Maybe I am just sad because I feel like no matter what the Dobe, GSD, Pits, are always going to be scrutinized...

What advise would you give- leave it alone- try to educate, call and have the dog park person evaluate, could he be aggresive and I do not see it? ( I have three young children at home and many dogs have come to play and I have not seen any signs of aggression at all...)


Thanks for any input!

 

[KevinK]

This is one of the big reasons why so many of us don't and will never go to a dog park. I don't doubt that my pooch would be on her best behavior, but what about the other owners and dogs? I don't like to give anyone too much credit lol. If it's a good area to run around, can you go on off hours when nobody is there?

 

[willydobe]

When you go to the dog park you realize how many ignorant dog owners there are. You
probably aren't going to convince them that your dog just wants to play. Think about
going when the park is less crowded. Since most people go to the park at the same time,
go at a different time and maybe you will meet some brighter dog owners. Try to meet
up with other Dobe owners. It sounds like you are doing all the right things and are being
a responsible owner. Don't let the less smart get you down.

 

[noodlerubyallie]

I took Rocket and Allie one day when Rocket was 5 months old, figuring it would be good exercise. I went during an "off" time. My dogs were playing nicely when a woman came in with an intact, out of control Viszla - who decided to terrorize every other dog in the park with aggressive humping. I left immediately, only to hear this woman say to people, "Oh you don't have to leave! He's just playing!"

I don't go anymore unless I go at an ungodly hour - and that's rare. I'm pretty sure I haven't been in a year. Ignorance is what causes problems, and it sounds like you have one of "those" people.

I'd find somewhere else to exercise your dog. Even better, let him play with other Dobermans. There's nothing like Doberman play - they almost always play better with others of the same breed because they usually play the same way.

Good luck!

 

[StarlightDobe]

I dont take mine to the dog park, because I know my older one is dog aggressive and I wont be the one that has to pay the consequences for her dog biting another dog that only wanted to play with her. I feel bad for my younger one, because she is the one that would be great at a dog park, she is friendly, loves every other dog and would run around playing, having a great time but she cant because I wont leave one home while taking the other to a park to play. But the advantage is that they have each other to run around and play with. We used to go to puppy playtime at Petco but Nexus only gets stressed out trying to hide from all the other dogs and I felt it wasnt doing any good for her, after several weeks of trying to get her to socialize and having her repeatedly hiding I decided to stay home.

Perhaps you could take him to some of the playtimes and have them tell you if they think he is aggressive or not, which if he is getting his CGC it should be obvious he isnt. However some ppl are stubborn and dont believe anything they are told. I think once he has passed that test it may be easier to convince ppl he is a good dog.
As for dog parks, most of the time it is the other dogs and mostly the other owners who you have to watch out for, you have a breed of dog most people love to hate, and we all just have to learn to deal with the ignorance most of the world seems to have concerning our breed.

 

[madmony]

I'll never take Oliver to a dog park again. Most of the people there are lazy. That's why they go there. They haven't socialized their dogs and they have bad manners. My husband to Oliver when we
1st got him to let him run in a fenced area. A man arrived with 5 dogs, and his Rottie attacked Oliver. He had him pinned down on his back, bit through 1 ear and bit the inside of his ear and had to have that one stitched. My husband dove in to rescue Oliver and the other dog bit him too. The guy did nothing, or say any thing. We are done with dog parks.

 

[RottenVonSpotten]

I think the majority of dog owners at dog parks know little to nothing about body language or appropriate behavior. Would it be possible for you to organize a play group with some friends or dog park owners you've noticed are responsible? I think it would be better for Benny and you would avoid the crazies. Also, dobermans are prone to male-male aggression so the dog park might not be a great place for a maturing male doberman.

 

[dobebug]

I'd recommend giving up the dog park.

If you have a Doberman it makes no difference if the dog is young, old, friendly, willing to play with everyone and anyone if there is any sort of trouble at the park you can count on the fact that the Doberman will be blamed.

Other posters have already pointed out that many of the people who go to and take their dogs to dog parks are IDIOTS. There are all too many people who can't read dogs and don't read their own dogs and spend a lot of time saying "She/he just wants to play..." while ignoring the fact that the dogs has hackles raised is tiptoe stiff and is NOT "just wanting to play."

Find compatible dogs to come and play in your yard with your dog or go and play in their yard.

They don't have to be Dobermans (several of my dogs played very well with GSD's owned by friends and setters that we tracked with as well as Goldens (owned by the vets in the clinic where I work) and Labs (tracking and another owned by another clinic vet). They only need to be amiable playmates and big enough to hold their own while playing with an exuberant Doberman.

Dog parks are, in my opinion, for Dobes, bad situations just waiting to happen.

 

[Coco Loco]

I go to the dog park with Coco. There are 2 lovely ones in my area that are huge, old conservation areas so you can go on a great hike with your dog. There are also play areas but I don't regularly frequent them for reasons you have described. I know there are a lot of idiots at parks so I prefer to choose who Coco plays with. I know their owners and they are aware of how Coco plays (she is loud and gets mouthy). Their dogs play the same way and are not alarmed by this play. Lately I've been meeting up with other dobe owners at either of our parks. We go for our hikes and our dogs play together. There are ways to utilize the dog park but you have to be hyper vigilant about your dog because unfortunately a lot of the other people are not watching theirs. I should note that it may be different for us because Coco is a female also and she likes to avoid "strange" energy at the park. Good luck.:butfly:

 

[new2dobe]

Benny is very good at playing and we tend to go on off hours. I guess I am just surprised at how stupid people are- and it makes me sad... Along with CGC we are getting into therapy... but my husband has him there today and I will continue to let him play with friends dogs and I will look for some local dobe owners. or maybe we can add another to our family lol

 

[Beaumont67]

I have never been to a dog park...and have no desire to go either.

I will take our girl to the back of a "human" park...walk along the forested trails...that leads out to a 20 acre gravel pit (full of water).
- Amy runs around off-leach & searches out many new smells...she loves these outings

 

[Adara]

While I'm not saying you dog did put marks in another dog, but at that age puppy teeth are gone usually.

also typically as many male Dobes hit maturity they are NOT good dog park candidates. So just keep an eye out.

 

[PatchworkRobot]

If you have a Doberman it makes no difference if the dog is young, old, friendly, willing to play with everyone and anyone if there is any sort of trouble at the park you can count on the fact that the Doberman will be blamed.

I don't entirely agree with this statement. I was always anti-dog park until one day I was feeling very ill but needed a way to tire out my boy. I took him to the dog park for the first time. He had a great time (granted, he has been very well socialized at that point) and we started going regularly. The reason that I don't 100% agree with that statement is this... I came to be one of the "regulars" at the dog park (there are about 25 or so of us that all show up around the same time). If there are any altercations, though that has yet to happen, those other regulars know my dog and will speak on his behalf. It happened once with another regular's dog (a boxer that definitely was not to blame). Now, I'm kind of lucky in that the regulars are definitely not ignorant when it comes to dogs and ownership but, if your dog park has the same type of people then I think that you'd be fine. That being said, I would only recommend a dog park if A) your dog has incredibly good recall, B) you are good at reading dog body language, and C) you feel confident in being able to deal with a dog fight.

 

[Patches Mom]

No Dog Parks are good for male Doberman s when they hit sexual maturity with there brains you can have a big dog fight in a couple of seconds.Breaking up a dog fight is no easy feat Dobes are slick coated.usually have short tails and you sure do not want to reach in for a collar.Read about Dog Bite & fight and Dog Parks on Leerburg.com they have graphic pictures of dog bites. Most of the information is free. I do not agree with all their training methods but do agree with some of their thoughts on dogs. Just put Dog Parks on their search then put Dog bites on their search you will learn allot.Good Luck

 

[new2dobe]

Just an fyi- My dog comes home from the dog park with marks all the time... this was a tiny mark- the lady was kinda crazy... He did still have his puppy teeth because I check his mouth regularly so he is used to it... We have lots of friends in the neighborhood so I think we will stick to the friends we have. We also have puppy class... Its a blanket statement to say all boys do not get along with other dogs, but I agree that if something were to ever happen then it would be blamed on the dobe. Thanks for the input and like I said before it is sad to me the old way of thinking when it comes to dogs people think are aggressive.

 

[Adara]

Its a blanket statement to say all boys do not get along with other dogs, but I agree that if something were to ever happen then it would be blamed on the dobe. Thanks for the input and like I said before it is sad to me the old way of thinking when it comes to dogs people think are aggressive.

Many Doberman males don't get along with other males. It's one of our not so good breed traits but the other good traits make up for it. You may have one of the few that does, but please keep in mind it is a breed trait and very common.

 

[cmj]

Dog parks really are full of a lot of crazy people, but there are also some normal folks. I take my 1 year old dobie to the dog park every single day, she just loves, loves loves playing. I am a pretty low key person, so the dog part is the most dramatic portion of my life. There are people fights, dog fights, etc. It seems silly, but I would recommend making "friends" - it helps to have people and dogs there who know your dog is nice and vice versa. They will "stand up" for you. I keep my dog on an eCollar at the park. It allows me to keep her away from dogs I don't trust. It also allows me to keep her away from dogs whose owners I don't trust. There are people (usually small dog people) who are uneducated and don't understand how big dogs play (with their mouths). There are also people who immediately assume a dobie is mean. My dobie could play the same way with their dog as a lab, and they freak out. Just stay away from those people and their dogs. You will however run into "drama" every so often, so if you have other dogs to play with, then skip the park.

 

[DogsR4Life]

I would check every dog park in your area, find one that isnt so crowded, and there are regulars there with well behaved dogs.

There are only two dog parks i go to, both are at Woodbine Beach. Both dog parks are HUGE, and I have only seen a maximum of 10 dogs in there at one time. I always check who is in the park, observe how the dogs are playing before Chase is let loose.

 

[TeXgurl]

While I think everyone should be non-discriminatory breed-wise, I don't think it's alright to allow rough play without asking first. At the very least, I think it's perfectly reasonable for someone to ask you to play gently with his dog. Owners of small, old, arthritic, laid-back, whatever dogs have just as much right to enjoy the dog park. I've brought in dogs who love to play rough, but they all understand the command "gentle", and are taught to play gently unless I tell them otherwise. Some of the roughhousing dogs do end up with marks, and that's fine. I've been on the other end too. When an energetic younger dog wants to play with my old arthritic guy, I politely tell the owner I don't want my elderly dog to play with energetic youngsters. Rarely can they control their dogs by voice, and sometimes they tell me I shouldn't bring my dog to the park.

 

[eisel]

I go to a great dog park local to me. Have seen about five or six others that bring their dobermans over the months....I kid you not, all of our dobermans are among the best behaved dogs there. Finn is outstanding and gets along well with dogs big and small and has a few friends that are his favorites to play with. We see the same folks and dogs for the most part but weekend there are always lots of new arrivals. There are always a few that probably should not bring their dog to a park(not well socialized) and all knowing Finn does not bother with their dogs at all. If your dog is friendly and not a threat, he will naturally play with other dogs of like mind and it will be a good experience. If your dog is stirring up trouble, then you need to reevaluate yourselves and the state your dog is in and make corrections to bring up a better behaved dog.