[Yogi]

Hey all,

For those of you lucky enough to have tons of open field for your dobies to run, it's possible that you never heard of a "dog park". Well, here in Florida, we don't have much room at all. So, if we want to take our dogs to a place then can run around unleashed, we have to go here. They get a lot of socialization to because there are so many dogs.

And then he thanks me when we get home

 

[Murreydobe]

Hey all,

For those of you lucky enough to have tons of open field for your dobies to run, it's possible that you never heard of a "dog park". Well, here in Florida, we don't have much room at all. So, if we want to take our dogs to a place then can run around unleashed, we have to go here. They get a lot of socialization to because there are so many dogs.

The problem with dog parks is you have no control over the other dogs (and owners) that show up..this can provide the kind of socialization a dog doesn't need, especially a young puppy. All it takes is one nasty ass dog and clueless owner to provide your dog with a really bad experience.

 

[Yogi]

Yes, true. It is very important to seek the right park. Some parks can harbor nasty uneducated people with mean dogs. You learn which parks are the nice ones from talking with people.

This park is very nice and Yogi is getting to know many of the dogs. I, myself, find I spend most of my time petting other peoples dogs.

This park has multiple fenced sections. You can go to a section that has no other dogs in it, but everyone loves Yogi and he gets along with the other dogs very well. They are all very friendly.

And, although it's certainly not as nice as an open field in Wyoming, here we simply have no choice. If you want to set your dog loose, you must come here. Otherwise you need to litter train your dog

 

[brumwolf]

He is a very good looking lad Tom and nice to see the all "Natural" look too something we will be seeing a lot more of in this country from about March.
We are lucky to have fields right outside the front door so we chase rabbits 3to 4 times a day.

 

[Yogi]

Thanks Brum. We've got a LOT LOT LOT of large ducks in my developement so he gets to chase those. When he catches them, he licks and sniffs them. Funny cause people think Yogi is out to eat them But, he's used to playing with my ferrets so I don't think Yogi would ever actually bike any type of "game".

Only problem is that he's got to be on the retractible leash. But, he can still run around pretty much. The ducks give him a lot of excercise

I think Yogi's tail is bent in that one picture. Maybe it got broke when he was younger? I don't know as I've never seen a Dobie with a long tail

 

[brumwolf]

Not seen many myself yet Tom but i reckon Yogi is proud of his anyway bcuz he holds it up proud like Mischa does with her little nub.

 

[LapDog]

I love taking duch to the dog park...unfortunately during certain seasons ticks have been a problem! lol YUCK! lol Id rather not deal with them. Yeah you have to find a dog park that has responsible pet owners. Duchess is real good with staying by me or coming when called...she also realizes when trouble might start and makes sure she stays away from the situation.
He is super cute! Thanks for the pictures!

 

[2dobesuk]

He's gorgeous, love his ears!! We take ours to the local park and there's normally a group of us who meet up and our dogs all play together, its great fun.

 

[Dobesanddragons]

The problem with dog parks is you have no control over the other dogs (and owners) that show up..this can provide the kind of socialization a dog doesn't need, especially a young puppy. All it takes is one nasty ass dog and clueless owner to provide your dog with a really bad experience.

I agree 100%. Young puppies and dog parks aren't a good mix. Since you like Leerburg, you should take a look at his dog parks article. I agree with him totally on that one.
http://www.leerburg.com/dogparks.htm
There are better and much safer ways for socialization and exercise.

 

[JavasMom]

The owners always seem to be more of a problem than the other dogs. My local DP is part of the county park system and on occasion a police cruiser shows up.

Java tends to back away and look for me when tusseling gets too rough or loud or she hears dogs beginning to fight. She is getting better at coming to me, but there are one or two dogs that, if they are present, I will just turn around and come back later. It's not worth it to me to have Java bitten or provoked into fighting another dog. She is very good at deflecting an attack by a smaller dog with her shoulder or snapping the air as a warning, but I know that if she is forced to defend herself that she will be the one to 'blame', even if the the other dog kept coming at her. I do not want to see what would happen if that 'Call of the Wild' look as I call it (lips curled over teeth and tongue licking fangs) is taken to the next level. It is my job to keep her out of harm's way, so if that means leaving the DP earlier than planned, well so be it. We all know that arguing w/ an irresponsible owner is a waste of time.

I've read the Leerburg article and he makes some good points. Would love to have the Cesar Millan segment on DP etiquette on continuous loop at the DP some days....

 

[kimberjac]

I'll just bet....

with his natural ears and tail that many folks don't realize he's a Dobie. Am I right?

 

[barn63]

What I find about taking Kaiser to the dog park is the classic stereotype of him being a big mean dog...He just wants to play. Educated owners know this but some people avoid him with their dogs. He plays well with my friends two great danes. Another problem my girlfriend ran into was fleas. Not all dogs are very well taken care of.

 

[alwayshadpets]

He is adorable.

 

[Yogi]

Ha yeah, many people think he's a Lab for some reason, until they look closer at him.

Yogi thanks you for the compliments

Tom

 

[Yogi]

What I find about taking Kaiser to the dog park is the classic stereotype of him being a big mean dog...He just wants to play. Educated owners know this but some people avoid him with their dogs. He plays well with my friends two great danes. Another problem my girlfriend ran into was fleas. Not all dogs are very well taken care of.

Never really had a flea problem down here. They do exist, but not very many. I don't think fleas thrive well in palm trees and coral sand

 

[MIA]

I am lucky enough to have a HUGE dog park 5 mins from my house, it's on the beach and sandy! Mo just loves it as do my MinPins. Most of the folks there know each other and I have actually made some great friends! The only times I don't go are on the weekends in the afternoons as the "weekend" dog owners are there, you know the ones that have ZERO control over thier dogs. I guess in a way I am thankful as most people just stay away from Mocha and I cause she's a "nasty" dobe! LOL There is also a spot at the very end which most people are too lazy to walk to so more often than not I have the place to myself.

 

[barn63]

One problem I have is I know all the dogs names but none of the owner names.

 

[Yogi]

I just had a small problem today.

Now, mind you, it is very very crowded where I live so sometimes dog parks are freakin' packed!!!

Today was one of those days. Every time I come accrossed a mean dog, it's always owned by a mean person. Mean people seem to create mean dogs. Like father like son, so to speak.

My family has owned a chain of pet stores my whole life and we've always had hundred of animals within a tight space. All treated awesomely. We eat pizza and snacks in front of all of them all day long and no animal makes a single noise. Sure, we give out nibbles to them, but otherwise no problem.

So, today I'm finishing a sandwich and walking Yogi into the park. There was a guy and his wife, very nasty looking and sounding. They were the only ones there and they had about 8 dogs of different breed. I was about 25 yards from the fence and their dogs started to ferociously bite each other and start fighting as if it were a death match. No joking here man. These dogs were fixing to kill each other.

So, the wife came to the fence and yelled..."look at what you're making my dogs do. Don't come near here with food!!!!!"

So, I inquired back "okay, no problem, I'll go to the other area. But tell me, what do your dogs do when your family has dinner? Spend their time locked in the basement?"

So, I went into the other section and finished my sandwich and fries with the other smaller dogs and gave many of them fries for treats cuz their owners said it was okay and they were so cute.

So, If I go to this park and see this family there again, I will either leave or make an issue out of it. Who are they to tell me what I can and can't do in a public park. If I want to bring in snacks for Yogi, then I can do it. If their dogs are going to eat eachothers legs off as a result, I think that's their fault and problem, not mine.

Mean people, mean dogs. Bad tempered owners, bad tempered dogs.

So, If their dogs react in that aggressive fashion when they smell food, I seriously wonder what they do with the dogs at dinner time? Lock them away in seperate cages?

Many people bring food to this park, many. Some bring picnic baskets for themselves and their dogs. I normally bring a bag of treats to train Yogi. Is it right for these people to yell at me for having food? Is it right for their dogs to react in this aggressive manner around the smell of food? Isn't this a public park? If their dogs are so touchy and vicious, perhaps they should not bring them to a public place?

 

[natdobe]

Just be very careful. I've read several horror stories about dog parks. Everything may seem fine, but you just never know what could happen with so many dogs around each other. You get one aggressive dog in the mix and here comes chaos. It only takes one attack on your dog for it to be permanantly fear aggressive and not like other dogs. I know someone with a dog who was always very social and good with other dogs until it was attacked. Now she can't take her dog anywhere around other dogs, because it is either too scared to move or it tries to lunge at other dogs. I agree that most mean dogs are brought up by mean owners, but they are out there, and unfortunately turn up at public places.

 

[Zucker]

Yogi, don't you have any basic rules the dog owners need to adhere to? Such as no aggressive dogs and the dogs need to be under reasonable control of their owners. Idiots like what you just mentioned would have gotten kicked out of the park by my local dog owners. Yes they are animals and some aggression happens but if the owners are being irresponsible and on top of that rude about it, that is just inexcusable!