Dog parks and doggie socialization

here's a video of Bailey at the dog park.

I won't put her in the big dog pen. I've never seen anything bad happen, but I've heard of dogs fighting in there.

My only problem with Bailey is she barks and nips near other dog's faces. She doesn't actually nip their face, but she sure does get close. It has made a few owners nervous. I tried the "no bark" command and she doesn't listen. Should I remove her and hold her until she stops? Sort of like a time out? She usually does it when they stop playing with her or when she wants them to chase her.

http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/take4roll10/?action=view&current=MOV01729.flv

She doesn't get too bad with the dog in this video, but you can start to see it at around 2 minute mark.
 
I would suggest skipping the dog park. It can put dogs into a highly agitated state, that you don't normally see at home. Some dogs just can't find their boundries with dealing with other dogs. It is as though your dog needs to step back, and learn to socialize in a more controlled atmosphere......training classes, that allow some play. If I was an owner of one of the dogs your dog was in the face of, I wouldn't be too happy either. But I should fess up, I don't endorse dog parks on any level.
 
I value your opinion, but I don't think I should skip the dog park entirely. She does this at home to my other dogs as well. She's a puppy and just wants to play. I know she's not going to nip any of the dogs. She doesn't have a vicious bone in her body. She just wants to play. I think it's just a herding breed instinct. I am going to work on it. She learns very quickly. I think I will give her a time out when she gets too annoying. But I do understand how the other dog owners must feel. "Why is this dog barking in my dog's face?" Which is why I want to control the problem now.
 
Little Bailey looks like she would be a good herder if she ever got to be around some sheep! She is very cute. Also, so fast! She looks like she, like my Buffy, needs to learn some puppy manners, that's all.

A couple things we have done (tips from puppy class):

- Pick up the puppy and calm her down as soon as she exhibits any kind of bad behavior. No play if they do that. (If she's too fast to catch see #2) Picking up the puppy also means she will not try to hide as much when it's time to leave. Start with very short play sessions, 5–10 seconds--that's what we did in our puppy class if the pups were getting aggressive.
- You may want to keep her on a leash initially until she starts showing some good behavior. Reward any good behavior on and off leash. (The easiest reward is "If you behave you can play.") Could work to a longer leash.
- Try to find an older dog who is good with puppies but won't let the puppy mess with him/her to put her in line. The older dog would do some things like the short "freeze" to tell her stop, and calming signals, etc. Perhaps a doggy day care, or ask the trainer of a puppy class to have Bailey free play with their dog.

We had a puppy play date with a friend the other day, but the other dog was another young Lab (somehow my friends all have big dogs)... a nice dog, but I think Miss Buffy got a bit sick of the overexuberance after about 15–20 minutes and she started barking and snapping. I removed her after that. I should have been picking her up more often; would have if the yard wasn't a mud pit. I will try to get a video one of these days.

I do think the dog park is key for us city people. It's nice for the dogs to be off leash sometime in their life and able to run full-out. Great to see your dog park has a small dog area.
 
I agree that to some degree that's sheltie/herding behavior. The problem, as with all dog parks, is that you never know how another dog will react. You may get a dog that puts her in her place and she learns her lesson, or you might get one that freaks out.

I think training classes would be a good idea so that she could learn her place and her manners in a more controlled environment.
 
Bailey was in puppy classes and she didn't do that in class. She was too busy looking for crumbs on the floor. :lol: I am already in the process of signing her up for more obedience classes in the winter.

I agree. I think it's a mix of herding instinct and poor manners. I'm going to start picking her up whenever she does this. I don't want her to take it to next level and I don't want another dog to freak out and possibly snap at her.

Thanks for all the tips Diana! I will definitely try it next weekend. It seems like we're going through a similiar situation.
 
wow, that is a little dog kennel-run... Is there more space where he could run?

An agitated dog would not even be able to outrun your little herder :) and then you may get the other dog to sorta 'put down and barrel over the puppy' thing, lol

Not to brag, but if that's what you call a dog park, you're missing out on better places, I think.. where they can really run a lot more, and not get agitated?

But then I am a believer in dog parks for my dog... Although Toffee does NOT do well with puppies... so it is a great idea to do proper socialization in puppy classes, etc.. but a good hike and run with other dogs is great fun, and I redirect him if he is focusing too much on a puppy, etc.. also if Bailey gets too focused on 'stalking and herding' you may want to start redirecting his behaviour towards a ball or something, but would not recommend a ball in that small fenced area...

Below are couple of pics from the daily dog walks to my dog park... although it has no separation for big/small dogs it's a great area to see a lot of dogs running and having fun, yet big enough to keep walking if you don't like the interactions... Can't beat those smiles, in my opinion :)
 
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take4roll10 said:
Bailey was in puppy classes and she didn't do that in class. She was too busy looking for crumbs on the floor. :lol: I am already in the process of signing her up for more obedience classes in the winter.

I agree. I think it's a mix of herding instinct and poor manners. I'm going to start picking her up whenever she does this. I don't want her to take it to next level and I don't want another dog to freak out and possibly snap at her.

Thanks for all the tips Diana! I will definitely try it next weekend. It seems like we're going through a similiar situation.
Click to expand...

Diva played just like that when she was Bailey's age. Still does to some degree. Fortunately I had my 2 older dogs who are great with letting puppies know if they are getting out of control. If Diva is getting a little too reved up I pull her out and work on a control exercise like a sit stay or down. A couple secs and then let her go. Usually she has regain her mind.

One other thing you could try is to burn off a little energy before you go, she'll be less likely to be over the top. Then you can reward her more quiet play. If she is quiet praise her. :smile2:

I agree you need some sheep. That's some herding instinct she has there.:wink2:
 
Toffee's mom - I wish we had a dog park like that! Our human parks are not even that nice. I believe there are some nice big dog parks in new jersey. That's about a 30-45 minute drive for me. In the springtime, I will take drive one day and bring her there.

Justicemom, I agree. I need to find Bailey some sheep. The problem is my two other dogs just ignore Bailey when she does this. Sometimes they growl, but usually they just ignore her or give in and chase her.
 
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