r b m Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 I posted a similar topic about this a few months ago, but I've noticed some new people on here and wanted some more advice. My year old bc, Sienna, is having some issues at the dog park. The scenario is typically: We are playing fetch, she is VERY concentrated on the ball, another dog comes over to play, other dog stalks her, from what I can tell, out of annoyance, she will lash out, teeth and all. Just this week, I had to break up a minor "fight." The owners of the other dog blamed their dog, but I knew it was mostly Sienna displaying this unacceptable behavior. I tell her NO!, stay calm and usually submit her. But this keeps happening. She is fine around our other dog, she is great at doggy day care, she is a princess at dog training with my trainer's dogs and she is typically ok with strange dogs when we are not playing fetch. I know the simple fix to this is to avoid dog parks or at least no fetch at dog parks, but I feel she should behave anywhere we go. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 I think you're going to have an uphill battle to be able to play fetch at a dog park - it sounds like Sienna is resource guarding her ball and maybe you from other dogs and that type of guarding is extremely tough to fix since other dogs can't play the 'trade it' game. Why can't you find a tennis court or big field w/o dogs to play fetch in and just go to the dog park to let her play with other dogs?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r b m Posted April 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 Yeah, I have been doing that a lot lately, but the problem is that she associates dog park with fetch and if I don't have a ball, she will go find someone who does. It's kind of cute but very annoying at the same time. One thing I have noticed at dog parks. BC's typically don't play with other dogs there. They are very fixated on their owners. As a general question to everyone, does your bc actually play with other dogs at the park? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 My girl does. I do have to watch that her play doesn't flip into something more serious though, so we generally limit playtime to a small number of dogs she knows and avoid the park when it's crowded. Most of Maggie's exercise is from running while I rollerblade or fetch at the local tennis court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna frankland (uk) Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 molly used to be a bit like thay when it came down to a good game of fetch around other dogs. i took a bag full of cheap ?store tennis balls with me so i could have them flying almost non stop. if another dog took off with one i had plenty more. as soon as molly came back with one, i would throw another. with molly her worst time would be the few moments between her dropping the ball and me picking it up and throwing it again, she would snap at another dog who approached then. but with the million balls method i had another ready to throw the nano second she dropped the first! hope this helps a little! love donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r b m Posted April 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 with molly her worst time would be the few moments between her dropping the ball and me picking it up and throwing it again, she would snap at another dog who approached then.This is when she does it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna frankland (uk) Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 buy a million tennis balls, she cant guard them all at once! but try and buy all the same sort/colour etc so she cant pick a favourite one from them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 Allie (almost 1 yr.) loves to play at the dog park and usually interacts very well with the other dogs. She has particular dogs that she chooses to play with over others (size is not a factor, but rather the other dog's willingness to play and type of interaction). She doesn't care to play with dogs that bark at her (and there are a couple that I swear hunt her out and get in her face) and she runs from a long-haired GSD that is very aggressive. Everybody else, she loves. Allie is intensly focused on the frisbee play for about the first 20 - 30 minutes we are at the dog park and won't interact at all with other dogs until she has her "fix". Once she feels she has fetched enough, she then wants to play with other dogs, play keep away with the other dog's balls and generally run around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Ramsay Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 Generally, I avoid dog parks. Around here, they are just nasty, gross places with 'unguided' dogs. Angel will stand around and try and get me to play first off... but I just tell her to go play and basically ignore her fir a while. After a bit... she settles in and has a grand old time with the other dogs. I do not like to bring out toys at the park, because it limits her desire to interact with other dogs, and sometimes creates a conflict between dogs. I would try and redirect her association of playing ball to a different location as Erin has suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 Originally posted by thetimidpup:the problem is that she associates dog park with fetch and if I don't have a ball, she will go find someone who does. If she associates the dog park with fetch and isn't interested in interacting with the other dogs, then why not just skip the dog park and play fetch elsewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r b m Posted April 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 If she associates the dog park with fetch and isn't interested in interacting with the other dogs, then why not just skip the dog park and play fetch elsewhere?I agree with this statement, but I have tried this before. She will look at me, waiting for a ball and once she realizes I don't have one, she'll go find someone who does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna frankland (uk) Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 ooh thats a point i should mention, with molly there was normally one other dog in the field maybe 2 at most. we dont have dog parks here so i dont know how my theory would work with lots of other dogs. i think as others have said that avoiding fetch in the dog park would possibly be the safest bet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 Originally posted by thetimidpup: quote:If she associates the dog park with fetch and isn't interested in interacting with the other dogs, then why not just skip the dog park and play fetch elsewhere? I agree with this statement, but I have tried this before. She will look at me, waiting for a ball and once she realizes I don't have one, she'll go find someone who does. That's my point, though. What is the sense of going to a dog park if she isn't interested in playing with the other dogs and only wants to play fetch with you? Why not just play fetch elsewhere? Unless that's the only place you can really have a good game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 Originally posted by thetimidpup:As a general question to everyone, does your bc actually play with other dogs at the park? Nope. Oreo will greet/sniff the other dogs briefly, but then she's off. Very aloof. She gets bitchy if other dogs want to play with her, too (just enough to make her point). Every other BC I've seen at that park are fully interested in playing fetch, and nothing else. They wouldn't even let me say hi to them. If your dog just wants to play fetch, I too would just go elsewhere. I took Oreo to the dog park all the time because it was excellent socialization for her, and she really loves to go explore the field and sniff everywhere. She loves *being* there. (She is NOT a fetching dog.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r b m Posted April 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 No, it's not really. I have also go to this middle school with a HUGE field. There are lots of other people and very few dogs. I'll work to reassociate park with play and play fetch where there aren't any dogs. I also think giving her a long walk before the dog park will help too. As for dog parks being bad, I think I've found one where most people there are good owners, I've been to some around town where that's not the case. But it is always in the back of my mind that all it takes is one crappy owner to have a miserable day... I just don't want to be "that" owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SincereArtisan Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 I had this same problem with Pi, resource guarding her frisbee and her ball from other dogs. Her and Katy were fetch lovers, but Katy rarely ever lashed out and usually allowed things to be taken from her. Pi was the problem. So I tried several methods to teach her that its ok to share. First, if she'd snap at another dog, I'd tell her no, snap her to a leash and put her in a sit and tell her to stay. Then I proceeded to throw the ball/frisbee to the other dog and Katy...all the while correcting her to sit and stay if necessary. She was kept on a short lead, too, so she had no freedom and no choice but to go everywhere with me. Once she listened on a pre-determined number of throws to the other dog and Katy, I'd let her off. And repeat this process if necessary. Also, I'd praise her profusely for giving up the frisbee/ball without a fight. Within weeks, this worked, and I didn't even have to leash her. If she started getting too possesive, I'd call her up, tell her to stay, and make her watch. I usually don't reccommend toys for many people to bring to the park with their dogs, unless their dog can deal with giving it up. Katy wouldn't play with other dogs, and only ever wanted to fetch, so to get her to move at the park I'd bring the frisbee...which is where my problems with Pi's posessiveness began. Luckily, though, this solved it. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiga's_mom Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 Tiga doesn't usually have time for anything at the dog park except for playing with the other dogs. I usually have the chuck it in the car in case there's no one there and then he'll play fetch. Tiga is a big wuss. Even if he does get interested in playing fetch, as soon as another dog goes after the ball, he'll let the other dog have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 We don't go to dog parks to play ball because my dogs get mowed down by other ball-stealing dogs and then they get mad, they snap, and the other owners yell at us. Very tiresome cycle. We play ball in non-dog-parks RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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