Bad Dog Park Etiquette

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#1
I found this on another site, it talks about the types of people that make dog parks a headache.
The paranoid -
These folks are often right inside the dog park gate where they get the best vantage point for gawking in fear at all dogs that enter. The paranoid will often freak out if your dog even goes near their dog and make a big spectacle about protecting their pooch. “Get your mean, scruffy beast of a hound away from my darling dog Darla!â€

The haters –
Similar to the paranoid, the haters spew anger rather than fear. One man went as far as picking up a pooper scooper and shaking it in my general direction when I walked in to a dog park with a pit bull mix. The dog had not done anything wrong – or even had time to do anything at all – but the man was ready and hating.

The “I don’t cares†–
These are the folks that unleash their dogs in the dog park then promptly start yakking on their cell phones or bury their noses in their books, not giving a dang what their dog is up to. They do not look up once, not to check if their dog has escaped nor to see if he happened to rip out another dog’s throat. One woman even once had the audacity to drop off her dog and ask someone to watch him, saying she’d be back in about 45 minutes as she had to run some errands.

The busybodies –
On the opposite end of the spectrum from the “I don’t cares,†we have the busybodies. They are in your business every step of the way, not only asking your dog’s name, age, breed and habits but also offering unwanted and unwarranted advice. “Your dog’s collar is too tight,†“Why do you let him jump on the table like that?†and “What do you feed him? His stool looks mushy.â€


The pooper snoopers –
The pooper snoopers are a subset of the busybodies who are only concerned with one thing: where your dog just pooped. They will sit on one end of the park and yell across the entire expanse every time a dog goes to the bathroom. They don’t care if you are already on your way to the pile with a scooper or bag, as they seem to glean joy from making these loud announcements.
I've never been to a dog park,so I have never bumped into these kinds of people.
 
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#2
I have bumped into the paranoid ALOT... they freak out when dogs run up to greet theirs... HELLO your in a dog park, dogs are going to interact... THATS THE POINT.

I guess I am the busybody (lol!) I dont give advice or anything... but I like to ask about dogs, names, breeds, etc... although most people at "my" dog park do... it is nice though... you will hear people calling your dog by name, petting them, etc.
 

gecko_mom

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#3
ugh. the 'i don't cares' are the worst.

Their dogs are always the troublemakers and they don't do anything about it.

Most people at my DP are pretty good. I'm there usually 2 times a week since I live in apartment and have no other choice for letting my dogs run.
 

Doberluv

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#4
:rofl1: That's good! It makes a non-dog park person think twice before entering into such a strange and foreign land. Hahaha. I don't think I'd last two seconds in a dog park. I don't like busy bodies and I don't like the oblivious either. LOL. The paranoid could be fun to play with though.:p
 

Scooter

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#5
They are all there. I would add to it The Controllers. These people don't let their dogs just have fun being dogs. They are constantly calling their dog, telling them who to play with, insisting they fetch the ball....geez, it's their park, just let them play!

And sadly, I have also seen people drop their dogs off and leave for a while. We also once found a puppy about 12 weeks old just wandering around. Someone had dropped him there instead of taking him to the SPCA. We called the rangers who came and got him.
 

CaliTerp07

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#6
I am so grateful for the pooper snoopers! Seriously...it's no fun to walk around the field scared of where you're going to step. If you bring your dog, you need to clean up after it.
 

~Tucker&Me~

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#7
The Paranoid can also be annoying because they 'hover' over the dogs. Like they get nervous when your dog sniffs theirs or when yours barks during play and whatnot... You just want to tell them to relax!
 

Laurelin

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#8
Ours is 90% the 'I don't cares' that's why we stopped going. So we go to just an off leash park that isn't specifically a dog park. I find the people that use that park to be a lot better, lol.
 

smkie

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#9
THey left out the clueless. CRack me up. Some of that was spot on.
 

Lolas Dad

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#10
I've ran into:

The people that bring in to many dogs (limit is two per person) Had them tossed out

The people that have brought in their un-neutered dog. Had them tossed out.

The people that keep their dog on a leash inside a dog park. I give them about 5 minutes before I go over to them and ask them why. If at that time they do not want to take the leash off the dog I suggest that they walk the dog on leash around the outside of the fence to socialize the dog in a safe manner.

The people who did not pick their dog poop up and walked away with their dog when he got done pooping. With that one I walked over to the pile of poop and called the lady back and when she got their she said she didn't see the dog poop although she was standing with him their. She then thanked me for pointing it out to her and picked it up.

The people that bring their large dog on the small dog side and wonder why I am looking at them. Their is a sign at each entrance specifying the appropriate weight of the allowable dog for that side.

I also have heard the comments from people "Wow look at that dog jump up on the table" when Lola is jumping up on the table to be petted from someone that is sitting at the table that did not make the comment.

Then I tell that person who made the comment how I had Lola laying on a table at a dog street fair when I am sitting their eating a burger and fries with the burger and fries 6" from her nose and she is not even making an attempt to eat the food. They usually say they could never get their dog to do that. One guy that seen that at the street fair thought it was incredible.
 

MPP

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#11
The people that bring their large dog on the small dog side and wonder why I am looking at them. Their is a sign at each entrance specifying the appropriate weight of the allowable dog for that side. [/QUOTE]

I take Monday to the medium dog section, although she is 'way oversize, because she was getting beaten up in the big dog sector. Even though she weighs almost 80 pounds, she has NO idea how to defend herself. None. She was swarmed by a little group of dogs led by a pair of Huskies, and I had to pull and kick them off her. The owner of the ringleaders did not move a muscle, though the other owners ran to get their dogs. He said, "Aw, they're just playing; they like to play rough." (Never mind what I said.) And actually, he may have been right because they never actually broke the skin. But once you've heard your dog on the ground crying with fear and pain, you tend to not want to repeat the experience.

So we go to the medium dog section along with a number of other gentle big dogs who have had bad experiences in the "correct" section--several of them with those same Huskies. And yes, I did try to talk to the park ranger about this, but as long as my dog wasn't physically damaged, he cannot do anything about it. He knows about the Huskies; they're there all the time (I swear their owner must sleep there!) He'd love to be able to ban them, but his hands are tied.
 
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#12
thanks for the reminder as to why I don't go much anymore. :)



I get alot of the busy-body /i don't care combos....they are grilling you about your dog while ignoring theirs.
 

MPP

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#13
I'd go elsewhere to let 'em run, but there isn't any elsewhere! We're pretty urban around here.
 
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#14
I have the same problem LolasDad, with people bringing their large dogs into the small dog section.

These people always say that their dog is nice, or their dog cant be in the size appropriate section but it is really frustrating. Large dogs can hurt a small dog without even trying, simply because they are much larger... they dont have to be aggressive or anything. This is the reason they make separations... if peoples dogs cant handle being in the correct section, they shouldnt be at the dog park, period.
 

Southpaw

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#15
I actually don't think I've noticed any of this at the dog park I go to. I suppose there are the "busy bodies," asking name, age, breed... but they don't give advice and part of the fun of going to the dog park is getting to know other people and their dogs. :)

But luckily every time I go, the owners are pretty watchful of their dogs, but not SO watchful that it's ridiculous. The worst I've seen is when there's one dog (usually a puppy) that keeps bullying one other dog, and the owner will kind of giggle "oh, Fido, be nice!" but not really do anything. But I probably only notice it because it's ALWAYS Juno that gets bullied. :p She'll have a puppy literally hanging off her neck and the owner laughs and thinks it's cute, I can only cringe and think my poor dog can't be enjoying that, so then we have to leave. Ugh.
 

theresa92841

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#16
Aargh. The ones who see their big dog harassing my dog, us trying to walk away from the situation and their dog following us, and they see no need to call their dog away or distract it. My dog doesn't find that enjoyable. And it is pretty obvious. So if I am walking her to another section of the park and your dog is still following us and harassing her . . . get a clue. Especially if your dog is trying to hump every dog in sight.

I don't understand people who think that just because there are tables in a dog park, a dog should be allowed on the table. Why? My dogs have no reasons to be on the table and I don't understand why yours does either. It certainly isn't enjoyable to me if I am sitting there watching my dog. And it isn't a practice I would want a dog to do at home.
 

Saeleofu

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#17
I've never been to a dog park. When I dropped the foster off in OK we met at a dog park, but opted to go for an on-leash walk instead.

Supposedly there's a dog park here that just opened up, though I haven't gone yet. Now I don't know if I want to go.
 

DanL

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#18
I didn't realize Lola's Dad was the dog park police. I can see it now, frantically rushing around enforcing rules and making sure people and their dogs all stay in line. "You, that dog has balls, out!" "You, that dog is too big for this side of the park, out!" "You, those shoes don't match that belt, out!" "You, get that dog off the table, that's where Lola sits, out!"

I'm trying to figure out why an un-neutered dog would be tossed out. And how do you tell if a female is intact, or is that OK? Discrimination I tell you! My intact dog is far better behaved than most dogs at a dog park. Though I'd never take him to one, as it doesn't fit his personality, he's not about romping around with strange dogs.

It's pretty nasty to let a dog up on the table where people are eating. It's not cute at all. What about the person who has to use your table after you leave, are you disinfecting it? You want to see discipline around food? Search for the hot dog retreive trick.
 

iheartsammy

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#19
I didn't realize Lola's Dad was the dog park police. I can see it now, frantically rushing around enforcing rules and making sure people and their dogs all stay in line. "You, that dog has balls, out!" "You, that dog is too big for this side of the park, out!" "You, those shoes don't match that belt, out!" "You, get that dog off the table, that's where Lola sits, out!"
Hehe...I couldn't help but get a few chuckles outta this...:lol-sign:


I've never taken Samm to a dog park and as...'fun' as it sounds, I don't know if I ever will. Samm seems pretty much content playing with her human minion, not to mention most dogs that try to play with her don't get so much as a second glance. :p I don't know how she does it, but I don't think I've ever seen a dog give another pooch such a cold shoulder as she does. xD I'm not saying she doesn't play with other dogs, just ones she's known and decided she's comfortable with. Of course, she always likes to prove me wrong...:rolleyes:
 

Southpaw

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#20
I don't understand people who think that just because there are tables in a dog park, a dog should be allowed on the table. Why? My dogs have no reasons to be on the table and I don't understand why yours does either. It certainly isn't enjoyable to me if I am sitting there watching my dog. And it isn't a practice I would want a dog to do at home.
Ergh I hate this. My friend's dog always sits on the table when we go (I don't even think he should be at the dog park, all he does is sit on the table the whole time and bark when dogs come near him, but that's another story). It's just annoying to be sitting there and then you have a dog jump up on you, or if the dog is already on the table, all of a sudden you have a cold, wet nose in your face. It's always the large dogs that do it, too.
 

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