# Dog park incident



## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

That is all normal dog behavior and interaction. 

Dogs don't "hang" with other dogs, they form packs and establish a hierarchy.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

My dog has started getting a little possessive of any toy she considers to be hers around other dogs. Its not uncommon. Most dog parks have rules about bringing toys/balls because of it. If your dog park does, totally OK to ask the other person to put away the toys.

You should also, however, work on having strong enough recall/drop it/leave it that your dog does not pick up any toy/ball etc that you do not wish him to.

Sometimes I think we want our dogs to enjoy dog parks more than they actually do (I have been guilty of this, as a fellow city dweller)

It's not a behavior you want to reinforce and have get worse over time--to the point that it precipitates a dog fight, or he injures a dog, or person who might be trying to break up a kerfuffle by accident.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Birdman said:


> Milo snapped, grabbed the dog by the back of the neck and locked on.... I was SHOCKED since we haven't seen this behavior before.


That is NOT normally behavior for a golden retriever. I would honestly hate for people to just accept that this is how dogs behave.

Grabbing other dogs and clamping down is what I would expect with a pit bull or other dog breeds bred for fighting, not a golden retriever.

Based on this dog coming from Egypt and who knows the background or whatnot, I would take this as a good clue that your dog is potentially dangerous and should not be turned loose with other dogs. That is the best way to handle vs trying to train the behavior away. Attacking other dogs is something that never gets trained away and "fixed" with training. It is purely a management thing going forward.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

Megora said:


> Grabbing other dogs and clamping down is what I would expect with a pit bull or other dog breeds bred for fighting, not a golden retriever.





Birdman said:


> We checked the little guy for any wounds and there was nothing at all


He did not clamp down but Goldens are dogs and not above that.
Ask any field trial retriever trainer that has experience with Goldens, Peaks and Labs, which breed is most likely to bite.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

SRW said:


> Ask any field trial retriever trainer that has experience with Goldens, Peaks and Labs, which breed is most likely to bite.


Does not make it OK.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

Megora said:


> Does not make it OK.


I am not condoning the behavior. Just stating that it is not out of the ordinary for dogs and one of many reasons to avoid dog parks and untrained dogs.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

SRW said:


> I am not condoning the behavior. Just stating that it is not out of the ordinary for dogs and one of many reasons to avoid dog parks and untrained dogs.


On that, I do agree. 

I do not trust other people's dogs, regardless of breed. 

And then I'm a dog person and love dogs, but certain breeds scare the holy heck out of me.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

Megora said:


> And then I'm a dog person and love dogs, but certain breeds scare the holy heck out of me.


Some breeds are vastly and predictably worse than others. Just ask an insurance agent. 
Even the most well mannered dogs sometimes can and do react violently if provoked, and what provokes them may not be apparent to us. 
I have never owned a mean dog. I have had dogs that would defend themselves, and me. I have had others that never so much as growled their entire lives.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

SRW said:


> He did not clamp down but Goldens are dogs and not above that.
> Ask any field trial retriever trainer that has experience with Goldens, Peaks and Labs, which breed is most likely to bite.


I would prefer that Goldens retained this reputation. When I was excited about bringing my new puppy to my retriever club training day, the first question I got from my favorite experienced guy there was "it's not from #$%**#$ Kennel" is it? and when I said no, he expressed relief and said "good, I've seen some nasty temperaments from there." He is a Lab guy with no agenda who is a smart trainer and a good judge. I was so sad to hear that and haven't forgotten it. I agree that it's nice there wasn't a puncture wound but I wouldn't take this puppy to a dog park again anytime soon and certainly not until he has learned that when I say "give" I mean "give it to me now".


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## GrandmaToGoldens (Jul 2, 2019)

Firstly, your dog is not a bad dog. Dogs are competitive pack animals. Careful breeding for many generations has softened their wolf-like behaviour but sometimes an unfortunate mix of breeding, background and circumstances can cause them to behave aggressively.

Might he grab or bite a dog again? Yes, if he’s put in risky situations.
Might the behaviour escalate? Yes, if he’s exposed to situations where he can “rehearse” the behaviour.
Might this situation have ended very badly? Yes. An inadvertent tooth in an eye might have punctured the eye and a tug on the pug’s facial skin might have caused the eye to pop out of the socket. In fact, the lack of superficial injury does not mean there weren’t any unseen crush injuries.

Situational awareness is important for all dog owners, and an urgent necessity if your dog has ever behaved aggressively towards another dog. If circumstances force you to take your dog to a dog park, be prepared to leave if another dog enters, and particularly if the other dog has a toy, or wants to play with your dog. Definitely leave if the other dog is much smaller than yours.

Training will also help. Work on recalls every day, in as many different situations as you can. Train him that he’s only allowed to play with toys that come from your hand or are part of a small set of “his” toys. Ask a friend to meet you at a park with some toys that don’t have your scent on them. Practice loose-leash walking past the toys and reward him when he gets past the toys without pulling towards them. Gradually increase the level of challenge until he can walk right over random toys while ignoring them, off-leash and on-leash.


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## MeganR (Jul 3, 2019)

Others have already posted some great tips, but in case it helps, finding the right trainer may help you navigate certain situations that can be tricky. 

Here’s a link to an older thread that has a great article on the differences out there for trainers. Someone else mentioned it on the board recently, but I can’t remember who (thank you to that person).

Thread with article on the different types of trainers:
Article - Trainer vs. Behaviorist vs. Dog Psychologist, etc.

From Carolina Mom in the same thread:
Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant Directory - CCPDT


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