We’ve been enjoying some heavenly weather here in Montreal. I guess it’s a little #TBT summer and will end soon, but it’s great while it lasts. There are still colourful leaves on the trees, the air is balmy and Buster can go to the dog park without his new sweater.
Talking about the dog park, there seems to be some controversy in the dog world about whether dog parks are good for your dog or not. If you watch TikTok (as I do) and follow a bunch of dog trainers (as I do!) you’ll often hear them say that dog parks are over-rated. I’ve yet to hear a trainer say that dog parks are a great place to exercise your dog, you can’t go wrong! They often say that bringing your dog there, especially as a puppy, could be a dangerous practice, that, contrary to popular belief, the dog run is not a great place to socialize your dog. Since all the dogs are off-leash, it’s very difficult to control the kind of interactions they have, which can lead to some that are traumatic and painful. Also, even if the dogs are just playing, friendly-like, accidents can happen. One dog I’ve met at the dog park lost the sight of one eye in her youth ,because she was accidentally hurt by another dog’s claw while playing.
Be that as it may, I take Buster to the dog park, although I was careful not to bring him there before he was fully vaccinated. He was pretty small at that time and I worried that he’d be in over his head, so I waited even longer. When I first brought him there he played with other dogs, and it mostly went okay. He’s very feisty and, no matter how big the other dog is, he’ll always stand his ground and even get a bit aggressive to protect himself. He’s now 9 months old, and he’s already gotten into a couple of altercations that might have been serious had we not been able to pull the dogs apart. I’m not sure whether he’s learning good social behaviour there. As soon as he discovered the frisbee he chose that over playing with other dogs any day of the week. Is that because his experiences with other dogs haven’t been all that positive on the whole? And is that the fault of the dog park experience? Or is it just his preference?
One trainer I follow, @kat_the_dog_trainer, reassures me when she says some dogs don’t like playing with other dogs and that’s okay. I actually know this from experience because my previous dog, Monty, didn’t care for other dogs very much and we never went to the dog park with him. He was a Maltese/Bichon cross and only 10 pounds so I’m pretty sure I made the right call when I decided dog parks weren’t for him. He got along fine with other dogs if they were visiting us, and he rarely barked at other dogs on the street, but he just wasn’t interested in playing with them. I guess I assumed that Buster, who is very outgoing with people, and pretty friendly with most dogs, would love horsing around with them, but as he gets older, I’m seeing that’s not necessarily the case. He’s choosy. He loves playing with our son’s dog, Hecate, but he’s met her on numerous occasions and they get along really well. Whenever they get a bit intense, we give them a time-out. Dogs don’t always manage themselves all that well when they’re playing, especially younger dogs without much experience. They can be taught that it’s not okay to get too aggressive. Keep it friendly!
So, I take Buster to the park but I try to avoid rush hours because it’s just too intense for him. I can tell he gets anxious because that’s when he lashes out at other dogs. And if there’s a dog that sets off my alarm bells, I just grab Buster and take off. It’s not worth taking a risk just to practice “socializing”. There’s an enormous black Rottweiler/pitbull cross named Ninja(!) who I definitely avoid, even though his owner insists he’s as gentle as a lamb. That lamb could do some serious damage if Buster pissed him off. Or he could squash Buster like a bug by accident. No thanks!
I’m okay with Buster not wanting to play much with other dogs. He’s allowed to choose his friends and his favourite activities, just the way we are. Anyway, I see agility training in his future. That dog has mad skills!
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