Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all honesty, as a professional trainer, this is a good example of why I tell my clients to avoid the dog park. People don't understand how to read dog behavior, and different dogs have different play styles.

Likely everything was fine. But equally likely, the dogs were under some stress (being somewhere new, with new dogs) and therefore react quicker and behave differently. It just takes a single bad incident to create a lifetime of fear and reactivity.

Much better to have backyard playdates with one or two dogs you've met and know to be a similar play style to your own. Dogs are much happier to have recurring friends rather than a new mix every time.

But yes, if you plan to go to the dog park around here you have to accept that dogs are going to interact. In other parts of the country there are off leash parks that are acres of trails and woods and lakes where it is reasonable to expect your dog to avoid other dogs. In the DC metro, they are half acre plots with dirt and nothing to do other than rough house with other dogs.

Just don't bring toys. Then you are the A.

I wish someone would come up with something so my dog can meet new dogs. Like I see dogs walking and my dog wants to play but, it is super awkward to exchange numbers etc without them getting a wrong idea ( no, I don't want to date you but, my dog likes your dog!) so people suggest having backyard playdates but, how does that work? Most of the time people are keeping their dogs away from other dogs. How do you know if their playstyles match? So, we sign up for classes but, everyone is busy and leaves far away from each other! My dog has one dog he plays regularly with and one occasionally ( also his brother) It isn't easy!

Anonymous wrote:You did nothing wrong. New dog owners have all kinds of bizarre expectations. I remember a new owner of a Rhodesian Ridgeback firmly instructing me to keep my beagle from sniffing his dog’s butt because she was clearly “too aggressive.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was your puppy much larger than hers?

Some dog owners cannot read dog behavior, which is the source of most dog issues.

Oh well. Not your fault, OP.

Very true. And it could be that OP is the one who can’t properly read dog behavior. He/she believes they were on the right instead needs to step back and consider that maybe she did misread the situation. It could be here dog next time that she is freaking out about. Believe me I have seen this happen. the one owner thinks they are so cool and knows it all and the next visit they are upset because another dog was too rough.

Anonymous wrote:In all honesty, as a professional trainer, this is a good example of why I tell my clients to avoid the dog park. People don't understand how to read dog behavior, and different dogs have different play styles.

Likely everything was fine. But equally likely, the dogs were under some stress (being somewhere new, with new dogs) and therefore react quicker and behave differently. It just takes a single bad incident to create a lifetime of fear and reactivity.

Much better to have backyard playdates with one or two dogs you've met and know to be a similar play style to your own. Dogs are much happier to have recurring friends rather than a new mix every time.

But yes, if you plan to go to the dog park around here you have to accept that dogs are going to interact. In other parts of the country there are off leash parks that are acres of trails and woods and lakes where it is reasonable to expect your dog to avoid other dogs. In the DC metro, they are half acre plots with dirt and nothing to do other than rough house with other dogs.

Just don't bring toys. Then you are the A.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all honesty, as a professional trainer, this is a good example of why I tell my clients to avoid the dog park. People don't understand how to read dog behavior, and different dogs have different play styles.

Likely everything was fine. But equally likely, the dogs were under some stress (being somewhere new, with new dogs) and therefore react quicker and behave differently. It just takes a single bad incident to create a lifetime of fear and reactivity.

Much better to have backyard playdates with one or two dogs you've met and know to be a similar play style to your own. Dogs are much happier to have recurring friends rather than a new mix every time.

But yes, if you plan to go to the dog park around here you have to accept that dogs are going to interact. In other parts of the country there are off leash parks that are acres of trails and woods and lakes where it is reasonable to expect your dog to avoid other dogs. In the DC metro, they are half acre plots with dirt and nothing to do other than rough house with other dogs.

Just don't bring toys. Then you are the A.

Yup, counterintuitively, dog parks can be really unsafe for dogs. It drives me nuts that MoCo is converting park space to dog parks.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/smarter-living/the-dog-park-is-bad-actually.html#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20biggest%20dangers,choose%20to%20disregard%20those%20spaces.&text=From%20minor%20scuffles%20to%20serious,common%2C%20even%20from%20rough%20play.

Anonymous wrote:Was your puppy much larger than hers?

Some dog owners cannot read dog behavior, which is the source of most dog issues.

Oh well. Not your fault, OP.

Anonymous wrote:Dog park people are the weirdest. Only thing I don’t miss about my old dog is having to interact with those weirdos. You are NTA, OP.