Dog Park Etiquette

"Mustnotread You are right, dogs are pack animals. Thats why the owner needs to be the pack leader. A dog who understands who the pack leader is wil not just go and start a fight.
One thing that does drive me crazy is when a dog gets aggressive, the owner grabs the dog and starts petting it "to calm it down". Well you just rewarded the behavior. Try putting the dog on its back instead. Then the dog knows who the leader is. Don't hit the dog or cause pain ever. Just do what the dog understands

yes i agree with you, "MustNotRead"

Dog parks are the worst idea EVER. Dogs are NOT naturally "social" animals, that is a human phenomenon. Dogs are pack animals, they require the order of a pack and if YOUR dog enters a dog park and for a moment challenges the established "dog park order" there WILL be a fight - usually a very nasty one. It has nothing to do with your dog or another person's dog being particularly "bad" - it's about instinct and dog communication and their overpowering urge to establish a pack-hierachy system.

i disagree, i take my dog to the dog park, and she has the time of her life there. yes, there is a bit of hierarchy establishment there, but its not serious and when they put dominant poses on other dogs, they are still friends and never do anything vicious. many dogs are not pack animals, look at dogs like chihuahuas and all those other handbag pooches, many dogs that go 2 mine have very differant personalities.

I have a big dog and a small dog, and they both love the dog park, but I have to bring the little one to the big dog park because I don't want to leave one unattended. The problem is, the little dog has been attacked and injured once. My solution is to keep her close to me, but I feel it is no fun for her anymore, but the big dog loves it. I'm not sure what to do.

All good stuff. Wish you had mentioned the purpose of the double doors in dog parks. Lotta people seem to not grasp the concept.

We've got a great dog park here in Myrtle Beach. It seems like 90% of aggressive dog problems a re from Pit Bulls. Not the breeds fault though, I think the type of people who seek out pit bulls as pets tend not to instill good behavior in their pets.

I'm glad you let your little dogs run around at the dog park like a real dog. ^^

i did brought my a R/C car at the dog park,,,
more fun

Small dogs are very annoying. People bring their "toy" dogs into the big dog area. If one of my dogs thinks they are toys they will bite through them.