Mean dogs

[Mikayles]

My Mini Schnauzer was attacked twice at separate parks this year by really aggressive pitbull and the other was a boxer while on our walks. Any one else noticing the parks seem to be relaxing the No aggressive dog breeds policy?
Fortunately he is fast and just helicopters around me when it happens lol. Both times the dogs were off leash.

[SkyBound]

By no aggressive dog breeds policy you mean no incompetent dog owners policy right?

Punish the deed, not the breed.

Owners who bring poorly trained dogs into parks, and also owners that cannot or will not maintain proper control of their dog while in a park, should absolutely be held accountable.

[wiscampsin]

Originally Posted by SkyBound

By no aggressive dog breeds policy you mean no incompetent dog owners policy right?

Punish the deed, not the breed.

Owners who bring poorly trained dogs into parks, and also owners that cannot or will not maintain proper control of their dog while in a park, should absolutely be held accountable.

X2.

[2021JayFlight28BHS]

All the parks I've ever stayed at says dog must be leashed on a 6' foot lead or less. Did you report?

I recently took my dog (beagle mix) camping for the first time, and wasn't sure how he'd do. He likes to bark too much some times... I was prepared to pack up and leave at a moments notice if necessary. While I would like to stay, if my dog is a nuisance in any way it is my responsibility to take care of it, immediately, no exceptions... fortunately he did great, so we got to stay.

[norty1]

I have not noticed any relaxation in policy, but maybe lax enforcing it.

Responsible owners are what is missing and that could be just due to all the new campers out there.

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by norty1

I have not noticed any relaxation in policy, but maybe lax enforcing it.

Responsible owners are what is missing and that could be just due to all the new campers out there.

X2,

Last year we had an issue with a dog that was off leash come at us while we where walking thought the CG (our dog was on leash).

The guy, just stayed seated and his very little kid tried to get their dog. Finally he got up. I was extremely clear I was not happy about his loose dog's aggressiveness, and his relaxed manner. I reported it to a park ranger. Not a clue if they did anything. They were gone the next day.

[us71na]

Too many people try to speak to their dog like they are educating a young child. Dogs need to be spoken to in a firm voice with a short command, not a suggestion or an explanation. Many dog owners need to go to owner training before they bring a dog home.

We've had our dog charged by other's dogs as they walk by our campsite. We've also had dogs coming running right of their campsites off leash. We camped across from a family that had two pit bulls that towed the owners on a walk twice a day while they growled at every person they saw along the way.

Campground hosts generally won't do anything about leash laws, noisy or mean dogs and you rarely see a park ranger.

[Goweb]

After two recent attacks in campgrounds I purchased a pepper spray canister connected to the leash so it’s always there.

In our worst case, the owner of the offending rescue dog and myself tried to pry his dogs jaws off my dog’s throat but could not budge them - I was forced to cut off the dog’s windpipe (choke him) until he released mine. I really don’t want to ever repeat that again.

[CAG]

It has been mentioned but some people think their dogs are people and understand everything that the tell them. They are animals and no matter how calm and docile you thing your dog is, he/she is an animal and will revert to animal responses when the action requires it. That means attacking another animal or human, or God forbid a child. I see people allowing their dogs to get into the faces of children and it scares the xxxx out of me.



The problem is not the animal (as some have stated) they do what they are programmed to do. The problem is the handler. So how do we fix it? I don't know because there will always be the people who think their little doggies will do no harm. One question you are asked when you get homeowner's insurance is if you have a dog. I wonder why?



Maybe like Goweb said. pepper spray!

[Old and soft]

I do some service at residential homes, it is the little ankle biters that cause me the most problems. We did have one stray we kept that we had to watch. She did not go looking for trouble, but she was very protective. Had to teach her to sit when meeting people. Best home security system ever.

[JFlightRisk]

We have noticed a yearly increase of folks camping with dogs, which we have no problem with. The state parks and private campgrounds we usually go to have a restriction on the number of dogs allowed, usually only 2, the breeds that aren't allowed in, and they have to be on a leash no more than 6 feet, and no loose animals are allowed. You must pick up after them, and any constant barking dogs will result in you being asked to leave. The one thing we've observed is if another pup walks by us, our dog will bark at it, but they usually don't bark back. Conversely, if we're walking ours, he doesn't bark at dogs at campsites, but they do bark at him. It's a territorial/protective response, I believe. No one seems to have any issues with that.

[Mikayles]

My mini is 9 and been camping with us since a pup. He knows the ropes around campgrounds and is in general a good boy. I think the boxer's owner was trying to relax around the fire with his dog. The guy was very apologetic so no I didn't report him but said maybe he should be on a leash. The Pitbull, which was another campground, I reported to the management to be told the owners told them he was a chocolate lab. They were gone the next day. Pitbulls are not allowed along with Rottweillers and a couple other breeds I cant think of at most parks here. Management doesn't come out and check your dogs breed so I guess this is a way to get banned dogs in. Might be different in other states? I agree Jflight. Thats pretty much how my boy acts. He doesn't really bark but gives that guteral growl letting folks know this is his fifth wheel lol.

Goweb, that had to be terrible! Pepper spray option sounds good.

[JFlightRisk]

The NYS parks require us to show the original rabies certificate when we check in, and his breed is listed on it. That's the first thing they look at, then the vaccination date. less we fudged the form, we'd never get in with a restricted breed.

[Old and soft]

We have been using the same vet for years. Our pit/husky mix is listed as a husky mix, and our departed doberman/lab home security system was listed as a lab mix. Our vet gets it. Our lab mix nipped the neighbor once, but I think she was a good judge of character.

[mokurt]

Originally Posted by SkyBound

By no aggressive dog breeds policy you mean no incompetent dog owners policy right?

Punish the deed, not the breed.

Owners who bring poorly trained dogs into parks, and also owners that cannot or will not maintain proper control of their dog while in a park, should absolutely be held accountable.

I have to agree with you.

We have a 6 year old Pitty and she is by no means aggressive.
There are plenty of other breeds that are aggressive.

My wife trained her well.

[Scott]

I don't own a dog, but this summer while we were backing into a campsite the neighbors unleashed dog came charging at the truck/trailer as we backed in. I didn't hit him, but it scared me to death. No reaction or apology from the owner. He just called his dog back.

That should have been a warning, because as my 9 year old son was putting down the stabilizer jacks, the dog charged at him too. I got in between them to project my son and got bit for my troubles. The dog's owner then reacted and got his dog, but not until after he got a lecture from me. My son is now scared of dogs.

I went to the office to get another site. It was not necessary, as the campground owner ejected the neighbor. The owner remained at the neighbor's site until he left, just to make sure nothing further happened.

Please keep your dogs on a leash at campgrounds.

[Scott91370]

While I agree with the punish owners I must say I have never come across an aggressive boxer. They're usually hyper and don't realize how big they are - not discounting what happened with your experience.

I would suggest carrying pepper spray and using it before they get within 10 feet of you so as to not get any on you or your dog then reporting it to the park.

[Midnightmoon]

Originally Posted by Scott

Please keep your dogs on a leash at campgrounds.

It's such a simple but often ignored concept. And, unfortunately, the end result is exactly the situation you described. You also hear the "but my dog never" phrase used a lot when these subjects come up. Those unfortunately are also the very same owners that are often involved in preventable dog bites and attacks.

I've owned and handled highly trained GSD's since 1998. My current GSD is a 6 year old straight back double coat. He is Schutzhund trained by a company called Superior K-9's. This includes both off leash and on leash skills, tracking, protection, etc. For those unfamiliar with Schutzhund training, I invite you to take a look at www.germanshepherddog.com

With that said, I will NOT ever allow that dog off leash in public period. Anyone who has ever trained or handled a dog at this level will tell you that they don't 100% always respond the way you expect them to. That is why we have to constantly work with them, practice skills, run drills, etc. Dogs are not rational thinking animals. They simply respond to stimuli. In that, even the most highly trained dogs can react negatively at any given time.

Jagger, my current GSD, will work off leash drills at home almost perfectly all the time. If I bring him to an event, in an arena with other dogs and handlers, will he do the same? Sometimes he does well. Other times not so much. Did the dog forget the skill sets? No, he or I simply didn't handle the new stimuli well in that case. It may have been smells, sounds, lights, or practically anything that got him off track. But the fact is, something created a distraction that caused that dog to not behave in the manner that I as the handler could predict or fix via command in that moment.

That brings me to campgrounds and the "but my dog" people that I mentioned earlier. Just because a dog behaves perfectly at home off leash, doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to do the same at a campground surrounded by a vast array of different stimuli. All dogs, regardless of size, breed, or level of training simply can make mistakes or react negatively at any time. To allow any dog off leash and out of the control of its owner in a place like a campground is simply a disaster waiting to happen.

Now, I'm not suggesting that people stop bringing their dogs camping. Rather, by following something as simple as a leash policy, we can make camping a much safer and enjoyable activity for all of us, including the dog.

For fun, I've attached a couple pics of my little guy.

[harryjr]

x2 on the ankle nippers.
We used to walk our 90lb shepherd/husky and it always seemed to be the 15lb yappers that created the problems. Ours would just look at them with disgust. "Jeez, what's your problem? Go get a bowl of dignity, will ya."

[LuckyDuck]

Moon makes great points — no matter how well-trained or docile you think your dog is, never assume nothing can happen. In my past life helping prosecute vicious dog cases, I can’t tell you how many times the dog owner tried to excuse his dog ripping out the throat of a Doxie or biting a 2-year-old child in the face, saying, “But he was always great with the grandkids...” It is that one trigger, 1 percent of the time, that can mean disaster in a campground.

As for punishing the deed, not breed — yes, the majority of our cases were pits, but we saw everything from Chihuahuas to Japanese fighting dogs. The common denominator was usually an irresponsible owner. But, when it comes to breeds, the damage done by a frenzied pit bull is far, far, worse than that of a terrier or beagle. Not unlike getting hit by a dump truck compared to a skateboard. If you think that’s unfair breed discrimination, well, there is a reason.