Skip to content

A great day at the dog park!

Basenji Training
  • Wow, so today the adventures of the new dog park continues… We went this morning, we were alone for about 15 minutes and then a male unneutered lab showed up. Lenny was a little snarky with him, but nothing horrible. We only stayed for about 15 minutes after he showed up.

    Then tonight we went back. We were alone for about 10 minutes then a female weimareiner showed up. He was nice to her. Some chasing, but no nipping! Then a rotweiler and an Alaskan Malamute (i think) showed up. Then two neufoundlands. Lenny was not a jerk to any of them! I couldnt believe it. When the first dog showed up, we were in the far corner of the park and Lenny ran over there and was alone when the Weim came in. Normally I am there restraining them so that they don't escape when the other dogs come in the door, but this time I couldn't get there quick enough. I wonder if that was part of it? After the first dog came in and he was not snarky with it, I let him run over and greet the other dogs however he liked, and he was nice! Could it be that my restraining him has caused his adverse reaction to all these dogs?

    All SEVEN (!) dogs played together harmoniously for about 20 minutes! There was some snarking between a couple of the other dogs, but Lenny and Tayda were totally fine!

    Then I saw two pit bulls walking across the parking lot towards the dog park and I decided not to push my luck, so we left. But I leashed them and was leading them out when the pits came in, and they came over to see us, and neither of them snarked!

    Im still in shock! And happy.

  • <>
    Yes, restraining a dog can definitely make them react when he normally wouldn't...but it is a double edged sword, if you aren't sure what your dog will do...you almost have to restrain him in some way...kwim? Glad it worked out! Maybe you are on to something!

  • … and now I have to bathe them cause they have been slobbered on by all of those huge dogs! I swear they all had waterfalls of saliva coming out of their mouths! I think I take for granted how CLEAN my dogs are... until a bunch of slobbering dogs get near them and they get covered! ha ha ha.

  • I had the exact same experience today at our new dog park in Lansing!!! It must be a great week for dogs in Michigan!

    Cooper behaved beautifully for the two hours we spent there. I was expecting a little bit of growling at greetings, but he even met the rotties and pit bulls with no problem. And they were barreling down on him, too!

    We walked for a while with a greyhound and her mom. It was beautiful to see them run together! She was the only dog in the park that ran faster than Cooper.

    Why are all other dogs so dirty!?!?!?! Cooper dries in mere minutes from a dip in a pond or lake, but he was caked in slobber from the other dogs! And it made him smell like a dog. Yuck!

    We're all tuckered out from that adventure!

  • Very encouraging stories. Must be nice to have some happy and tired Basenjis. ;)

  • Pics Pics Pics!!!

  • Just thought I'd post some pics from our recent outings to the dog park!

    attachment_p_40617_0_tl1.jpg
    attachment_p_40617_1_tl2.jpg
    attachment_p_40617_2_tl3.jpg
    attachment_p_40617_3_tl4.jpg
    attachment_p_40617_4_tl7.jpg

  • and some more!

    attachment_p_40618_0_tl5.jpg
    attachment_p_40618_1_tl6.jpg
    attachment_p_40618_2_tl8.jpg

  • Those are some great pictures. I love how Basenji's are fearless towards other dogs! They just owned that dog park :):):)

  • We have two great parks near us. The closest is wooded & we saw a large copperhead there recently, so we've vetoed it for the summer. I have no problem with a copperhead existing in its natural habitat, but I can see Booger & Lola both walking right up to make friends with a snake with bad consequences. The other is about 15 minutes away, and its a huge open field with a slight hill in the middle & a small wooded area off to the side. You can see the entire park from almost anywhere in it, so you always know where your kids are. Booger knows any growling or snarking or not playing nice means an immediate exit & return home, so he is always on his best behavior. He will run for over two hours & not sit down to rest. We always get comments on his speed… he is amazing to watch. Just put some pictures up in our gallery from the dog park last week (don't know how to post pictures in a thread) We love love love the dog parks!

  • What a great story and great pics! It's nice to have a place where your dog(s) can run and play freely!

Suggested Topics

  • How to introduce a 2 year old to a dog park

    Basenji Training
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    3k Views
    elbrantE
    @giza1 said in How to introduce a 2 year old to a dog park: A dog park sounds great, but in reality... I think this largely depends on (both) the owners and dogs that are there. Many people are responsible and just want their dogs to have fun. Plenty of people aren't. Get to know who goes there and you can avoid many of the problems that give "dog parks" a bad name. The first time I took doodle, she started shaking -- too many dogs and she was the "new" one. So we left. I took her back when it was empty and allowed her to roam the area, smell, and get a feel for it. Then she understood. Lots of different dog smells. This wasn't anyone's yard or territory -- it clicked. The next time we went there were just a couple of dogs and her reaction was totally different. She loved it! And still does! Are there "bad dogs" there? Some, but in general this has been a very positive socializing treat for doodle. We don't go every day, but 3-4 trips a month seems like a good balance (to keep it fun and not let her think she's in charge there). I always try to make sure doodle gets to do something special. A (really long) walk, off-leash time in the woods, the dog park, or down to the water (we live near the ocean)... something random so she never really knows what's going to happen, even if it's a day when we just chill.
  • First day at the dog park!

    Basenji Training
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    4k Views
    eeeefarmE
    @k1ng87: thanks guys! no parks for now until shes had all of her shots…should've asked before taking her as now I'm a little paranoid if she has contracted anything...if she has...when would symptoms show? Do they show fairly quickly, a couple days? That would of course depend on what she picked up. You are likely fine, I wouldn't stress about it. Just pay attention if her appetite is off or if you notice anything unusual in her behaviour, e.g. if she seems less lively than usual.
  • Introducing to the Dog Park

    Basenji Training
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    4k Views
    B
    @curlytails: Basilboy, I just saw this post recently and thought of your post. "Dog Park Etiquette: Dos and Don'ts from a Trainer" http://dogblog.dogster.com/2011/10/04/dog-park-etiquette-dos-and-donts-from-a-trainer/ (I'm having a weird issue where all links to that blog keep redirecting to one specific post, not the one that I intended to link, so you might have to go to the main page? Anyway, sorry for any confusion) I personally prefer dog parks where I can keep moving, where there are lots of trails and plenty of things for my dogs to sniff and see aside from just interacting with dogs – because not every dog enjoys playing with every other dog! I feel like they learn to keep a closer eye on you (and you on them) if you're a moving target and not grounded to one spot all the time. So I don't really like small, completely fence-enclosed dog parks myself, but I do need adequate physical barriers (large bodies of water, partial fencing, etc.) combined with high visibility in order to feel secure letting my dogs off leash. Thank you for the article, a great read for before going to the dog park. Though I think we will wait until our puppy classes are over and I'm more confident in his behavior.
  • Graduation Day!

    Basenji Training
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    3k Views
    BasenjimammaB
    I definitely thing all trainers are different, this one we have now is not doing some things we learned when I took Otis for OB training, but then again he is doing some things we didn't do then. We have one more class/graduation next sunday then we are off to intermediate as well.
  • Sleeping with your dog

    Basenji Training
    27
    0 Votes
    27 Posts
    9k Views
    P
    "I can't think what you all mean! I sleep with Basenjis every day of my life - Yours with love," Jewel (16 and a half)"
  • Dog door

    Basenji Training
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    4k Views
    c-busC
    Now that is compassion. I have only had my B for three weeks but what a character.