Muzzling At The Dog Park

[Guest jaws4evr]

Hi all, I'm brand new to the forum, this is question #2

 

Our 2 year old female hound is cat save, we have two in the house and she's perfect with them. She's met small dogs in the house and outside, and again has been totally. We have white snowshoe hares (white in winter anyhow), and on leash on walks she goes CRAZY for them.

 

So naturally at the dog park I've been muzzling her. The other day she ran at a small white jack russel, however she didn't seem to be in prey mode, and when she got to him she sniffed his bottom, wagged, and went on her way.

 

I don't mind keeping her muzzled at the park per se, however people frequently assume she's a mean dog or a biter, and seem to act differently towards her than they would if she was muzzle less (telling her to go away, blocking her from their dogs, avoiding her, etc). She's little ms social as well so I'm often not within talking range of these people to explain to people that she's not mean or aggressive at all.

 

How long would any of you keep her muzzled? She's responded very well to all small dogs in the dog park so far, including white ones and when she was running, but it would be beyond horrible if she decided a little dog was prey one day.

[Houndtime]

Not a big fan of dog parks here, especially when small and big dogs are allowed in the same section. By muzzling your dog, you are making her vulnerable if she should be attacked and not able to defend herself. Dog parks like these are accidents waiting to happen. Sorry, just my opinion.

Congratulations on your new adoption. Your girl sounds like a wonderful pet.

[Guest sorenkkg]

I've been in the same boat, sort of-- one of my greys is SUPER high prey, the other I think just likes a good chase but not sure what she'd do if she caught a small dog...

 

We tried the regular dog park with their muzzles on, and same as you-- lots of talk about them not being mean or vicious, I would just say they are used to having them on when they play

 

But in the end, we gave up on the regular dog parks-- greyhounds seem to attract other dogs, and the thought that they would be defenseless made me really upset.

 

Our solution was to find a greyhound play group-- there's actually 2 we could go to, both about same distance from us, but one is rural and the other is in the city (toronto) so we opted for the more rural dog park (all fenced, greyhound-only hour on sundays).

 

Back to your situation-- How long have you had your grey with you? A lot of people say don't bring a "new" grey to a dog park for a while... and I think most will say don't muzzle if others aren't muzzled.

 

So then, you are taking the risk if you don't *know* your dog absolutely, that you will run into trouble with a small dog.

 

And most greys are different indoors than out-- cat safe in the house does not absolutely equate to small-animal safe outside the house. 5000yrs or more of instinct is hard to break out of.

 

Not sure if it helps, but you have some more information to work with

[Guest Scouts_mom]

Unless the other dogs are muzzled, DO NOT muzzle your own dog. She needs to be able to defend herself if necessary at the park and you are just making her very vulnerable as the other dogs know she cann't snap back.

 

I know some people hate dog parks, but some times you just have no choice if your dog is bouncing out of her skin and you don't have a large yard or a local grey play group. don't go when it is crowded and keep a sharp eye on your dog.

 

If your dog doesn't react to the small dogs, she is probably safe playing with them. Just watch very closely.

Edited March 13, 2010 by Scouts_mom

[Guest bluefawn]

Not a big fan of dog parks here, especially when small and big dogs are allowed in the same section. By muzzling your dog, you are making her vulnerable if she should be attacked and not able to defend herself. Dog parks like these are accidents waiting to happen. Sorry, just my opinion.

Congratulations on your new adoption. Your girl sounds like a wonderful pet.

 

 

First, welcome to GT! And congrats on your new girl.

Second, agree with Houndtime compeletely!

[Guest mountain4greys]

Not a big fan of dog parks here, especially when small and big dogs are allowed in the same section. By muzzling your dog, you are making her vulnerable if she should be attacked and not able to defend herself. Dog parks like these are accidents waiting to happen. Sorry, just my opinion.

Congratulations on your new adoption. Your girl sounds like a wonderful pet.

 

 

First, welcome to GT! And congrats on your new girl.

Second, agree with Houndtime compeletely!

 

I third this! Welcome to GT!

[Guest bluefawn]

(sorry... typed "completely" w/an extra "e")

 

Her is a pic of Penny with a muzzle on. It is the smallest turnout muzzle made, and it is still too big. She has such a tiny face/snout. Just another reason I won't take her to a non-grey park/play area.

 

 

[Guest AGirlNamedMe]

As someone else mentioned, unless they're all muzzled, no dogs at the park should be muzzled. If you're not sure how your dog will behave, you can keep her on leash until you are sure.

 

Our dog park has an area reserved for larger dogs only. Helps keep everyone safe. (As long as the people with little yappy dogs stick with the rules.)

 

You'll find that there are mixed opinions here on dog parks.

 

Welcome to the boards!

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

All dogs muzzled, or no dogs muzzled, plain and simple. I am one that likes dog parks. Of course dog parks depend on a plethora of variables. I live in the Chicago suburbs and we have a couple of large (10 acres plus) fenced dog parks. They even try to separate the large and small hounds. There are many things you need to be aware of when you take a greyhound do a dog park, they have thin skin, they have better "communication" skills then all other breeds of dogs (this is actually a problem sometimes as other dogs don't always "speak" dog), they can accelerate faster than anything you have ever seen. The biggest problem comes when someone that just adopted a greyhound takes them to a dog park, the problem is this: They take their new hound to the park, the greyhound is fresh from the track (less than 6 months "retired") and subsequently has NO recall what-so-ever. The greyhound sees a small dog running and takes pursuit. The greyhound is on top of the little dog before anyone realizes, including the small dog. The small dog screeches because it is startled, causing the greyhound to suddenly become over-stimulated. Now the small dog is screeching and driving the greyhound nuts, as well as other dogs in the area, and now you have a pack of dogs on a small dog. This is one of the more extreme examples of what can happen, but not unheard of. I suggest all new hound owners to attend basic obedience classes as well as work on recall before they try the dog parks. Of course there are times when people live in an area that the only place they can let their hounds off-leash is a dog park, in these situations I suggest you go on "off-peak" times. As others have posted here, you will see both sides of the coin on this topic, and people are very passionate about this topic as well, so be prepared.

 

Chad

[Wonder]

I don't do dog parks, not worth the vet bills

[Guest LindsaySF]

A lot of people say don't bring a "new" grey to a dog park for a while... and I think most will say don't muzzle if others aren't muzzled.

[Guest Shermanator]

I bark park with the dogs, and I do muzzle at times. Sherman likes to run to dogs at top speed, grab their ears, and then drop and roll the other dog. Not worth it for him to injure another dog, so he gets the muzzle. I watch him at all times. If I catch a glimpse of someone blocking him, or other negative behavior, I do talk to them, and explain he's a little mouthy, and the muzzle is to keep everyone safe, and besides, they are used to them at turnout. Usually the other owners understand, but if they do not, in my opinion, they can suck it.

[GeorgeofNE]

I bark park with the dogs, and I do muzzle at times. Sherman likes to run to dogs at top speed, grab their ears, and then drop and roll the other dog. Not worth it for him to injure another dog, so he gets the muzzle. I watch him at all times. If I catch a glimpse of someone blocking him, or other negative behavior, I do talk to them, and explain he's a little mouthy, and the muzzle is to keep everyone safe, and besides, they are used to them at turnout. Usually the other owners understand, but if they do not, in my opinion, they can suck it.

 

Wow.

 

I'd be absolutely livid if you showed up at the park with a dog who behaves that way.

 

You think he can't hurt a dog with a muzzle on? Ever had a dog crash into you running fast? There are other ways to injure dogs aside from biting them.

 

Does not sound like your hound is a good dog park candidate to me.

[Guest LindsaySF]

I bark park with the dogs, and I do muzzle at times. Sherman likes to run to dogs at top speed, grab their ears, and then drop and roll the other dog. Not worth it for him to injure another dog, so he gets the muzzle.

Muzzle or not, I wouldn't take a dog that behaved like that to the dog park. It's only a matter of time before he annoys the wrong dog and gets nailed for it. And with a muzzle on, he'd be defenseless too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[seeh2o]

Not a big fan of dog parks here, especially when small and big dogs are allowed in the same section. By muzzling your dog, you are making her vulnerable if she should be attacked and not able to defend herself. Dog parks like these are accidents waiting to happen. Sorry, just my opinion.

Congratulations on your new adoption. Your girl sounds like a wonderful pet.

 

 

First, welcome to GT! And congrats on your new girl.

Second, agree with Houndtime compeletely!

 

I third this! Welcome to GT!

 

Moi, aussi! Welcome!

[Guest jaws4evr]

Hi all

 

Thanks so much for all of the replies, nice to hear all the information.

 

For the time being we're going to continue taking her to the dog park, unmuzzled. We haven't seen/had any bad-dog experiences there yet, and my girl is also learning nicely to stay nearer to me, or at least keep better track of me when we're out and about. There are also almost always a hound or two at the park, and she really seems to enjoy greeting the other retirees

 

I never used to be a dog park person at all, however so far have had nothing but good experiences at this one.

[Guest Mom2Shiloh]

Not a big fan of dog parks here, especially when small and big dogs are allowed in the same section. By muzzling your dog, you are making her vulnerable if she should be attacked and not able to defend herself. Dog parks like these are accidents waiting to happen. Sorry, just my opinion.

Congratulations on your new adoption. Your girl sounds like a wonderful pet.

 

 

First, welcome to GT! And congrats on your new girl.

Second, agree with Houndtime compeletely!

 

And I agree with Houndtime and Bluefawn.... sorry that sounds like ganging up. I'm in the "dog parks are accidents waiting to happen" school; that was reinforced for those of us who went through the 'Lexus near-tragedy-" last fall in RI. With organized greyhound playgroups, ALL the dogs are muzzled and only a few are loose to run and play at one time. If that can't be arranged, I'd go for a Safely fenced field or just a lot of long walks... It isn't just your dog's preydrive.. groups of dogs, especially groups that don't know eachother well (aka dog park settings) create packing behavior and that is so very unpredictable at best.

[Guest Swarley]

 

Our solution was to find a greyhound play group-- there's actually 2 we could go to, both about same distance from us, but one is rural and the other is in the city (toronto) so we opted for the more rural dog park (all fenced, greyhound-only hour on sundays).

 

 

 

Do you have any info for the Toronto greyhound play group?? That's where we are and we'd love to check it out. Thanks!

[Guest KennelMom]

I would never muzzle at a dog park if other dogs weren't muzzled. Never ever. Never. Not ever would I do that to my dog.

 

I also think it's inappropriate for small dogs to mix with big dogs at dog parks. It just sets dogs up to fail...even an accident can make the big dog look bad. So, I wouldn't be there with a muzzled dog and I wouldn't be there if small dogs showed up.

[Guest burgerandfrey]

I don't like dog parks either... especially ones where the small dogs and big dogs run together. There are stories out there about small dogs getting badly injured or even killed at dog parks by big dogs... greyhounds as well as other breeds.

 

We did take our previous greyhound to a dog park, but it was a really big fenced in park and we could usually find a space for her to run away from the other dogs. It was also a hilly park, so we frequently didn't even see other dogs. Our grey was really into chasing her tennis ball, so she just ignored other dogs anyway. Our current greys are more social with other dogs, but they don't know how to play with other dogs. Greyhounds don't wrestle like some breeds will, and they get really freaked out if other dogs get too physical. But every dog is different, and different dog parks have different dynamics. We have a local dog park where they have a designated small dog area that is separate. We will take our greys there if it isn't crowded or their aren't any aggressive dogs, but I think it is important to let the dogs greet all who are there so everyone is comfortable. We have run our dogs alongside other dogs and they've gotten along fine, but again it depends on the dogs. I think it works better in smaller yards and spaces where the dogs just kind of play and jump around without running too far or two fast. Things always seem to escalate when the dogs are chasing each other really fast, and there isn't much you as the owner can do if a fight breaks out 100 yards away.

 

We much prefer to take our dogs to run at places that aren't dog parks but are fully fenced. There are several elementary schools in our area that have full fenced areas, and there is a baseball field that is fully fenced that is just fantastic... as long as it isn't being used for practice or a game. It's perfect for running the hounds since it is a fenced wide open space that is totally flat and free of debris... just soft grass and dirt.

 

I agree with the muzzle rule of either everybody wears a muzzle or nobody does. Even when it is just our two greyhounds we muzzle them to run. Our greys Zeke and Lola will chase each other, but Zeke thinks part of the game is to corner Lola and sometimes he will even grab her by the neck! He never bites or tries to grab her hard... he does it very quickly as if it is his way of saying, "Tag! You're it!" Usually it's more of a nip than a big wide-jawed grab, but Lola has a tiny neck compared to Zeke. Lola does not like this at all and understandably it scares her a bit, so we usually put their muzzles on to keep Zeke from nipping or grabbing. When they are just playing together in our small yard we leave the muzzles off, because they rarely get into a full-on frenzied chase. Still, we won't leave them alone unmuzzled in even our small yard if there are high value toys out there. We prefer to supervise their play, and fortunately they prefer to be wherever we are anyway.

 

Sean

[Guest MyBoys]

My question is, why would you muzzle her at a dog park, if she were to get attacked by another dog big or small how would she defend herself?????? I assume none of the other dogs are muzzled.

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

WELCOME TO GREYTALK!

I personally do not go to dog parks with my 3, i have had my male Vegas attacked a few times and dog parks here are a breeding ground for disease (a lot of not vaccinated dogs in a park that is rarely maintained by the city).

I do like to have play days with other grey owners in the area, if you would like just contact me anytime B_Quinn09 @ hotmail.com (just take out the spaces) my bunch love to play Chili is 17 months old and Vegas is 6 1/2 and acts like he is 3!

 

Hi all

Thanks so much for all of the replies, nice to hear all the information.

For the time being we're going to continue taking her to the dog park, unmuzzled. We haven't seen/had any bad-dog experiences there yet, and my girl is also learning nicely to stay nearer to me, or at least keep better track of me when we're out and about. There are also almost always a hound or two at the park, and she really seems to enjoy greeting the other retirees

 

I never used to be a dog park person at all, however so far have had nothing but good experiences at this one.

[Guest Drumhellergrey]

I had my eyes opened by reading this post. We recently visited a dog park in Calgary. While we didn't see any attacks , I can definitely see where there could be that potential.

 

There was two ex-racers there, plus on other Lurcher.

 

To all who do use these types of parks regularly... please be vigilant.