Cooper&Lyla

I agree with Mikey. No leash. If you want to just drop the leash in the early "meet & greet," that has the same effect, but you can get the dog back faster if you need to. I'd take it off as soon as he settles into the mix so it doesn't get in the way, or trip him as he's just starting to have fun

CooperB

While Northern Ireland has plenty of parks, unfortunately we have no dog only parks! And to make it worse, it's just became an offence if you don't have a dog leashed on public ground & also an offence to be in control of 4 dogs at once in public - £80 fine apparently! Our little snore monster Cooper is just loving his new walkies exercise but there's only a handful of places we can let him explore the world till his hearts content.

Today we had him down at a local park, on a new lead - the extendable ones, I think it can go up to 16ft. He's very clingy & is a bit terrified of everything at the park but if he thinks no-ones looking he walks like a champion I don't think anyone is paying attention to the new dog leashing order as nearly every dog we saw at the park today was off their leads! So Cooper got a lot of doggie attention whether he had any control of it or not. Some are playful towards him & others are a bit aggressively interested if you know what I mean! But no snapping or anything has happened.

We started a puppy socialisation class on Tuesday at our local vet & it's fantastic! Obedience training & off lead playing with 8 other young dogs, maybe there's something like this you can sign up little Harvey for so he gets a little bit of doggie interaction in a controlled environment? Our pup was such a bully to his other litter mates we put on bets at how many puppies he'd bully on his first night, couldn't believe it when he sat the whole time in between our legs terrified of 2 little Yorkshire terriers!! He's just a big softie really :P here's a pic of Coop on his walk today after he jumped in a big mud puddle


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Mikey T

How to break up a dog fight without getting bit

HarveyB

Ooh cooper is so cute! I'm actually also gonna go to a "education walk" with Harvey.. I tried to find puppy classes here in Paris but they were usually individual at your home or they would take the dog away and then drop off after class and I wasn't convinced either method was what we wanted to do.
I think I'm just gonna bite the bullet and let Harvey roam off leash at the park once I've checked a bit who is in there. Thank you all for your advice!
There is actually another question that almost falls in this same category. On our walks we often pass quite a few dogs that live on the street since in Paris many homeless people have dogs. One of them we pass quite often and since the dog isn't tied up he always comes to greet Harvey. I've never thought anything of it since the dog seems nice but a friend of mine cringed a bit and said it wasn't very sanitary. Is there something that Harvey could catch from this dog when they sniff and greet?


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Kenziethebasset

Kenzie loves walks!


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Wioleta

I think that if you are keeping up with the recommended vaccinations and taking Harvey to the vet at least annually for a checkup, it should be fine.

Wworm

Great that you're wanting to get Harvey some social time, he must be excited about it!

Yeah I second what Mikey said about checking out the park first, maybe with Harvey in the car? and talking to the peeples there and getting the lay of the land. we've found different dog parks to be different and it's good to understand how things work.

another thought is that you can meet some owners you like at the park and then see if you want to get together on your own. i like that scenario better because then your dog is playing with the same group of familiar dogs. as you get to know the other dogs and their temperaments, you'll know what works for you and Harvey.

we have that situation at a school nearby. 15-25 dogs run their off-leash. many go every night. after going there the past 2 yrs and some of the dogs/owners have become good friends, we are familiar with everyone, and when someone new has a dog, we check them out a bit. well, to get to know them and welcome them, but also to see what the owner and what their dog is like.

in Worm's short life, we've been to a lot of different dog parks & dog beaches all over. most of the time it is a good experience. but we've also had so many experiences, that some of them were not good, or not good at all.

my understanding was that the leashed dog might react more aggressively, since he/she might feel intimidated and not be able to escape. i'm not sure that your dog on a leash makes OTHER dogs more aggressive though, I hadn't heard that before.

I certainly have leashed Worm up before when we are in a situation that isn't comfortable-- an unfamiliar larger dog that is acting aggressively with other dogs-- yeah I usually get Worm quickly away from that one. Worm also tends to do the basset wander and when we tire of chasing him around the school, he has to be on-leash with us. i've never encountered a problem with him being on leash. well, he's certainly not aggressive to others, and others haven't been aggressive to him when he's on leash.

we also play at another park that has 35-40 dogs on an enclosed baseball field. fights do erupt occasionally, and silly Worm of course wants in on the action. so i also pay attention to what goes on with other dogs and when it becomes too much, i leash Worm up to prevent him joining in.

learning the hard way, after Worm got bitten, i do carry a baseball bat in my backpack. there is also citronella spray. haven't had to use these yet, but they are there in case i need it.

i've also learned to remove ourselves from any situation that doesn't feel right, following gut instinct, whether it's related to a dog or owner. despite best precautions, things can still happen, so i guess it's good to be prepared for that too? for example, our people friends have bled at the school, either cuz a dog bit them, usually inadverntently (those overexcited retrievers trying to get their toy) or trying to pull their dog out of a fight. after this we know to have a first aid kit around, for example.

anyway, some thoughts to mull over. Worm is a sought-after companion, cuz he is subordinate and non-aggressive. so even today, he had a playdate here at our house with a dog-- owner doesn't want to take to the park yet, she's worried about the dog running away and also others being aggressive to it. owner just asked us for individual playdates with Worm. on the other hand, although many want their dogs to play with Worm, i have to monitor that, as he stands to be on the losing end at times. some dogs, large retriever pups, for example, are simply too rough, want to chew his ears, ram him, smash him, etc. i do keep a pretty close eye on him at these dog parks.

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Wworm

oh Cooper, you are adorable!

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