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Barney's first walk in the puppy park..

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3.1K views 43 replies 12 participants last post by  Janey153  
#1 ·
... wasn't terribly good due to a boxer puppy going for him in an aggressive 'playful' way within minutes of us arriving. He hang on to his rear end while Barney squealed and I shouted at the owner to get his effing dog off mine. A great start! I picked Barney up and walked away in tears as Barney seemed hurt and squealing (though he's fine) and I didn't want his first experience to be a bad one. He didn't seem bothered later as he played with his brother Alfie, but I guess it shook me up and though the owner came over (with his bruiser now on the lead) and apologised, as did I for swearing at him, I don't feel like rushing back to that Park again.

Not a great first walk for me :(
 
#2 ·
Damn. I actually wrote a post to you saying to be sure the park was super quiet and that you checked with the other dog owners that their dogs were puppy friendly. I erased it because it seemed so preachy and patronizing. :( All is not lost however. Make up for his experience with plenty of good experiences with nice dogs, hopefully a boxer somewhere too. There must be a boxer somewhere who is not a playground bully (I have yet to meet one though).
 
#3 ·
Aah thank you Fairlie, that's sweet and wouldn't have seemed patronising at all. The park was quiet at first and then a number of dogs appeared out of nowhere, including this boxer.

He's had good experiences with my son's collie who keeps him in check in a non aggressive way and of course his brother too, plus he grew up with other bigger dogs around. My last dog was aggressive and bit other dogs so I never could let him off the lead as I couldn't trust him. I don't want to feel unconfident with Barney, but this wasn't a great start. We'll go elsewhere tomorrow where he can be on his training lead but still I have to let him off at some point.
 
#7 ·
Oh poo! I was thinking about you and Barney this morning and how rotten the weather was for your first walk (well here anyway) I never thought about dog problems. I'm so sorry, yes get out again as soon as possible and have a happy meet - go to the pub and get him fussed with 🍷🍷 I'm sure he'll be fine especially since he's already had some positive doggy experiences.
 
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#9 ·
Hi Lou, sorry it wasn't a first good walk. With Molly I started her on small short walks in places she was use to just around the houses at first, that way was unlikely to come across dogs off leads, but still dogs she could greet and meet!
Try again tomorrow.
I must admit like fairlie have not come across a boxer yet that has been welcoming to any of my other dogs in fact both previous dogs I've had both had a run in with one!
Good luck for tomorrow's walkies, hope the sun stays out:) x
 
#10 ·
Thanks Nicki, I did take her out for a walk round the block this morning for his very first outing and he was fine.

We just now went to a small grassy area nearby as I didn't want his first day to be horrible. I checked with a woman nearby and her lab boxer (!) cross that he was friendly, and he was, and so Barney had a little run round, with yellow tape stuck to his lead that tells bully boys to keep away from my baby! Not a great photo as he wouldn't keep still!
 

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#11 ·
Poor Barney!! & you, in reality I bet you were more traumatised than Barney - they are resilient little things & he'll bounce back (hopefully get a tough little teething nip into the boxer next time he meets!)
The best advice has already been given by Marion, go to the pub enjoy a wine & allow little Barney to be adored by all :D x
 
#12 ·
He is such a darling. Sorry it wasn't a great start, but you will have some wonderful adventures to come. It must have been frightening, when Arlo was little any little knock he would squeal like a little pig, but then he would be over it and I would still be in a panic:rolleyes:

Boxers used to scare me when I was a child one attacked our dog and gave it a nasty wound. When my son got one I wasn't t sure but now we love him to bits and he comes for holidays, he is a softy so they are not all bad:)
 
#13 ·
Boxers are great dogs, they are just so "over the top" though.:) Lou you absolutely have to steel yourself to not overreacting when he gets pushed around because it will happen alot. Your anger will only amplify his response ten fold. Try and maintain the cheerful "you'll live" approach you'd take with a child wailing over a small injury. Obviously try to orchestrate his experiences so they are all good, but worse, in my opinion, is to turn him into a squeally "mama's boy".:)
 
#18 ·
We had to avoid other dogs on walks because of our last dog too, it's taken a while to unlearn that behaviour but now we've got used to actively seeking them out! And it surprised me how many there are with issues when I thought it was just us.
 
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#16 ·
Oh, Poor Barney and you. Not heard mof puppy parks today but perhaps I won't bother now. My little girl is dying to get her feet on the ground and meet other doggies. I know most of the dogs in our village and they (and owners seem a friendly lot. Hope you both recover from a scary experience. I suspect Barney will recover more quickly than you
 
#19 ·
So glad you can relate too Marion! Unlearning that behaviour is quite difficult but I am determined. I used to cross the road if a dog was likely to come near my old rescue jack russell as he had bitten two dogs in his early days with me. He'd bark and growl aggressively with any dog and I couldn't go anywhere with him for the 14 years I had him, (despite much behavioural training) so unlearning this and being more confident can only be a good thing for Barney and me.
 
#21 ·
Thanks Fairlie, I will do. He has his puppy party tonight and other dogs that I know that he can play with.

However, having been woken at 5.30 by him (and I usually go back to sleep after he's been let out for a pee/poo/breakfast) I'm still awake an at 6.30 feeling angry and upset about yesterday. I dont remember exactly how it happened and my friend Chrissie (Bundle) who was with me with Alfie, Barney's brother, may remember it more clearly but it seemed as though this boxer just appeared and went for him. I dont think it was playful at all - I know what puppies are like when they play flight as Alfie and Barney do it all the time - it seemed more like an attack as he hung on to Barney's back end. The trainer at the puppy party said to pick a dog up if he is being attacked, and other people have said to leave them to fight for themselves. I can understand the latter position, though if a puppy is squealing in pain it seems wrong to let them sort out between themselves. So I'm confused by that, annoyed at myself for being so hurt on Barney's behalf, and afraid that I will be anxious around any dog that comes bounding over to Barney.

So an early morning, tired rant from me I'm afraid, and thank you for any further comments.
 
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#22 ·
Oh dear, I've just read this. I'm afraid I didnt really see what happened as I was focused on what Alfie was doing. I recall the boxer puppy coming up to Barney and I was watching Alfie with the other dog that bounded up to him, then I heard Barney squeal. I know how upsetting this incident was and I feel anxious around big dogs that I don't know. However, Barney recovered quickly and he was soon scrapping with Alfie again....and although Barney is quite a lot smaller, he holds his own! xx
 
#27 ·
Barney has had 2 of 3 jabs, could go out a week after the 2nd jab. They're different from the 2 a month apart, these are 3 2 weeks apart so the 3rd jab (for lepo something or other ) is next Tuesday, all paid for by the breeder at her vets in Billingshurst. I'm not totally sure of the difference in the vaccinations but I believe they are newer and cover more.

You sound like you have a lot on your plate right now so I'm ready when you are! X
 
#28 ·
Were other people around? I find now at dog parks the people will often police situations like this and admonish an owner if their dog is coming on too strongly and another dog has clearly had enough. The owners of the thugs are usually quick to put their dogs on a lead.

I'm with your trainer, I'd scoop him up and say "you need a break" if it got too rough. However you must brace yourself for a change when he reaches about four months and loses his puppy status amongst the other dogs. They will stop tolerating any over the top pup play and their normal corrections of him will terrify you. When otherwise nice dogs suddenly go for him as a warning to move back or stay away he absolutely must be left to learn the consequences of signals he missed otherwise he may turn into one of the thugs himself.
 
#30 ·
Hi Fairlie, there were other people around though it all happened probably quite quickly and frantically and I didnt really notice what anyone else was doing. The owner did put a lead on his dog and apologise later.

He has been told off by my son's dog and knows his place with her at their house, which is fine. He is fairly submissive I think and doesn't take long to get the message. I don't mind him being put in his place if its necessary (well, I say that in theory!) and hope that he will be able to defend himself if need be. Certainly while he is a pup I will continue to pick him up if necessary, but hopefully I won't need to.
 
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