this is khuno 98% of the time while he's at work with me (yes i'm lucky enough to bring my puppy to work with me ) actually his head is normally down.

the other 2% he's crying at me to go outside.

As for spaying . . . which I think has very different considerations than neutering . . . I chose to spay early. I have absolutely no intentions of ever breeding Saphire and I don't want any accidental puppies. I also don't want to "punish" her by restricting her activity for about two months out of every year (i.e. no trips to the dog park, limited outside activity, etc.). I also didn't want the added stress of worrying about my neighbor's unneutered, unsupervised male lab trying to get at her all the time or the clean up that comes with a female in heat. But I think it is a personal preference.

That said. . . I have to agree on all your other points also.

Spaying I completely understand in those respects. If unneutered males had clean-up issues, I'd probably lean towards neutering as well. However, if it's generally the same with or without, I'd don't see a reason to go without.

* As for the UTI issue: I have been warned several times about the UTI thing, and it is something I've been rolling over in my mind. From what I've read, though, they're relatively uncommon for males, but have a considerably higher rate for spayed females.

norbreedslove wrote:

Fenrir wrote:

A husky is not going to just "lay down when you're not messing with it." If you want a pet that you don't have to treat as an investment, get a goldfish. Or a hamster.

You never met maggie the malamute She is super lazy and calm. When she isn't playing she is sleeping all the time! I bring her to dog parks she plays for 10-15 mins then she lays down next to me. one time she did play for an hour I was shocked.

I know what your saying though. I do take time to spend with her but I swear so many malamutes are like this. lol

I have a lot of people tell me they want huskies. I ask them why they would want to do that to themselves. "Oh, I always thought they were docile dogs." I tell them to stick to mals. They'll be happier that way.

Now, MY husky, and I'm assuming Gilly's as well, is extremely docile (except when playing). Rarely makes a sound, chills all day, learns quickly, very obedient. I am not foolish enough to think that my next husky will be such a dream, though.

yes, I have rescued and pet sat many huskies! When I got maggie I thought malamutes were like them. Boy was I wrong. I love huskies but man malamutes are way more calm. I think I could handle an husky because of my experience but I love my mallies!

SabakaMom wrote:

Word of advice for those of you training puppies or young dogs and you do not have human kids:

Go find some kids and get your dogs used to kids! You are correct that parents are often negligent, kids are often unsupervised and uninformed, PACKS of kids can appear out of nowhere... AND YOU ARE LIABLE! It might be annoying, but it's real life and it's much more serious than a turd on the front lawn!

I know some of you have rescues and this training may be too late, but if you can do it, it just makes sense to me!

....find a kid on a bike (that's scarier than a walking kid)
....find a pack of kids
....find a shy kid
....find a loud kid

Absolutely! In our puppy kindergarten class one class was all about this, the trainer asked everyone to bring kids (mine are too old at 20, 24, 26, lol). And then she had some ride scooters, bikes, were funky hats, wheelchairs, it was awesome. I take mine around to the local strip malls and just walk around with them to socialize.

Here goes my rant from today's visit to the dog park!

- This is the 3rd time I see somebody do this...bring your dog into the park and walk away! Yep, completely away. Today the dude just left and went fishing. The time before that some guy did this his dog was going nuts trying to get out and almost got his head stuck between the gate and pole. He was playing football so I yelled out "your dog is going to get stuck on the gate!" and he replied "Booger, stop it!" and kept on. Seriously. Then said guy comes into the dog park a while later and leaves the first gate OPEN. So i go and close it. He steps out and does it again!

- Today a small kid was in the dog park playing. Parents were OUTSIDE of the dog park. Kid goes and leaves both gates OPEN! This took place on the small dog side. Thank god or my dogs would have be outta there! This is why I stay close to the gate at all times.

- A 12 year old-ish girl is in the park sitting on top of a table and everytime a dog would come up to her she would start screaming at the top of her lungs " Mom!! AHHHHHHHHHH, AHHHHHHHH, it's going to eat me Mom...AHHHHHHHH!" OK so first of all, if your child is scared of dogs...here's a thought...don't bring her INTO the large dog park! Second, if you were my child and form a show like that you better believe you'd be grounded! Plus, I would leave immediately. How embarrassing is that!

- A group of older folks with their older dogs are sitting at a table and every time Kody, Asia, or any other active dog would approach them they would tell them to go away and play. Sorry, but you're at the dog park. Deal with it.

Frustrating dog park experience today!

I haven't take either of mine to dog parks yet, we have a really nice relatively new one near where I live, but I'm afraid reading all your posts lol....

No seriously I have to go, I think my two would love it.

omg melissa I know how you feel! This lady did that and left both gates opened. I grabbed maggie in between the both gates. Then I screamed at her. She goes I didn't know. I was like they just put 2 gates here for no reason. She said everyones dog should have good recall! Is this lady for real?



Also the mal thing. Just because mals aren't as hyper as a husky. they are still a hard breed to own. They are is still stubborn, dig, and they have a very high prey drive as well.

Agh, that gate thing drives me MAD! I mean, I don't typically see dogs trying to LEAVE the park, but it happens. There's a large two-door gate between the large and small dog sections (so the city can get their mower inside) and this lady left it only partially hinged today. Fenrir walks up, pushed the pole the rest of the way up with his head, and shoves the gates open. I mean, fortunately, it only opens between the two parks, but small dog people tend to get really high strung and freak out when anything comes in that can cast a shadow. The lady looked at me like "your dog should know better!" Like my dog's dumb or something? He just opened a freaking gate. That's a feat typically reserved for creatures with thumbs.

Mal difficulties: Haha, and they're a lot stronger. I can just scoop my dog up with one arm. A Mal would take real effort.

haha that is true too! omg bath time is a nightmare. My husband has to carry maggie into the groomers or into the vet. I have tried to walk her without a gentle leader. blisters, blisters, blisters!

MelissaI wrote:

Here goes my rant from today's visit to the dog park!

- This is the 3rd time I see somebody do this...bring your dog into the park and walk away! Yep, completely away. Today the dude just left and went fishing. The time before that some guy did this his dog was going nuts trying to get out and almost got his head stuck between the gate and pole. He was playing football so I yelled out "your dog is going to get stuck on the gate!" and he replied "Booger, stop it!" and kept on. Seriously. Then said guy comes into the dog park a while later and leaves the first gate OPEN. So i go and close it. He steps out and does it again!

- Today a small kid was in the dog park playing. Parents were OUTSIDE of the dog park. Kid goes and leaves both gates OPEN! This took place on the small dog side. Thank god or my dogs would have be outta there! This is why I stay close to the gate at all times.

- A 12 year old-ish girl is in the park sitting on top of a table and everytime a dog would come up to her she would start screaming at the top of her lungs " Mom!! AHHHHHHHHHH, AHHHHHHHH, it's going to eat me Mom...AHHHHHHHH!" OK so first of all, if your child is scared of dogs...here's a thought...don't bring her INTO the large dog park! Second, if you were my child and form a show like that you better believe you'd be grounded! Plus, I would leave immediately. How embarrassing is that!

- A group of older folks with their older dogs are sitting at a table and every time Kody, Asia, or any other active dog would approach them they would tell them to go away and play. Sorry, but you're at the dog park. Deal with it.

Frustrating dog park experience today!

I agree completely also I never really understood why people go to the dog park but don't play with their dog??? Dunno but at the park I frequent I'm the only one that play's with Thane and all the other dogs my favorite is when I have a whole pack a dogs following me when I go for a brisk jog around the park.

xredrainx wrote:

I agree completely also I never really understood why people go to the dog park but don't play with their dog??? Dunno but at the park I frequent I'm the only one that play's with Thane and all the other dogs my favorite is when I have a whole pack a dogs following me when I go for a brisk jog around the park.

If my dog comes to me and sits or it's kind of empty, I play with him, but if he's out playing with dogs, I'd rather let him play with the dogs. He spends most of the day with me; in my eyes, this is his time to play with friends. Generally, he seems to prefer it that way, anyway. But some dogs would rather park time be "playing with owner sans leash" time, which is fine too.

xredrainx wrote:

MelissaI wrote:

Here goes my rant from today's visit to the dog park!

- This is the 3rd time I see somebody do this...bring your dog into the park and walk away! Yep, completely away. Today the dude just left and went fishing. The time before that some guy did this his dog was going nuts trying to get out and almost got his head stuck between the gate and pole. He was playing football so I yelled out "your dog is going to get stuck on the gate!" and he replied "Booger, stop it!" and kept on. Seriously. Then said guy comes into the dog park a while later and leaves the first gate OPEN. So i go and close it. He steps out and does it again!

- Today a small kid was in the dog park playing. Parents were OUTSIDE of the dog park. Kid goes and leaves both gates OPEN! This took place on the small dog side. Thank god or my dogs would have be outta there! This is why I stay close to the gate at all times.

- A 12 year old-ish girl is in the park sitting on top of a table and everytime a dog would come up to her she would start screaming at the top of her lungs " Mom!! AHHHHHHHHHH, AHHHHHHHH, it's going to eat me Mom...AHHHHHHHH!" OK so first of all, if your child is scared of dogs...here's a thought...don't bring her INTO the large dog park! Second, if you were my child and form a show like that you better believe you'd be grounded! Plus, I would leave immediately. How embarrassing is that!

- A group of older folks with their older dogs are sitting at a table and every time Kody, Asia, or any other active dog would approach them they would tell them to go away and play. Sorry, but you're at the dog park. Deal with it.

Frustrating dog park experience today!

I agree completely also I never really understood why people go to the dog park but don't play with their dog??? Dunno but at the park I frequent I'm the only one that play's with Thane and all the other dogs my favorite is when I have a whole pack a dogs following me when I go for a brisk jog around the park.

When at the dog park, I no longer exist to them. At least, until they are ready to leave - then Delilah will follow me everywhere.

Kiara can care less about me at the dog park, she goes there to play with the dogs not me, shes probably sick of looking at my stupid face at home... I can tell shes ready to go when she actually comes when called and walks to the gate with me.

I need to vent - I have a HUGE issue with the guy that closes the dog park that I go to. He brings his yellow lab (Caesar) who is very aggressive towards my dog. Whenever Luna is running around like crazy or leading a chase, he will go alpha dog on her (I don't really know if this is alpha behavior or just aggression), charge at her, and try to bite her. Once he got her tail and Luna was crying but there were no puncture wounds or blood - we still left right after. It's also weird because another yellow lab only becomes aggressive in the presence of Caesar and will team up with him and they will both chase after Luna, but only if she is running around like crazy. Needless to say, I've stopped going to the dog park late because that is when the guy comes with Caesar for an hour or two before the park closes. I just feel like I shouldn't have to schedule my time around someone who brings an aggressive dog to the park. I know he closes the park so he has some kind of authority...but still... ahhhh! So frustrating.

g0tmus1c wrote:

I need to vent - I have a HUGE issue with the guy that closes the dog park that I go to. He brings his yellow lab (Caesar) who is very aggressive towards my dog. Whenever Luna is running around like crazy or leading a chase, he will go alpha dog on her (I don't really know if this is alpha behavior or just aggression), charge at her, and try to bite her. Once he got her tail and Luna was crying but there were no puncture wounds or blood - we still left right after. It's also weird because another yellow lab only becomes aggressive in the presence of Caesar and will team up with him and they will both chase after Luna, but only if she is running around like crazy. Needless to say, I've stopped going to the dog park late because that is when the guy comes with Caesar for an hour or two before the park closes. I just feel like I shouldn't have to schedule my time around someone who brings an aggressive dog to the park. I know he closes the park so he has some kind of authority...but still... ahhhh! So frustrating.

There are a few possibilities here. From my assumptions (if your pic is up to date), Luna's still small? On a lesser note, she may just be triggering his prey instinct, especially if she's already being chased. It should come as no surprise that dogs are pack animals and tend to side with the majority (especially when the majority looks like them -- ever seen a group of huskies close in on something?)

Now, I don't know about labs, but that sounds like fairly common husky behavior. I see dogs chase other dogs and "bite" them in the butt all the time. It's not aggression so much as rough housing, which may be more of a lack of manners than actual malicious intent. Unfortunately, labs also have a very rough growl, which makes them seem vicious even when they're not. However, labs that are predisposed to rough play CAN quickly escalate to total jerk-face, so I'm not sure how to judge this situation without seeing it. I'd assume there's a mixed signal here, but I'd still err on the side of caution.

I'm not sure why people think labs are the sweetest dogs ever. It's been my opposite experience at the dog park.

My SIL got a Chihuahua. She's had it for probably about 6 months. She has a 5 year old son and a 2 and a half year old daughter.
My neice dropped the thing and it broke it's leg.
I feel for the dog I really do. But my SIL is a sandwich short of a picnic, she really is. She really needs to grow up nad take a look at the big picture.

Why would you get a teeeeeny tiiiiiny little dog when you have 2 little kids? Of course the kids arent going to be 100% gentle with the dog all of the time, they're kids not robots. A medium or large dog, sure no worries, they cant pic it up in the first place. And she should of been supervising them when they're around the dog. Any dog for that matter. Whether you trust it or not. In this case it's not the dog but the kids that are the danger. Not that they're bad kids (although I'm not their biggest fan).

She got the dog for free off one of her friends who breeds (a BYB). When they found out the dog had injured it's leg they considered putting it down because of the vet bills.

I was shocked. You get a pet to make it part of your family. Would she put one of her kids down if they broke it's leg, no absolutelly not, so whats the difference with an animal?

I told her about pet insurance and her need to invest in it. I've recieved the silent treatment lol

Demon&Dakota wrote:

Dog parks are a great concept.  I didn't even know they existed until we moved out here to CO.    That being said, it's the people who don't care that cause the issues.  Most dog parks here have a small dog area and a big dog area...why is it so hard to let your little pomeranian or chihuahua (no offense to owners here...they were the only small breeds I could think of) stay in the small dog area WHICH IS LABELED??

We went to the dog park a few days ago and there were like 5 little dogs in the big dog area and there was a baby in a stroller Who was unattended. There was a yorkie who kept picking fights with Sadie and two adult huskies that were there but the owner freaked out when Sadie and the Huskies told the yorkie off.

Found out after that it was her baby and her yorkie. Fantastic.

I feel like so many of these horror stories and pet peeves are about dog parks. Not that I'm surprised. Luckily I haven't experienced half of what's been said (gates being left open, out-of-control children, people LEAVING their dog in the dog park and going off to do something else, etc.), but here's my own story relating to overprotective pet parents.

Now, keep in mind Layla is one of the most friendly and playful dogs I have ever met, and I'm not just saying that because she's my dog. I take pride that we socialized her very well and she greets everyone, dog or human, she meets with kisses and a wagging tail and wiggly body. So about a week ago I took her to the dog park, which normally has a group of "regulars" who all know each other who bring their dogs around the same time almost every day. A new person and her 14-week-old male Vizsla came in. The dog was clearly undersocialized and shy. He always stuck by the nearest pair of legs for safety. When other dogs came up to him, even just to sniff, he would freeze and be visibly nervous. So, first off I wondered why she was bringing this dog right into the dog park when it clearly needed to interact with other dogs in a less-overwhelming setting for such a young puppy, but that's not the worst of it.

Layla, being the playful, carefree dog she is, tried to bring the poor little pup out of his shell by initiating play. She was doing the Husky thing where they will go alongside the other dog and lightly nip them on the cheek. I didn't do anything about it because I knew it was just play. The Vizsla's owner immediately started freaking out and yelling, "Whose dog? Get your dog! It's being aggressive to my dog!" over and over. Annoyed, I started toward Layla but luckily others spoke up and said they were just playing. Apparently this woman didn't do her research and learn about dog body language! I also heard her mention that she didn't know anything about Vizslas and had never even heard about the breed before getting her dog. I wanted so bad to just burst into tears right there for this poor undersocialized puppy with a helicopter mom who thinks any little bit of play is aggression! She even said, "I guess the Huskies play more aggressively than other dogs." WTF?! She wouldn't know aggression if it bit her in the face ... literally!

Bottom line: Don't bring your undersocialized young puppy into the dog park if it hasn't had positive interactions with lots of other dogs before. And don't try to ruin my dog's fun (and our reputation with the other regulars at the park, by the way) by calling my dog aggressive when she is clearly playing.

Ug! Yeah, I've had this one too. I think nervous owners have nervous, freaked out and uber submissive dogs. It's one of my biggest pet peeves too. One lady started yelling at Dizzy once as I was walking toward her saying his name. She starting yelling his name. I got annoyed but laughed it off and told her that she could yell at him all she wanted but there is no way he would respond to her and all she was doing was making her dog more freaked out. I really hate this one though. This is probably my biggest pet peeve, aside from bringing 3 lb dogs into the large dog side.

My biggest pet peeve is when other dog owners bring their dogs right up to me at the park then give me a look like I'm satan and Kenzi is my hell spawn when I inform them that she is dog aggressive, please don't let your dog just bounce up to her. For some reason people around here have this misconception that if your dog isn't a perfect angel with everything then it should never be allowed away from the house, though I have yet to see one of these fabled angel dogs. I always give people adequate space and warning when avoidance isn't an option and she has never harmed or even come close to being a threat to another dog, so I would like it if people would keep their snobby remarks and expressions to themselves concerning what I do or don't bring in a controlled manor to a public place.

Yeah, that happens to me too. Dizzy isn't aggressive, but he will at times get very excited and do his bear play growl while jumping around and lunging at the end of the leash. And they just give me this look like he doesn't deserve to have such a horrible owner that turned a perfect angel of a dog into a messed up aggressive jerk.

That, or when they have their dogs on flexi leashes and take up the whole damn sidewalk. Or, if they have a little dog that is barking at the top of its lungs and refusing to move they just stand there like they don't outweigh the thing by 150 lbs and can't just pick it up or drag it in the other direction.

I walk the two dogs by myself every day. I have my walking belt and they walk overall pretty well together. Well we have this park by my house and even though there are 5 signs saying keep your dogs on the leash they obviously don't. So here I am with two dogs who can pull me right over, and people just let there dogs off the leash and of course they come running up to my dogs. So I am trying to control my two, its one thing if they are misbehaving while all dogs are on their leash but of course they are going to go crazy when a dog that isn't on one comes up and wants to play. So here they are pulling me like crazy to get to this other dog, and the owner does nothing but stand 200 ft away and call the dog who obviously doesn't listen. So when the owner finally gets the dogs attention, they say why don't you just let yours off so they can play. UHHH no, even if my dogs had perfect recall, I wouldn't let them off to play right near a road, or where there are signs stating keep them on the leash!

Also the other day at the dog park someone brought there puppy into the big park, and I mentioned that Nikolai isn't so gentle with small dogs, and the guy was like oh it will be okay and brings him in. Obviously Nikolai would not leave the puppy alone. He wasn't hurting him or anything, just he plays very rough, and the owner scooped up his puppy, gave me all kinds of dirty looks, and then went to the small dog one. I mean you are in the wrong pen, I gave you warning, there is no reason for you to be upset right now. Then lastly, kids aren't supposed to be allowed in the park. Its not a problem because overall my dogs are pretty good with kids, but this one little girl was running around the park waving a stick above her head. I told her that she needed to put it down because some dog will jump on her. The parents just weren't even paying attention. Of course Siku comes out of no where and jumps to get the stick, and the girl starts crying. The parents were pretty understanding, because it was not Siku's fault. But I mean pay attention to your children in a place where they could actually get hurt.