Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I would like your opinion on recent behavior of my 15 month old 70 lbs neutered sibe. I also have a 14 month old 18 lbs shiba inu. I have had both dogs since they were eight weeks old and I kennel them at night together. The sibe will chase the shiba around the yard. The shiba is more agile but the sibe is faster and he will eventually catch up to her, bowl her over and pin her down by putting his mouth around her neck. She will either work her way free, lunge at him and the chase starts again or if she's had enough she yelps and he lets her go. This is his typical play style and the shiba seems to enjoy the play.
We have been going to a dog park since the sibe was five months old. A new membership year began at our local dog park on September 1. Many new members are bringing their puppies to the park. (Park stopped accepting new members last January so there had not been any new pups coming) My sibe goes directly for the pups and bowls them over and pins them down. He isn't interested in playing with his usual playmates - the bigger dogs - and he will not leave these pups alone. Naturally, some of the pup owners are unhappy.
What do you make of this behavior and what should my reaction be?

Puppies and adult dogs play differently and really, it's inappropriate to let an adult dog bully a puppy. Granted, puppies need to learn manners as well.

I'm not a big fan of dog parks overall, so my opinion is a bit biased. With that said, it is my experience that northern breeds play far too rough for your average dog park play and their prey drives kick in a bit too easy for them to be safe around smaller dogs. I personally would not risk continuing these interactions. A puppy that is bold enough (stupid enough) to push it with your husky may be put in a dangerous position. I'm not saying your husky is agressive, but the potential for an accident to happen is just too large for my comfort.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles www.freewebs.com/performanceshibas

I'm not a fan of dog parks, because they damage so many dogs, some physically, some psychologically, and many are damaged in both ways. Whatever you do, don't let your dog harrass other dogs in the park. If that means not taking the dog to the park anymore, you'll have lots of "company," because many, many, MANY dogs don't do well in dog parks.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Depends, alot of dog owners are paranoid and dont realize that their dog is a dog, and not a little kid human. They expect their dog and others to behave like a human and not like a dog.
That being said my pure sibe and sibe/lab/shepard mix have gone to a few dog parks since they were both puppies consitantly. The majority of dog owners I have ever met there laugh about the rough play and understand that dogs are dogs, they play rough, especially high energy working breeds.
There are always a few new owners and owners of pups that get paranoid, they see too many commercials misrepresenting what dogs in dogparks do. I used to get on my 2 about being so rough with some other dogs and pups, but you realize that they dont hurt them, they arent actually that rough with them (looks alot worse than it ever is). Huskies grab at the neck alot (its a husky thing when they play).
Ive noticed that the introduction is a bit rough, within a minute or so the behavior calms down if left go uninterupted, then they are gentle with each other. The more you interfere with this behavior the more the dogs get excited and it either gets worse or goes on longer.
In fact my almost 3 year old sibe used to be alot rougher with other dogs when he was younger. My 20 month old mix is a bit rough yet. But my older male is very gentle with puppies (natural instinct, sibes love puppies, but they will dicipline them), even my younger male (mix) acts this way.
The worse behavior and the ones you have to watch is between females. Female sibes are a bit rough with other females on introductions, but then again female dogs will fight in a bloodbath if they do not have a dominant pack member to put them in their place (I know of many examples that owners found out the hard way with female dogs at home and in public).
I personaly do not like dogparks that allow unfixed dogs at them period. The park we go to every week specifies that all dogs must be fixed. There were unfixed dogs at one time there regularly, back then there were alot of serious fights between unfixed males and fixed male dogs, also between unfixed male dogs.
Usually if someone is a paranoid dog or puppy owner and they dont outgrow it, they stop going to the park early. The dogpark regulars always seem to know what I mentioned, many even have nicknames for the paranoid dog and pup owners. My mix has been going to dogparks and has been full contact there since he was 8 weeks old with the other dogs. I think my sibe did a great job helping to raise his little brother (whos 5 inches taller and 8 lbs heavier already).