Guest LJS1993 Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Well thank god my fiance took the bull by the horns and pretty much had me pay for a membership at the local dog park. I was a bit apprehensive but all I can say is, great idea on her part. We decided to go around 6:30 when it was nice and cool. Well, we rode up on a pack of old ladies and their mutts. One part Beagle, a part Airedale, some other little yappy mutt, and some mutt who looked like it might have some ACD in it somewhere. Immediately these ladies tried to "big time" me when it came to knowing my dog. They didn't have a clue as to what she was and were surprised when I said she was a Border Collie. They did have a good idea of having us go in another fenced area, first let the dogs run side by side along the fence, then bring one of their's in to meet Freckles. That was about all that went well with those old ladies. After Freckles completely out ran them along the fence and made them look like out of shape Richard Simmons drop outs, the lady had the idea of letting the female Airedale meet Freckles. Freckles was apprehensive, but then got mad when the Airedale growled at her and started to attempt to stand over her. Well the lady took the Airedale back and then brought in her little yappy mutt. Freckles stared at the mutt in wonderment as to whether it was a dog or a chew toy. Well then she took her dog back and decided to let their pack of dogs run in the other side of the fence next to Freckles. As they were doing this some stalky guy with a head about as big as mine drove up. He came out with some super stocky dog that was very happy and playful. As they went into the other fenced area he immediately gave alot of attention towards my fiance, Freckles, and myself. He called me over and introduced himself as Sean. Man, it was great, he had a huge accent which turned out to be Welsh!!!!!!!!! He was from Wales and was raised around BC's his whole life. He talked about how he loved them but couldn't have one because he didn't have the time to give it the proper "work" attention. It was so cool, him and I immediately sparked a friendship. He was telling my fiance and myself all kinds of cool things about Border Collies. He then offered to let his male Chow/Sharpei mix "Chubby" meet Freckles. We agreed and this is when more fun continued. Freckles was very unsure of Chubby. Chubby just wanted to play and seemed to really like her. At first she was really shy, and seemed to be very protective of my fiance and myself. Then after time she started herding Chubby. He would run and she would follow, crouch, eye him, then take off and nip his cankles. Chubby loved it!!!!!!!!!!!! Freckles though working in her mind, was having fun with Chubby!!!!!!!!! Sean seemed to really love Freckles and told us that she was a real working dog. He told us that she really would love sheep since her prey drive was so strong. Man her eye was so strong!!!! I've seen it before but it was so great to see her do her natural thing. After time she let Chubby lick her several times, though she did nip at him. Sean seemed relaxed and told us that with time Chubby and Freckles would be good friends. It was great to just relax and talk Border Collies with Sean. I have hopefully made a good friend in the process. My fiance had a ton of fun too running around with both dogs and talking with Sean about dogs. I don't think the other dog owners realized Freckles body language or the fact that she is a whole different breed of dog. They seemed perplex at her crouch and overall style of running. Nonetheless, Sean and I agreed to meetup again on Monday to let our dogs chill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Congrats on the dog park and finding someone who understands!! BC's are different dogs and, IMO, if you've never had one, you just don't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LJS1993 Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Congrats on the dog park and finding someone who understands!! BC's are different dogs and, IMO, if you've never had one, you just don't get it. Yes it was one of those occasions where I'm so glad my fiance is the more spontaneous one in our pack. I got to make a friend and get an even greater appreciation for Freckles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Yep, BC's are different. On the subject of Dog Beach in Ocean Beach, once I was there with Daisy when there were literally over a hundred other dogs. There were two other BCs. All three BCs were acting the same. Each one totally focused on its owner, "Throw the darn frisbee! I'll do my best to dodge all the rest of these creatures and retrieve it as usual!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 River's favorite thing to do at the dog park now is to run up to every human she sees and scope them out for a ball or chuckit in their hand. No ball? NEXT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LJS1993 Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Yep, BC's are different. On the subject of Dog Beach in Ocean Beach, once I was there with Daisy when there were literally over a hundred other dogs. There were two other BCs. All three BCs were acting the same. Each one totally focused on its owner, "Throw the darn frisbee! I'll do my best to dodge all the rest of these creatures and retrieve it as usual!" Yes it was cool because Freckles seemed more interested in what my fiance and myself were doing more than the other dogs. I can tell she had some fun runny after Chubby the Chow, however, not the type of fun other dogs might have. It's early but I have a feeling she won't be the "prance around and roll" with other dogs type. Of course it is early, so who knows. It would be fun to see her at least get comfortable with several dogs at the park. Also, I was thinking last night that the group of dogs we came across are regulars so they almost have formed a little pack so it was kind of their turf so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WoobiesMom Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Yay! You will see her confidence grow by leaps and bounds with regular visits. Dogs can learn so much from each other (with the right supervision) like how to be polite, how to respect space when a dog doesn't want to be fussed with, how to pee in the water bowl, how to mark everything in sight...... They can be great fun with the right mix of owners and dogs. Sometimes you have to find the right time of day also. Our park can get a bit dicey on crowded weekend afternoons, and we've identified certain dogs that we leave when they show up because their owners are idiots or don't have control. But overall, I can't say enough good things about them. They've helped Woobie tremendously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsy84 Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 That's awesome that things went so well! Sounds like all of you (including Freckles) had a great time River's favorite thing to do at the dog park now is to run up to every human she sees and scope them out for a ball or chuckit in their hand. No ball? NEXT! Gypsy does the same... But for treats instead There was one time at the dog park that she took off after a little girl holding a box of crackers and was following her around lovingly like she was her long-lost owner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LJS1993 Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Yay! You will see her confidence grow by leaps and bounds with regular visits. Dogs can learn so much from each other (with the right supervision) like how to be polite, how to respect space when a dog doesn't want to be fussed with, how to pee in the water bowl, how to mark everything in sight...... They can be great fun with the right mix of owners and dogs. Sometimes you have to find the right time of day also. Our park can get a bit dicey on crowded weekend afternoons, and we've identified certain dogs that we leave when they show up because their owners are idiots or don't have control. But overall, I can't say enough good things about them. They've helped Woobie tremendously. Yes the elderly ladies who were there had good intentions, however they really didn't understand my situation let alone my dog. It kind of annoyed me because they were acting kind of pushy which is something I cannot stand from people I do not know well. But, I was polite and thankful they welcomed us to the park instead of possibly giving us a cold shoulder. The cool thing about this park is it has a gate code and one hundred dollar membership fee. Therefore people at this park are usually pretty concerned dog owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WoobiesMom Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 We have a few of those doggie know it all owners at our park too. I'm sure you won't have any problems letting them know what's right for your dog. People are kind of touchy about the herding thing though. And some dogs don't react very well, either. Some tussles have resulted with some of the Aussies that do it. The huskies especially don't like it. There are certain dogs that take down Woobie while they're running by grabbing his fluffy tail. I really don't like that but luckily Woobs doesn't like it either so he'll jump up on the bench for a while until the dog loses interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LJS1993 Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 We have a few of those doggie know it all owners at our park too. I'm sure you won't have any problems letting them know what's right for your dog. People are kind of touchy about the herding thing though. And some dogs don't react very well, either. Some tussles have resulted with some of the Aussies that do it. The huskies especially don't like it. There are certain dogs that take down Woobie while they're running by grabbing his fluffy tail. I really don't like that but luckily Woobs doesn't like it either so he'll jump up on the bench for a while until the dog loses interest. Yes I can understand their ambivalence. We'll just have to make sure Freckles has better manners around other dogs. On the same token I'm glad she didn't put up with the crap the Airedale was trying to give her. Although it would have been better if she just ignored her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WoobiesMom Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 Yes, Airedales can be that way, especially the females. It is an interesting study in breed habits to watch the way the purebreeds (or identifiable mixes) exhibit their instincts and how those interact with one another. They are all dogs but there are so many different drives and habits, it's really interesting for me to see them come out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruger's Dad Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 Ruger makes plenty of people friends at the dog park. After I have played with him for a while, he will start taking Frisbees to all sorts of people. He drops the Frisbee at their feet and runs off to wait for the throw. Some people can get it out to him and others can't. He still has a blast. I almost always get compliments on how smart he is. He is smart thats for sure but its the drive in him that makes him want to play as hard as he does. BCs rock but I still love our Springer. Friday he hit a bolt on our neighbors gate when he was chasing this GSD next door. He has about a five inch long scar now. This stinks. I have to be careful with him until he heals up and Ruger is going stir crazy. I think I miss the Frisbee sessions more than him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Freckles LaLa Mom Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Great night at the park. She played bitey-face with SIX dogs and didnt try to eat one of them!! I'm so proud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WoobiesMom Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Pictures!!! Pictures!!! Where are the Pictures??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Freckles LaLa Mom Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 I took the camera....dam batteries died at the first bitey. I was so bummed!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Freckles LaLa Mom Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 I will say though, my god Freckles has some teeth on her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LJS1993 Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Pictures!!! Pictures!!! Where are the Pictures??? No pictures unfortunately. SOMEBODY didn't have good batteries in their camera. Overall she did pretty good though. In fact, it turns out that Airedale is a male and is now Freckles main playmate. Sean didn't show up with Chubby so she got to know Piper (Airedale) real well. I think she really feels like she belongs with the group now except for this one female mutt which came later in the day. It was really cool because I learned alot about Freckles yesterday. One, she doesn't put up with much crap from other dogs. As evidenced by her interactions with Airedale Piper. At first he wanted to play with her, however with him in the dominant role. Freckles would have no part of that crap whatsoever. So finally he basically gave in and let her play the dominant role during their play interaction which went really well. Two, she likes bigger female dogs, as evidenced by her calm interaction with some huge, furry, female mutt. It seems so far that the female dogs similar to her size and personality just won't cut it with her. When interacting with such dogs she get's very hesitant and basically kind of mean. I don't like this fact, so we will see if that changes throughout her interactions with the old ladies pack of mutts. As for human interactions I can say the old ladies, though kind of pushy, are okay with me. I think we have an understanding now that is going to work just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Freckles LaLa Mom Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 She is OK with other dogs now! Lets hope it lasts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LJS1993 Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 Pictures!!! Pictures!!! Where are the Pictures??? Here are some pics from the dog park last night. She loves that Airedale alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 She's obviously have a blast! Way to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo Peep Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 It sounds like she had a good time. I'm surprised that you had to pay membership. We don't have to here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 It sounds like she had a good time. I'm surprised that you had to pay membership. We don't have to here. Wow! You don't have to pay for membership?? There are about 4-5 dog parks in and around the closest big city to us and I think you have to pay about $35/yr to the county. We don't take our boys. The one and only time we ever took JJ, he was traumatized. There were a number of dogs there and we tried to make our way to a corner where no one was there. The other dogs followed-getting in his face, humping him, some were growling at him. They were literally all over him. The owners??? All grouped together talking. The only time they acknowledged their dogs is when they started fighting. Needless to say, we didn't stay long. We should have listened to JJ. It was the first & only time he didn't want to get out of the vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bindi Mom Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 Freckles looks so happy! That's what I want to see from Bindi. Hopefully it will be a good experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo Peep Posted July 19, 2007 Report Share Posted July 19, 2007 Nope- no membership. However, no grass. Just bark dust. BUT.....that's Idaho for you. So far, the most people show up early or about 8:30 or 9:00 PM- when it cools off to under 100- Most people stay about 15 minutes to 1/2 hour. Heck, it's HOT out there. It's odd that Usher doesn't even care about the other dogs. Maybe it's the tennis balls that are there, because at the doggy bar, with no tennis balls, he loves to romp & play. Don't let one bad experience let you down. I'm just lucky I have a dog that loves everyone. Not so with the others. Maybe you should ease on to the dog park- you paid your dues as much as the yucky dogs. Be like the dog trainer, put on your boots and get out that whip!! LOL. Owners are the worst- it's like taking your kid to the park and not paying attention. I had supervised visitation with my Grandson's mother- UGH- I'm the supervisor, well, we took him to the park, he was playing with a kid and the kid came back crying- she didn't do a darn thing--------I went up to the parents and asked if my grandson did something. They said No, actually, he had a bad experience with bullies here and my grandson was quite nice to him, it was the other kids. So, dogs are alot like kids. Parents and dog owners have to step up to the plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.