Meanies are meanies, mrsjoe, and you are apparently the human kind.
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Mikki - I had a rottie too and he was just a big baby. Miss him.

Am I the only one who has heard that you are not supposed to bring a dog's toy(s) to an off-leash park? I heard that dogs can become possesive and it can cause avoidable dog fights. I was at the park today and a lot of people had frisbees and balls for thier dogs. There were no problems that I saw. I was just wondering if anyone else had heard this. Is it listed on the sign that states the rules at the park???

My bad that was a bad link --Here you go:
http://miltondogpark.blogspot.com/

Ok I know I am stepping into it here, but I will anyways. 1) At paw print park if you have a small dog you can use a special area that is fenced off just for the small dogs. That way the big dogs won't bother you. 2) At the park it is best to have the dogs off leash once you are in the gate...that is what it is there for, so your dog can run free with others. Having a leashed dog only causes problems, any dog trainer will tell you that at a off leash park to not keep your dog on leash !! 3) rough housing/ play does happen. sometimes it may seem like it is a fight, but USUALLY it is not. Step back a bit and let the kids have some fun. when and IF it becomes necessary step in. 4) yes there are a few dog owners who ruin it for the rest, but try to get tag number/name and report them, if you simply just leave and don't say anything you are part of the problem. The dog park is like any park for kids, let them run and have fun. If all you do is keep them on leash, why even come? There are miles of sidewalk you can use to give them a walk/ exercise... a dog park is for off leash use and running, playing and socializing with other dogs.
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We had been regular users of the dog park and loved it. Our dog has made many friends. We have seen it all at the park, and for the most part it has all been good. So that is JMO... ok now let the bashing begin....

Rotts aren't necessarily bad. I used to be afraid of them when I was younger, but a friend had one that was just a big baby.
You can't judge a book by its cover.

For those that have not heard about the dog park in Milton: Miltondogpark@blogspot.com

I also have a Min Pin that is 13#'s who would take the lead in most situations. She would greet another dog in the same way as a large dog would. Just because a dog comes charging at you does not mean it intends to bite. If your dog is too fragile to play with other dogs, then I agree with the suggestion of taking your dog to a smaller dog park when it is empty. A city can not accommodate every situation.

I took my five month old puppy to the park several times to help with socialization. He is a large breed dog but very friendly. I have encountered aggressive dogs there on a couple occasions. One time a "outdoor" dog approached me aggressively then after one time around the park he attacked my puppy and pinned him down on the ground biting his neck. The aggressive dog's owner finally pried his dog off of mine and he and his family said nothing and walked away. I will definitely try the park in Milton!

dalegribble said: "Keep your rag tag menace of a half bred shelter dog on his leash"
So...according to you, the only dogs that are a "menace" are the one's rescued from a shelter? You've never heard of a purebred dog attacking? Where do you get your dogs? Petland... King of Puppy Mill "purebred". Go back to the rock you came out from under with your dog.
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Oh, and "yada" maybe your little dog should be in the small dog area. That way the big meanies won't get her. Wah.

MESPL - I appreciate your thoughts on dogs, but as the saying goes - this is not my first rodeo in life - I have waited in the past as a large dog charged at my previous dogs thinking just like your comments indicated - That is a fine approach. BUT I now have my first small dog that weighs about ten pounds and I will not wait as a 90 pound plus MALE dog comes charging at both of us showing his teeth(my dog is a female)I will continue to pick my dog up and NOT wait to see if it will be attacked or not - To me this is common sense, but I do respect your opinion.

Paw Print is a nice park. Regardless of the park, there are always owners who don't seem to have control of their dogs and or seem to enjoy having an aggressive dog. It's the same way at the park at Palmer. These are, in most cases, the twenty something types that have a pit bull as their fist dog with no previous dog training experience. That said, it's been my experience that these are rarities and not the rule. Generally, if a meat head dog owner shows up and causes problems, I just leave. Most of the time the aggressive behavior, as already mentioned, is typical dog dominance pack order stuff that dissipates the longer they play together and figure out where they fit in the pack. Most the people I know go to the park the same days/times. As a result, problem child dogs can often be avoided.

I dont know if anyone knows about the dog park in Milton, but there is no charge to take your dog/dogs there. Its beautiful, it has a lake, and trees, and bark is on the trails. Its called Tails and Trails. Actually there are two parks together. There is a black top walk way to the other park. It also has a bridge. Its located behind the Milton Propane. Its on Vincent, follow the road to stop sign, then turn right and go down to the end of the road.

mespl- "...my dogs are genital"? Thanks for the laugh! roflmao!

Yada: I do have to say that I am not completely sure that I agree with your approach to that situation from what you said. From what you said it seams from an outside observers point of view that the dog was coming in to attack your dog, you got in between the two and held and covered your small dog while the bigger dog continued to growl and try to bite your dog (who is now being covered by you). Now first off I would like to say that I never stated for a fact that I knew if these dogs were being violent or not, I simply asked the question. I asked it because I have big dogs and I know people who will not let their little dogs around my big dogs, my dogs are genital rarely bark and have only growled a handful of times and they were corrected and have learned. I simply asked because I know people who have little dogs that are genuinely fearful of big dogs and that can impair their judgment of a situation. It was not meant as a personal attack on you, you were not the only one to mention that type of situation. I would like to put out my approach in that type of situation. I have had to face up to a Rottweiler who is violent in my neighborhood a time or two and the first thing to remember with dogs is that they are pack animals, I need to quickly convince the other dog that I am top dog, that I am not submissive to it. To hold and cover your dog makes you look smaller in size than you looked as the aggressive dog approached, when you get smaller the dog thinks that you are submitting to it. When I deal with these situations my arms go out to the sides, I try to look as large as possible and then get loud, I make sure that I am louder than the aggressive dog, I also approach the aggressive dog and chase it off, I do not run after it I calmly walk and I make sure that I stay prepared to kick the dog if it tries to bite me. I make sure that that dog knows that if it wants to get at my dog that it needs to get through me and I do not make that look like something that the dog wants to try. I am not saying that others should take this approach, however I will not tolerate a dog being aggressive toward me or my family. I agree that there are some incompetent dog owners out there who have no control over their animals, however I have encountered times where people I know have thought that my dogs would hurt theirs simply because they were bigger and that altered how they perceived playing that why I asked the question.

To MESPL - The larger dog that knocked me down did not want to play. My dog will play with the neighbor dog and I can easily recognize play vs. an attacking dog. This large dog knocked me over and continued to growl and try to bite at my small dog as I held and covered it. The owner of the big dog said something like well you know how male dogs get. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the intentions of a dog that is trying to attack and bite another dog.

Any way to use this park if you're not a Janesville resident? I'm in Monroe and would love to take my dog to something like this. I don't think there are any off-leash parks here in Green County.

I am wondering from some of these posts if these larger dogs were actually going to attack or were they trying to play with your dogs. A dog park is for dogs to interact not simply play in their own corners with their own toys. There are other parts of the city that can be used if you want your dog off leash and want to work on training; a dog park is designed for interaction between dogs. Try to not bite my head off I am just throwing the thought out there that these dogs might have wanted to play and it was perceived as a danger because of their size. That being said I know that they could have been violent and I was not there to witness what happened I am simply asking.

You just have to know what you are getting into when you go there. It is not controlled or policed at all. There are plenty of times that there is no one there, so just go when the park is empty.

EMo - Wondering what van you are talking about?? Also - A warning if you have not been to the park - I was knocked down by a large dog that was running loose that was going to attack my dog. I won't be back because of this and not knowing if some of the dogs are dangerous or not. Wondering about the liabilty issue if this is a city of Janesville park in case someone is injured by a dog.

If you're having problems with a specific owner and dog do three things; spray the dog with Halt, call the police, and report them to the city. I'm guessing the cait has the power to ban someone from the park because of aggressive dogs?

anybody know who's in the van

I frequently ride past on my bike and there always seems to be someone there (at least in biking season). Makes me want to have a dog again. I don't think it's something my cat would enjoy.

dcsnick, there are some that don't have any control, er, the dogs control the owners. Did you ever report it to the city's Leisure Services, or whoever it is?

I know that my dog loves it there. When I say "doggie park" she goes crazy. Especially when I have her doggie park toys.

I have not been there in 3 years and will not go again. Some people who run their dogs need to learn how to control them. Had the same dog in back to back days run the full feild towards my dog, tackle and bite her, and then take off. My dog didn't provoke her's. After saying something to the owner she said if I didn't like it than leave. So I have. I now run my hunting dogs on public hunting feilds.

Janesville is really lucky to have this great facility. Congratulations, Lori! I am currently working to get funding to create one in our neck of the woods.