Hi, all, another question re: the dog.
She is VERY high energy and so we took her to a "dog park" today...which basically means a fenced area at a local park that dogs are allowed off their leashes. I have no experience with this type of place but was very uncomfortable with the way the dogs behaved.
She tried to play with some of the other dogs but about six of them surrounded her and were nipping at her. I went over to get her and the other dogs immediately backed off. After that she stayed at the far end of the fenced area and didn't venture close again. Then as other dogs came into this area the pack would surround the new dog and nip, etc. until the dog was lying on the ground.
I then took her to a different fenced area that only had 2 dogs in it. There was a chow mix that was "playing?" with her but my dog, Cocoa, had her teeth bared and was not attacking but lunging when he came close. She came and stood close to me and I could tell she was looking for protection. So we left.
She really enjoys playing with other dogs in my neighborhood so I don't think that she's unsocial with other dogs...she actively seeks "friends" here.
I was talking with the chow's owner and he was saying "oh, just playing, this is good for her, the more you bring her here the more she'll learn". Yet, I could tell she was uncomfortable with the aggressiveness and, seeing this, I was uncomfortable.
All of these other dog owners apparently felt that this was appropriate behavior and were completely unfazed by it.
Any insights anyone can offer would be appreciated.
