Today a puppy earned Winston's support at the dog park by being friendly and respectful (and cute). A bunch of dogs were meeting each other and hanging out and a young Doberman Pincher came out of nowhere and started playing with the puppy (a Labrador/Husky mix). Within a couple seconds it got rough and Winston and I noticed something was wrong. Both of us started watching them carefully. Winston looked like he was trying to figure out what to do to help the puppy. The Doberman ended up knocking the puppy around and then he grabbed him by the neck and the puppy squealed. I loudly said "HEY", and he stopped. Then the Dobie immediately turned around and went back after the puppy. Winston hovered over his head and then barked at him and he ran off. I think Winston showed quite a bit of compassion.
Then the owner of the Doberman left immediately.
The lesson here is dog parks can be risky, especially for vulnerable dogs, such as puppies and little dogs. If nobody was around when this happened I believe something could have gone very wrong.
I observe dog behavior at dog parks and make videos of them having fun and goofing around and sorting out their hierarchy.
On the same token, I don't want to leave people with the impression that dog parks are all fun and games. Bad things DO happen.
My advise is to beginners is to careful, observant, engaged, and try to stay close to your dog.
For the most part, older and bigger dogs understand it is wrong to hurt small vulnerable dogs and puppies -- but you never know.
I recommend dog owners read the following article by the Humane Society of the United States, called "Dog Parks and Their Benefits" linked here:www.humanesociety.org/assets/p...
This video exists in order to educate people about dog behavior at dog parks.