# Not MY Poodle.....whoops!



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Oh you had me worried - I did not know where you were going - I thought you were going to say that she snapped at YOU when you reached for the ball! Resource guarding with other dogs is perfectly normal, and I don't think can be trained away.
She told the other dog to back away from her ball, and they did just that, a perfectly normal interaction. That happens all day long at my house. Now if she went straight for jumping on and attacking the dog, then I would say that you have a problem...


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

No. one rule!!! NO! balls in the dog park. biological or orange. Too many fights.
Eric


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## Poodlerunner (Jul 4, 2014)

Dulce is one smart poodle. I wonder if she will put together her behavior with "game over?" 

Is her orange ball a "Chuck It?" 

pr


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

ericwd9 said:


> No. one rule!!! NO! balls in the dog park. biological or orange. Too many fights.
> Eric


Ya... that's our rule too. Not that it doesn't get broken, but the 'offending' dog would be expected to leave the park. 'Cos tho this may be a one-off, let's not push our luck.



nifty said:


> Naturally, I snapped on her leash instantly, bagged the ball and walked her straight out of the park and home. "Game over" I said (that is what I say when every playtime is over, but in this case, it was sudden and she knew it, I think).


All us owners know that ****e happens, but your leaving would be seen as the perfect action under the circumstances... with you and your dog more than welcome back at another time.


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## Critterluvr (Jul 28, 2014)

I would not call that resource guarding, just totally normal behaviour.
Your dog is just saying "back off, this is my ball"..... nothing wrong with that.

I agree with the others, don't bring balls to the dog park, keep them for your own yard.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

No that isn't resource guarding. It was an appropriate message to the other dog to leave it alone. 

I know you don't have a yard since you live in Chicago now, but I wouldn't play ball at a dog park either. Is there a park you can go to where you can play ball off by yourselves?


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Thanks everyone! I really did think that was a kind of resource guarding. Good to know. 

Yes, I totally get it about not bringing balls into the dog park and in fact I don't do it as a rule, unless DUlcie and I are the only ones in there (which happens in the late morning sometimes). Instead, we play fetch on a grassy stretch adjacent to the park next to a building and the river. We have had no issues there. 

Yesterday, I did what I usually do - bagged the ball after fetch in the nearby grassy area and went into the park for water for Dulcie. She actually hasn't been in the dog park to play for a couple of weeks because she had started that running off business again. Anyway, yesterday I decided to let her have some social time with the other dogs because the numbers were few. She kind of hung out by me and two other owners were throwing balls for their dogs. Finally, I thought what the heck, looks like today's a ball day. So I took out her ball. Won't make that mistake again though.

Yes, PoodleRunner, it is a chuck it ball - not the tennis kind, the smooth rubber kind. That ball is the most popular ball everywhere we go. Dogs seem to love it. 

I'd like to add that for the most part, during our short little ball session inside the park, Dulcie only ran with the other dogs to get her ball and once or twice another dog got there first and she did her usual trot after him and waited for him to get bored and drop it. That was always her usual reaction, which made me think she was very chill even about the ball. However, this time, it was the little cocker (with whom Dulcie had played nicely up to that moment) who grabbed the ball when the other dog finally dropped it and I guess the frustration of that was just too much for Dulcie.

Yes, we were out of there instantly and calmly - with a quick apology to the cocker's owner (who was quite unperturbed).


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Our dog park is a little off the grid (I've met people in the neighborhood who don't know it's there, and it doesn't show up on dog-friendly sites or anything), so it's mostly packed with regulars who know each other. We use balls in the park all the time, mostly because we know each other, the dogs know each other, and they all know they're fine with sharing. It helps that all the balls are "park balls" - since it's mostly dirt instead of grass, people just bring generic tennis balls and leave them there, rather than bringing nice toys from home. So the dogs are less likely to feel like it's "their" toy. The other park, more well-known park we sometimes visit has a similar setup with a few generic park toys, at least in the small dog section. 

I understand there's still a risk but it's fairly easy to manage as long as all the owners are alert and aware of their dogs. I've only seen barking or growling happen a few times, and in that case the ball-thief backs off and the owners either put all the toys away, keep the dogs apart, or leave.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Grace played "fetch the ball" with a collie she grew up with. The collie now rarely gets to the ball before Grace and I often throw it to the collie. She will run around with it and dodge grace for a while then bring it and place it in front of Grace. Like "here is your ball grace now lets play some more". Grace is gracious and will let another dog have the ball but she will follow it until she gets it back. I guess its another part of socialization. Some dogs are totally hung up on their ball. In those cases I suggest all balls be the "property" of the the handler. Take out the ball play with it. Demand it back and place it in its place. The ball does not belong to the dog. Grace has a super size Kong throw ball. It lives in the glove box in the car. After playing she will drop it next to the passenger door so that it can be returned to its home.
Eric


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

I am lucky this is a non-issue with Timi, she only plays with balls and toys at home. She goes to the park to play with DOGS!


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Sometimes Archie does both - he likes to grab a ball, show it to another dog, then run away and see if he can get them to chase him for it. He's got a couple dog friends who play the same way, just exchanging who's "it." Kind of a keep-away/tag combo. 

Of course the problem is sometimes he tries to get humans to play the same game instead of regular fetch, so after he catches the ball he'll take it back to you, set it at your feet, then quickly grab it and run off before you can pick it up. And if you don't follow he'll stop and look over his shoulder like, "Well? Are you coming?"


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