Playing too rough / hurting little dogs

[qbear]

Hi all! Haven't posted here in a while because I guess everything has been going well, up until now... I could really use your advice on something Hammie seems to do that makes me REALLLY nervous. We take him to the dog park everyday and he's totally fine with the other dogs, but a few weeks ago a puppy was in the park, he sniffed it, the puppy was afraid of him and tried to get away and Hammie chased and nipped at it while it yelped. And again yesterday, there was a tiny dog, like literally the size of both of my fists (it should NOT have been on the big dog side of the dog park but anyway...) that Hammie sniffed and I'm not sure what happened exactly but Hammie ending up chasing and nipping at it while it yelped. Can't remember if Hampton was snarling or not. The tiny dog was shaken up but unscathed.

I'm not sure what would cause Hammie to do this... dominance maybe? Aggression? I think it's important to say that he isn't like this around ALL little dogs, apparently just those two. I'm just afraid it'll become the norm. Also, he's about 40lbs now and bigger than both dogs. Any thoughts?

[Ingrid]

Yeah, he sounds dominant. Many dogs aren't good candidates for dog parks. Doesn't mean they're bad, they just don't always play well with others. I can't take mine to a dog park because he hates males and has been in one too many fights for me to feel okay about taking him back there ever. He gets along with my other dog and females. I keep him on leash and take long walks with him around the neighborhood and he is quite happy with that. They don't absolutely NEED to go to dog parks. Just make sure he is well socialized with kids and people. That's more important than getting along with other dogs.

Also, take him to obedience school. It teaches them to listen and respect you. They enjoy the mental stimulation and the treats they get when they're learning the exercises.

[applebear]

Sounds like these particular dogs triggered his response. Anything small that is running off yipping and making a commotion is going to get attention and possibly chased. I tend to wonder if it was prey drive kicked into gear, more so than dominance. You said he gets along with smaller dogs in general and these were isolated cases...makes me think it had more to do with what they were doing than him trying to dominate them.

Regardless of reason, there are two things here. One] Small dogs should never be over in the large dog area. This has happened before and when something bad happens, off the owners go to court only to be told they were morons for taking their little dog into a area clearly marked for large dogs only. Two] Train your dog, especially recall. I personally would be taking control of my dog the moment I saw someone come in with a small dog...maybe even leave [though I'm not real positive I would even go to a dog park if honest...I'm not a real big fan of them].

Knowing your dog helps, but you can never be 100% sure what they are capable of. It's better to be safe than sorry sort of thing.