Denise, just after I replied to your post last night I ended up watching an episode of the dog whisperer (Cesar Melan). Similar circumstance. He says that dog parks are not a good place to take a dog if it is not in a calm submissive mind. Which we all agree your dog is not. He says that dog parks are a bad place because all the dogs there are in an excited frame of mind, which can cause problems. It only takes one dog that is not in the right frame of mind to cause an absolute riot. One dog attacking will cause a ripple effect that won't be easy to stop. I want a dog that is social with other dogs. It is no fun taking a dog camping when there are other dogs around and you always have to worry about a fight. My border collie does not get along with my girlfriends lab/dane female. Still, when we went camping every time I caught them looking at each other I corrected with my voice and stepped into, and backed off the antagonizer. Sometimes, it was mine, other times it was hers. They didn't like each other that's for sure but I made it clear that as a pack leader I wasn't going to tolerate a fight. Growling recieved an immediate correction also. Another thing someone told me was, many, many dog owners are not diligent with keeping their dogs healthy. Taking your dog to dog parks exposes them to many dog related diseases that they might otherwise not be exposed to. Same with taking them to Petsmart/Petco. I know it kind of takes the fun outa having a dog but you have to pick your battles. One of the trainers at petsmart about ripped my head off when I took one of my pups there for the first time. I learned a hard lesson but one I have adhered to ever since! He was also the trainer that taught my lab not to be aggressive towards puppies. I told him my dog was growling at two little puppies that were being nothing but friendly (we were there for trainng btw) and he said oh really? Took my dog by the leash walked him up to the puppies and proceeded to correct him (harshly)I about had a heart attack. I can't say that I approved at the time but I have to say he has never been aggressive towards another dog since then. Go figure. You might want to get some friends together that have dogs, explain the situation, have a doggy play day. In spite of leash aggression, I personally would not attempt meeting any other dogs without one on. I would however, correct harshly the dog at the slightest sign of excitement. Cesar always says correct at a level one, don't wait for a level 8 or nine. Watch the ears, the tail going up into a dominant stance and correct, immediately! Let him know you are not going to tolerate this kind of behavior. And whatever you do, don't say "Kobi, it's okay, it's okay, Kobi" That is rewarding the dog for bad behavior. He should get nothing but a stern, NO!! Don't even say his name. Granted this is all my opinion and what I have learned from watching Cesar a million times. Once Kobi has learned to ignore other dogs/puppies and not get excited...then and only then would I attempt off leash. We recently had a brand new puppy of a friend get mauled to death by an older dog. It was awful. Just realize you may be forced to correct several times before you see a difference. He has to be calm submissive, not because he wants to, but because you said so! Just my two cents.

Again, thanks Wendy. I appreciate your advice. When I would try "correction", I now see that I was waiting too long. Makes sense!

PS I take no offense. If I thought for a moment I knew it all or knew better, I wouldn't be here. Just don't say my mother 'wears army boots' - them's fight'n words! LOL

Yes, somewhere on here in one of the articles it says one perfectly timed correction is better than 100 nagging ones...or something like that (sorry if i mis-quoted)
get the timing down, watch for the signs and re-start the NILF.

I know that sometimes things can come across wrong on the internet, so i usually put a disclaimer in my posts just in case someone takes it the wrong way.

Hi Denise. I know your hearing alot of negative things about dog parks. The truth is, if you're going to take your dog somewhere where he can run around and release some energy, take him to a place where you don't have to worry about these problems. I take my GSD and lab pup to a local park, not a dog park, where there are baseball diamonds. I bring them into the ball diamond and let them off the leash and throw the ball and let them release their energy. This way, when someone walks by with their dogs(on or off leash) I know that my dogs will be safe and the other dog will be safe also. My dogs have a 20ft long lead on them at all times in the ball diamond, just so if they disobey or get out of hand, I can simply walk up to the leash and get control of them. One thing I can say is, if you have no other place to take your dog besides the dog park, buy a long lead and keep it on him when you go there, don't let him run loose, hold onto the lead. And don't forget to remind him who the pack leader is-YOU. Good luck!

Robin, great post and thanks for the information. I have obviously been reactive in this situation. Waiting to see what was going to happen and trying to figure out on the spot how to react. I know now, to have a plan going in and execute it! Thanks again as I now feel much more confident in exerting my leadership with Kobi.

Keleah, thanks for your reply! Although I am not opposed to dog parks, I really don't use them that much. I am so lucky to have a wonderful ravine setting 2 minutes from the house where I take Kobi most days. It is wooded with a river and quite isolated. I am able to let Kobi run off leash there. He loves to chase all the squirrels. We quite often see deer - which Kobi has no idea what to do with. We have also seen a large turtle laying her eggs, beaver and salmon in the river. Hard to believe in the middle of a large city! LOL