November Kepala Meet!

[Lindainfa]

Had a fun day everyone and so glad the weather held up nicely. I actually put suncream on this morning, just in case, thank god for that!

i'm sure everyones babies are sleeping soundly as they are in this household.

[caninefriend]

Hi Groupfive

I'm sure it was probably Dexter, I know he can get a bit full on. I do try to keep an eye on him for the most part. I would never be offended if you said anything - given there is so much going on it is hard to keep an eye on him all of the time and I'm sure I miss things, so would be fine if you called out to me to let me know.

Again apologies if it was Dexter.

CF.

Had a great day, however I think some owners need to take a little more responsibilty for their dogs. I had to carry my dog in my arms out of one of the activity areas today because a couple of dogs were being very dominant standing over him and growling at him.

In a pack as large as the one we run at Kepala, fights can easily break out and I was dissapointed and suprised that the owners of these dogs did nothing to control their dogs offlead in this situation which could have easily broken out into a pack fight if I hadn't of removed my dog from the area.

Other than that, a great day all round as usual.

[MavericksMission]

Apologies Groupfive if it was Maverick ∨ Hector.

Hector can get very over the top when playing as he is still a pup, he sometimes oversteps of the boundaries as he just wants to play.

I try and watch them every single minute they are there.

So very, very sorry if it was one of them.

Edited November 14, 2010 by MavericksMission

[kirst_goldens]

thanks for the day out guys was a fun one soo glad Pointees decided to come and play with her girls and baby Shaun! Kelly and john had a ball as well and Luna carked it in the car bahahah.. off to see the photos thread...

Glad to see everyone took Grp 5's Comments well, sometimes people take things to heart and get upset, and in response i know Luna can be over the top and dominate sometimes so i will watch her for ya grp 5... bahahahha jokes!

[Lindainfa]

omg Luna is a sweetheart and John - what a real polite little man, he was gorgeous!

[Pointees]

omg Luna is a sweetheart and John - what a real polite little man, he was gorgeous!

Nicely said Lindaifa, I completely agree with what you said and John and his gorgeous Luna!

[spitzbaby]

are we still on for the beach outting?

[kirst_goldens]

he really is i always say to his parents what is it u did that all other parents seem to miss?? bahahaha

Im in for the beach!! let me know when and where and ill attempt to get it off work and ill try to bring both pups as they LOVE the beach hehehe

[spitzbaby]

I think someone mention Brighton beach ? I've never been there but I don't mind going and see if Kairu likes it..

What about the last saturday of the month? 27th?

[Sankari]

Charlotte is such a lady she mostly stays out of everyones way, but she does sometimes go OTT with barking for the ball or in the pool area. I do watch her, and if i notice anything grab her immediately. Glad everyone had a good day like we did. Charlotte and I had a nap when we got home which was pretty stupid because now i'm still up at 1:55am and I am not anywhere near tired to go to bed

[Sankari]

I think someone mention Brighton beach ? I've never been there but I don't mind going and see if Kairu likes it..

What about the last saturday of the month? 27th?

Sounds good.

[xKALIx]

I am totally up for beach funz.

[Rottisliebe]

Well the Rotten ones and I had a great day today Flint crashed in his crate as soon as I put him in the van but his 10 minute power nap on the way home must have recharged his batteries; he was ready to play again as soon as he got in the door Bliss was exhausted and wouldn't get out of her crate but once she got inside she got up onto the couch and went to sleep Fire hid behind the couch and didn't come out until it was dinner time I expect to find them exactly where I left them when I get home from work this morning

[pip1981]

groupfive- Just wanted to say I'm sorry you and Flash had a negative experience yesterday. I know none of the Kepala-ites would wish that upon you guys, by any of their dogs, including myself. This has actually brought me to realise that I've probably become a little complacent at Kepala, most likely due to the fact that we've never had any major dramas. However it is true that especially with an extra-large gathering, we need to be ever-vigilant, to be able to nip incidents in the bud before they develop into something mentionable.I do hope you won't let this unfortunate experience put you off coming back, and that you might be so kind as to give the owner and dogs in question a second chance. We would love to have you back with Flashy!

For everyone- I was going to say, in future, if ever you're concerned about another dog's behaviour, and the owner is not watching or not responding, to call out, BUT, I can see how that is difficult when we aren't all familiar with each other's names, and the dog's names. Maybe it's a silly idea, but perhaps we need an emergency word we can use when we're concerned about a situation, maybe as simple as HELP.

Also, people may also have differing ideas as to what is acceptable behaviour, and some may not be as aware of warning signs, dominant behaviour, etc. (myself included, definitely no expert), so even if the relevant owners are watching they may not realise their dog/dogs are doing anything potentially dangerous. So, as uncomfortable as it may be with strangers, if we're not happy with something, we need to speak up and make the other owner/s take action.

[misha&milo]

groupfive- Just wanted to say I'm sorry you and Flash had a negative experience yesterday. I know none of the Kepala-ites would wish that upon you guys, by any of their dogs, including myself. This has actually brought me to realise that I've probably become a little complacent at Kepala, most likely due to the fact that we've never had any major dramas. However it is true that especially with an extra-large gathering, we need to be ever-vigilant, to be able to nip incidents in the bud before they develop into something mentionable.I do hope you won't let this unfortunate experience put you off coming back, and that you might be so kind as to give the owner and dogs in question a second chance. We would love to have you back with Flashy!

For everyone- I was going to say, in future, if ever you're concerned about another dog's behaviour, and the owner is not watching or not responding, to call out, BUT, I can see how that is difficult when we aren't all familiar with each other's names, and the dog's names. Maybe it's a silly idea, but perhaps we need an emergency word we can use when we're concerned about a situation, maybe as simple as HELP.

Also, people may also have differing ideas as to what is acceptable behaviour, and some may not be as aware of warning signs, dominant behaviour, etc. (myself included, definitely no expert), so even if the relevant owners are watching they may not realise their dog/dogs are doing anything potentially dangerous. So, as uncomfortable as it may be with strangers, if we're not happy with something, we need to speak up and make the other owner/s take action.

Well said Pip

[spitzbaby]

How should we do the beach outting? is there a specific entrance or can we enter from anywhere? any ideas where we should meet? :D

[Lemonlime]

I find it very interesting that over the last few days I have had a couple of private emails from other people who have also had bad experiences with these dogs at Kepala.

I think some owners need to realise that their dogs are not "rough playing" but being dominant and sometimes aggressive towards other dogs at Kepala.

I always keep my dog on a lead in the big group that is run but still find myself having to move to another run because people arent keeping an eye on their own dogs.

My dog has been going to Kepala since he was 8 weeks old, he is now 7 months old and has had problems with one dog in particular from our very first visit. This dogs owner is turning a blind eye to her dogs behaviour. If me and other people can see that this dog has issues running in a pack, then the owner must to!

I wont be returning to the DOL Kepala meet again.

[lappiemum]

Groupfive - have Pmed you.

For all the Kepala regulars, its important that if there are issues that need to be addressed that its done so openly and in a friendly manner. We know that our dogs all have different temperaments and energy levels, and its really a testament to the good ownership practices of DOLer that we can have maltese running with rotties.

However, sometimes (for various reasons) our dogs can be a little too full on, so its important that the following ground rules are remembered:

1. We are going to have fun and let the dogs have fun (this is a big one!)

2. If your dog is not so good with others, it is ok because there are other runs you can use

3. We want ALL the dogs to have fun, so no humping, fighting etc allowed. And as above there are other runs we can use.

What this means is that we all just need to keep an eye on our pooches. Now, if you have a few (like me) then sometimes you may miss what one of your little angels is up to - so we ask that everyone keeps an eye out and if one dog (or more) are getting a little too excited or boisterous, then let the owner know - or one of the Kepala regulars - and we can do something about it. Please don't ignore it, or get angry with others over it - it doesn't need to have to be like that, and whats more its how accidents can happen (which we DON'T want).

So a bit of a heads up, if you have something you need to discuss with another DOLer please PM them, or if you want ask one of the Kepala organisers to help out.

Remember rule 1 - that counts for the two legged Kepalaites as much as the four legged ones!

[pip1981]

I apologise in advance if the following offends anyone, it is not intended that way...

To groupfive and anyone who PMd her with a similar experience- If it hasn't already be done, I think it would be most beneficial to simply directly contact the owner involved and help them understand that their dog behaved inappropriately. It shouldn't be assumed that they are 'turning a blind eye', they may simply need educating, and the best people to do that, are those that experienced the behaviour personally.

[Lemonlime]

Not offended at all

But I will say that if this owner thinks that growling and biting is acceptable, then they are mistaken. I doubt anyone needs educating on aggressive and dominant behaviour. Its quite black and white really.

Thats all im going to say on the issue anyway. It wasnt made public to disgrace anyone, as clearly I didnt mention names. It was posted here because I have seen too many "close calls" when running the dogs at Kepala and I think some people could be a bit more aware of their dog.

EFS

I apologise in advance if the following offends anyone, it is not intended that way...

To groupfive and anyone who PMd her with a similar experience- If it hasn't already be done, I think it would be most beneficial to simply directly contact the owner involved and help them understand that their dog behaved inappropriately. It shouldn't be assumed that they are 'turning a blind eye', they may simply need educating, and the best people to do that, are those that experienced the behaviour personally.

Edited November 17, 2010 by groupfive