Owner Stunned After Scary Breach of Etiquette With ‘Lorge’ Dog at the Dog Park: “He Backed Us Into a Corner”
-
Click here to listen to this article - Share via
A dog park visit that was supposed to be just another low-key morning of enrichment with the pup turned into a crash course in etiquette, size mismatches and how fast a normal meet-and-greet can go sideways.
In a recent post on Reddit’s r/AmItheAsshole, Reddit user toxiccasual said their medium-size dog of about 40 pounds is “well socialized,” does daycare twice a week and generally does just fine with the other dogs when the park is not crowded.
So they thought they were making a careful choice when they stopped by their “favorite dog park” and saw only four other dogs inside: two Labrador Retrievers, an Aussie shepherd mix and a much larger Anatolian shepherd mix the poster described as “LORGE,” around 120 pounds.
A Standard Dog Greeting, Then a Heavy Problem
The owner said they did what a lot of people consider the polite first step: letting the dogs sniff each other through the fence before going in. Everything seemed fine.
Once inside, the poster wrote there was about “20 seconds of the usual everyone sniff the new dog” routine, before the big dog immediately tried to mount and hump their dog.
In a lot of parks, humping is common enough that owners pause for a second to see if it resolves. But in this instance the weight difference was a crucial red flag. The poster reported that the bigger dog’s body weight hit their dog’s hips hard enough that their dog yelped, with their dog delivering “one quick nip” at the bigger dog’s neck before backing away with hackles raised and tail tucked low.
An Odd Attempt to Call The ‘Lorge’ Dog Off
After that first flash of tension, the owner said they grabbed their dog’s collar and tried to walk away to de-escalate.
Instead, the big dog “growled and backed us into a corner,” the poster wrote. They called out to the other owner to pull their dog away, but the dog was not listening.
Then came an even stranger moment when the other owner sent his “10ish-year-old son” to “haul the dog away,” which of course did not work, the poster said, eluding to the massive size of the dog versus the tiny stature of the child.
Eventually, the adult owner came over, leashed his dog and then blamed the poster for the unnerving encounter.
“You should know better than to bring a defensive and anxious dog to the park,” the man told them, according to the post.
The larger dog and his owner left. But the poster said the moment left them with a weird feeling. When they leashed their dog and walked the perimeter to cool down, the other dog owners also left “all at the same time,” which made the poster second-guess whether they were indeed the one in the wrong here.
First time visiting a dog park? Find out how to prep your pup, read body language, avoid common mistakes and make off leash play a positive experience.
Commenters Say What the Real Etiquette Violation Was
Users came to the poster’s defense in the comments, with plenty of dog owners saying the issue was not their “defensive” dog at all. Rather, it was the combination of mounting, size and an owner who did not step in fast enough.
One commenter who identified themselves as a large dog owner put it plainly: “Large dogs are a responsibility.”
Another said they would have been “mortified” if their dog started humping, especially with that much of a size difference, and called out the misguided choice to send a child into the situation.
Several replies also framed the smaller dog’s nip as a normal response, not a sign of a dangerous dog. One commenter wrote that “yipping and nipping are corrective behaviors,” and that dogs will sometimes correct each other this way when one is “a little too friendly.”
Others zeroed in on the bigger dog’s lack of recall of its training. One commenter said humping is “frowned upon” at dog parks and that it is the owner’s job to control it, especially once the dog has backed another dog into a corner.
There were also a few people who took a broader view: even when dogs correct each other, owners still need to be ready to step in early, because the belief that “dogs will sort themselves out” can turn into a fight fast — especially when there is a major size mismatch.
Discover the best guard dog breeds for long term family safety. Learn which protective dog breeds offer loyalty, security and companionship.
Quick Dog Park Etiquette Reminders
- Interrupt humping fast
It is common, but it is also one of the quickest ways to start a scuffle, especially with a big size difference. - Don’t send a kid into a dog conflict
If your dog is not listening, that is your cue to step in and leash up. - Recall is not optional
If your dog cannot come when called in a chaotic environment, the dog park is not the place to practice. - Know what a normal correction looks like, but don’t let it escalate
Dogs may yelp, snap or air-nip to say “stop,” but owners should still reset the moment before it turns into cornering or piling on. - If the vibe shifts, leaving is a smart call
Sometimes the safest etiquette is exiting before the next interaction stacks on top of the last one.
MORE PETS
