Just got back from the park, where my husky,border collie cross, played way to rough with other dogs. It was fine at first, but after about 30 minutes, there was a fight, and to my horror, my dog, Blaze was in the middle of it. After he attacked one dog, he went onto another dog. When I finally caught him, I flipped him over to get him to summitt, he then tried to bite me, thanks goodness, I was wearing a heavy winter coat, so he couldn't actually bite me. He struggled for about 5 minutes, then seemed to be somewhat calm, so I took him home and put him in his kennel. How would you handle this situation, and how do you think I could have prevented this?

Keep him no a leash until you know you can trust him.

Rolling a dog is NOT a proper training tool. It does not establish you as a pack leader. It only inflicts fear in your dog and your dog reacted with fear aggression.

You can get a cheap flat nylon leash and keep that on him while he plays. That way if he gets out of control you can grab the leash and not him. Put him behind your legs and block him from seeing other dogs and making eye contact and then calmly make him leave the situation and relax. Go sit on a bench with him for a few minutes or take him home.

When dogs play rough, sometimes adrenaline gets out of hand. Usually, no one really wants to hurt anyone else, it's just that whole "fight or flight" thing getting the best of them. That doesn't mean you should stand by and let it go. Different people have different ideas about whether to let dogs play rough or not. For me, it depends on the dog--if the dog has an aggression issue I would not play rough games or let it play rough games...if it doesn't have a problem, I wouldn't make an issue of it. My former cattle dog had a few akita friends that she played rather rough with--the akita owners and I were all watching carefully and everyone was in agreement that the dogs were just playing. It was actually good for my dog to build her confidence--she had fear/shyness issues.

You will also get differing opinions on the alpha roll. I believe it has it's place as long as you know what you are doing and are prepared for the possibility of being bitten.

In the same situation, I don't know that I'd go directly to the alpha roll. I would try a scruff shake first. A "scruff shake" is simply taking it by the scruff of the neck and shaking the dog (not harshly but with that Pack Leader attitude of "HEY, KNOCK IT OFF"). I knew a rottie owner once who would put his rottie pup (who weighed 100 pounds) in a down and sit on the dog (the owner was a petite man who probably didn't weight much more than the dog!). It was his way of saying 'HEY, KNOCK IT OFF'. After the dog has calmed, I'd let it take a "time out" for five minutes or so and then let it go back to play.

All that said, I have used the alpha roll and will again if it is ever necessary depending on the dog and the situation and my assessment at the moment. And, that is the final note I want to leave you with--you are the owner--you know your dog--you were there and best know the energy that was going on at the time--you did what you felt was the best action at the time. You handled it just fine. :-D

Thankyou for all your great imput, and validation.

Some information on "alpha rolling dogs"

About.com Dogs - Dog Training - Using the Alpha Roll - Alpha Rolling Your Dog

Dogs - Alpha Rolling

Biscuits, not rolls: why you should never use the "alpha roll" | Whole Dog Journal | Find Articles at BNET

I would tell your dog a firm "No!" and then get him away and do not reenter him in the dog park. Walk him a bit to cool off, I mean for the walk home, he's lost his privilege to play.

Also you know your dog, so you should be able to see some signs before they go to attack. Eye contact is one, they perceive it as a threat, when they growl and bear their teeth, their body is rigid, I know there are a few others but what they are escapes me right now. You could always look it up.

I do know when I was working at a kennel I heard that sometimes Huskies have split personalities and I believe this because I experienced it. I took out a Husky named Nickolai and one minute he was fine with me the next he was growling. But the BC in your dog should rule out the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde personality.

Good luck.

[wishbone]

That's really showing aggressiveness and you should not encourage it, don't walk unleashed and teach your dog with recall.

Just avoid the places where there are aggressive dogs. If you see a fight coming, make sure that you keep your dog away.