# Personal Views on Dog Parks



## MissChristina (Oct 21, 2011)

I'm just curious what everyone's views here are on dog parks?

There are three dog parks here where I am. All off leash parks.

One, nobody is ever at, it's new and kind of a neighborhood dog park in my mom's friends sub division. It's also smaller than the other two without a lake or pond.

Second one is medium sized. It has a small pond and 80% of the people that go there are there EVERYDAY at the same times.

Third is the big one. It is long and even has wooded trails within the fenced in area to walk with your dogs off leash and has a big lake on it. There are different people and dogs there each time.

I've taken AnnaBelle several times to the medium sized one, only once to the other two. Recently she has started 'herding' the other dogs and it seems to annoy other owners and the nipping at the dogs bothers me because I fear she will do it to the wrong dog one day so I have ceased going until I can either fix the problem or just not go at all. 

What are your dog park stories/tales and views?


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## jetscarbie (Feb 29, 2008)

I don't guess there is a dog park near me....but I probably wouldn't go anyway. To many irresponsible dog owners.

It's been my experience when I take my dog out in public.....people are either touchy-touch with my dogs or they are very scared of my dogs. 

Somebody always has a story how a "long time" ago...a german shepherd attacked them.

I've read on here many times where most GSD's don't do well in dog parks.


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## King&Skylar (Jun 3, 2010)

Never taken Skylar to a dog park, but she used to play off leash with dogs in a doggie day care type situation (at our boarding kennel). She can now (1 1/2 yrs old) only go for leashed walks with the kennel (boarding) dogs, because she's super rough in an off leash setting and other dogs may not respond well to it, so I keep all dogs and owners safe by not pushing her. Kayden does good in a group play setting but I still wouldn't take him to a dog park, with the chance of inexperienced owners/ bully dogs/ people that can't read dog body language. I guess I really just don't like the idea of strange dogs running together with little chance of control (and face it- what percentage of owners at a dog park know dog body language and have 100% voice control?)


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

No I would like to be able to go places where my dog could be off lead and under my control but they way dog parks work.....I honestly do not want my dog to be interested in playing with other dogs.


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## GSKnight (Oct 18, 2011)

I never have taken him to one, but then again I have only had him as a rescue going on day 6. 

There is one nearby, on the advice of an experience member here, I plan to take him tomorrow at the crack on dawn, when hopefully we will have the place to ourselves. 

If another dog is there we will go somewhere else.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I go to a dog park occasionally and it is hit or miss as to good/bad dogs and dog owners. Most of the time my dog just hangs around me. There is another park that I go to that is not a dog park but there are people walking with dogs. About half the time we meet one or two people with friendly dogs and our dogs play and chase each other around. We are all very careful and make sure one doesn't try to dominate, fight, or become a pest.


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

I take them to the park a lot but I don't think my park is typical. Our dog major dog park is basically a big forest with multiple trails running through it. We take the less populated trails. I never go to the parks that are just a fenced in space. The dogs get bored quickly and I think trouble starts a lot faster.


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

I like going, but I haven't went in a while. I like the ones here. They are ginormous. Three of the ones I go to are made up of forested trails going along the river bank with some open field areas that are great for playing fetch. The one I go to the most is so big that I've never been to the end, it is hours long. I like that I have the option of biking my dog off-leash at these places, it's great for exercise.

Most of the bad experiences people have seem to be at dog parks where it's just a small open area and the only thing to do for exercise is to let your dog play with other dogs. Letting your dog expend its energy all over another dog that it has just met seems like trouble waiting to happen.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Neither of my dogs have the right temperament for a dog park, so I do not take them there.


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## Cetan (Oct 8, 2011)

Not gonna take my pup to a dog park once I have him... I personally feel it's just a bad environment all around.

But I do have a large yard, so I am not hurting for exercise space.


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## Kittilicious (Sep 25, 2011)

I said no only because there isn't one accessible for me to go to. The closest one that I know of is 100 miles away. I have been trying to get the city to put in a dog park within our city park (the park is huge compared to the size city we have), but so far I haven't gotten through to them. After reading threads here, though, I might just drop the idea. There are so many dogs in this city/my neighborhood that anytime you go out walking you are bound to meet a dog or two, which has been great for the socialization aspect of my puppy's upbringing. (found out last night she doesn't have much time for hyper active lab puppies!)


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

our city is building their first dog park. It is a very nice lay-out, fairly convenient area. A couple friends from kennel club are talking about sitting up a playdate for our dogs that already know each other, just to let them burn off some steam. Otherwise, I'll go when it's empty. Like others have said, there are way too many people who don't know anything about dogs, so I want to avoid them


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## stolibaby (Mar 6, 2011)

I used to take Stoli tons as a puppy but we had too many rotten experiences (ironically one was a cab driver who locked his 2 yr old GSD in his apt for 18 hours a day...i felt awful for the dog ) if I do take Stoli now if it's really early and there's few dogs/people there. Tends to be less issues then otherwise we walk in the parks together or in our yard instead...


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## Gracie's My Girl (May 27, 2011)

It can be hit or miss. We have been twice. The first time was great and all fo the dogs were very well behaved. The second time, a drooly boxer would not leave us alone. I got tired of being jumped on and having it try to snatch at treats. The dog's behaivor made Gracie nervous. The stupid part is that the owner was standing about thirty feet away watching.


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

I've taken dodger to a dog park for training proposes, I needed a bunch of out of control, hyper, off leash dogs. I will never bring dodger into one ever. too many irresponsible owners and out of control dogs with no manners or boundaries that's a recipe for disaster.


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## crewchief_chick (Feb 2, 2011)

I've had good and bad experiences. I do not take my dogs to the dog parks on post, due to the amount of parvo outbreaks they've had, and irresponsible owners with just bonkers and ill mannered dogs. I've taken Kendra to the one here in town, where she and Killian (victoria's handsome boy), got to burn off a bunch of energy. They played awesome together, until we had a couple bring in a lab mix who was fearful of Killian. We shortly after went to the sectioned off agility area where we worked with them, and were joined by a well behaved white boxer and another black shepherd, whom everyone played nicely with.

I think its all about knowing your dog, and being a responsible owner. Will I go again? Sure. Do I keep a close watch on Kendra? Definitely. I'm not going to incite issues, nor will I deal with a dog tearing into her.


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## EJQ (May 13, 2003)

jetscarbie said:


> I don't guess there is a dog park near me....but I probably wouldn't go anyway. To many irresponsible dog owners.
> 
> It's been my experience when I take my dog out in public.....people are either touchy-touch with my dogs or they are very scared of my dogs.
> 
> Somebody always has a story how a "long time" ago...a german shepherd attacked them.


This pretty much sums it up for me as well. There is only one dog park near us that I know of (about 10 miles away) and I would not bring my dogs there. I realize that for some people (those living in urban areas) there are no other choices. The financial and emotional aspect just prevents me from putting my dogs in harms way by allowing them to enter a dog park. Because my dogs are TDI dogs they are exposed to the public a great deal. But always in a controlled situation.

_"people are either touchy-touch with my dogs or they are very scared of my dogs" _Happens a lot!

_"Somebody always has a story how a "long time" ago...a german shepherd attacked them" _Happens a lot!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I voted no, I've never taken my dogs to a dog park.

We have a new private dog park, it's huge~ hardly anyone is ever there due to the annual cost. My step-brother was the developer, it is gorgeous.
They have agility, dock diving, and plenty of room to run. IF I were to go to a dog park that would be the one. But you need vaccinations and I do only required rabies w/ my dogs, so they wouldn't be accepted anyway.

We have a fenced in acre for my dogs, so they don't need a dog park for exercise. Only one of my dogs is good with others.


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## Stella's Mom (Mar 8, 2011)

I was taking Stella to the dog park everyday and she loved it. There have been some dogs that have been a bit rough and rowdy but all in all our experiences have been good.

We have stopped taking her though because we were advised that now that we have just begun Shutzhund that it is best to keep all the play between us and Stella and not Stella with other dogs.

It was explained that Shutzhund is a very personal relationship with the dog and she needs to keep her focus on us.


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## Vrettasta (Nov 23, 2010)

I have a dog park close by that I used to go to once a week or so, to have Apollo burn up some energy on his boring days. I agree with a previous post here that there are SO many irresponsible dog owners that have absolutely no control over their dog(s).

For instance, there's this one lady who brings her standard poodle there almost every day, who is extremely aggressive towards any other males in the park. I've seen it attack numerous dogs and the owner just stood there and watched. One had to have stitches. Then you get the owners who don't clean up after their dogs, so you usually leave with poo all over your shoes. So, I won't be going there again.


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## susnrob (Oct 10, 2011)

Our dog Sadie loves the dog park, but I am not happy with the irresponsible owners I meet there and the untrained dogs that pick fights with Sadie. We went a few months ago and we were the only ones there for a while and I tired Sadie out playing some ball. Well then a family showed up with a male GSD about 8 months old. This dog would not leave Sadie alone and she kept giving him a little warning growl to tell him to back off. Next thing I new he started attacking Sadie and then there was an all out dog fight. 

Turns out the other owners have had lots of issues with their GSD and they have done no training at all with this dog. They claimed that their K9 trainer said to do no training the first year and just let the dog "get the puppy out of himself" for the first year. I was shocked and told them that Sadie is 2 and still has a LOT of puppy in her. They also said the dog is too aggressive with the kids sometimes so they (the adults) would tackle the dog to the ground. 

It's my personal belief that owners need to start training their dog the moment they bring it home. So, it's irresponsible owners like that, that keep me from wanting to return to the dog park.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

I voted no. There are no dog parks anywhere near here. I live in the "middle of nowhere" so there it's no need. Even if there was one, I wouldn't go there, I don't want my dogs to view strange dogs as playmates. I also have intact dogs so the wouldn't be allowed. (and I don't give adult dogs annual vaccinations either.) 
Wrangler loved all dogs, both male and female and would play with them if allowed. UNTIL one mounted him, they he was DONE and wouldn't play with that dog anymore. Even though he was intact, he never tried to mount another dog and didn't like it when they tried to do it to him.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I voted "no". I don't take my GSDs there. My husband has taken our mutt but the other people and dogs there annoy me so I don't go. The mutt dog seems to enjoy it though.


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## billsharp (May 3, 2011)

Voted yes. We have a nice park near us, good neighborhoods generally all around, great majority of owners seem responsible and nice and dogs are well-socialized for the most part. Everyone so far seems to "get it" about not bringing poorly-behaved dogs. 

When we go I def keep Liesl on leash until I can see and assess all dogs/owners, and the dogs can come sniff her and relax. All the dogs chase each other, and occasionally one or two poor submissive dogs end up getting chased a lot, but it's always in good fun. 

In several trips only one or two growly squabbles have broken out, and everyone was quick to break it up. Our park also has a great little pond with flourescent green water where the dogs can swim and retrieve balls. A woman brought a beautiful, white fluffy Bernese Mountain Dog there--it went for a swim and came out a matted, green, dripping Bernese Mountain Dog--with a big grin on its face!


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## Dooney's Mom (May 10, 2011)

I have 2 dog parks close to me- the one is a bit smaller, and the most dogs I have seen there is 5 (all were YOUNG dogs) I have brought Dooney there twice with no issues.

The other one is absolutely beautiful- 14 acres of wide open space with some trees, and a man made pond. We have been there a few times, but I use it more as a learning place than a dog park. I go there to work with her outside of the fence to get focus from her and then I work with her inside ON leash- after we are done- I let her go play. She usually sticks pretty close to me and we wander all over the park.

There was one Great Pyrness and a basset hound (of all things) that got a bit snippy with her last time (she wasn't even being bad) and I quickly told their owners to get their dogs under control or to leave when they just stood there doing nothing. We haven't been back since that incident.

I think it totally depends on the dog and the dog park. I don't plan on bringing her to them once she is out of the puppy stage. I just have a very small yard and I like to allow her to run in the big open spaces and stretch her legs.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

billsharp said:


> Voted yes. We have a nice park near us, good neighborhoods generally all around, great majority of owners seem responsible and nice and dogs are well-socialized for the most part. Everyone so far seems to "get it" about not bringing poorly-behaved dogs.
> 
> When we go I def keep Liesl on leash until I can see and assess all dogs/owners, and the dogs can come sniff her and relax. All the dogs chase each other, and occasionally one or two poor submissive dogs end up getting chased a lot, but it's always in good fun.
> 
> In several trips only one or two growly squabbles have broken out, and everyone was quick to break it up. Our park also has a great little pond with *flourescent green water* where the dogs can swim and retrieve balls. A woman brought a beautiful, white fluffy Bernese Mountain Dog there--it went for a swim and came out a matted, green, dripping Bernese Mountain Dog--with a big grin on its face!


Pretty sure I wouldn't want my dog in fluorescent green water.
Did you see any come out with 2 heads or 3 ears?


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## Sunstreaked (Oct 26, 2010)

I love our dog park! They have agility equipment there and the owners are really on the ball as far as policing after their dogs and watching over them. Where we live, going for walks in the woods off leash just aren't going to happen - I have an aversion to water moccasins and alligators and I'm pretty sure Eva does too!


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## billsharp (May 3, 2011)

> Did you see any come out with 2 heads or 3 ears?


Ha! No, in fact, they all seem to like it, and even lap it up! YUCH! The pool is aerated from a central pump and fountain, so between that and the fact that these are obviously pet-friendly chemicals it doesn't seem to have bothered the dogs.

The other day a small dog got into a little trouble swimming and being surrounded by bigger dogs, so a 10 yr old boy WADED in chest-deep to help it. That was gross--not my kid! But a nice thing to do for the dog.


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## LifeofRiley (Oct 20, 2011)

I voted yes. I frequently take my dog to one of the various dog parks in the city on the weekends. In my opinion, dog parks can be great places to take your dog (regardless of who else is there) assuming the following:

Your dog actually enjoys being there.
You have at least a rudimentary understanding of dog behavior
You can read your dog’s signals
You have good off-leash control of your dog
You have no problem moving to another part of the park or leaving if you see behavior you are not comfortable with.

It is a rare occasion that I see a real problem dog or a dangerously irresponsible dog owner in the dog parks… could one be there on any given day, yes… but, if I based all my life decisions on the off-chance that something bad might happen I would have certainly missed out on a lot of wonderful experiences.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

We have several dog parks in town. My favorite is the private dog park- 15 acres with two ponds and plenty of separate areas to take your dog to if don't want to be around a certain dog. Since it's private (and costs a good amount of money) the majority of people that go there have very well behaved dogs and watch their dogs really well. No intact males allowed (though there is a waiver for show dogs, etc) and there are people in the office that you can complain to if a dog is really out of control- though I've never had to. They will kick you out if you get too many complaints.
I also go to a very small neighborhood park- and I mean very small. But the owners are extremely attentive here because they all "know" each other.
There is another park I don't go to because I've had bad experiences with bad owners there.
My point is dog parks can be great but it's all about choosing the right one.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

I was taking Sibi to the dog park almost every night til she got really sick with the flu and bronchitis and the vet told me that the dog place is akin to sending your young children to school---They come home with every illness known to man!!!-- I took her back anyhow but was so paranoid some other dog would drink her water or slobber on her I couldn't enjoy myself--so we haven't been back in a long time--When we did go she seemed to enjoy herself there-though spent a good part of the time under the picnic table where I was sitting--whether hot or protective, I don't known 
jan


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## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

My opinion is that some dogs are dog park dogs (mostly golden retrievers and some labs) and some dogs aren't. Seems like most GSDs aren't, probably because of the prey drive and their natural protectiveness of their owners. If your dog isn't a dog park dog, give up quick. I tried to make Heidi and Loki into dog park dogs and now looking back in retrospect we blame their issues with other dogs on that. When we got our first dog park inour area I thought it was wonderful and I was determined that they would enjoy the experience of playing with their own kind...not possible. Because of that, I didn't take Corina much. I am very careful that she only plays with known dogs. And guess what, she is the only dog we have that is confident and friendly and can be trusted around any dogs!


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## ozzymama (Jan 17, 2005)

I have in the past, but we don't have one here in town, there is a petition to get one started, but I'm not really interested. Oz has very reliable recall off-lead and Dolly can only go on a long lead, so we're better with trails and forests. Plus, I can't take the baby and dh's schedule is far too unpredictable to be able to take them.
To me, it's kinda like the playground, some parents are engaged in their children, watching them, encouraging positive interactions and some parents are off in a clutch barely noticing that stick little Billy just picked up is actually a snake


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

There have been numerous previous threads about the pros and cons of dog parks. I live in a densely populated major metropolitan area and have an itty bitty yard, so I take my dogs to off leash parks for play and exercise. The closest one to my house is just over a mile away, the one we go to a lot on the weekend is about a half hour away and it's on the San Francisco Bay so the dogs can go swimming. The furthest is close to an hour away and it's a beach, so the dogs can play in the ocean. 

Keefer has been going since he was about 4-1/2 months old and Halo since she was 15 weeks. Both of them are fine off leash around strange dogs but they don't really play with them, they play with us and each other. We're not there for them to socialize with other dogs, we're there because there's no other place where they can run free and chase balls and swim. All three places are large multi-acre open spaces, not little fenced parks. We've had quite a few Bay Area GSD meetups where we get together at an off leash park with our dogs - really fun!

This is the one near where I live



















Point Isabel, on the bay - this is a very busy park, probably the closest to what people think of as a "dog park", although it's over 20 acres



















And Fort Funston on the coast



















I guess I could keep my dogs at home in my little yard that's about the size of my living room and only take them out for leash walks, but with all this at our disposal - why would I?!?!


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I sometimes take Bianca to the dog parks. I have never had any problems with the other dogs or owners and everyone cleans up after their dogs. There are rules for the parks and health and vaccination/titer requirements in order to get a park permit and tag.
I also sometimes take her to the dog beach. Unfortunately dogs are not allowed on the regular beaches here, just the dog beaches.

We have leash laws here so if you want to have dogs off leash it's a dog park or your own yard.


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## MissChristina (Oct 21, 2011)

PaddyD said:


> I go to a dog park occasionally and it is hit or miss as to good/bad dogs and dog owners. Most of the time my dog just hangs around me. There is another park that I go to that is not a dog park but there are people walking with dogs. About half the time we meet one or two people with friendly dogs and our dogs play and chase each other around. We are all very careful and make sure one doesn't try to dominate, fight, or become a pest.


There are a lot of places around here too that are leash friendly  I plan on doing more of that since it gives me better control of my dog and how she behaves.


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

I take my female siberian husky and my GSD to dog parks because they have the right temperament and never get in scuffles. Unfortunately I will not take my Doberman anymore due to him being intact and attracting poorly behaved dogs who want to challenge him. Prime is very obedient and social, he never tries to challenge any dog and mostly keeps to himself unless he finds a playmate, but my last straw was when a neutered LABRADOR blindsided him with an attack as Prime was just trotting by and the force of the lab's impact was so great he punctured Prime's gums and broke off two of his premolars. 

Not worth it.










It really upsets me because he had such a blast at the dog park, loved to swim and play with other dogs, especially with our dobie meetup.






I have seen a 5 month old weimeraner puppy get attacked by an AST who was ON LEASH and the puppy walked up to it to sniff, the dog just grabbed her muzzle and latched on. It took a few minutes and 3 men to get the dog to let go. It was that puppy's first time ever at a dog park. We made the owner of the AST stay until the cops came. 

There are pros and cons to dog parks. I've had to negatively engage with other dog owners on multiple occasions because I am a dog park nazi(dont allow my dogs to be humped, etc). There are also always people like this genius, a dog park regular, who thinks she is entitled and can bring in a BABY, sit down with it on her lap, and shoo away dogs as they trot up to sniff, any dog that isn't her own. Don't get me started on people who bring babies into DOG parks....










Houston has somewhere close to 20 dog parks and there is no shortage of stupid at any given one.


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

Debbie, those are GORGEOUS shots!!


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## MissChristina (Oct 21, 2011)

crewchief_chick said:


> I've had good and bad experiences. I do not take my dogs to the dog parks on post, due to the amount of parvo outbreaks they've had, and irresponsible owners with just bonkers and ill mannered dogs. I've taken Kendra to the one here in town, where she and Killian (victoria's handsome boy), got to burn off a bunch of energy. They played awesome together, until we had a couple bring in a lab mix who was fearful of Killian. We shortly after went to the sectioned off agility area where we worked with them, and were joined by a well behaved white boxer and another black shepherd, whom everyone played nicely with.
> 
> I think its all about knowing your dog, and being a responsible owner. Will I go again? Sure. Do I keep a close watch on Kendra? Definitely. I'm not going to incite issues, nor will I deal with a dog tearing into her.


There is a dog park in Jefferson City (about 30 minutes from me) that actually makes you show proof of all vaccinations, spay/neuter, and rabies vaccine before you are allowed in. Then they give you a tag that gets you in and out of the park. They also have you pay a monthly fee to go. Plus they do a dog behavior analysis before you are accepted.


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## MissChristina (Oct 21, 2011)

How do I post a youtube video?


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## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

Debbie you are so lucky to live near such beautiful places to take your dogs! Our dog parks aren't anything like that. I would go all the time if we had that sort of thing. Beautiful dogs too!


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I voted 'no'. My dog isn't a social butterfly. The parks around us are small enclosed areas with play equipment and benches. He wouldn't be interested in the equipment or the other dogs.


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

MissChristina said:


> How do I post a youtube video?



Just paste the video url in the insert link option and it will pop up as a playable youtube video


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

MustLoveGSDs said:


> Debbie, those are GORGEOUS shots!!


I agree. Dog and dog owner heaven.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

I voted yes, everyday. That isn't completely true, but we go at least 4-5 times a week. I work at a private dog park, and I'm not going to say that it doesn't offend me when people say that all dog parks are trouble, because ours is NOT. 

We regulate members, there is a staff member there 90% of the time, we pay attention to their health, behavior, etc. We don't allow untrained or poorly behaved dogs, no "sometimes aggressive" dogs, no human aggressive dogs. We keep the park in great working order, and it's a very pleasant, stress free place to be, and the dogs come with me when I work which is nice for training purposes. 

We have ~25 acres, almost a full agility course, a regulation sized dock for jumping, a 12,000sq. ft. pond w/beach, we provide toys and poop bags, water bowls and containers are around the park throughout the warm months, we have a small dog section, benches around the park, we offer training classes year-round, we have self-serve grooming tubs in the office and a partial kitchen, bathrooms open all day long, free treats for dogs & humans, a sitting area with magazines and a tv, we keep the park plowed in the winter, we host events monthly for our members, we have retail, and a lot more. We do obviously charge a fee by visit or in 6 month or 12 month memberships, as we are a private park. 



onyx'girl said:


> I voted no, I've never taken my dogs to a dog park.
> 
> We have a new private dog park, it's huge~ hardly anyone is ever there due to the annual cost. My step-brother was the developer, it is gorgeous.
> They have agility, dock diving, and plenty of room to run. IF I were to go to a dog park that would be the one. But you need vaccinations and I do only required rabies w/ my dogs, so they wouldn't be accepted anyway.
> ...


I just wanted to clear up the fact that this is not true, since we appear to be getting a lot of negative publicity by people who are mad that they are not welcome or cannot afford it and think that we have no members. We have almost 200 dog members and we've only been open for a year, and we have an average of 20-30 dogs in the park every day. There is rarely a time when "hardly anyone is ever there".. we always have visitors and members coming and going.


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

_DJEtzel, I think most of us with negative feelings towards dog parks are dealing with public areas. I would NEVER take Scarlett (or Paige) to a public dog park. I saw too many sketchy owners with even sketchier dogs. Now, a PRIVATE enterprise with some actual standards that are enforced would be a different entity. I could consider something like that of value to us. I would actually LOVE to find something akin to what you have where we live. Alas, this area would not support something like that. We are stuck with a pay-a-yearly-fee for a PUBLIC dog park. No thanks..._


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## billsharp (May 3, 2011)

So, Debbie, just how might one go about applying for the position of being one of your dogs?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

billsharp said:


> So, Debbie, just how might one go about applying for the position of being one of your dogs?


:rofl: Sorry, two is the limit, lol! They do have a pretty good life, we have a lot of fun with them. 

Here's video of them swimming from the dog ramp shown in one of the Point Isabel pictures: 






And a mini-meet with some GSD friends at the park shown in the first two pictures on Thanksgiving weekend 2009, 6 dogs total:






Dog parks.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

DJEtzel said:


> I voted yes, everyday. That isn't completely true, but we go at least 4-5 times a week. I work at a private dog park, and I'm not going to say that it doesn't offend me when people say that all dog parks are trouble, because ours is NOT.
> 
> We regulate members, there is a staff member there 90% of the time, we pay attention to their health, behavior, etc. We don't allow untrained or poorly behaved dogs, no "sometimes aggressive" dogs, no human aggressive dogs. We keep the park in great working order, and it's a very pleasant, stress free place to be, and the dogs come with me when I work which is nice for training purposes.
> 
> ...


What is not true? I drive by there often, seldom are there more than a few cars there. I think that is a good thing, because the fewer dogs the better! 
I can't imagine the owners are breaking even or even able to pay the taxes on that 25 acres in the township they are in. They have to be in the red. 

My problem with it is the fact that vax have to be done before you are allowed in. 
One reason I train privately or with my club, I will not give unnecessary vaccinations to my dogs. It isn't about the money as much as it is about the vax protocols. If there were structured training sessions with the facilities they have, I would be more willing than having dogs willy nilly going every which way. But I am not there observing, so my last comment may be waay off!


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

_...I've had to negatively engage with other dog owners on multiple occasions because *I am a dog park nazi (dont allow my dogs to be humped, etc*)._

_.....There are also always people *like this genius, a dog park regular, who thinks she is entitled and can bring in a BABY,* sit down with it on her lap, and shoo away dogs as they trot up to sniff, any dog that isn't her own. Don't get me started on people who bring babies into DOG parks.... _

Oops, I screwed up the quote thing...

I really like my new local dog park. It's very big. So far it's been a great thing for Bailey. He is very dog friendly, and I notice some people don't want their dogs to be, but I do want him to be. I have a non dog friendly dog at home as well, and I really don't like the issues that come with it. The dog park is also good for human interaction, since he has been human-skittish at times and that's really decreasing dramatically with our various interactions (dog parks and other places.) So, it is good for us at this point. Will it change as he gets older and remained un-neutered? Maybe. We might have to quit going if it becomes a problem, but we're entering cold season here and I seriously doubt there will be nearly as many people at the park. Only the *truly* dedicated come out when it's 25 degrees and colder. 

I do have my complaints.. the normal ones... people who don't pick up poop, people who sit at the picnic tables and have no idea where their dog is.. I could go on. So far, no really aggressive types have showed up at the park. I also like the fact that there's a volunteer there almost all the time checking tags and permits. It doesn't ensure a dog is well behaved by any means, but if a person spends the time and money to properly permit the dog, it is (I think) at least somewhat more likely you'll have a higher quality of owner. Somewhat. A little bit. Maybe. 

But you can't fix stupid and you can't fix un-informed. I don't see the owners as necessarily irresponsible, just oblivious. One woman brought in a big sack of little milk bone treats the other day. I was thinking, oh no, why did you do that? She was at least asking the owners before handing them out, but come on. Bad idea, I think! I told her no, Bailey couldn't have one. She looked at me a little funny, but hey, I don't know what those things really are. At best, they're cheap crap to put in his body. At worst, she's a nut and they're laced with something. You just can't know. I was waiting for a fight to break out with all those treats being passed around, but nothing happened. 

Just tonight a youngish Lab pup (6 months, Bailey's age) was trying to hump a couple of dogs. The owners were like, "Oh honey you shouldn't do that," but did nothing to step in and stop it. They let the humpee stop it. I cringed. I mean, they seemed to think it was funny and the people hanging around, sitting at the tables were making jokes, hehe and haha... and I'm thinking, yeah, you'll be heheing and hahaing when the humpee bites your dog.

I'm a dog park nazi, too. No one is going to hump my dog and my dog will not hump anyone. He will be immediately shut down. I'm in constant motion at the park -- I am wherever Bailey is. He really doesn't misbehave hardly at all, but occasionally he tries too hard to play with a dog that doesn't want to. I make him stop. I won't let my dog terrorize and I won't allow any dog to terrorize him. I don't care what the owners think, really. If your dog tries to hump mine and you're not there to immediately shut it down, I certainly will. I'm so not shy like that.  And conversely, if my dog is way out of line and I'm not right there, I would not be angry if someone did the same. However, I'm always there.  The dog park is not necessarily relaxing for me - I get good exercise there, too!

I have a good sized yard and we also do backwoods trail walks, so the dog park, for us, isn't as much about exercise as about socialization. If we had a private park within a reasonable distance that did the personality checks like another poster was speaking of, I'd sign right up.

Ok and finally, what's the idiot with the baby THINKING??? I don't know about that park, but ours has an age limit of, I believe, ten years old. Please tell me she never lets that baby off her lap? My, my...

Oh and that reminds me of my final pet peeve... Our dog park has two sections - little dogs, big dogs. WHY OH WHY do people bring their itty, bitty, teeny, weeny dogs on the bigger dog side and risk that? One woman had an 8-week old dinky pup on the big dog side the other day! DUH!! The volunteer patrol wasn't there that time or that pup wouldn't have been allowed there. 

Sorry for the long rant


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## TankGrrl66 (Jun 29, 2010)

I have never liked the idea of dog parks, and neither have my dogs. To me, it just seemed like something for the people and not the dogs. 

All the people would socialize and talk about whatever...while the dogs would awkwardly interact with eachother, and some of them might play. The more I learn about dogs the freakier this idea seems. Small dog parks are accidents waiting to happen, and I have observed fro mpersonal experience that the majority of people just scream when a dog fight happens. Heck, even play fighting!

I noticed this in a pretty small dog park, though. When I got the oppurtunity to go to a much larger one, I could tell that was how dog parks were supposed to be...enough room for everyone to do their own thing. Refreshing. At least an acre. 

Too bad my dog decided to try and hump every. single. dog. there. when I finalyl took him to one. He did this at my local dog beach as well. I gave him three strikes and he was out. I tried keeping a sense of humor, even among some pretty nasty comments about my dog being gay  but no matter what I tried he got worse. He started to not only sneak away to do it (bc he would get corrected for even trying it), but he would attack the other dog if they resisted. He did that once and I confined him to a lead for awhile. I though he was ok after a time period, he did it agian within 10 minutes so I personally 'permabanned' him, lol.

So...having "that" dog who humps everyone, and another who I have never even entertained the crazy thought of taking him to a dog park...I can't say they are enjoyable. 

Dog beach i like though, but it always is attracting a LOT of stupid people.

Maybe my puppy can teach me to enjoy them again


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

I love our dog park. There's three sections - one for the small/timid dogs (where you're likely to have your ankles bitten off and go deaf from the little yappers), the part with the lake, and a large (mostly dirt) field. 
I've never gone in the small dog part. 

I like that it's split, because when I see a trouble maker dog, or if I'm having an issue with a specific dog, I can go to the other side. 

I've only ever had two issues. One was with two boxers. They ganged up on Ozzy, but luckily he's never far from me, and I got him out of there before they did anything besides hover over him. 

Then there was this fugly little pug lookin' thing that kept trying to tear off Ozzy's life jacket. (It was NOT play, either). I don't know where its stupid owners were, but it didn't have a collar on, so when it wouldn't let Ozzy's jacket go, I yanked it off by the scruff of its neck and we went to the other side.


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## Pepper311 (Sep 11, 2011)

There is a small dog park a 5 min walk from my house. It's a great park not many people there and I always meet nice dog people. I never let my dog out of site I'm always watching interactions. 

It depends on the park. I am lucky to have a good one by my house.


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## cowboy17 (Sep 26, 2011)

Konotashi said:


> Then there was this fugly little pug lookin' thing that kept trying to tear off Ozzy's life jacket. (It was NOT play, either). I don't know where its stupid owners were, but it didn't have a collar on, so when it wouldn't let Ozzy's jacket go, I yanked it off by the scruff of its neck and we went to the other side.


this is EXACTLY the reason that I never go to dog parks. It's not the dogs, it's the owners. There is always one irresponsible one in the group and I will not subject my dog to that sort of environment.


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## GSKnight (Oct 18, 2011)

Went to the dog park early this AM, trying to get some off-leash time before anyone got there. However, there were already another dog there. So, we went to Boyce Park and walked the trail on a leash.


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## MegansGrace (Apr 27, 2011)

I have only brought my dog to a "real" dog park a handful of times. The first few times he really was't interested, but this last time he had a blast. I think they are just places for dogs to learn bad behaviors. I've been appalled at the number of owners who just sit and don't watch their dogs. I've had dogs that are constantly trying to hump my dog while their owner is SLEEPING on the bench. I'm not really a fan of pulling them off either because I've found stranger dogs tend to nip in that situation. 

Even in the same dog run that we have at our apartment complex where there may be 5-8 dogs maximum and maybe 5 people. I'm usually the only person standing interacting with the dogs while everyone else puts the chairs in the circle and chats. Maybe I'm the only one with a high energy dog (Lab - not a GSD...yet). 

Honestly prefer getting exercise with my dog. It's a real destresser for me. Even with the dog park that have ponds, I'd rather bring my dog to the off-leashed park with trails and a lake where I can hike with him. We may encounter other dogs, but it's not a free for all. I'm really looking into biking with my dog ... once I move my bike out here!!


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## spidermilk (Mar 18, 2010)

We have a TON of dog parks in our neighborhood, one is only a 2 minute walk from my house. We also have 2 that are huge, wooded parks with trails, creeks, etc. We DO go to the huge wooded parks for off leash hiking, but we usually only see a handful of other dogs and it is not play time, we just calmly pass other people and their dogs. The huge wooded dog park is drastically different from the tiny, fenced in with a dirty pond dog park where a pack of 20 dogs (and dogs always coming and going) play.

We do not do the small, fenced type of dog park- Dax can play with one dog at a time, but the ever-changing dynamic, the high energy level, the excitement is too much for him.

We do walk past the one near my house at least every other day and practice LAT, heeling, etc.


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## Smith3 (May 12, 2008)

Only went once with Koch and didn't again. No interest in them for reasons mentioned.

We had a 100' leash for play time and access to a huge fenced off yard.


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## Sunstreaked (Oct 26, 2010)

At a dog park, the dynamic can change at any time, so I know we have to be on top of what's going on. We aren't ever sitting unless our dogs are lying at our feet resting for a few minutes. 

Tory, our daughter's dog, is still an intact male and about 2 weeks ago someone brought in a female who had ended her heat 2 weeks before that. He tried to hump her, he was corrected by me. He tried again and we snapped a leash on him for the time that dog was in the park. My dog was causing a problem, my dog got the time out. That is not a common occurrence though.

We were there yesterday and someone brought in a boxer/pitbull mix that was just not tolerating the other dogs sniffing him. Without being asked, the people leashed their dog and left. 

I think it depends on the people knowing their dogs and reacting when there's the start of the problem, instead of after blood is drawn.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

I think dog parks are dangerous and caution my puppy owners against them.... 

Unfortunately, a fenced in open area for a dog to run and play is hard to come by. I have a very few times, been to one or two that were empty and did run 2 adults in them for a short time...another car pulls in, leashes on and back in the truck....for S&G,one time I took Furi to one that had just opened, just to see the dynamics....

Scared the heck out of me....Furi was totally non dog agressive, but fairly dominant....I stayed about 10 minutes - watching the dynamics of the pack in the enclosure. It was chaos on the verge of dogfights....people were truly delusional about their dogs behavior and temperament...and the idiot that wanted to let a mini-dachshund loose???? with 2 big rowdy labs, a GSD and a couple of mixes.... I opened my big mouth and cautioned her that if the doxie even got rolled - she could be looking at major back surgery!!!!!!!!! Luckily, she watched the labs bowl down a couple of the mixes (mine was on leash and back at the parking lot BTW), and thanked me and decided to try later when no big dogs were in the pen.

The most amazing mayhem I have EVER seen tho - I will admit - was at a benefit shelter sponsered swim party at the local water park....! At least 75 medium to large dogs running amok and or swimming off leash!!!!!!!!!! My friends took their Duke and Kyra (my mutiple time Schh3 female!!!) and let them loose..!!!!! I was aghast! Of course, Kyra, thinking this was a party held in her honor, was having a grand time just running around and sometimes following Phil and Duke into the water. Duke is not quite as social, and Phil kept him close, keeping an eye on him so no inappropriate interactions...Duke loves to swim, so he was mostly far out in the pool.....Luckily, Kyra was absolutely non dog aggressive, used to living with 2 other females all her life and just seemed to be moving groups of dogs around - sort of herding them....but mostly labs and border collies, so lots of herding, and I saw only a few skirmishs - none serious. 

But still - I would not recommend dog parks.

Your dogs need YOU as a pack - not doggie friends to play with....too much danger of dog fights or psychological damage from more dominant dogs - especially to pups in these places....

Lee


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

GSKnight said:


> Went to the dog park early this AM, trying to get some off-leash time before anyone got there. However, there were already another dog there. So, we went to Boyce Park and walked the trail on a leash.



Good for you....maybe we can meet up somewhere like the screaming hollow park - my Basha is very non threatening and see how Viktor is with other dogs...

Lee


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

wolfstraum said:


> It was chaos on the verge of dogfights....people were truly delusional about their dogs behavior and temperament...and the idiot that wanted to let a mini-dachshund loose???? with 2 big rowdy labs, a GSD and a couple of mixes.... I opened my big mouth and cautioned her that if the doxie even got rolled - she could be looking at major back surgery!!!!!!!!! Luckily, she watched the labs bowl down a couple of the mixes (mine was on leash and back at the parking lot BTW), and thanked me and decided to try later when no big dogs were in the pen.


Wow, glad she listened to you or it could have been bad for her dog. But it's unbelievable that a person could be so clueless to need something pointed out to them that should be perfectly obvious. Would they turn their toddler loose in the middle of a High School football game? Yikes! 

We run into the occasional idiot at our off leash parks, but fortunately the dogs are generally well socialized and well behaved and the people are pretty dog savvy. I remember a guy with a young doberman who was essentially a nice dog, it just didn't have a lot of social skills. This dog attempted to hump Keefer a couple of times, and I stepped in and stopped it immediately. The second I see a head go across the neck, or any other kind of dominance posturing start to happen, I step in and move the other dog away. Keef is really pretty patient about that sort of thing, but he does have his limit and I want to make sure he never gets to the point where he feels like he has to take things into his own paws and tell the other dog off himself. I did make some comments to the owner, telling him that what his dog was doing was very rude and if he did it to the wrong dog it could provoke a fight. My dogs will hump each other in play, but NEVER other dogs. 

My dogs are used to having other dogs in their face or up their butts, they don't have a problem with that at all, and they're fine with dogs running with them while they're chasing a ball. They're not guardy about their toys, which is another potential problem at off leash parks. Halo will grab her ball right out of another dog's mouth with a quick yank, and then come running back with it like it was nothing, lol!


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> What is not true? I drive by there often, seldom are there more than a few cars there. I think that is a good thing, because the fewer dogs the better!
> I can't imagine the owners are breaking even or even able to pay the taxes on that 25 acres in the township they are in. They have to be in the red.
> 
> My problem with it is the fact that vax have to be done before you are allowed in.
> One reason I train privately or with my club, I will not give unnecessary vaccinations to my dogs. It isn't about the money as much as it is about the vax protocols. If there were structured training sessions with the facilities they have, I would be more willing than having dogs willy nilly going every which way. But I am not there observing, so my last comment may be waay off!


What is not true is that we have no members because of our prices. Just because you don't see many people when you drive by does not mean that people don't come because they have to pay. It means you're driving by at slow hours. Plus, on average, each family has three dogs. So if you see 2-3 cars there, that could be 3-12 dogs in the park. 

But we (the owner) are definitely making it by with our current members, retail, grooming, and events. We are not "in the red" and we are planning on expanding to build an indoor training building/arena mid next year hopefully. Also, do you titer test, or just assume that your dogs don't need the shots? I would imagine that when you say you don't give unnecessary vacinations that you're testing to make sure they aren't needed... right? Because we fully accept titer test records as "proof" of dhpp, though you probably don't vaccinate bordatella? There's really no way around that one... all of my guys need it for training, etc. so we use the park, but we wouldn't vaccinate for bordatella if we didn't need to, so I can see your point there. And while we don't have structured training through the park, we don't allow rude dogs with no recall into the park. Obviously this is stretched as not everyone has perfect recall, but people can't leave their dogs to run wherever, and must WALK and DO SOMETHING with the dogs, standing around and talking while dogs bicker and play rough is not permitted. 95% of the members come in, walk the park a few times, play in the pond, then leave.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i use to go to the dog park a lot. i use to train
and socialize my dog in and around the dog park.
near where i live there's 1,700 acres of woods.
there's a group of people that meet with their dogs
there daily. sometimes there's 25 dogs there running around.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

I voted no too.

Not that I'm against dog parks per se, nor have we personally had any bad experiences. I agree with the observation that it depends on the type of park and the type of dogs you have.

All my male (rescue) wants to do is sniff and mark, he's not aggressive, just more interested in doing his own thing. My female just isn't a 'community' type of dog either.

So for my kiddos it's just not a priority, it does create possibilities for unintended/uncontrollable circumstances and none of the dog parks around me look like the pics Debbie posted! 

Lot's of nice places to walk dogs on leash though and I do take the opportunity to visit those when I can.

I have permission from some of my clients who live out in the country to visit and let my dogs play on their land and that give us open spaces to visit.


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## Pepper311 (Sep 11, 2011)

Ok I went to the dog park today and left after a few minutes. At first there were 2 nice Bassett hounds that cookie started to play with. Then a fluffy Aussie came in everyone was sniffing and things were fine. All dogs were just chilling. Till.....

Don't get me wrong I am a pit bull owner myself. But this female pit came in and was good let all the other dog sniff her and really could careless about the other dogs much like my pit and that's why I don't take him to the park. I took my pit 2 times to the dog park and never again. Why you ask Because my dog does not want to socialize with other strang dogs he just wants to chase a ball. He gets nothing out of dog parks.

The pit owner started throwing a ball and my dog would chase after the pit. Cookie really wanted to play but the pit was all buiness. She did not want to play or share. Her fur was up on her back and soon my dogs fur was up. This pit would growl. The owners would say no growling. She did not want to share the ball but was tolerant. Cookie kept running after the pit doing a play bark, and really trying to get the other dog to play. Then the pit did a little back off bark at cookie she backed off but did not stop chasing. So I got cookie and we left. Cookie was annoying the pit I did not want to risk it. It was too bad because it was a good group of dogs till the pit started chasing the ball. 

If you have a dog that does not want to play with other dogs and just wants to chase a ball why go to the dog park? The dog park should be for dogs that want to socialize and play. That's the problem people bring dogs to the park that are not dog park dogs. 

Anyways I am not a big fan of dog parks now. It all depends on the dogs and owners at the park. I love the dog beach we have.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

Shasta loves going to the dog park. We have one near our house that's okay, but the one we all really like is about a half hour drive. It's 40 acres with access to a shallow, slow moving stream. Shasta LOVES to go in the water; it's not quite deep enough so that she has to swim. We've never had issues with any of the dogs there but it's so big that you can maintain some distance if you want to.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Pepper311 said:


> If you have a dog that does not want to play with other dogs and just wants to chase a ball why go to the dog park? The dog park should be for dogs that want to socialize and play. That's the problem people bring dogs to the park that are not dog park dogs.
> 
> Anyways I am not a big fan of dog parks now. It all depends on the dogs and owners at the park. I love the dog beach we have.


I feel like the point of dog parks SHOULD be for owners to have a safe, large, enclosed area to spend time with their dog, not for dogs to play for hours. Yeah, of course some playing is fine, but as with our dog park, we encourage more owner-dog centered activities than letting the dog do whatever it wants. That's when fights and risky situations like yours start.

I take Frag to our dog park, and he doesn't want to play with almost anyone, ever. He doesn't mind them at all though and isn't aggressive, he just wants to chase a ball. But there is nowhere else that I can through a ball for him as safely as here. We walk the park throwing a ball the entire way, play agility, dock dive, he chases the 4 wheeler, etc. There is nothing wrong with that and it should be encouraged, IMO.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Pepper311 said:


> If you have a dog that does not want to play with other dogs and just wants to chase a ball why go to the dog park?


Because you have a tiny yard, way too small to play ball in? Chasing balls is exactly why we DO go to off leash parks. I think any dog in that kind of environment should be comfortable being off leash around a lot of strange dogs, but I don't think it's necessary that they actually play with them.



DJEtzel said:


> I feel like the point of dog parks SHOULD be for owners to have a safe, large, enclosed area to spend time with their dog, not for dogs to play for hours. Yeah, of course some playing is fine, but as with our dog park, we encourage more owner-dog centered activities than letting the dog do whatever it wants.


Exactly. :thumbup:


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## shadow mum (Apr 8, 2008)

I used to take Shadow to a local dog park quite often. He was very good playing with large and small dogs, and the park had an agility area set up that we were in more often than not.

One day when we were there, (I took my 7 and 9 yr old with me), we had an issue with a large Rott being very dominant with the other dogs. Shadow as 1.5 yrs old. The Rott attacked Shadow, who was standing beside me at this point. I grabbed Shadow to break them apart and the Rott's owner was laughing. Another man helped split them apart, and I leashed Shadow and left. We have never been back since. After that we had a major problem with Shadow and dog aggression. Not worth it in my book.


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## Pepper311 (Sep 11, 2011)

I went to another dog park today that was way bigger. It was so much better. There was lots of space for everyone. We all had fun no problems. There was a grumpy huge golden but it was fine because we had room to avoid them. My dog found a lab to run with. It was fine no problems everyone had a good time. 

The other park that is near us is maybe one 1 acre with no grass just mulch. It's all open no area to get away. I go there to socialize my dog. There are lots of other places to go and play with your dog.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Well it is true that when it isn't quite right, you have to leave.

Bailey and I went last night and there were several problem dogs. 

The first, an Irish Setter (I think, I don't know that breed at all) that was just crazy. You could just sense it, he was running around and causing trouble. He kept going after Bailey. I eventually stepped in physically with him. No, I didn't hit him, but stepped sideways at him and knocked him in the shoulder area with a good loud NO, BACK. It didn't really phase him much, but it must have phased his owners, who were letting this dude go wild, because after that, they left.

Then there were the two little Min-Pins. They show up every now and again. The owner sits his behind on the picnic table and lets them go wild chasing the big dogs, barking and carrying on. Someday a big dog will kill them, it is just bound to happen. The owner laughs about their antics. He made a statement about how funny they were, and the ***** I apparently am, my response was, yes, it'll be funny until they get bit and killed. He couldn't/wouldn't meet my eye after that. He, however, did nothing to stop them. Bailey finds them amusing... he loves to be chased and they chase him in spades, barking, growling -- *not* in a playful way -- but Bailey doesn't know that and he seems to think it's funny. I don't find it funny.

THEN the last problem dog hated Bailey. Hated him. Bailey tried so hard to make buddies with him, but it wasn't gonna happen. Bails was even licking his mouth. This dog started to display all the pre-attack signs and I KNEW we were headed for trouble. I said out loud, "This dog is getting ready to attack, who owns this dog?" and no one spoke up. I wouldn't let Bails get near that dog and we left.

Sometimes you gotta leave I guess.

I have enjoyed this park, but it is brand new and it is getting much more popular. I am finding the majority of the people sit on their butts on the tables while their dogs are wherever. We will continue to go, but we'll be doing so at the far less busy times. The people are ruining a great dog park.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Yup, if it's not confrontations between the dogs then it's the people who have different views of how dogs should behave (or in the case you mention below, misbehave!). 

IMHO it's just not worth the aggravation........




chelle said:


> Well it is true that when it isn't quite right, you have to leave.
> 
> Bailey and I went last night and there were several problem dogs.
> 
> ...


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

I've been thinking about this today and read my last post again and I think I sound awful in a way. Maybe I overreact or read too much into things at the park... Or am just paranoid... Or am a dog park park nazi. I don't know. I mean, a lady giving out treats there the other day irritated me, I thought it was a bad idea. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Maybe....but then there are also the times when you wish you would have listened to that instinct, inner voice. You end up kicking yourself more for not being cautious then kicking yourself for being too cautious.

p.s. When I brought treats to the dog park, to train my dogs with...it did end up being a bad idea, I got mobbed by a lot of strange dogs who then started ignoring their owners. Lesson learned. :blush:




chelle said:


> I've been thinking about this today and read my last post again and I think I sound awful in a way. Maybe I overreact or read too much into things at the park... Or am just paranoid... Or am a dog park park nazi. I don't know. I mean, a lady giving out treats there the other day irritated me, I thought it was a bad idea. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

Our little town just opened up a dog park. They have three sections. One section for anyone, two sections that require a key to get in. You have to show proof of vaccines and get a tag for those section. One for small/medium dogs and one for medium/large dogs.

I've seen a total of three people there since it opened up over a year ago lol. I will take Buddy if no one else is there.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> Maybe....but then there are also the times when you wish you would have listened to that instinct, inner voice. You end up kicking yourself more for not being cautious then kicking yourself for being too cautious.
> 
> p.s. When I brought treats to the dog park, to train my dogs with...it did end up being a bad idea, I got mobbed by a lot of strange dogs who then started ignoring their owners. Lesson learned. :blush:


Thank you, I honestly don't want to be the dog park wench. :blush: I'm just getting frustrated with the increasing popularity of the park and the picnic table sitters. I thought it was great they had tables at first! But now I wish they'd pull 'em out or put them away from the main gathering place of the park. It's like a big HUMAN social hour there! Everyone giggles and laughs at various dog antics, but many of those antics just aren't amusing... like the humpers and the barky little 5 pounders. 

Just for clarification, the woman with the treats brought in a bag of them to distribute to *all* the dogs whose owners gave permission. (She did ask all of them first.) So there were a bunch of dogs all getting these milkbone treats at once. Made me edgy.

The "mean" dog I referred to at the end of my post was posturing like this, EXCEPT Bailey was standing:










My spidey sense was a-tinglin'  and that's when I stepped in.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Chelle, I think you've hit on something there about the 'picnic table sitters' and you got me to thinking about it.

I would probably be a dog park wench too....because it sounds like we are alike in that we want to be more engaged with our dogs. It's probably also why we like GSDs so much, they are dog that generally thrives on that engagement with their humans.

So it maybe a personality issue, but not that what you (and me too really) see as correct dog stewardship is wrong... it just doesn't match with those who want a more laid back type of relationship with their dogs. Not that there is anything wrong with that either, to each their own, but I'm not going to change and I know that I probably wouldn't mix very well into that group.

I see this in my training classes too. Some people come to work with their dogs and some come to just have a people social hour with dogs on the side. I get kind of annoyed when people are trying to chit-chat with me during class. I'm sure sometimes they think I'm being unfriendly but hey...I'm there with a specific purpose - to connect with my dog. 

The end result, my dog is doing well in class and theirs...not so well because they aren't paying attention.


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

Pepper311 said:


> Ok I went to the dog park today and left after a few minutes. At first there were 2 nice Bassett hounds that cookie started to play with. Then a fluffy Aussie came in everyone was sniffing and things were fine. All dogs were just chilling. Till.....
> 
> Don't get me wrong I am a pit bull owner myself. But this female pit came in and was good let all the other dog sniff her and really could careless about the other dogs much like my pit and that's why I don't take him to the park. I took my pit 2 times to the dog park and never again. Why you ask Because my dog does not want to socialize with other strang dogs he just wants to chase a ball. He gets nothing out of dog parks.
> 
> ...



I totally agree with that.

I also have to say that as a pit bull advocate, pit bulls do not belong in dog parks. Responsible pit bull owners would not take their dogs to a dog park for many reasons. The most important one being their fight style(and also idiots like the guy in this video not knowing how to properly break up a pit bull fight, trying to pull the dog off like in this video is only going to result in a lot more damage done to the victim dog..as you can hear the dog scream each time the pit is pulled because it is ripping the dog's flesh and tearing into it more):







pit bull dog park info:

Dog Parks | BAD RAP

Pit Bull Rescue Central

"If you choose to become the owner of a Pit Bull, your dog park days are almost surely over, at least when the dog is somewhere over 8 months old."

Pet Pit Bull - Breed Information


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

That was a really disturbing and difficult to watch video.


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

Yeah you definitely never want to experience it in person and especially not with your own dog. My Doberman was attacked by a pit bull when he was 10 months old. I almost lost him because the dog would not let go for anything and I finally had to repeatedly slam a brick on his head to get him to release just quick enough for my friend to shove a makeshift break stick between his jaws. The cost for care and surgery for my dog was over 2,000 dollars.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

MustLoveGSDs said:


> Yeah you definitely never want to experience it in person and especially not with your own dog. My Doberman was attacked by a pit bull when he was 10 months old. I almost lost him because the dog would not let go for anything and I finally had to repeatedly slam a brick on his head to get him to release just quick enough for my friend to shove a makeshift break stick between his jaws. The cost for care and surgery for my dog was over 2,000 dollars.


No, I definitely *DO NOT* want to ever experience that.

Just today at the dog park, with your vid fresh in my mind , just what do we find? A white pit - or lookalike (I'll be the first to admit, I could be wrong, but sure looked like a Pit). Bailey goes up tail a wagging because he really is a doggy social butterfly, loves 'em all. The owner was with his other dog, probably 100 feet away, but standing still, staring, but not making any move to come near. 

The normal butt sniffing ensued. The dog was very calm. No tail wag. No nothing. Just a sniff. Not enthusiastic, not anything. Very neutral. I *knew* I was feeling tense (thinking of that vid!) and let a small sniff happen and lured Bailey off with my best happy, giddy c'mon boy! End of story. (thankfully)

Dog looked almost exactly like this, except his ears weren't back and he was almost all white. He wasn't very filled out yet, so I wondered if he was fairly young.









What I hate most is how *I* felt and concern over what vibes I was putting out.


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

I love pit bulls but I will keep my dogs away from them at dog parks because a terrier is extremely determined in a fight. I nearly had a heart attack earlier this year at the dog park when this guy's APBT broke his sit/stay from his handler and came charging at full speed at my Doberman. I thought I was about to relive the first pit attack all over again. The owner yelled at his dog to come and the dog ran back to him right before he got to my dobe. This was a Schutzhund titled APBT as well. But you never know when their DA could kick in. I don't bring my Doberman to dog parks anymore because he is always a target since he is big and intact.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

MustLoveGSDs said:


> I love pit bulls but I will keep my dogs away from them at dog parks....


I am not sure, but I don't think you can legally bring a pit into our city dog park. Doesn't mean people don't do it, anyway, though.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

MustLoveGSDs said:


> I love pit bulls but I will keep my dogs away from them at dog parks because a terrier is extremely determined in a fight.


This is one of the reasons we had to unfortunately ban pit bulls from our dog park.


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

I do not and will not take my two to a dog park. I feel it is setting them up to fail. 

Nadia tends to nip in other dogs faces. Not good. 
Zisso is a vocal player-he growls a lot. Not good. 
I do not handle dog fights well. Not good. 

Because I do not handle fights well, I have had a fear of letting Z meet other dogs for a looong time and have just barely started to get over that after more than 10 years. I do not want to destroy my new found bit of confidence and I want to be able to encourage my dogs to be the best they can be. Dog parks are an accident waiting to happen.


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