Not interested in the dog park anymore

[Laurelin]

My dogs don't do dog parks at all. They actually just plain aren't interested in dogs they don't know. I think this is totally normal for mature dogs. Then again I've never had a 'dog park dog'.

[Shakou]

We stopped going to dog parks for different reasons, but that's how both of my dogs are. Once in a while they'd meet the "right dog" and would run around and play with them, but for the most part they kept to themselves. It was definitely more an exercise thing than a social thing for us.

[Southpaw]

Juno lost all interest in the dog park when she was around 2 years old. Before that, yeah, playing with dogs was the only activity she cared about. I was shocked to see her stop caring. We still go on random occasions so she can get some safe off leash running in, and every once in a while she surprises me and finds a dog she wants to play with.

But I think it's just normal when dogs mature.

[chaospony]

This is Robyn too.
Now that she is a big girl of two, playing with dogs besides her sister or her best buddy is just not interesting.
She will run and chase if there is only one or two dogs there after dark, but during the day she just sits and looks bord while Trin runs around like a freak.

Of course if the dog park is deserted she and Trin will run and run and run..... For about 10 minutes , then that's enough of that too!
Once both the snow and her new brother come I think she will be a little more interested again....maybe.

Part of me misses being able to be lazy on occasion and just turn her loose for crazy happy running time but there are a lot of jerky dogs at our dog park so we're not missing much!

[milos_mommy]

That's totally normal at 3 or 4 years of age...

but I think it means it's time for Jackson to get a little brother or sister

[Doberluv]

I have found with my dogs that they get really excited and enthusiastic about novel places. I can just see them perk up when it's not the same place over and over again. Maybe that would help perk him up more. But yeah....he may have just matured into a dog that isn't thrilled with a lot of random dogs...not unusual. He might play more with another dog that he hangs out with frequently. I don't see my Chi's playing with all kinds of dogs, (if given a chance) but they sure do play with each other.

[Shai]

Now I'm kinda tempted to take the pups to the dog park this afternoon just to see if their attitudes have changed...we haven't been to one since 2010 when the little one near us was taken over by dogs without manners (to put it nicely) and we moved next to a giant fenced in balldiamond we could run the dogs in more easily.

Well, Mira & I were at Linds' dog park back in August but that was Mira and there was a chuckit and a pond so I'm not certain she knew other dogs were even there once we cleared the parking lot. Trav too. The only way we knew they each recognized the other's presence is because they swerved to avoid running one another over and if one went for a retrieve the other would respect it and look for their own toss.

Mira's not really a dog park dog, simply because there's always someone somewhere with a ball and even if she can't have it she will ignore everything else and watch. Just in case.

Kin used to be a super dog park dog though. So now I wonder...

[Toller_08]

My dogs don't play with other dogs either (except for with eachother). Ripley will occassionally, but the girls pretty well quit when both turned around 3 years old. They'll still play with another dog sometimes, but it has to be just the right dog and it's pretty rare. So, I'd say based on my own experience with my dogs that it's pretty normal for some dogs to lose interest in playing with other dogs as they get older.

The dog parks I go to are ones in which I can walk/run my dogs off leash and play with them by myself. We don't go to play with other dogs and when we happen to run into another dog, mine usually just do a quick sniff and carry on their way. They're pretty snooty. I like them that way, though.

[Paige]

Bandit is goign through a mild life crisis where he needs to act like a teenager I swaer. He is back to being so spunky and wanting to play with everyone. The only reason I use dog parks is I like to respect leash laws, my dog is a good canditate for the dog park... so yeah. A few years there he would sniff a few butts, maybe play if the dog was special in his eyes but mostly I had to play with him/walk him around so he'd get his exercise.

[sassafras]

Originally Posted by Linds

That's why I love my dog park. The point is not to play with dogs, the point is to run around on the trails, go hiking and swimming. I think I would be way bored of a small dog park before my dog was.

Same here. I think it's pretty normal for dogs. Heck, even when he was younger Pip never really cared to play with other dogs, but he looooves our dog park because it's just a place for an off leash hike and swim. And even Squash, who generally likes other dogs, would rather run around exploring than really play much with other dogs - he'll swirl around with them for a minute or two but then he's off investigating the next interesting thing.