Dog parks

I was wondering why some people here go to dog parks?

I used to go to them, but since getting my apbt, we have stopped going. He started fights with random dogs and I believe one of the bad experiences he had there has made him more dog aggressive. I've also read about dogs dying in dog parks on two occasions because someone brought in a dog-reactive dog who attacked their dog and the owners of the aggressive dog did nothing about it.

Is it worth putting your dogs life at risk, or your dog being dog reactive at risk? What if your own dog loses patience and nips another dog, then your dog will be blamed?

Just curious as I've learned dog parks are bad, and seen a thread where someone had a dog showing dog re-activeness but they continue going to dog parks.

Well... some people have no other options to exercise their dog.

I used to go more often. I don't hike and I have no friends with dogs so... to the dog park we go. Yes, something bad could happen but... something bad can always happen. Its a social activity that I enjoy. Shitty people are everywhere and some of them own dogs. Does not mean dog parks are evil.

One thing I've learned here is that there is a LOT of variation in what a "dog park" is. In my area, it is a few acres fenced in - just an open field. I've seen photos other people post of their dog parks, and they are huge areas with trails, fields, water - very easy to get away from other people and dogs. We have areas like that in my state, but they aren't actually "dog parks" - just hiking areas where dogs are allowed off leash.

There are other reasons as well, including the fact that some dogs just plain do well at dog parks. Mine don't, so I don't use them. I'm lucky that I also have a lot of other options open to me for exercising my dogs off leash.

I put my dogs lives at risk constantly. I hike them off leash, I let them run off-leash on the green in our neighborhood, I sometimes let them ride loose in the car, and I sometimes let them ride crated in the crumple zone of my car. I sometimes leave collars on them when I'm not home, and sometimes they don't have collars and tags on them and there is always a chance they could get out. I walk them on leash and never know if someone will have their aggressive dog loose in their yard. They eat kibble sometimes, and they eat bones sometimes. They are loose around my horse when we go trail riding.

Life is about risk assessment. Does the benefit you (and your dog) are receiving from an activity justify the risk it represents? For some people, the benefits of a dog park outweigh the risks. If they don't for you, don't use them.

Well said!

I go to a couple of our local parks. The ones I go to are fairly big and we often are there during low traffic times...also we keep walking rather than just hanging out in specific areas of the park. So the dogs rarely group up long enough for a situation to arise where arousal and excitement tip over into trouble.

I watch my two and any dog they play with very carefully and I never hesitate to advocate for my dogs if another person's dog is being to pushy or overwhelming.

We go because Watson very much enjoys the company of many other dogs.

Nice that you created this thread in such a non-accusatory way lol "IS IT WORTH PUTTING YOUR DOGS LIFE AT RISK??"
Is taking your kid to the playground worth putting your kids life at risk?
what about taking your dog to the beach? Sharks! Poisons!

At the end of the day, it's about risk vs. reward

I live in a city with 636,479 people. I don't drive because of a disability, which makes the range of places I can routinely go with my dog limited to public transportation (some are even MORE disadvantaged because some public transports don't allow dogs)
if I don't take my dog to the dog park, he has NO WHERE to be legally off leash.

Which leaves me with three choices

1) Let him live a life on lead 24/7, which for a young happy herding breed can be a little rough but do-able since I am doing it now that he has started to get reactive

2) Take him to the ONLY place in the city (dog parks) that allow dogs off leash. Go during off times, keep my eye on him and consider the fact that for every 100 visits on average, 97 he has the time of his life, and 3 we have reactivity problems due to dogs on lead against the rules or my management

or the ever so popular...
3) Take my dog off leash somewhere that it isn't allowed. A widely popular yet incredibly frowned upon practice that I choose now to not involve my dog in because hey, it sucks having a picnic or walking your dog or taking a jog with a fear of dogs in an on-leash only park and being approached by an off leash animal. It's illegal, they give out tickets, it's a bad idea and not fair to those who follow the rules.

Short answer? Because I'm human, because it's a learning process and both of us are growing and still learning stuff about each other. Merlin was raised in the city, he loved dog parks and no, i don't think his experience there spurred his reactivity issues because they ONLY JUST STARTED recently, we literally never had a problem.
He's growing up. It happens...and he is changing and so are his play styles, habits, and what he likes to do.

So why did I bring him? because he loved it.



because it's hard to look at something your dog LOVED and you both LOVED to do and think "wow..this is over.." and maybe I was a little resistant to change, maybe it took me a little longer than it should have to call it off...but he's loved the dog park since he was small and maybe
It's hard for a college student who works to find something that can tire her dog out and get him the physical exercise he needs and it took a while to come up with something else



it really isn't as simple as waking up one day, going to the dog park and having your dog being a jerk and hating it and being like "what happened? let's never do this again"

Shades of grey.
There are good days, bad days, I misread him, I made mistakes, I am resistant to change a routine, I ran out of options, I sat in denial for a bit...

all the while having an energetic young aussie who while is no longer a perfect dog-park dog is quite used to the energy requirements of daily off leash runs in a city where places to do that are very very very limited.

So that's why I took my dog to a dog park.

Short answer? Yes.

First off, not all dog parks are created equal and not all dogs are the same. You have to make a decision based off your dog park and your dog. That answer will not and should not be the same for everyone.

My dogs thrive being able to go to my dog park. They get to swim, run, hike naturally and I get to spend a lot of quality time with them. If I didn't have my park their recalls would not be what they are, they would not be in as good of shape, they would not get anywhere near the amount of mental and physical exercise that they do.

I love it and they love it.

There have been fights, I've been bit a couple time and I've seen plenty of things that could have ended badly if other factors came into play. But it's worth it. I look at how many years I've been going, how the park is built, my dogs and the amount gained from it and it's all worth it for me.

I have had more bad encounters in the last 6 years I've been out biking with my dogs than I've had in 14 years of going to my dog park. But, I still bike my dogs because they love it and I love it and it's worth it.

As for others? They need to make their own decisions but plenty of dogs do fine in those little fenced in postage stamps of a dog park. Would mine? No. But many do and I'm not going to judge them for it.

For me and my dogs, no, it's not worth it. Back when I use to go, I found they ultimately made more problems for us than they were worth. It's a nice concept in theory. But the problem with dog parks is everyone thinks their dog is a dog park dog, even when they aren't, and when a place like that is unmonitored and opened to the public, it just invites trouble.

We're good. I'll stick to hikes with mountain lions on public land. Far less risky.

I took Tucker because he loved playing with other dogs and there is no other way for him to play with other dogs. We don't have another dog, my aunt and uncle's dog does not play, and his three neighborhood friends are only interacted with in passing on walks. Seeing him want to play and not be able to is super sad.

We stopped going because he became dog aggressive (fear aggressive). I think going to the dog park contributed to that and if I could go back I would never have brought him. Even after he started getting selective I kept going for a little while because the thought of him never playing with another dog ever again was devastating to me because with the right dogs he had a blast. So instead I just made him worse and now he's a reactive mess.

So now I don't go. He doesn't need to go to the dog park to exercise. He can be adequately exercised inside or on his long line in the yard or at a normal, non-dog, park. He does not need to be off leash, nor should he be given his aggression. He can run plenty with 50' of long line. But I'm still sad he can't play with other dogs, especially when I see him throwing himself at Phoebe only to be snarked at or when he gets to "play" (as best you can on a 6' leash) with his Chihuahua friends who we bump into while walking around the block.

We went because we had a great dog park. It was the only place Art could safely be offleash and he enjoyed it. Talon also enjoyed it when we went.

We don't go much now because as Art got older he just doesn't enjoy playing like he did before. It's not that he doesn't like other dogs, or he doesn't do fine at the dog park, he just isn't into it as much. We also have other avenues of exercise now. Talon is usually good with other dogs off leash, but again he just doesn't enjoy it as much after being attacked by other dogs (NOT in the dog park) and we like to control his interactions as much as possible at this point.

As for the risk, you weigh the risks. The number of times we have been attacked, harassed, or otherwise bad experiences with other dogs at the dog park vs the number of times we have had bad experiences outside of the dog park? Well, the number inside the dog park is low, the number outside the dog park is extremely high. Yeah, it's riskier for me to take my dogs outside to potty than it is to go to a dog park.

I go because I live in a large city with prohibitive dog signs everywhere and don't want a ticket for having my dog off leash in an on leash area. It is very difficult to find fields and spaces for them to run and play that is not a dog park. However, I really dislike dog parks and when I do go, I don't go to busy ones and I stay away from large groups of people and dogs and try to avoid everyone if possible. I don't go to let my dogs play with strangers. I go to walk with them and do my own thing. I wouldn't go to dog parks unless I had to, and sometimes I have to. But my dogs, while my older three have a zero shenanigans policy nowadays, are tolerant enough to go to dog parks without causing or participating an issue and I am good at foreseeing and avoiding problems before they arise.

My dog park is a 44 acre fenced in piece of a forest preserve. There are trails and mowed fields along with a nice big pond. With such a big park it's easy to find less crowded areas. So far, everyone seems to be pretty respectful dog owners. I only take one of my dogs because he's a social butterfly who loves people and other dogs. He's not sensitive or reactive so if he gets snarked at he'll just walk away and find another dog who wants to play. He also loves playing in the water and this is really the only place I feel comfortable letting him off leash to swim. To me, the positives outweigh the negatives. If we were to experience any problems then I'd stop going. Right now it works well for us.

I never used to go before I moved.

Where I live now, even grassy areas and normal parks are few and far between.
We have a dog park that's less than a 15 minute walk away that's technically "closed" during typical business hours due to lack of parking. It's not great, but it's legal. I usually go there around 6-8am to let the dogs get some off-leash time and play some fetch or disc while there's no one else there.

Rigby loves to play, especially with intact dogs. Cobain doesn't really play with her so it's nice to see her get a little goofy and playful when we happen upon the right match for her at a park.

I go at off times, and always remain diligent about what my dogs are doing and what other dogs in the park are doing (if there are any). I don't think I would be comfortable going at say 3pm on a nice Sunday afternoon though.

I guess it's different here then, we have a dog park the size of a large yard and there's a group of people who all know each other and gang up against anyone who brings a new dog. I also have a large yard that my dogs play in and I have random fenced areas I can let them run around in my city (not dog parks). Maybe it's just my experiences with dog parks where there's mostly snappy dogs who aren't neutered/spayed.

I understand it's worth the risk to some, but maybe I'm just not the type to be all "let's put my dogs in a park with a bunch of crazy, snappy dogs and cross my fingers". Maybe it's owning a bully breed that got that rammed into my head.

The boys go because they enjoy it. To me, the pleasure they take and the social experiences they have make the risks worth it. That said, we have never once had a bad experience in five years.

And that's good for you. That's your park, your dogs and your decision based on your experiences at that dog park. You have to keep in mind it's going to vary greatly between areas and dogs.

I'm not the type to be all "let's put my dogs in a park with a bunch of crazy, snappy dogs and cross my fingers" either. And I'm fine going to my dog park because that's not what it's like.

I kinda find your entire attitude towards this rather insulting. You don't like your dog park and you aren't comfortable with letting your dogs go to dog parks. That's fine, but it doesn't mean others who do are are doing anything wrong.

And for the record, none of my dogs are spayed or neutered and they all go to the dog park.

The beginning post of this thread confuses me. :lol-sign:

So you hate dog parks, because "people" bring their reactive/aggressive dogs to them?

But you brought your reactive dog to the park where he started fights with other dogs, but it's... the other owner's fault? Because they came to a dog park where there was a reactive dog?





ANYWAY. I didn't use dog parks (for the most part), because Rosey didn't care for other dogs. However, I understand why others use them.

I don't go to dog parks because neither of my dogs are ZOMG, YEY! towards other dogs. Cynder doesn't play with other dogs, and Abrams can go either way. I have ample other opportunities to exercise them that I just don't even have a desire to go to a dog park and deal with other people and their dogs.

I think I like parks that are more..."let's go let our dogs off leash and do things, and likely interact with other dogs that are doing the same thing" than I would be "let's go to a field and let a ton of dogs play together". The difference between turning your child loose at a playground versus the Children's Museum or something along the lines. Structured activity in a group versus just running around aimlessly.

I love going to the dog park and don't see any reason to justify or defend my reasons for going. I bring my dogs that are appropriate for it. They love running through the woods and splashing in the pond and occasionally find a dog they want to play with.

Do I think it's risky? No not really. I have 4 dogs. Seriously it's probably more likely for them ti get in a fight with each other at home than it would be for there to be an incident at the dog park.

I pay attention to my dogs and the other dogs and stay on top if things so issues don't happen.

Yeah, I should have added in my post to that when I do go to dog parks, they aren't just random fields full of dogs rough housing. We have a couple of really large forest preserve like parks and the people who use them use them as a way to mind their own business and enjoy an off leash hike with their dogs rather than a free for all playdate. These are the types of parks I go to when I go to a dog park.

The dogs I bring, I bring because they are trustworthy and have a good time. They know to come to me if another dog is making them uncomfortable or trying to pick a fight and I will take care of it. They have solid temperaments with other dogs and do not play inappropriately or try to start a fight.

Bringing a dog to a dog park that has dog aggression so heavily bred into their breed is f**king stupid and ridiculously irresponsible.