Dog parks

[sassafras]

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.

Same here. My dog park is several acres of wooded river bottoms. It's meant to hike through, not stand around and watch dogs play Thunderdome. Everyone is moving rather than congregating and there is ample space and visual barriers (vegetation) to stay away from others, and I have never seen or heard of a serious problem there. Maisy still can't go because she can be a big fat bully, but my boys get so much out of it that the risk:reward formula comes out in favor of going. (I have also been to Linds' dog park and it's a similar design.)

I wouldn't go to the ones that are essentially a big fenced yard, I think those are asking for trouble. But a dog park is not a dog park is not a dog park, so it's not as simple as asking "why do you go to A dog park?" I go to MY dog park because I get a nice long hike out of it, and my dogs love it and get a great deal of physical and mental exercise, and they can swim. In particular, it is Pip's happiest place on earth and he minds his own business there, so the risks are just incredibly low and the rewards high.

 

[meepitsmeagan]

Depending on time restraints, we go to the dog park on a run about once a week. I work at said dog park, so my two (mainly Rider) spend several hours vetting dogs there. It's 25 acres of open. If a dog doesn't get along with another, you move along. Fights are going to happen, but that is anywhere you go. They have a blast and I kill two birds with one stone. Even though Harlow doesn't love everyone, it's worth the risk to me and I haven't had any issues there as I choose times wisely and know the members well enough to know who to avoid.

My herder would probably go crazy without the many hours a week we spend there, honestly, because my schedule sucks.

 

[Locke]

I avoid small, fenced, crowded dog parks, but I do go to the unfenced dog park, the dog beach, and the ravines near my house.

It entirely depends on the quality of the park. Generally, the bigger the better, but the small unfenced one up the street is perfect during off hours.

Smiley would be a hellion if he only had leashed walks for exercise. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have these great off leash areas in walking distance! His happiness and sanity trump the risks a thousand fold.

 

[Sweet72947]

I go to my dog park because Norris really likes other dogs, and he really likes to run, and there aren't any fenced areas besides that dog park I can legally take Norris to. I can't let him off leash in my county because it's illegal, and also he's very sound sensitive and a sudden noise might cause him to bolt. Norris does have some leash reactivity toward other dogs, but at the dog park he's completely fine. I haven't observed any changes in his behavior in general since we've been going to the dog park. His leash reactivity is improving because on walks he gets treats whenever we see a dog.

The dog park I go to is probably about an acre and a half fenced which is a decent amount of space. You can stay in groups of dogs if you want, or go way out to the back and have some alone time if you want. The only annoying things I've noticed about this park are that people bring small children inside way too often (even though the sign out front specifically says no children under 8 years old), and way too many people bring dogs wearing electric collars. That just seems unsafe to me.

A lot of people bring pit bulls and bulldogs there, and I've never seen one of those breeds start anything or finish anything either. The only two dogs I've seen at that park who have almost gotten in a fight were a Rhodesian Ridgeback and what I think was a borderjack (border collie/jack russel mix). The Ridgie corrected the borderjack for something and the borderjack snarked back and a fight almost happened but the owners grabbed their dogs and the people with the borderjack left.

 

[Skits]

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.

Wow, okay lol..no, I do understand dog parks are different from mine which is what I mentioned. And I mentioned having other areas because I didn't think that dog parks were only options for some people, so trying to show my understanding of it. I'd also be way more comfortable with dog parks if mine were acres or at least more decent people went. My original post was mostly wondering about why people did choose to go knowing the risks.

And I am fine with not spaying and neutering, but when you see an unneutered male humping my own dog and the owner runs over about two minutes later and laughing saying "I hope your bitch is spayed" (he's a neutered male, luckily), that's irresponsible. I should have been more clear on that. And unneutered and unspayed dogs are roaming the park without their owners watching and it's happened here and there where random dogs have bred.

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?

No, my dog BECAME reactive because of reactive dogs in the park. Didn't notice my error of sentence and can't correct it now. After his bad experience, he fought with another dog once which I thought maybe it was the other dogs fault, and when it happened again, I stopped going. He fought those two dogs because they were pushy, untrained and the owners weren't paying any attention that their dogs were jumping onto mine.

 

[JaneNY]

I am on the dog park fence on this.

For the dogs that became aggressive after going to dog parks, were no no signs of aggression of fear of other dogs prior to going or was it there but to a much lesser extent?

 

[Laurelin]

Everyone has to do what they think is best in their area and also for their dogs. I don't do dog parks, my dogs were miserable the few times I've tried and the small dog side of the dog park here SUCKS. The large dog side is too dangerous.

But I'm no angel, we go off leash all the time at the local non off leash park. Whoops.

 

[AllieMackie]

There's risks anytime you take your dog(s) anywhere. General you. Off leash, on leash, whatever.

A yard-sized dog park with snappy dogs? Pretty sure most folks here would agree that's a no-go zone, especially if your dog is reactive. Finn used to go to a nice fenced dog park that was on the small side, but nice enough. Now that he prefers more space and is more reliable off leash, I vastly prefer dog-friendly open spaces. Everyone's results vary.

Dog owners, as a whole, can be a bit idiotic. Especially when it comes to fenced parks. Fenced park = my untrained dog can come in because he can't run away, to a lot of folks. I find anywhere that's not completely fenced in has a better chance of at least better behaved dogs.

 

[PWCorgi]

I would absolutely go to some of the dog parks around here if I had a dog that would enjoy it. The parks here are HUGE and have trails in them. I'd never go to the city style, crammed dog park.

Siri went to dog parks a lot when she was younger and LOVED it. Holy cow did she ever have a blast. A few months ago she was at a dog park and collided with a large boxer. I mean, hard. Neither dog saw each other and Siri went tumbling end over end. It was nobody's fault, but it scared Siri pretty badly. Since then she has been (understandably) more hesitant about large dogs running up to her quickly. She still adores giant dogs (the bigger the better she says!!) that she can meet quickly on leash and then go run with. But when they come barreling toward her she gets worried.

So, we don't go to dog parks anymore. Fortunately we have enough friends with dogs she can play with, and mostly we do off-leash play at the park because her recall is pretty great.

 

[Shai]

The dog parks here are 0.5-2 acres, flat grassy fenced squares. Mosh pits. We don't go as a result. However there is one in a small town near me that is almost always deserted so we will go there sometimes to work in a different place....not so much for just playing though.

If we had a dog park like Linds' or some others that were huge with water features etc. then we'd go. Mira had a lots of fun there.

Really does depend on the dog, though. Kim is a dog park dog, Webster isn't except in limited circumstances. Mira spends the whole time trying to work and ignoring everyone so for her it's just nice to have new places and space and as long as other dogs aren't prone to unprovoked idiocy it doesn't matter whether others are present or how many there are. I suspect Lodin will be somewhat similar to Mira in time.

 

[Maxy24]

I am on the dog park fence on this.

For the dogs that became aggressive after going to dog parks, were no no signs of aggression of fear of other dogs prior to going or was it there but to a much lesser extent?

There were signs of fear that should have told me to stop bringing him, but I ignored them because in the end he usually ended up playing and being friends with the other dog except in rare circumstances. And he always wanted to initiate contact, he never ignored a dog he saw. He was always fine with small dogs right away but would show obvious nervousness towards large dogs, looking uncomfortable when they sniffed and often running from them/hiding behind me after the initial sniff if they tried to play or follow him. But if the large dog turned away he immediately ran up to their backside for sniffing and after a little back and forth that way he'd usually play bow and they'd play. Although now I know play bows are sometimes him being nervous, he play bows as a form of appeasement towards other dogs. Eventually he started snapping and aggressively pursuing other dogs during that initial sniff. Now he is reactive and aggressive towards unknown dogs of all sizes.

So no, it was not out of the blue, I responded poorly to his nervousness because I wanted him to be able to play with other dogs, which he did love to do. Unfortunately to play with the dogs he did like he had to also interact with dogs that scared him and that caused this whole mess.

 

[straw]

Eh. Venice might have some pit bull type dog in her and I still bring her to offleash areas. There are only a couple 'dog parks' in my city but plenty of 'offleash areas' which are usually NOT fenced (eliminates a number of dogs right there) and are designed with trails and plenty of open space. We go almost every day.

Maybe that makes me an irresponsible owner. I don't know. I used to be a super uptight pit bull person and did everything by the book, but not so much anymore. Nobody knows a dog better than its owner, who is usually going to make a decision in their dog's best interest. Yes, some people are stupid and bring inappropriate dogs to an offleash setting, but in my area these people are few and far between. If someone brings their social pit bull to a dog park I really don't care.

If it works for you and your dog, enjoy it. If it doesn't, good for you for being responsible and finding other alternatives.

As an anecdote, when I had pit bull fosters who CANNOT attend offleash parks (clause in the foster contract) I didn't go. I like to kill two birds with one stone and exercise the dogs together, so we went on leashed walks or jogs or went out in the middle of nowhere to play offleash. Venice only encountered other dogs at my work (daycare) or on leash in the street. She seemed a little more nervous and worried when meeting new dogs. Not aggressive, not reactive, nothing that made ME nervous, but I could tell she was uncomfortable. Now, since we've been back into the offleash park swing, we meet dogs casually, in a wide open space, with no pressure, greet, maybe play a bit, and move on. I've noticed she's way more relaxed and confident when greeting strange dogs now that we're back in this habit. In that respect, plus the exercise outlet, offleash parks are beneficial enough to me that they are worth the risk.

And for what it's worth, I have no problem with the dogs at the park 99% of the time. The issue I have in crowded, busy dog parks is that most people don't know enough about dogs and their behavior that they don't know when to intervene or let things be. That's more frustrating and worrisome than the dogs themselves. Most of these dogs wouldn't actually hurt another dog but because their owners don't think to call them off, they could certainly scare a more sensitive dog. Venice is sensitive, so I tend to avoid these areas and just go to quieter neighbourhood offleash parks, or trails in the greenbelt.

Sorry, that was way longer than it needed to be.

 

[Elrohwen]

There are risks in anything and it's up to each owner to assess the risks.

I don't go to dog parks for a couple reasons.
1) The one near me is $50 a year
2) It's a tiny fenced area, maybe 2 acres max (the field on my property is larger, just not fenced), and I've heard bad stories about the owners and dogs who go there
3) Many male dogs don't like my dog, both for his behavior (he's rude at first and doesn't realize his puppy license has expired) and because he's intact. It would be a big risk to throw him in with a bunch of unknown dogs.

I do wish we had a nice dog park. Watson loves other dogs, and his absolute favorite thing to do is play with other dogs. Despite his rude greeting behavior he actually has good social skills while playing. I also don't trust him off leash most days on our property (which isn't fenced) so it would be nice to have an off leash area that was fenced, or big enough that it didn't matter much (he won't go too far away). So I'm not against dog parks altogether, just against them here because of my specific circumstances. There is a good chance that I'll be moving to a more dog friendly area within a year and I'm open to exploring dog parks there. I would absolutely visit one that was more of a hiking area and we had a great time at a place like that in Maine where we could greet dogs and then move on.

 

[DJEtzel]

My dogs love to swim, and I love playing with them and working on distraction training around other dogs.

We go to a park where vaccines are required and dogs are screened for friendly temperaments, so we are stacking the chances in our favor of uneventful play. One dog is intact, fwiw.

It's 25 acres with a 12k sqft pond and it's great in the summer and for conditioning and dock diving training. My dogs typically ignore most dogs there, it is for us to play and train together moreso than for them to play with other dogs.

I think if you have good obedience on a dog and pay attention to behavior, you should be able to prevent issues from happing 9 times out of 10 and prevent behaviors like reactivity and aggression.

 

[sparks19]

I don't bring our current two to the dog park because they really just don't care for it. Belle just wants to roam with her nose to the ground sniffing everything (which is just the way she is... she does the same in our yard lol) but she gets car sick and usually can't make it the whole way to the park without yakking and she's getting old and can barely tolerate Beezer rough housing with her anymore.

Beezer... he's rude and juvenile.

Our old dog LOVED the park. He was SO high energy that it was almost impossible to tire him out on our own. I would play in the yard with him all day with a water hose and water shooter and baby pool and we'd still take him to the park every evening for more. He could just go and go and go and he needed that outlet since we didn't have a fenced in yard. Oddly enough... he died when I took him outside to pee in the morning and his collar broke and he got hit by a car. So was the dog park a risk? yes but clearly it was a risk just taking him out to pee so....

 

[Skits]

I am on the dog park fence on this.

For the dogs that became aggressive after going to dog parks, were no no signs of aggression of fear of other dogs prior to going or was it there but to a much lesser extent?

None at all for my boy. He was four months old, he was greeting every dog happily, had no problems playing with my dog and no problems when we introduced them together. He never barked at other dogs and on walks he ignored them. Then one day a huge GSD got in his face and they started fighting, I was on it the second it started but I feel like that turned things around for my boy. I went back to the dog park a week later and he went after a dog for no reason, and then a second time a while after. Now I wouldn't trust him at all around another dog (other than my other dog).

 

[DJEtzel]

None at all for my boy. He was four months old, he was greeting every dog happily, had no problems playing with my dog and no problems when we introduced them together. He never barked at other dogs and on walks he ignored them. Then one day a huge GSD got in his face and they started fighting, I was on it the second it started but I feel like that turned things around for my boy. I went back to the dog park a week later and he went after a dog for no reason, and then a second time a while after. Now I wouldn't trust him at all around another dog (other than my other dog).

I'm sorry, but you're being a little Unrealistic. You have a pit breed. MOST grow up to be intolerant of other dogs or aggressive. One incident at a park is EXTREMELY unlikely to make any dog 100% untrustworthy around other dogs.

 

[mrose_s]

I steer clear of dog parks because of Quinn's attitude to dogs. Some dogs she loves at first sight, some dogs she's uncomfortable with and will use aggression if I can't get them to back off, and occasionally she will just panic and become very aggressive very quickly for not much valid reason. It would be enough to get her slapped with a dangerous dog order from council if she did it in the wrong environment so we don't do offleash beaches.

She will approach another dog given a chance (she wants to interact, sometimes she just panics once she gets there) but I can also call her away, doesn't help much with dogs approaching us.

And all the dog parks here suck, lucky if you get an acre of fenced in grass for all the dogs to run and interact with each other. Some of the beaches are okay but if I want to do the beach with Quinn now I pretty much just do a long line on on leash beaches, then I have a leg to stand on if someone lets there offleash dog approach her and she doesn't take to them.

Her socialisation happens at the kennels I work at, she gets on with most of the staff members dogs now and I mix her with the right rescue or boarding dogs.

I wish we had better dog parks, lakes and trails and stuff like that. We have a lot of those area's here but they're all strictly no dog zones.

 

[Shakou]

I'm sorry, but you're being a little Unrealistic. You have a pit breed. MOST grow up to be intolerant of other dogs or aggressive. One incident at a park is EXTREMELY unlikely to make any dog 100% untrustworthy around other dogs.

Actually that was the case with Charlotte. She's not "100% untrustworthy" but it did change her and what triggered her fear aggression. Before she was attacked, she was actually really mellow and tolerant of other dogs. All it took just one horrible incident to change her. Also, she wasn't a puppy when this had happened. She was well into her adulthood.

So that's not unrealistic at all.

 

[Southpaw]

For some perspective, here's a shot of our dog park:


That actually looks "crowded" to me but anyway, that's kind of the main field where dogs play (it extends back further than it looks), and then there's a walking path all around the pond and it's relatively wooded along the path. When I go with my dogs, we just walk around the pond - we never really stop and hang out UNLESS they find a dog they really enjoy playing with. So for us it's just a nice off leash walk, I like it because I get to keep moving, they like weaving in and out of the trees and jumping in the water, and we don't have incidents with other dogs because at most, they sniff a dog as we're walking past and then move on.

We wouldn't go if they couldn't handle it. And we still really only go at off-peak times because I get a little annoyed when it's busy.