Dog parks? Good or bad?

[shandoggy1]

Well, I finally gave in and took my 4 month old ACD to a local dog park. I don't like that he was barking at other dogs when out for walks and sometimes people. I want him to be social with everything. ACD's are naturally suspicious of strangers and can be dog aggressive. I don't want him to be either of these things so with lots of socializing he can overcome it. It took him about 15 minutes to figure things out (how to be a dog) and have fun! There were a couple of dog walkers there with groups of dogs labs,aussie's,pitbulls,shepards and lots of rescue mutts all in all he had a good time. I have people say on other chats I am on that dog parks can be a place for germs but don't you think the majority of dog owners who take there dogs are the responsible ones?

[AngelScout]

I'd like to think so....and more than likely they are, however no matter where one takes their dog or how careful or responsible they are, a dog can catch "germs". Three of our dogs caught a skin disorder at a breed show 7 years ago and one of them (Dana) still has scars on her nose from it. One dog ended up dying as a result of it. The third is fine.
Young puppies are best to be kept away from numerous other dogs. It's best to wait to socialize them, until all their puppy vaccinations are complete.
About 4 months old.
If you know the other dogs and their owners, then you can judge.
A lot of people are not aware that their dogs even have a problem that's passible to another, until their dog exhibits signs.
Parvo, for example can be walked onto your property on the bottom of shoes.
Just a word of caution......from experience

[Sweetpea]

It's great there are dog parks in my city. But I had a real problem with a lady who had a dog that chased my Dog. She didn't care if her dog chases and hurts other dogs. Emma was so afraid of this dog! This dog has bitten another dog on the ear and has also went after several other dogs in our local dog park. There is a sign posted that no aggressive dogs are allowed. Well she thought it was cute her dog was the king of the park. I was told she was given a bill to repair another dogs ear. As far as I know she still brings her dog to the park. I'm not willing to let Emma be eaten up by the king doberman. I think all cities should have people who supervise at the parks to keep aggressive dogs and dumb owners out of the parks. It's just not fair to all the people who would love to use the park and have well behaved dogs. You just never know if the other dogs have any type of flu. Which your dog may pick up. It's just not worth it to me to go. Emma is into agility once a week. I know all the dogs in the class are well taken care of. The trainer requires all the info. on your dogs shots before you can start into the agility class. You may want to ask you vet if it's safe to bring your dog to the dog park. I don't think it would be a good idea unless your dog is up to date on all his/ her shots. My vet & trainer told me to stay away from dogs parks and petsmart with my dog. I have read about a dog park in Michigan where all dogs are given blood test before the enter the park. You need to pay to go to this park. Which I think is great. I wish we had a park like that. I'd even pay to go. They have a pond, trail, sand hills and so much more. I hope to bring Emma someday.

[Shadowkins]

We have a dog park too but my boy has been charged at a couple of times by much bigger dogs, so to say the least I am the one who is afraid of bringing him. He is just a small cocker and to some big guys may seem like a tasty treat. I am extremenly cautious even when I take him out for just a walk, so many dogs are ( in my opinion ) neglected or not socialized properly and have no qualms about attacking a smaller one. So, go ahead and use a dog park but be very cautious the first few times, till the other dogs who go there become acquainted with your pup.

[shandoggy1]

Thanks guys for the advice But don't we as humans take risks and chances everyday? I personally work at a bank and risk my life everyday with having a gun pointed to my head if someone wants to rob us ! How else are you supposed to socialize your dogs these days if you worry about every little thing. Cai is all up to date on his shots and I only will take him once a week to play with dogs and interact with other people. Everyone there today was really nice and there dogs looked healthy believe me I examine them with my eyes as soon as they walk over. I am only going to take him for a short period of time till he gets over certain issues. I guess on the weekends this place is packed with dogs so I will just stick to the week days. My first dog who is now ten years old came to work with me everyday for the first 7 years of his life as I was a groomer at PETSMART and a couple of independently owned shops we went to all kinds of dog parks in the early years of his life and he is fine.

[Giny]

I would love to find a place to socialize my two but dog parks are way to dangerous for them. They'd be squished in no time. I’d need to find a 10 pound maximum limited park for them. For now I've made my yard the little doggie hang out and they seem to have lots of fun with all the neighbors’ dogs that way. I even have one of my neighbor’s dog that will sit and bark at my fence gait to come in a play from time to time. "lol"

[AngelScout]

Shandoggy, You are absolutely Right! Life is a risk. Everyday we send our kids to school, or take our dogs for a walk, or even drive to work or walk down our stairs in our house. Everyday we wake up healthy is a good day.
I just pray that it stays that way. For all of us and all our pets. Simple rule of thumb is to help minimize the risks..........if possible.
MMMMfff ....Who am I to talk......I used to jump out of planes. lol

[Pugdawg1]

I don't doubt they are a great place for socializing, but for my pugs.. nope. I won't take them to one. In between whatever nasties that they bring.. and the fact that not everyone has well behaved, sweet social dogs.. I'd rather not risk my pugs. Pugs stink when it comes to defending themselves.. it would take very little for a larger dog to seriously hurt/kill them. So we do our own thing.

[Raised By Wolves]

Personally, I don't care for them. I've heard a lot of stories, and have dealt with dogs hitting their "terrible two's", really being a handful when their owners have used these parks as their dog's only form of exercise with no other form of "structured" socialization in the dog's daily routine up to that point. The comments about the transmission of illnesses from dog to dog is made even more worth listening to, with the new dog flu.

I just received word via a friend, that this flu has been diagnosed in a shelter in Portland. A few dogs have already died at this shelter. This information is unconfirmed by me personally, but I trust the source.

My preference if you want to socialize and exercise your dog, is to get together with a group of friends and their dogs. You can take walks with your dogs to practice leash manners and training, and then have some off leash time afterwords. This provides a certain amount of co-operation, supervision, and leadership on the part of the owners, instead of the "free-for-all" of the unsupervised dog park.

We have both a fenced park, and an off-leash area at one of the local beaches. The fenced park is like a "soap opera", since I live in a small community, and the off-leash beach area is like running a gauntlet of aggressive dogs. No thanks!

Unfortunately, I can see how some people don't have the option of a fenced yard or country living. For folks in the city, this may be their only local option for their dog to socialize and run around off-leash. I understand some well maintained parks are really great, so I guess some of it depends on the size of the park, how it is managed, and who shows up to "play".

I can definately see how one bad apple could ruin things pretty fast in an unsupervised park.

[Sweetpea]

Here is a dog park in Michigan. It looks like a cool place. Wish I was a dog. http://www.shaggypines.com/index.htm I bet this we would a safe place to go rather then a public park.

[buddys my pup]

i think dog parks are a good way to socialize the dogs, and get them a little more friendler with strangers.but my mom says they can get sick.they could get kennal cough or some other stuff if the other dogs owners dont pick up there dogs " mess" up your dog could get whatever that dog has if your dog eats it or steps in it. lots of other ways too. or your dog could get into a fight and that causes alot of problems.

[elegy]

personally i'm not a big fan of dogparks. i've not personally been to one, but i see the fall-out from them at work- when the dog park opened near my old job there was a huge outbreak of upper respiratory garbage that was being passed around there. i have also seen dog-park fight losers.

my trainer runs small playgroups for dogs who have been in her classes, and i think that's the ideal way to socialize a dog. puppy kindergarden is another way. a structured environment with known dogs, not a free-for-all. a bad dog park experience can do damage to a pup that can take a long time to work through. socialization is very important, but it's also important to be smart about how you do it.

[sammy]

We go to our local off leash park almost every day.
Sammy is good with everybody four legged and two legged (although he is submissive and tends to get humped) and LOVES going there.
Our park is lovely and the vast majority of dogs and owners are friendly and well behaved Lots of dogs retrieving balls and playing nicely.
It certainly is a risk though-- every once in a while I see a dog there who is way too agressive to be an off leash park dog and the owners have zero control of them.
I have worked hard with Sammy to have near perfect recalls so I can call him to me in a split second if I see a dog I know is too rough or something is going on and I want to pull him out of it. Certainly not all dogs are suitable dog park dogs and not all owners are responsible.
My only advice would be to go at regular times so you get to know the other dogs and owners that go at that time and your dog isn't seeing a whole bunch of brand new dogs each time he goes. Also make sure you have really got a good foundation of obedience and recall so you can get your dog away from any dog , child or situation reliably. Too many people seem to use the off leash park as a crutch- since they haven't botherred to teach their dog leash manners etc it's easier to just open the car door and let them run.
I agree with whoever said it's better to have "dog play dates" with friends - go on hikes together etc-- I just don't have very many friends who are dog nerds who want to be out with their dogs for 90 minutes ! I'm hoping since we do lots of classes: rally-o and agility that we will meet some like-minded people

[Kelly]

We love our DP! Mostly everyone there is great about keeping their dogs off of other dogs, I've never seen anyone get hurt there. (human or dog). Everyone tends to pick up their dogs poop (the park supplies green baggies).

Oh and if your dog is vaccinated against kennel cough then don't worry about it too much. My dogs are UTD on all their vaccines. And since people are so good about picking up their dogs' messes at this park, there isn't much worry about the spread of worms.

There is also 2 sections at our DP, one is for big dogs, and one is strictly for small and elderly dogs.

If your DP is a good one, I say go ahead and bring them.

[TribalRats]

We don't have a real dog park here however I was lucky enough to meet someone on here and we were able to meet up at a school and let the pups have a playdate. That was fun! IT was great becasue it was on our terms and under our control.
There is only one place here that is kind of a dog park it is just a fenced in decent size area with no benches, real tress or anything and ll of the dogs (big and small) are together. I too haev had some issues with the bigger dogs charging at my smaller ones and let me tell you Lexie will not stand for it. She is ready to defend herself, thought she will not instigate it she does not want the big dogs in her face....or other areas.....
So I found the structured puppy playdate worked for us.