[Kratty]

I was wondering how many of you use them. We go to a local dog park on a regular basis. I would say that overall, its been a good experience for Nikita. I do realize their is a lot of risk also associated with them too.

Yes there are Pro and Cons, but we have been successful so far.

Pro's:
Dogs do learn alot from each other, especially how dogs should act.
Playing with each other, they get more tired than playing with humans
They get to run in big open areas, that are fenced in.

Con's:
Not all dogs are socialized properly.
Not all dog owners are responsible enough to control their own dogs.
Dog fights do break out, and owners do not know how to separate dogs properly.

The dog park we visit, we have a set of regulars that attend at the same time each day. So Nikita sees these dogs on a regular basis. I would say the regulars always make up about half of the park at any given time. We all work together and assist each other when issues arise. We have no problem stepping in to help others and we all can sense when things are getting out of hand and start to shut things down before it happens. From a group effort, things run pretty smoothly, which has been a key to having a positive experience there. But every now and then, bad things do happen which makes the experience not so pleasant.

So what experience do you have on dog parks and your opinions.

 

[Gracie's_Mom]

I would love to be able to go to a dog park. We don't have one around us. If we did I am sure we would be there every few days to let Gracie run her little heart out. Lol.

I have often thought about buying a nice size peice of land and turning that into a dog park. I have looked for land but some of the land that I like I can't afford. Sooner or later I will get one though. Lol.

 

[joce]

I have four dogs so going in my backyard is its own dog park :haha:
I wouldn't take my dog to one just becuase I have enough frineds with nicer land than most parks and dogs that I trust them around. I wouldn't want to deal with the risks,but mostly some of the nutty people that own dogs.

 

[TakirasDad]

Well here goes my story.

There is a park not too far from me I have been there two times and the same thing happened each time.

The park is divided into 2 areas, one for smaller dogs and another for larger dogs, well as usual people have no common sense and they allow their little 1-5lb dogs run in the large dog area. Then what happens is the dogs start to play and one of their little dogs either gets trampled on or has a Naploen complex and starts wigging out. Well right away it is MY faul because I have a Doberman I suppose...lol

I stopped going there after I was told by one woman with a GSD on my second trrip that this happens all the time and is not an isolated incident.

So now we dont do dog parks, Takira gets lots of walks and meets other dogs once a week in training class, thats enough.

TD

 

[Molari]

I am not even sure we have any in Dallas but I can not imagine using one anyway. As laid back and easy going as GKar is I know it would only take a second to get either him or another dog seriously hurt or worse. Luckily my back yard is about a half acre so he has lots of room to exercise and play. He has friends sleep over occasionally so he gets to interact with other dogs off leash. My rule is simple, if he leaves my property he is always on a leash and under control.

 

[Kratty]

Well TakirasDad, that really sucks. I admit that the dog owners are more than likely worse than their dogs. In many cases, if the owners sucks, their dog usually sucks too.

In our case, we have been going for over 7 months now. Most of our dog park has seen Nikita grow up there. She was only 5 months old when we first started going. She still was in her head gear at that time and some owners would comment on How could I bring her there in this condition. They did not know anything about cropped ears. Missed informed public.

So now, everyone knows Nikita and thinks she one of the most behaved dogs there. Any newcomer is like its a doberman, and everyone ones response is, "Its only Nikita"

Sorry to hear that the 2 visits were bad experiences. I have observed it usually takes 3 to 6 visits before things start to go smoother. But I understand fully whats bad and whats good with dog parks.

 

[Dobedad]

Abby goes to a local dog park two or three times a week, its a good 20-25 minute drive so its not ideal. Its a nice place since there is a large field where dogs can play, but there are also some forest paths were you can walk your dog off-leash and get them away from the mayhem of the field. I have never witnessed any dog aggression problems there. Luckily there is a brand new park opening just 5 minutes down the road in less than two weeks, so we may start going a lot more often.

I love getting her out around other dogs where she can just be a dog. She runs her little heart out and is usually a great experience. We've had the occasional experience of running into someone who is deathly afraid of dobermans (yet has something like a german shephard/pitbull mix) or someone who tries to keep their dog away from mine but Abby is definitely one of the better behaved dogs so these actions are uncalled for.

Anyway, to sum it up in my experience, dog parks are good.

 

[waiting]

dog parks

There are a couple of things my vet warned me about dog parks. Fleas mange, disease, and worms etc, in feces.
Alot of people don't take care of there dogs properly.
Then there are silly people that let there dogs run free in heat and then you will have a whole different situation. Fighting over the bitch.
He said they have good intentions but not the best place to go. I agree to socialize but in can be done on a leash walking or with your friends dogs.

 

[Lexus]

In my opinion, I think it is entirely up to each owner to weigh the pros and cons of the dog park for their own concerns.

Waiting, I definetely back the up the issues your vet mentioned. As well as the people involved and how they control their animals.

I pass a dog park on the way to our OB classes so I thought I'd check it out one day, I took Lexus, and there were quite a few people there. One older "gentleman" had a standard poodle that he allowed to have a bone ( when the rules are CLEARLY posted NO bones or toys of any kind) His dog was growing and snapping at the other dogs. But when I approached the gate I said Hi to everyone and asked if all the dogs were getting along. The "nice" gentleman got very rude and short and said in a NOT so nice tone "well we'll just see NOW won't we" Clearly upset at my doberman being there. He promply got his dog and left. The area was wood chips and was fairly clean, but as clean as a dog run can be... still there are countless dogs that go into that area and that makes me cringe.

All and all, it was fine, but I prefer my socialization at my dog classes and by walks into the busier parts of town. And to exercise her by biking and our walks. In a dog park, you may have a recall control of your dog, but honestly you aren't in 100% control of what happens or could happen.

It is just my perspective on the whole thing. I don't trust OTHER people. I don't want someone saying my dog threatened them or their dogs, I just don't want the aggravation. So I prefer just to keep Lexus and myself out of a potential bad situation all together, and have no plans to go again.

 

[MissGretchen]

We do not have a dog park in my area, but even if we did, I would not take my dogs to one, simply because I don't know if the other dogs are under the control of their owners, who is and who is not agressive, if the other dogs are utd on their vacs. To me it's not worth the risk. My 3 get plenty of exercise in their fenced yard plus individual walks within our area.

 

[Prettydobie]

I go to a dog park and there is also a set of regulars but the regulars that come to my dog park aren't to smart. One persons rott has gotten into fights and all the guy does is pull him away tell him no hold him there for a while and then let him go. People are dumb here as well. I heard of a person bringing a pet pig into the large dog park incloser and another time a lady brought a cat. Niether of those turned out right but the owners of these other animals should be able to read the big sign that says dog park. LOL There are even people you bring there dogs to the dog park and then also eat fast food at the tables and then grips about the dogs tring to take there food. Some people I wounder about. LOL

 

[Dobe_Paws]

As laid back and easy going as GKar is I know it would only take a second to get either him or another dog seriously hurt or worse.

My feeling exactly. I know too, if anything were to happen because of the breeds of dogs I have, whether they were at fault or not they'd be judged as the bad guy. I would rather not put them in that situation.

 

[Jedski]

We have a few dog parks close to home, fully fenced and nicely grassed. But I don't use them. It's not the dogs that I don't trust, but their idiot owners. It's bad enough coming across people walking their dogs unleashed, who either choose to ignore or are completely deaf to my shouting "PUT YOU DOG BACK ON LEASH PLEASE!" Jeddah really does not take kindly to strange dogs galloping 100 miles an hour at her. Why is it that these people have the amazing ability to be able to read my dog's behaviour from 200 metres away. Must have better eye sight than me.

 

[frznbuns]

OH to have a dog park!! I wish we had a dog park that I could take the dogs to so they could have some fun.. we go to the park not far from us once in a while but it is such a pain because people are all like== Oh my god a Doberman Keep them away from us.. It make me sick.. I would love to have a place I could take the dogs and not worry about what people think of dobermans..

 

[Molari]

We have a few dog parks close to home, fully fenced and nicely grassed. But I don't use them. It's not the dogs that I don't trust, but their idiot owners. It's bad enough coming across people walking their dogs unleashed, who either choose to ignore or are completely deaf to my shouting "PUT YOU DOG BACK ON LEASH PLEASE!" Jeddah really does not take kindly to strange dogs galloping 100 miles an hour at her. Why is it that these people have the amazing ability to be able to read my dog's behaviour from 200 metres away. Must have better eye sight than me.

Other than blowing his chest up and trying to walk ahead of me a little when we are charged by unleashed dogs GKar does not pay a lot of attention to them. As a pup and even now when we walk I have always just kept walking and ignored the charging barking beast and he has learned to do the same thing.

 

[Dobedad]

I like the dog park because it gives my dog a chance to really run and use a ton of energy that i can't get her to use with other dogs.

On a bad note....a couple of weeks ago she came down with kennel cough (even though she was vaccinated a couple months ago) which most likely came from a visit to the dog park. So we haven't been back in a couple weeks.

 

[Twinkletoes]

the area where i live is full of dogs and i have only met one person yet with a snappy dog..all of the owners here have their dogs running off lead ~ its just the done thing when you are surrounded by acres of land no-where near any roads etc. on a good day theres labs, bermese mountain dogs, golden retreivers, mutts, all breeds shapes and sizes running around.. its a small enough village for us all to know one another and know our dogs all get along.

As far as i know We dont get Dog Parks here in the u.k i think i would find it pretty scary to take Harvey not knowing any of the people and how their dogs are with others