Do you take your dogs to the dog park?

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Have you encountered problems? I've heard some horror stories, and a lot of trainers and vets think they're a terrible idea, just on general principle.

What's your experience?

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999

Answers

We started taking Bailey (lab/pit bull) to the river dog park when he was two months old. Yes, I was a nervous mama for the first month or so. He was so SMALL compared to all the other dogs!

But I'm very glad that we did that. I had concerns about owning a dog that was part pit-bull. Socializing with the other dogs off the leash taught him that he is not the leader of the pack, how to stay with us when we are walking, and how to play with other dogs.

One thing I have noticed about dog parks is that every once in a while, an owner will leave their dog on the leash. Dogs that are left on the leash tend to be agressive and will growl at any dogs that come near them. I'm not sure why this is. But I would recommend that if you do decide to go to river dog park, take Doc off of the leash immediately. You can always put him back on the leash and walk away from other dogs if he doesn't behave.

Also, if you want to avoid the "dog rush hour" I would recommend going very early like 730-8 am, because at that time there are only 5 or 6 dogs down there. Around 9 am on weekends is prime time, I've seen over 30 dogs there on a nice Saturday morning.

I've noticed that when we are out in public and a stray dog comes up to Bailey, he stands still and sniffs. Usually the OTHER dog will try to fight him, at which point he tries to defend himself. We say "no" and pull the leash back, and he is fine.

I think he would *BE* the aggressor if we had not taken him to "DP" as we call it.

By the way, I would recommend NOT discussing going to DP out loud with Jeremy. Bailey picked up on "park", "dog park," and "DP". Now we have to say things like, "would it interest you at all to peruse the sandy beaches of yore?"

He'll probably figure that one out soon, too.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999


Okay, I know posted a question for us to answer but I've got one to ask.

My pup, as some might remember, is a Min Pin. Very, very, hyper. I'd just discussed this topic with my mother the other evening and came up with no solutions.

Since my dog, Zeus, is so hyper, he requires a lot of attention to get him to wind down and/or a lot of running around to drain his battery pack.

I'd really like to find one of these parks that you all are referring to, I'd never heard of a "dog park" before. I'd really like to get him to a park to let him chase after a ball for an hour or two, and get to know a few dogs - generally let him wear himself out. It's a shame to let all that energy go to waste sitting at home.

He's over a year old now, and hadn't had much exposure to other dogs when he was still technically a "puppy", and I think a dog park would be really cool to take him to so that he can socialize with other dogs. He's really defensive around other dogs but gets used to them rather fast after a quick butt-smelling fest.

I guess what my question is - how do you all go about finding these parks for dogs? I mean, granted, I'm not in CA, I'm on the other coast, but I think dog parks would be a really neat idea and I'm interested in finding one around this area. Is there any hints you can give me to help me locate one?

Thanks :)

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999


Actually, there is a web site that lists all known dog parks in the U.S. I don't have the URL but I'll look around for it, and if I find it I'll post it.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999

Okay, couldn't find the link, but I did a quick search of "dog park off leash" in Yahoo, and got a million regional listings. That might be a good start. Hint: if you live in the NYC area, there are nine million web sites listing nine million dog parks.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999

I absolutely recommend the dog parks. I take Sasha there in the wintertime when shes bored and needs some excersise. I swear her eyes light up and she jumps for joy when she sees the other dogs. Then you get the 20 dog pack rolling around your feet. It's the best.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999


www.dogpark.com has listings of dog parks by location for both the U.S. and Canada.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999

I've got my own built in dog park with my three doggies. Mack didn't seem too interested in other dogs before we got Brandy. They started to play the minute they met and they haven't stopped since.

When we got Ginger I encourgaged her to play with the other dogs. At first I had to keep an eye on Mack because he was a little too rough and dominent with her.

The three of them are "Built in Entertainment". They're always doing something funny and chasing each other around.

I'd encourage you to take Doc to play with the other dogs. I think it's important for their socialization and I'm pretty sure they love it and think it's great fun. Like someone else said, you can keep an eye on him and if another dog is being too rough, or Doc is being too rough, you can pull him outta there.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999


Sailor enjoys the dog park. Normally, however, we take him (shhhh) to the wild area near the softball complex and let him run. He's definitely a runner and loves it.

He's fairly well-behaved around other dogs, but we're never sure. The last time he was at the dog park (Howe) with other dogs, he completely ignored them.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999


...fort funston in san francisco...it's about 150-300 acres [meaning i really have no clue how big it is] of off-leash beach front rollicking fun...however, since every san franciscian dog-owner knows about this spot, i doubt i'm shedding any light on the subject...

...but beth, if you're ever in the area, take doc there...he'll have a blast...

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999


I don't have a dog, just piping up to say this is interesting. My family had dogs and we never took them to play with other dogs. It would never occur to me to do it if I had a dog now. I figure our family is the dog's pack so why does he need other dogs?

But then, I'm an only child and am pretty happy about that.

People I know who have dogs take them to dog parks but they don't seem to talk about it as something they're doing for the dog but as just the park that's nearest to home.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 1999



Fort Funston is great, but closer to Sacramento are some terrific parks in the East Bay. Still a drive, anyway. Our favorite is Point Isabel, in Richmond, just off I-580 behind a Costco and huge blue postal shipping warehouse. We're there every weekend and some weekdays.

Our younger dog is 5 1/2 months, and we waited until three or four weeks ago to bring him there. He was timid at first, but now he loves it. We'd worried that we weren't socializing him enough because he plays lots with our other dog, but we haven't gotten him out enough.

There's another, much smaller dog park five blocks from our house, but we've stopped going because it's too small. A mid-sized dog with attitude (owner with no control) started getting too aggressive with our older dog (a German Shepard twice its size, but a total wimp), and so now when she gets there she doesn't really look to play. She just kinda stands around.

-- Anonymous, September 30, 1999


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