to dog park or not to dog park...this is the question
 

I recently read another thread where a lot of you guys could not comprehend why anyone would take a yorkie to a dog park.

I am a very new yorkie mom. I have taken Davey to the dog park once and he was very shy at first, but after about 20 mins, he started to explore and smell everyone's butt.

At home, its just me and Davey so I thought that taking him to the dog park would be a good thing for him. He could meet other dogs and could be outside (which he loves). I don't have a yard for him, so I thought being leash-free would be a positive experience for him.

Davey is tiny, 4lbs.

If you are anti-dog park for yorkies, what are the alternatives? Are dog parks not important for their social development?

Thoughts?

I don't take Uni to dog parks b/c of all the horror stories I have read here. That said, I would suggest signing up with a yorkie only meetup group. Sometimes they have meetups at dog boutiques instead of the parks. There is one coming up in Aug, if you are near Orange County (your avatar doesn't give a city) at a boutique, I will attend that one.

Also i live at the end of a cul-de-sac so Uni has lots of off leash play time there instead.

I havent ever been to a dog park but Ive heard alot of horror stories so I really dont want to. Also we have a big nice regular park thats only a 3 min drive from my house so we go there. The only way I would go to a dog park is if there is a small dog area.

I'm in Hacienda Heights...not too far from you :)

But doesn't he need exercise and outdoor time on a daily or weekly basis? Or is this only needed for big dogs, like labs and pitbulls?

The dog park I went to does have a small dog section. The only problem with that is that all dogs under 25lbs. are considered "small" dogs. So the dogs have a 20lb. advantage to Davey.

Horror stories? Well, there are horror stories for everything, no?

I tend to stay away from dog parks. We had a near miss with a big dog once and that was it for us. They guy said the dog was not usually aggressive, but he decided Laya looked like a tasty treat! Just not worth it to me.

Oh cool, that would be great if you could make it. It's not till aug 9, in Brea, across from the mall (I'm sure you've been there?) Here"s the info:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/cal...ug-9-09-a.html

But since yorkies are small they can easily get their needed amount of exercise just playing and running around an apartment!

Yea, lots of times the other dog's owners don't even apologize! they laugh.:thumbdown:mad:

i take morgan to the dog park all the time. There is a small dog section so there are never any big dogs in there. I watch morgan and follow her around while we are there. When i first get there i carry her in and observe the other dogs for a few minutes to see if there are any crazy ones there. If there are, i'll hold her and wait. Usually at the park i go to most of the dogs are well behaved and if they are not other people will say something to the owner of the ill-behaved dog. I also always watch to see who is coming in and watch the dogs when they first enter. There are certain breeds i do not like because they are either too hyper or have high prey drives so i'll pick morgan up when i see them coming until i'm sure they are ok.

I think the dog park is a great place for place and socialization. You just need to remember that anyone can go there and their dogs may not have the best manners, or the owners don't have control over their dogs.

Things to remember:
Only go to a small dog park/section
observe the other dogs before you put your yorkie down
observe owners to make sure they can handle their dogs
observe owners/dogs that are coming in

I refuse to take Missy to a dogpark. We've already had to fork out 3500 to repair one broken leg. I won't risk it happening again. She does have a few doggie friends that I let her hang out with, and I bring her EVERYWHERE. I just don't trust strange dogs to play with her safely, plus she was almost eaten by a Boxer the other day at a kids park. An accident can happen so quickly. Yes, I'm a freaky over-protective Mama. Ask my skin kids! ;)

OMG! You said 'skin kids'...that is so so so so FUNNY!!

Did she break her leg at a dog park?

I guess you and I are different in the sense that I work all day, so Davey spends a lot of time in doors...but I totally see why you would be worried.

Off topic question - did you pay that much with insurance or without?

Agree!

There is an extremely nice one here in Annapolis with the small dog/big dog sections and all the dogs were surprisingly mellow, calm but still playful enough for Jackson to get a good run! I will for sure be taking him back. It's great. It's get them experience with other dogs and socialized and it wears them out!

I think that every dog should be walked. Just because they are small doesn't mean they won't have a more interesting life if they get to see more than one house. I make a big deal about people not walking their pets. Mostly because almost all the dogs I see on my street are not walked, and they sit in the window barking at you all day. My dog doesn't, because he isn't bored and is exercised. I got him and he had so much pent up energy from never being exercised that he went crazy for WEEKS! After daily walks he eventually calmed down into a happier dog. I have experienced first hand the negative things of not exercising a dog and I think a tired dog makes a happier and more well behaved dog.

I don't take my Yorkie to the dog park. I took him a few times and he hated it. Don't get me wrong, he LOVES other dogs. He just doesn't love getting tackled by 5 big dogs he has never met all at once. He's fine if he knows them, but he needs to sniff the dog for 10 seconds before he isn't scared of it. He gets overwhelmed at the dog park. We don't have a good dog park in Cupertino. I think they are planning to build one soon but the closest one is 15 minutes. I don't know a dog park with two sections around here.

Oh, and don't forget to be up on shots! Some owners don't give their dogs shots and STILL take them to the parks!

Oh yes, this is very true! I just meant that yorkies didn't need as much exercise as a big dog. sorry for the confusion! :D

This is a tough question. I would never take Lola to a dog park where there wasn't a small dog section, but that's because she's less than 3 lbs and very shy. The one I take her to sometimes does have a small dog section, but I definitely see some yorkies out playing with the big dogs and having a blast. I think it really depends on your pup and how comfortable and sturdy he is when playing with other dogs.

That being said, there are always health risks for dogs that are not vaccinated, might have kennel cough and other respiratory diseases, etc. Like someone else mentioned, there are risks with everything I guess. I would do more research to find small dog or yorkie meetups in your area... I've found that people who attend these tend to be much more conscious and responsible than your average dog park attendee (sorry to generalize).

I paid that much without insurance. All she did was jump off of my hand from about 4" above the livingroom carpet when I was setting her down. She's impatient and doesn't wait until all 4 paws are planted on the ground before taking off like a rocket. The accident just made me realize how extremely fragile these little ones are. Her surgeon warned me that if that leg is broken again, he doesn't believe there is enough "good bone" to work with, and he won't be able to fix it again. Needless to say, I'm super duper careful now. Lesson learned. I use to have a Rottweiler/Lab cross before I got Missy, and she was injured at a dog park by a Cocker Spaniel. The CP grabbed her back leg as she was running and tore her meniscus. I dunno...I guess that I'm just more comfortable with a controlled environment and socializing my dogs with other dogs that we know well through friends/family. Plus, as others have said...there's always the risk of "kennel cough" etc. Missy won't be getting the kennel cough or rabies vaccines because they aren't required by law in my area.

"Skinkids" is a term that I learned here on YT :p

My two have never been to a dog park.
I just do not trust other people enough to take them there.

Totally agree!!!!

Look for a Yorkie or Small dog meet up in your area.

Do something, Learn something, Share something, Change something - Meetup.com

I have 2 ...5 lb dogs. maltese and yorkie. They get at least a 30 min walk once, sometimes twice, a day. when the leashes and harnesses come out they go balistic with excitement! They are happier dogs for it I am sure!

Also we have 2 dog parks here both with a small dog area. But people don't control their dogs and my dogs hate when 5 boy dogs all pounce on them at once trying to smell under their tales. Plus owners don't always pick up after their dogs and well its not pretty. So I've pretty much signed off on the dog parks here.

However there's a small soccer field that no one uses in the afternoon and 5-9 yorkies meet there every week day for an hour. They are all girls oddly enough and the dogs look forward to their daily play group. we all are consciencious to pick up after our dogs and keep the park clean. its not fenced in but the dogs have learned to stay near us and still have their freedom to roam and sniff. Its a wonderful situation.

so I hope when you come home from work, you'll walk your yorkie and help him get some of that pent up energy from being home alone all day. He'll be a much mellower dog for it! thats for sure! maybe you can find a weekend play group or start your own.

my puppy is so well socialized and I know I owe it to our daily play group.

I think it depends on your area. I take Thor to a lot of parks, not necessarily dog parks per se, because I don't have a yard, Thor needs lots of exercise, and I would say that running around in the grass is one of his greatest pleasures in life. It makes me happy to see him so happy.

Thor is also 4 lbs.

That being said, I am not used to having such a small dog, and we've definitely had some learning experiences. I avoid certain parks because they tend to be peopled ("dogged?") by larger fellows. Our favorite park is quite large and naturally breaks into different areas, so if a large dog play group breaks out, I just make sure to take Thor to the other side of the park.