Dog parks?

[jjohnson86]

Does anyone here take their babies to a dog park? Is it recommended? I figured it would be a great time for them to be socialized and have fun but have never been to one because my town has never had one, however I just heard on the news that donations have been made to build our towns very first dog park and I was thinking about taking Mindy.

[Zeus08]

I love dog parks! As long as your Yorkie is fully vaccinated it should be fine. It is a great way to socialize for you and your dog. I just met up today with another YTalker today at a dog park and it was so much fun. I always just make sure that there is a small dog side and a separate side for big dogs. The big dog side can get a little rough for our little ones. Have fun at your new dog park should you decide to go.

[cory]

We don't have these dark parks in Canada but have been in Palm Desert CA for the winter where they do have them. We've taken the girls to the little dog parks and it's been great for them to socialize with some of the other small dogs. it's a great idea that they have a large dog park and small dog park side by side. I wish that they'd get something like this in Canada where we live.

[jjohnson86]

When I heard that they were getting one here where I live I was really happy because I wanted a place to be able to take Mindy for walks and also a place for her to play and have fun. She loves people and other dogs, she's just got that playful outgoing personality that I love and nothing slows her down so itll be good to take her to a place where she can use all that energy! Thanks for the replies, I appreciate your imput on the matter because I don't want to do something that isn't recommended for a dog as little as our yorkies are. I raelly hope they have the big and small dog sides seperated.

[brina05]

We go to a nice dog park in our area. It has separate areas for the large and small dogs... the parking lot separates the two areas, as well as double gated entrances. It has been a fun place to socialize our boys and meet other small dog owners. It even has some agility equipment out at times.

[briana smith]

Most people I know that has dogs in general don't do dog parks, especially small dog owners. It just takes ONE irresponsible owner's dog to cause serious harm or even death to our tiny dogs. Check out this thread on an all breed dog forum: This is why I don't like Dog Parks - Puppy & Dog Forums

My baby is offended if I even thought abou bringing her to a "dog" park. But she does have a loot of fun at people parks.

[alaskayorkie]

I like the idea of dog parks but I'd be real careful with a little dog. The main problem is if it's open to the public, you never know if there are responsible dog owners showing up or not.

But if there's a separate area for little dogs, I would definitely consider it. The best thing to do would be to organize a group of dog owners you're comfortable around and pick a meetup time where you're not likely to run into other people. At the very least, you'd at least have people to support you if someone wasn't following the rules.

If big and little dogs were mixed up, I'd keep mine close or on a leash and be prepared to protect them if things got rough.

[jjohnson86]

Its good to have perspective on both ends because I need to be prepared for the worst. I know with animals anything is possible because they have a mind of their own. I'd be scared of a big dog running my baby over or attacking her, she wouldn't stand a chance and that is my biggest fear. Also there are a lot of ignorant people out there and that can also pose a problem in a public place especially when pets are involved. I don't know exactly how it'll be set up until they open it and if they don't seperate the little from big dogs i probably won't be going because I'd be too paranoid something could happen to Mindy! I'd never put her in any danger, in the end if it doesn't work out I can always take her to a regular park. There's one right down the street from where we live and that would suffice.

[Ringo1]

I would consider taking Lucy to a little dog park. The day we went; the little dog park was closed and everyone was using the 'big dog' park. We did not go in. Too many big dogs and I know a lot of the big dog owners like the separation too. If there were to be a dog fight - our little ones are usually on the losing end and no one wants that.

I'll go again when the weather is warmer and see if the little dog one is opened.

I have a Westie that I will never take to a dog park because he is aggressive to strange dogs. Shame. But he wouldn't have fun there and no one else would have fun if he were there.

[Britster]

I love our dog park. I don't WHAT I would do without it. It has a big dog/little dog area which is so convenient and much less worry. It's a state park so it's not just a dog park... it costs $6 to get in every-time OR you can buy a yearly pass for $40. I love most of the people there, you become friends with a lot of people you meet there and familiar with all the dogs. Jackson has all of his favorite dogs and people. There's also a dog beach.

I think you just have to be the judge of things. If people aren't cleaning up their dogs poop, leaving things messy, etc, I wouldn't like going to a nasty park of course. But we've had 99.9% of good times and the .1% is usually a human causing problems, not a dog!

I want to add too though I go to another dog park about 20 minutes away from my house that is FREE and it's upkept really nice. I've never had any issues with people there, even the big dog area is usually laidback and friendly. I usually go to this one when the state park is closed on Tuesday's. I try to get to a dog park about 3x a week in the warmer weather.

[nancyfancypants]

I love going to the dog park, and there are a couple free ones around here. Like some others, one has two areas, and those of us with little ones tend to go in one area and the bigger dogs in the other - but this is generally when there are lots of dogs around. When there are a few big guys, they tend to run like they're at a race track.

[OwnedByJezebel]

We've been going to a dog park (with separate large / small dog areas) around 4 times per week, and Jezebel LOVES it. She greets every dog and every human. She runs like the wind, chases and gets chased, spins and tumbles, kisses and plays. She has a blast! There are some pics posted in albums on my profile.

Some people bring their small dogs on the large dog side. I would NEVER do that. I've seen some fights on the big dog side, and even if there is nothing aggressive going on, I know she would be in the middle of things, trying to run and play with the big ones. It would take just one playful bounce from a big one where she got in the way, and she could get hurt. She does entice the big ones to come to the fence, greet her, kiss through the fence, and run the fence line with her.

Everyone always comments on how friendly, social, fast, happy, and playful she is. Also how sweet she is with all of the other dogs. She truly enjoys herself to the fullest. It took me a long time to come up with the rest of her name. I just couldn't think of what I wanted to go with "Jezebel." After a few trips to the dog park, I decided it should be "Jezebel Joie de Vivre," because she enjoys life (or whatever she is doing at the moment) so much.

I just wanted to add, however, that not all dogs belong at a dog park. I've run into several owners that have dogs that are clearly not comfortable being there. They don't join in and play with the other dogs and are clingy, and they don't know how to react when another dog greets them. They may be fine with people and even strangers, but just don't feel comfortable around other dogs. Their owners will admit that their dogs haven't been around other dogs and they are bringing them to the park so that they can be socialized. Fine and dandy, they obviously DO need to be socialized, but not here, not now. They need a limited introduction in a safe place with only one or two small, calm dogs and then work up gradually from there. The owners put these poor, timid dogs into a situation where there are 20 - 30 dogs running, jumping, rough-housing, etc., and it really doesn't help them at all, it probably only reinforces their antisocial behavior.

[manolos mom]

I love the concept too but you need to be very careful, I took mine to a nice dog park, they had the large dogs and small dogs seperate, even with that a Boston Terrior took off after my Pablo and wanted to kill him. I think he thought Pablo was a squirrel. BE CAREFUL

[alisonJ]

Edie and I have not regularly gone to dog parks. But we went yesterday to meet another YTer--Zeus08 (aka Melissa). We had a GREAT time. See my photos under the photos section (thread name: Tucson meetup). Anyway, there are 2 areas--for large and small dogs. The small dog area is for dogs 30 lbs and under. There is a sign at the double-gated entrance explaining this.

We had a great time, and then at the very end, a guy comes in with a GIGANTIC dog (I am guessing 60-70 lbs). I couldn't believe it. The big dog area was only yards away. I think he wanted to come in because his buddy had a small dog. The big dog was OK, but we did not stay long after that.

We met lots of nice little dogs. I was very impressed by the facility. The grass was perfectly groomed--almost like a golf course! And everyone was picking up the poop, so it was very clean.

We will go again.

[JenniferLeigh]

I'm lucky enough to live within a 3 minute walk of a dog park, and I've been taking Lexi there since she was able. There are quite a few small dog owners that visit the park, although there is no small dog section.

It seems to me, incidents occur when:
- Dog is on leash
- Owner gets freaked out

It is my opinion that if you are scared for your dog, or insist on keeping it on a leash because of aggression issues or whatever reason. Do not go to an off leash dog park. It's asking for trouble.

We frequent a couple other parks in the city, usually we'll go with friends. We have a really nice one that runs along the river with lots of trees and even some agility stuff. Again, no small dog section but you'll see tons of small dogs running around, and from what I know - there has never been a problem.

I have seen a couple scruffs break out between bigger dogs (nothing serious) and if Lexi starts to head over, I simply call her back. For small dog owners, I think it is very important your dog listens to you in an off leash situation.

Occationally throughout the world, something bad will happen but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop bringing Lexi to dog parks.