thank you for all your amazing replies. I absolutely loved the video of Jackson having so much fun at the dog park :D i hope I can get Suzi more interested in playing and running around next time I take her. I did not think of potentiel health risks though :eek: Suzi is all up to date on vaccines so I think she will be ok as long as she stays away from other people's dog poop mess, which the owners are suppose to clean up. Maybe she just did not know she could run around and play. She did a lot of sniffing and peeing though, and did follow us around the park. They do have water fountains for the dogs to drink out of, but Hanford water is awful so we bring our own. Suzi may get use to it, or maybe not, she loves walks around the neighborhood , and everytime their is a dog behind someones fence barking, she is right there , nose to nose , very curious. So I don't think she is scared of other dogs, her sister is a shih tzu , so she has a lot of contact , but not with other dogs, I've taken her to petsmart too on a number of occasions, and she pees everywhere, that is emabarrisng, one time she pooped right on the enterance floor. Of course I cleaned it up, but was horrified. Hopefully taking her to the dog park a few more times will help her come out of her shell more and it will be a good experience for her.

Maybe try bringing a favorite toy for her to play with? Jaeger doesn't use his toys at the park, he's too busy, but if another dog has a ball he's just getting confident enough to chase after the other dog.

If another dog sees your yorkie playing, that dog may join in, and she might interact with it.

Love the video! that was cute. Looks like he is a bit of a ring leader.

i've had hit and miss experiences with the dog park. we've gone in and he had a blast playing with lil dogs like min-pins. a few other times, med size dogs got a little aggressive with their humping attempts, and the owners ended up leaving so we were the only ones there besides the big dogs in the other area. Brisket is so little that he can fit between the fence and will keep trying get into the big dog area which terrifies me because the big dogs are BIG dogs: newfoundlands, great danes, etc. and he has no fear of big dogs. he's also slipped under the gate when dogs were coming in and could get out and gave me a heart attack :eek: so i've kept him on leash a few times, which just looks silly. :rolleyes:

have to agree that the best part is the car ride to and from. i think i prefer going to the regular park than risk him being around dogs. there are usually a few dogs so he can get some playtime and is happy. i haven't taken him lately b/c waiting for him to get his snip snip. last time we were there HE tried humping someone's corgi. :o lil man has NO FEAR i tell ya.

by the way - check out the website meetup.com - they have groups for toy/small dog meet ups. I haven't found one to fit our schedule/location yet, but you might have better luck. :)

When we talk about "socializing" our dogs, it doesn't mean they all have to run and play the same way. All it means is they learn how to handle themselves in a group environment.

I have a little-dog meetup group that meets twice a week for an hour at a fenced ballpark, sort of our own, private dog park.

What I've noticed over the last several years is that some dogs like to romp and play -- and other dogs don't. But they all learn to enjoy the experience in their own way.

The dogs that don't like to romp and run have ways to let the others know that they don't want to roughhouse, and the roughhousers respect it.

Mine have been going to meetups all their lives, and they've actually mellowed out. They used to be the roughhousers, and now they just visit with the people and dogs they want to.

But do keep an eye on her, especially while she's still learning what signals to send the other dogs. I try to let mine work things out, but if there's a pushy dog that is not getting the message, I step in. It shows my dogs I have their backs and they don't have to fight to get their message across.