New Dog Park = Recipe for Disaster?

[sarahlovesmiike]

My dogs are friendly with other dogs, but they've never really been able to meet dogs outside of my family. We took the pack to the new dog park that opened up in my town just recently today. We kept Benny and Katie on leashes until we were confident that they were getting along with the other dogs that were there. I knew Dino would be fine because he's super submissive, so we just let him romp. We allowed Benny and Katie to be off leash one at a time, because they are dominant and don't really play well together.
From what I observed, people really don't care about making sure their dogs are behaving or seeing if they are getting along with all the other dogs before allowing them to be off leash. They just walk in and release them immediately. I am going to continue bringing Benny and Dino there, but only so that they can learn some good greeting skills.


Anybody else think that dog park are not such a great idea?

[Swingline0.0.1]

I take Ollie (dachshund) to the dog park where I live every week. It has been great for him to get used to their dogs who don't want to eat him. There is a big dog side, and a little dog side where I live. The people are very vigilant, and the dogs wear tags, so if there is an actual problem the somebody will write down the tag number and call the park board. I do agree that if people do not make sure there will be no aggression problem that they are opening themselves up to all kinds of trouble. Do you have to register your dog where you live, and have a fob to get into the park, or is it a public park?

[sarahlovesmiike]

Yes we have to register but lost Benny's tags while romping in some long grass. I don't think a single dog in there had tags on except Katie and Dino.

[wilomn]

Dogs are much like their owners.

Some mix well with others, some don't.

Some just suck, people and dogs, and others work to get along.

I've seen many of both at the park I used to take my beast too. He's too old now, but he was a helluvadog in his day.

The worst is total idiots bringing in females in heat then getting all bent when the boys try to play.

[wolfy-hound]

It's individual to the dog park whether you'll have a good place or a bad place.

The free one I used to take my guys to was pretty good. Sometimes there was a person with a really bad dog that would come in. So that one dog would disrupt the whole park, pick fights, etc. The owner would get angry if you called him on the dog's behavior or tried to intervene. But luckily, that owner only came a certain morning of a certain day. Avoiding that time slot made the dog park a pretty good experiance.

Some places have idiot owners who have problem dogs that simply don't care if their dog attacks another animal(or person), or think anytime another dog sniffs theirs it's a huge drama fest and their dog is about to be torn limb from limb.

The worst I've actually experianced was I had a collison between my old english sheepdog and a lab. They were both running and playing seperately, and just crossed pathes. One T-boned the other one. Both dogs were fine, and mine ran up to get 'pat pat pat' "You're okay, go play". The other dog endured a huge scene of "Oh my POOR BABY!! Oh my GOD!!" until it was freaked out.

The only other thing was me being accused of being cruel to my dogs because I was not throwing a ball for them to chase and fetch. I explained that my dogs don't fetch balls and are uninterested in playing ball. I was told that "ALL dogs chase balls! You're just LAZY!" So I picked up a tennis ball, showed it to the sheepdog doing the "You want the ball? You want the ball! Go get it!" and tossed it. The sheepdog watched it sail through the air. Then looked at me going 'Good throw mom.' I then explained that MY dogs think that if I threw the ball over there.. it means I want the ball 'over there' and they wouldn't DREAM of moving it from where mom wants it.

Otherwise, pretty good. If you feel uneasy, it's best to remove your dogs. You can always come back later or a different day. Make sure that people do have to vaccinate their dogs and that YOUR dogs are up to date. You wouldn't want to bring home parvo.

[sarahlovesmiike]

There is a parvo vaccine?! Looks like I'm making an appointment at the vet

[Swingline0.0.1]

Nobody ever comes to the park I go to without their tags. Maybe that is because we have to register every year to get access. If the pups are not utd on all their shots including rabies they do not get access the next year. Not completely effective, but it does give some piece of mind to know the dogs are all current on shots, and healthy. They also have a no heat policy, and I never have seen one in the park, but it may happen for all I know.

[Jamie Kanter]

As a dog owner, and from my own experiences, I do not agree with dog parks.
As a veterinary assistant, I don't much care for them either.

Minus having to worry about other dogs and whether or not they've been vaccinated or how well they response to interacts with other canines. There's also the danger of the park itself.

Just last week we had a dog come into the emergency clinic I work in who saw a dog on the other side of the fence, got excited and went to run to greet it, and just so happened to run into the wrong park of the fence. He was presented to us with a three inch deep gash from where a bolt (most likely) on the fence entered his chest. (His skin was also pulled away from about five inches of his chest from when he pulled away from it.)

I just don't find them to be safe in any way, shape or form.

[rabernet]

Dogs on leashes in a dog park is a bad idea. It inhibits their ability to read each other, and the dogs on leashes tend to lash out at other dogs when they are uneasy because they feel trapped and can't get away.

Dogs work out the pack order on their own, a few minor scuffles are to be expected. The owners remember the scuffles while the dogs have already forgotten about it and gotten over it.

I always take my dogs off leashes as soon as we enter. If there's a dog that seems to be a trouble maker and the owner doesn't do anything about it - we simply leave and come back another time.

The "worst" owner I ever saw had a puppy on a leash. Dogs being dogs, rushed up to greet the new puppy, and the owner yanked the puppy up by the leash leaving.....hanging bait - of course the dogs are now going to jump up to get at the swinging puppy on the leash. Traumatized the puppy and the owner, where if she'd just taken the puppy off the leash and allowed the dogs to meet and greet, everything would have been fine.

You can always tell the owners less experienced with pack behavior at the dog park. They give off all the nervous signals that their dogs then pick up on. The more confident owners that let their dogs be dogs have less problems. That's been my experience.

My senior dog doesn't like being rushed by the other dogs, I simply walk away from the other dogs and invite her to come with me, to an area less concentrated and let her have some space. When she's had a chance to evaluate the situation, she's soon joined the pack on her own terms.

[BuddhaLuv]

We stopped taking our dogs to the dog parks in our area because people kept bringing dogs that were older and not socialized. Too many times we witnessed dog fights where the owners would seperate them and then just realize them back to go 'play' again. Unfortunately it became too much of a risk for our dogs.

Also when I started working in the Vet field I realized all of the dangers that could happen. Remember although all dogs are supposed to be vaccinated before being allowed in the dog park, not everyone is a responsible owner. Also if you choose to allow your dogs to play there, I highly recommend not letting them drink out of the community water bowl. It often times breeds giardia etc... Make sure your dog is up to date on their Bordetella vaccine and are properly treated for fleas and ticks using a vet prescribed product such as Frontline