# Off Leash Dog Parks



## retrieverbear (Jan 19, 2014)

I've seen a lot of debate about this online and among friends, vets, and trainers. I'm curious what the forum members do.
Do you take your dog to a public off leash dog park?


----------



## Martin (Feb 21, 2011)

None of those choices really apply to me. My family adopted Lupita from a shelter that claimed she got along with dogs. We took her once or twice with no real incident, but then realized through our walks that she was highly aggressive towards dogs due to fear. We obviously didn't take her to a dog park after that.

During team training with Drifter, our group went to a dog park once. However, for most of Drifter's life, he and I lived in a place with no dog park. Occasionally he had a play date with another dog, but generally he was on a leash and told to ignore dogs. When we moved back in with my parents, I took him to a public dog park a handful of times. He tried to get every human to pet him and mostly ignored the other dogs. I didn't take him that often because he always drooled, which I understand is a sign of stress.

I only had Dolce in that city for a few months and didn't feel like I knew her well enough to take her to a dog park. She's highly biddable and grew up with a lot of dogs, so it probably would have been fine, but I didn't want to risk anything. If we had stayed there longer, I would have taken her a few times to see if it would work out for her. The only reason I don't take her to a public dog park now is that there isn't one locally. I would love to let her off-leash to play in a reasonably safe place. As is, she's almost always on a leash outside of our house.

tl;dr No I don't go to a public off-leash dog park anymore, but for Dolce this is more because there isn't one locally rather than a bad experience.


----------



## Darthsadier (May 17, 2013)

At first I didn't want to go to dog parks cuz my training school said it's bad. Then after a while I took Sadie and figured out within a few months that it wasn't the place we wanted to be. You don't know if other peoples dogs are aggressive, have their vaccinations or if they are bringing a sick dog to the park. The breaking point for us was when a bull mastiff came to the park that was not neutered and was actively perusing every dog in the park and one dog didn't like that and got very mad. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

I've never taken Hank to the dog park. At his puppy kindergarten class the trainer recommended that we avoid it saying it was "pit bull central". The park is located in a bad part of town so I wouldn't have gone anyway.

We live on acreage so Hank gets a lot of off-leash time so we really have no need to go anyway. Actually all his outdoor time is off-leash other than the Sunday morning walk to the road to get the newspaper.


----------



## Jamm (Mar 28, 2010)

I tried them, had bad experiences both times, stopped going. I prefer an empty park/field/grass area to throw the ball for Joey or organized play groups.


----------



## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

I voted no because public dog park was the question. I do go to a dog park that is at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground. Private since its a resort. I do watch who is there when we go in, but depending on the time of day, we can get it to ourselves. Nice to let the dogs run and play when they are in an RV for a week. I'm super vigilent about they dogs there, mine included because it is an open area and no small dog area. Mine wouldn't hurt a little dog on purpose, but I have found they like to chase and little dogs can be overtaken quickly so we usually leave if little dogs are playing.


----------



## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

I do but only as a last resort, when traveling etc. My Bella is a fearful dog and doesn't do well when thrust into crowds of strange dogs. Tucker is OK--he was pretty much raised in a dog park. However, I don't enter crowded dog parks anymore, ever. Tucker got into a fight in a crowded dog park, with bad results. When we are traveling, I find an empty dog park at off hours and let them stretch their legs there. 

Dog parks are a great concept, but their downfall is the owners' collective lack of understanding about how dogs interact, and the unwillingness of many dog owners to watch their dogs as they would a toddler in a playground. You can't just go into the park and pick up your phone and not watch your own and the other dogs. Gotta stay on top of it all at all times.


----------



## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

I go maybe... once a month with my boys. Only in the mornings. So far, we've not had a problem. My boys usually like to just stick to the lake portion and swim, anyway.


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I said No. 

I might have probably expressed a different opinion if I lived in a more urban area and we ourselves did not have property for the dogs to run around and be dogs. 

Odds are though - even if I didn't have enough green space outside my door for the dogs to run around... I'd probably just hop in the car and go somewhere far out of the way where my guys could have some outside running around time. 

The issue with dog parks if you get away from my lack of love for other people's dogs in general... it's also the confined space where these dogs are going potty and spreading parasites and diseases. 

It's something that goes through my head when I go to dog shows or go to dog class (I train at a couple dog clubs). I have intact boy dogs and generally speaking the biggest issue in intact males isn't the marking, it's them obsessing with spots where other dogs have gone. There's a lot of taste testing and teeth chattering that they'd do if left to their own business out there. You have a lot of viruses that get spread around that way, I think...


----------



## Yaichi's Mom (Jul 21, 2012)

There are numerous thread where this topic has been discussed on the forum. Perhaps you may want to do a 'search' to read what many members have already expressed on this topic. 

Here are just a few:


What's wrong with *dog parks*?

*Dog Parks*

*Dog Parks*

etc.

Yes, I do and did.

We had a great fenced in park here when Brisby was a puppy and we went all the time. Now at the age of 2 she no longer has any interest in a fenced in area with other dogs, so we do a lot of hiking and have a great off leash area in a local conservation area, as pictured in the photo in my signature.


----------



## USAFWife74 (Jan 13, 2013)

We just had a dog park open up here on Friday afternoon. I live on a military base, it was highly anticipated and publicized. We went on Saturday less than 24 hours after it opened. Despite signs (fines of $75-$500) regarding picking up your dog's poo, doggie bags, and trash cans, my husband saw two piles of poo not picked up. Good grief!

I was hoping to see it better cared for, but since not, the chances are low I'll return. It's just so careless of people!


----------



## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Absolutely no way in heck! Dog parks can be dangerous to dogs and humans White Rock Dog Park fracas leaves pet owner stabbed, plus they harbor a lot of potential disease, including parvo, kennel cough, distemper, parasites and ringworm. It seems like every other week on this forum someone posts their dog was attacked at a dog park. Just not worth the potential risk in my opinion.


----------



## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Up here in Anchorage we have 3 or 4 parks. I use one by my house that is massive and sometimes we walk for miles and never see another dog. Another not too far away has lots and lots of dogs and it's just too busy and too small for me, it does have a very nice lake though. There is a small fenced dog park near my office. The city decided there were too many vagrants hanging out and thought a dog park would be a good idea. Well you can guess that it's rarely used. All in all, I'm a fan of dog parks. But I dont like to go when there is a high density of dogs. There are many kinds of parks and different sizes. You just have to check out what is locally available


----------

