Dog parks.

[Papa Deuce]

Last night my wife found out that we had a dog park about 5 miles from where we live. Really it was just a fenced in area.... one side was for big dogs, and the other for small.

My wife said that the dogs had a great time, but 2 of the bigger dogs got in a pretty nasty fight. There were about 20 "big" dogs.

I imagine that dog fights are common? I have never seen a dog park.

BTW, are most of them just open spaces, or so some have thiongs fopr them to do, like agility stuff?

 

[JR6ooo4]

the one by our work is very well run. Mostly by the patrons! they enforce the banning of mean dogs themselves. WHether by discussing it with the owner or by petitioning the patrol staff.

Our freddy gets bossy for some reason, only when he is there. so we watch him very closely. the most he has ever done is the dominant back biting. He has never broken the skin, hardly even tugged. but it sure freaks out some owners when realy it is just natural pack behavior. but it is not pet behavour. So we do ont let him near dogs that his is not familiar with.

But aside from our experiances with freddy... q is perfect. she has many friends there.

dog parks realy give them something to look forward to. and they get much needed exercise. there is always one dog that loves to be chased... and they run and run. the park we go to is at least a 1/4 mile long!

Mikeeee

 

[MizTink]

Last night my wife found out that we had a dog park about 5 miles from where we live. Really it was just a fenced in area.... one side was for big dogs, and the other for small.

My wife said that the dogs had a great time, but 2 of the bigger dogs got in a pretty nasty fight. There were about 20 "big" dogs.

I imagine that dog fights are common? I have never seen a dog park.

BTW, are most of them just open spaces, or so some have thiongs fopr them to do, like agility stuff?

we have a dog park too. they have a big area for big dogs, with agility stuff way out in the back. there are covered picnic tables, water bowls, trash cans with bags to clean up doggie poo, and usually some balls laying around. there's also a separate smaller area for small dogs. there are chairs, but i think that's it. and then there is another area that is just for the dogs that want space to play alone. the fighters.....
EVERYONE cleans up after their own dogs. i have never stepped in a mess that was left. and the aggressive dogs wear muzzles.
the worst part of going is the ride home with stinky dogs!

 

[BeenHereB4]

LOL! Well, our "big" side has a tunnel and some balls. Other than that, it's just a whole bunch of butt sniffing.

 

[CookieGVB]

We have two parks within about 10 miles run by our county. Two separate sides, for small dogs only, and for everyone else. Sometimes even the small dogs venture into the larger side, because the other area is empty and they're bored all by themselves.

No toys or treats allowed - because that has led to the dogs fighting. Plenty of pine cones, which some owners insist on throwing for their own dogs (which sometimes leads to problems).

You have to pay a small fee and register through the county - dog has to be licensed, shots, etc. All male dogs must be neutered. There is a staff person there that watches out for fighting, and she has a spray bottle - if the dog is too aggressive, the owner gets a warning (depending on the action). After that, the dog can be banned for aggressive behavior.

We just brought our dog today, and he's been sleeping ever since!

 

[SandrA9810]

Here in orlando, I'm having a hard time finding a decent dog parks. Back home in Ft. Lauderdale There were several dog parks nearby where ever I was at. Near my apartment, near my mom's, near Kari's parents, and every where in between.

Each park offers different things depending on how much people want a dog park. The one in Hollywood by our apt was very large and kept up even though it was in a low class neighborhood. There were hoses, and people usually kept a couple kiddie pools for the water dogs, and there was a seperately fenced kid play area at one end of the park. The dog park in Sunrise was huge by comparison because it also shared a sports field for city little leagues. There were three parts, one for small dogs, large dogs, and an agility area. All of them also had several doggie bags set up around the park. Mine is good at pooping like 10 times all over the place. Eventually it gets to the point of when I know there's nothing left in the pipes even when she squats.

A good dog park is going to have some good grassy areas, plenty of doggie poop bags every where. The farther they're apart the less likely that the owner will trek back to the bags then to the poop, and sometimes when that happens you loose track of where they poop at. Plenty of dog watering bowls that drain properly.
You can't control how dogs are going to react to each other, but be on the watch because only you can tell when they've reached thier tolerance for another dog. Kiani is fine with most dogs, but her limit is reached with male dogs trying to hump her. So if you have an unfixed male, watch your dog very carefully. A dog park really isn't the place for unfixed horny dogs.

 

[Parkers_girl]

I refuse to go to dog parks anymore because a lot of people just don't watch/care what their dog is up to. I have seen numerous fights and many times either one or both of the dogs owners are off on the other side of the park chatting away. I have also seen a big fight that involoved about 5 or 6 dogs, and the owners started fighting and pointing fingers afterwards. When I used to bring my dogs I was constantly near them and we often left after just a short time because of other dogs who were just too aggressive. I find it easier just to take my dogs to a big field and let them run and play frisbee without other dogs chasing or bothering them. Every park we have been to is just a huge fenced-in area. Strange though, I never heard any fights from the little dog side. I also found it easier to go in the middle of the day during a work week and avoid the weekend like the plague. Too many dogs not enough space!

 

[Cindy B]

There is a beautiful dog park about 20 minutes from my house. There is one open field with about 5-6 agility items, small wooded trails, streams and two smaller fields off the big field.

They don't have a big dog, small dog separation but the little dogs do well. Since these fields are acres in size and fenced in, there is a lot of room for owners to have dogs that run.

My mini poodle does well there. At home he doesn't like many dogs that are bigger than him, but he does well at the dog park. (At home he barks like crazy at dogs on the leash.. but is excellent at the dog park)

He tends to congregate near other smallish dogs or sort of just wander on his own. If a big dog comes up to him, he just sort lets them sniff and doesn't bark or anything.

As for other things at the park, there is a free skateboard park , large playground, horse trails, basketball courts and walking trails for humans!

 

[Teresa Pitman]

We have seven leash-free parks in my town. Most of them are large enough that you can really do a walk along the path with your dog in them, and the dogs have plenty of room to run.

The big one that we used to go to all the time has a fenced-in pond along one side, where dogs are NOT allowed, and my dog (a Lab) can't resist it. He found a place where he could get under the fence so he could go in and swim, and then wouldn't come out when I called him. So we've sadly quit going to that one.

Teresa

 

[golfgal]

We have a large dog park near our house. There is an open area about the size of 2 football fields for the dogs to run and some cleared trails through the woods for hiking and the dogs to explore. There are no divisions between small and large dogs. Any dogs that show aggressive behavior are banned from the park. I haven't ever seen a fight. A couple times some dogs bother other dogs but usually it is dealt with right away. Our park is a county park so there is a fee, $40/annually or $5/day.

Our dog used to love going out there until she was attacked by a neighbor's dog, not at the park, and she LOVED playing with the big dogs. She is only 12 lbs. Now she likes to go out there but doesn't venture far from our side.

 

[LindaR]

I do not take my dogs nor will I ever take them to a dog park! To me, this is a place where too many dogs are NOT properly trained and you are just asking for trouble.

We go for walks and exercise in other ways. I guarantee that for every one dog who comes when called, there are ten who are not trained. People do NOT watch and stop situations before they escalate. They are clueless.

No thanks.

 

[Pakey]

We have a few dog parks but I have not been impressed. The small dog areas are smaller than our own backyard. Small dogs are allowed into the big dog areas but my small dogs did not like it. I was also surprised at the number of owners who felt it was okay to approach my dogs. I have hairless dogs which are a bit of an oddity, at least where I live, and the owners of other dogs kept going up to them.

I had wanted them to experience the joy of running off leash in a large area but they spent the entire time cowering behind me.

 

[bekkiz]

We went to a number of fenced in dog parks when we lived in CA, most had a big/small seperation. They were part of the park system, and I did occasionally see some fights.

However, near where we live here in WA we have what is called doggie Disneyland! It's 40 acres, with a variety of enviornments (tall grass, open fields, sand, river etc). It's just wonderful and only 1 time did I ever see any issue, and frankly I felt the owner was completly at fault. Her dog was overwhelmed and insecure, and she ignored a bunch of warning signs. Luckily it wasn't bad because the other owners were paying attention.

We don't go nearly enough, but our dog just loves it. He gets to excercise his sense of adventure!

 

[Aimeedyan]

Our dog park is very nice and well maintained. We got fairly often and have never seen a dog fight. It happens, I'm sure, but most of the people I've run into are good dog owners.


www.fortwoof.com

 

[luvwinnie]

There are just too many things that can go wrong...I would never bring a dog into an area with that many unrestrained dogs. I know too many people whose dogs have been attacked. My friend who is a trainer agrees.

 

[Parkers_girl]

I do not take my dogs nor will I ever take them to a dog park! To me, this is a place where too many dogs are NOT properly trained and you are just asking for trouble.

We go for walks and exercise in other ways. I guarantee that for every one dog who comes when called, there are ten who are not trained. People do NOT watch and stop situations before they escalate. They are clueless.

No thanks.

 

[JoiseyMom]

We have two parks within about 10 miles run by our county. Two separate sides, for small dogs only, and for everyone else. Sometimes even the small dogs venture into the larger side, because the other area is empty and they're bored all by themselves.

No toys or treats allowed - because that has led to the dogs fighting. Plenty of pine cones, which some owners insist on throwing for their own dogs (which sometimes leads to problems).

You have to pay a small fee and register through the county - dog has to be licensed, shots, etc. All male dogs must be neutered. There is a staff person there that watches out for fighting, and she has a spray bottle - if the dog is too aggressive, the owner gets a warning (depending on the action). After that, the dog can be banned for aggressive behavior.

We just brought our dog today, and he's been sleeping ever since!

I have been to that one! Our dog trainer recommended it. It is very nice and there is shade! I just wish I lived closer!

The one near me has one area...benches, water, trash areas and no shade. It is new and the trees are still too tiny! But big and small mix together. So far I have had no issues with my smaller dog.

 

[golfgal]

I do not take my dogs nor will I ever take them to a dog park! To me, this is a place where too many dogs are NOT properly trained and you are just asking for trouble.

We go for walks and exercise in other ways. I guarantee that for every one dog who comes when called, there are ten who are not trained. People do NOT watch and stop situations before they escalate. They are clueless.

No thanks.

That's too bad that your dog park is like that. We have been using our's for 3 years and have never had a problem. No toys are allowed so that might help but the dogs are very well behaved and I have never seen a fight.

 

[hellokitty86]

Ruby loves going to them but we haven't taken her back since the last time.

According to our vet it is very very likely she caught her "bug" from the dog park and playing with the other dogs. She has all her shots up to date but I guess they can still pass different things off to one another. It's not really worth how sick she was.

 

[Aisling]

Wow, I'm very fortunate to have found a great dog park. I've been to many, and they were all so small. The one I go to now was part of a golf course, and it's huge, with grassy areas and a dirt area. There are picnic tables and chairs that volunteers maintain. And there are tons of tennis balls everywhere.

I'd say 99% of the people there pick up after their dogs, and if we see a dog pooping and the owner not paying attention, someone will alert the owner.

There's a bag hanging from a tree that we keep filled with plastic doggie-doo bags, and 6 or 7 big, black trashbag-lines garbage cans to put waste/trash. Once a week, volunteer men will remove the filled garbage can bags, put them out on the corner for pickup, and rebag the can.

A few times there were mild dog fight incidents, but the owners immediately take their dog and leave. I've never heard of a dog getting hurt or sick from being at th dog park.

There's no separate areas for big and small dogs, but the place is so big that people with each type of dog sort of congregate in separate areas far away from each other. But honestly, the small dogs are safe roaming around with the big dogs.

Maybe it's the rough NYC mentality, but we don't put up with aggressive dogs or with people who don't pick up their dog's poop. It's a great place, and my dog loves it. He doesn't play with the other dogs, just likes to chase balls by himself, and so the other dogs go over to smell him, they see he's not interested, and they walk away.

This is the Dyker Dog Park by the Dyker Heights Golf Course if you're ever in Brooklyn.