not enough space for a GSD! moved from chat

[Anita11811]

My puppy is very socialized and i have taken him to any and all the socialization classes that arent TOO far. BUT... all the socialization classes are either in a room or a small confined space. My gsd can barely play. I have chosen to take him to the local dog park and i left very disapointed.for $5 i could buy him a big bone and instead i stepped in dog edited . It is very nasty and for entrence you have to pay $5. just to see disobedient dogs, dog poop EVERYWHERE (with dogbags EVERYWHERE) handlers that dont care what the dogs do, kids running around.. so in less then 5 min. it was (MAX LETS GO!) he came and we left..!! is there anything or anywhere else to socialize your gsd?? i wanat my baby to play..

[Danielle609]

What part of Michigan are you in?

[Hillary_Plog]

Many times, when instructors have "puppy playtimes", they do so in an enclosed space or training area and do not have them in big open fields or dog park type of areas. The reason for this is that there is an "art" to socialization and you need to be in an area where you can easily supervise your puppy and have accessible control over him/her.

Puppies expend a lot of energy wrestling and running around in even very small spaces (think about what your puppy can accomplish in your kitchen/living room)...but, if you are dead set on having him run around in a big area with another dog, try to find a neighbor or friend that has a nice dog and invite them over to your back yard or go to a dog park at odd hours where there aren't a lot of people.

You can also try to find doggie daycares in your area. Doggie daycares usually have large areas for the dogs to run around in...it will probably be more expensive than your other options though.

[s14roller]

Where does your breeder's other GSDs socialize? Socializing classes in a room are fine...it's not exactly meant for dogs to chase one another or need much room...it's more so for them to be in the area of other dogs and know how to act...