Dog parks yay or nay

[BellaLuna]

OK a new dog park just opened up near my house and we were thinking about taking Bella for a romp in the park but my Question is do gsd like social settings like that or do they tend to not prefer it. We have never taken her where she can be off lead and run free other than or backyard. She gets along well with other dogs so that's really not an issue, the only thing that annoys her is when they are constantly in her face nipping at her and even still she does not react just let's a slight low warning growl which I'm always on the alert for. She pays well with all my neighbors dog so really I'm not to concerned of a fight happening. Just wanna know if she will like it or am I just wasting my time or does it entirely depend on the dog and we should just give it a shot anyway.

[Cassidy's Mom]

Depends on the dog, depends on the park. My dogs love going to the off leash parks we frequent, but they're large multi-acre open spaces, not small fenced parks, and they go there to play with us and each other, not the other dogs. We have a very small yard, not large enough to even throw a ball for them, so we have to take them someplace else to play ball, and they also love to swim, which we can only do at the park. Not everyone has access to the kinds of parks that we do, and even if they did, not all dogs are a good candidate for that type of environment.

Asking if GSDs like social settings is like asking if people like social settings. There is no one good answer.

[Jag]

You should be worried about a fight. You really, really should. All it takes is ONE fight, and it has the potential to cause DA. Not saying it always does, but there's that chance. Why take it? Dogs don't need 'dog friends'. They don't need interaction with other dogs to be "ok" with other dogs. Shepherds play rough. It's not hard for another dog to find this overbearing or offensive. That can start a fight. Especially if your dog growls at other dogs. To me, I'd say that's a dog that doesn't belong off lead in a dog park. I've personally seen a dog with stitches all over it's face and body from going to a dog park. It was attacked by another dog. I've never gone to one, and never will. There are some things that you can see as a danger to your pet, and some you can't. There's enough that you can't. Why risk something that you can see going sideways?? Too many people taking dogs that have DA tendencies to dog parks, then turning their backs to chat or whatever. They don't know the signs that their dog is going to start something or is feeling uncomfortable.

[counter]

Nara was great at dog parks when she was a pup. Once she got spayed (11 months old) and matured a bit, she was a completely different dog. We used to go 7 days a week for socialization, then after the surgery I took her back and it was like night and day. It was all of her "old friends" but she was not the same Nara. Not sure if it was due to the break, the spay, or being a little older/mature. I did notice that, as she got older, her natural guarding instinct got stronger and stronger. She had been attacked by off-leash dogs while on leashed walks, and we had a few rare incidents at the dog park, so now Nara does not like any other dogs besides her brothers Paw Paw and Beowulf. I don't let her anywhere near strange dogs nowadays. We've done all sorts of obedience training, search and rescue training (K9 unit, so she's with other dogs, but is not allowed to meet & greet), and even hired a behaviorist. Nothing worked or fixed her. So I settled for the fact that her pack at home is all she needs. She doesn't need new strange doggy friends from dog parks.

I remember being told that a dog's pack shouldn't change regularly, but at a dog park, that's what's happening every day, hour and minute. When a new dog comes inside the fence, all of the dogs have to sort out the pecking order over and over, and this might eventually lead to a fight. All it takes is 1 irresponsible dog owner not watching their dog's behavior, and you'll have a fight. It's not worth the stress of having to always be within arms reach of your dog, to keep it from starting OR finishing a dog fight. I love dog parks, but forced myself to quit going. I watched my dogs like a hawk, but I had little to no control over other dogs and their owners.

Plus, other than the rare individual dog, I think there are some breeds that just (on average) don't do well in a dog park situation. Dogs that naturally guard and protect might not always play as nice dogs bred to do other types of work. And like someone else said above, certain breeds play rough (like my husky) and it can easily be mistaken by a dog or a human as a dog fight, even though it's just friendly wrestling. Trust me, when my husky has gotten into fights, you can tell the difference from him roughhousing. Owners of dogs who don't play rough will accuse your dog of fighting and/or hurting their dog because they don't understand. On top of that, there are always people who will blame certain breeds, even if they were on the receiving end. GSDs are one of those breeds, along with pitbulls, dobermans, rottweilers, boxers, etc. You'll almost always be guilty until proven innocent.

Again, it's just not worth it. I wish it were different. I miss dog parks. But oh well.

[BellaLuna]

I understand what your saying about it only takes 1 fight for a dog to turn DA that's what happened to my pitbull a dog attacked her but not at a dog park and she was never the same. But Bella is not DA at all she doesn't even rough house at all infact she doesn't even play she more of a wanderer. Just thought it might be nice for a change of scenery and give her something new to do. I only asked is b/c people tell me shepherds don't like that type environment and I wanted to see if there was any truth to that at all. Thank you for your input.

[BellaLuna]

OK I will take the advice at hand and No dog Parks for us better to be safe and have no incidents. Thank you all very much

[Syaoransbear]

Definitely 'Yay', but I wouldn't go to any under 10 acres. Space is key to having a good dog park experience, otherwise dogs can't get away from other dogs that may be bothering them so they choose to react. If you can talk about 'dogs rushing the fence' when a new dog comes in, it's not big enough. If you shove 30 little kids in someone's backyard and have some of them fighting, it doesn't surprise anyone, but when it's dogs for some reason people think all dog parks are a terrible thing and dogs shouldn't be interacting.

[wolfy dog]

WD (1 year) has outgrown the dog parks. He has a couple of good doggy friends, is in classes and that's it. I walk him on the forest trails so he will encounter dogs but now I carry Direct Stop spray and an umbrella to keep out of (voice) control dogs at bay.
When owners see the can, they do everything in their power to get their dogs back. But I always tell them it is citronella to calm them.

[Yoschi's_Pet_Human]

For us, dog parks are indispensable for socialization. You do need to pick your park carefully. Nit all dog parks are created equal. I prefer the larger non fenced in parks. They tend to have better behaved dogs than fenced in, smaller parks. Luckily my dog steers clear of aggressive dogs. He shows no interest in dogs that fight. He also plays well with all the dogs, big and small.
We did go through a bout of kennel cough though and believe it came from the dog park.

[BowWowMeow]

I agree with Deb: it depends on the dog and it depends on the park and somewhat also on the owner and how well trained your dog is and how comfortable and experienced you are with dog language and behavior.

Way before dog parks there were dog fights and, to be honest, none of my dogs have been attacked at dog parks but several have been attacked on walks. It's a fact of life when you have dogs and does not necessarily lead to dog aggression or dog reactivity.