[KZoppa]

base dog park. thats it and thats rare these days. People are responsible there but Riley is jumpy at any dog park now, especially if he see's a spaniel or a saint bernard. socializing for me constitutes a walk, pet store visits, ect. And luckily there are a few GSD owners who go to the base dog park so they're aware of what could go wrong. irresponsible owners generally get chased out and told not to come back until they can control their dog.

 

[KZoppa]

We have a dog park in our development that is only open to homeowners. It's a great thing that it is private b/c you get to know everyone and it is often empty and a great place to meet with your dog's friends without others if you like, or go alone to train off leash in a large area.
I have stopped going to the planned meetings where there are a lot of dogs b/c some aren't well behaved. Also since Max is not altered he will be blamed even though he is not aggressive b/c, I have been told, other dogs will be aggressive toward him.
****So I want to ask those with more dog park experience than I if you think this is the case? How much do unaltered dogs cause aggression in those around it?

In my experience its usually the altered dogs who are the most aggressive at the dog parks. The dog park back home, the altered dogs were pretty much given free reign and got away with things because their owners assumed they were 'cool' since they were fixed. While the unaltered dogs were usually the best behaved because their owners knew they needed more attention and socialization. thats the best explanation i have for it.