Since it was so lovely out today, DH and I decided to take Honor to a new dog park that we've been eyeballing. To be honest, I was a little nervous about the whole thing, since Honor had never been to one. We've been working SO hard on attention and recall, but it's a whole different ballgame off-leash. But I know that Honor needs more chances to play with other dogs (sometimes she's a little too bold with other dogs during play), so we decided to make a go of it.
Well...
We had the most AMAZING time. The park had about 10 other dogs in it, mostly larger breeds (3 Goldens, 2 Siberians, 1 GSP, etc.). After testing Honor's on-leash response to the dogs (and vice versa), we let her off and she interacted SO well!!! It was a great experience, because the dogs were pretty gentle with my tiny girl, but made it clear when she did something that they didn't appreciate. We don't have any close family members with other dogs, so it's been difficult to give Honor playtime with other dogs. You could see her thinking and understanding the whole time, and the other dogs accepted her right into their play group.
On top of it, the owners were fantastic. I've heard lots of dog park horror stories, but these people were pleasant and knowledgeable about their dogs and others. I had great discussions with a few of them, especially the woman who owned the 2 Siberians. She even recognized Honor as an AKK right off the bat, and we had a great chat about our respective breeds. Everyone diligently cleaned up after their dogs, and they all seemed to care about the welfare of every dog, not just their own.
The truly best part was Honor's recall. EVERY time I called for her to come, she came, no matter who she was playing with! I was absolutely bursting with pride over my little girl after our time there. And I can't wait to go back! Apparently they all come there around the the same time, about 5 days a week.
What a great experience! 