do you think dog parks are good or bad?

 Ari's young and not well trained enough to let her loose in a dog park, but yes I like the idea so much so I'm contemplating starting the motions to get one started in my town (dogs are not allowed in other parks here - though there is plenty of hiking etc just not a secure place for dogs to play together). Not everyone is into hiking with their dogs so I think having a park nearby dedicated to dogs and their owners is a good thing (mind you I am counting down the days till Ari is old enough to begin conditioning her to hiking!)

I can see both sides of the coin, but in general I think they are a good option to have.

Ideally- I think they are a great way to socialize and exercise your dog. They are good for the community and neighbor relations.

Realistically-LOL I think they are horrible. Too many people use it as their ONLY outlet to exercise and socialize their dog. Too many owners dont pay attention to their dog's body language and can be a scary place for some dogs and their owners.

I wish they didnt allow unaltered males who are over a year old. I wish owners of dominant dogs knew better then to bring their dogs to a dog park and I wish more owners would pay attention to their dogs.

I dont bring my dogs there ever. I have pit bulls and even though they play wonderfully most of the general public is too stupid to judge them based on their indviduality instead of their breed. Which is fine with me because that means they are idiots and I don't want my dogs playing with their dogs anyways. LOL

However when I used to go early EARLY morning I would meet up with a Great Dane, Rotttie and a Lab, they all played exceptionally well with no tiffs because the owners wernt uptight and didnt project their feelings onto their dogs.

If anyone dislikes the people at the dog park go early morning.....like 7 or 8 a.m. The crowd is so different. Or if you find a cool pack you like set up early morning play dates.

Benedict

 It's a group of us (ALL dog owners) who get together once a month and clean up the park even though we don't really make the mess. 

That's another thing....I've noticed HUGE piles of crap everywhere lately...on the walk and in the field in the dog park. I was actually behind a guy with his chocolate lab, the dog took a dump right in the middle of the paved path right in front of us and the guys said "good boy!" walked away. Didn't clean it up. And there are a ton of trash barrels AND dog poop bags available!

 I have no problem with dog parks.

I can't say if they're good or bad, it depends on alot of things. I like the concept, however like someone else said, the ones around here are just fields with a fence around it. We used to go a couple times a week though and because I work evenings we were usually the only people/dogs there. At first they loved it and ran like crazy, but they seemed to get bored with it and the last few times I couldn't even get them to run, just lay around and eat grass. We have since discovered state parks for off leash hikes. I'm pretty close to the mountains, 20 minute drive, so we prefer woods and streams and waterfalls now. If I could afford it though, I'd join the members only dog park b/c they have agility equipment and temperament test.

We just got back from one.  We visit dog parks weekly, but we also walk our dogs twice daily on lead.  Minneapolis has 5 which require a license and there are others in surrounding communities and one "informal" dog park which the airport commission owns and allows this use.  Dog parks aren't fool proof, but neither is life.  Mostly, we have very positive experiences and I value the opportunity for socialization it provides my dogs. 

My biggest issue is the id-jits who bag poop and tie it to a fence rather than carry it a quarter mile to the regularly placed receptacles - I'm sure they all plan to come back for it "later".  Freakin' irritating.  Yeah, now it's not on the trail for me to step in, it's just heating up in plastic in the sun, dotting my view and offending my olfactory senses as I walk in and out.  RIDICULOUS.  Lazy beyond description.  And even if there are no receptacles - when I go to the airport I bring an empty litter pail with a lid in the back of my vehicle and I pack out the poop and seal it in there to dispose of at home.  I don't tie it to my antenna or leave it balanced on the outside of my vehicle somewhere in the hope it will make it home only to have it smash in the middle of the street.....

OK.  Done ranting.

AuroraLove

I think they are a great way to socialize and exercise your dog

Dog parks are the worst place to socialize your dog!!! JMO

That said - I love mine. We go at the same time every day - before it's too crowded, and when we know the other people and dogs there. We have a few yards to seperate sizes, and then a yard for everyone to play in. If there's a situation I'm not comfortable with, we'll go to another yard or leave. Casey loves going, and he gets so excited in the car he shakes. We recently found another park closer to where I dog sit, it's very small and right by the baseball fields (little league). There is usually no more than 2 or 3 dogs in there at any given time, I enjoy that one as well.

pofi_pasquale

 

My biggest issue is the id-jits who bag poop and tie it to a fence rather than carry it a quarter mile to the regularly placed receptacles -

I sent for this little elastic  thing awhile back called a "doody dangler."  It attaches to the leash handle and holds the poop bag by the knot you tie in it - it will actually hold as many bags as you need it to.  It's great for when Max stops to poop in the park and we're nowhere near a trash can or if he stops while we're walking down a regular sidewalk. If I remember right, it was only about $5.

Joyce