do you think dog parks are good or bad?

 I dislike dog parks, in general, because people don't know how to control or watch their dogs. My dogs will never be seen in a dog park, and if we're at the beach, we leave when other dogs come around. I've heard stories of some really great dog parks, and I'm sure they exist, but I've never been to one. Mine aren't really dog park dogs, anyways. One is a terrier and the other is hairless.

I like dog parks, & my dogs do well in that type of enviroment.  They enjoy getting to play with their friends.  With that being said, it is frustrating when some owners can't control their dogs.  Generally, if there is a dog, or owner who is causing trouble, we leave.  It's much easier to leave than it is to stay & try to keep your dogs safe.

They have the potential to be a great experience or a miserable one.  Like anything else, it depends ... on the other dogs and  the owners.

Joyce

Love the concept, but not the reality.  If there were enforceable rules, temperment testing and minimal levels of obedience with respect to a recall, I might consider it.  But with folks who come to socialize with each other or cell phones, dogs with no real obedience training, and people who are clueless reading the behavior and signals of the dogs, it is a risk I will not take.   Give me a herding event any day.....

 I have a different perspective on this because dog ownership here seems to have different attitudes associated with it than what I read on the forums.  We don't have "dog parks"...we have parks.  Dogs are allowed off-lead if they are under control in almost all parks, though I know of a few that state dogs must be kept on a lead.  Because of this, we have all kinds of dogs mingling together everywhere, as well as dogs that HAVE to behave around other distractions, like people having picnics or kids playing football. 

In some ways (and I realise I may be disagreed with here) I think dog parks are almost...the easy way out.  People with well-trained dogs suffer because they don't wish to take their dogs to an enclosed area that is very likely to be filled with dogs that are NOT well trained because they don't really have to be, at a dog park.  From what I understand, recall doesn't matter much because they are enclosed, many have rules about not bringing kids/food/toys into them and from there it becomes very easy to pass of bad behaviour as "it's a dog park, he's acting like a dog, if you don't like it you can leave."  Here, I don't have a choice.  If I want my dog to be off-lead anywhere I am FORCED to make sure he can handle being around food/kids/toys/other dogs with no problems.  And you know...there aren't many problems.  Every once in a while I hear about an incident, but in 2 years of having Ben and having him off-lead at parks all over the place, I've never witnessed a dog fight, had to break one up, seen an owner fail to recall their dog or had daily experiences of 20+ dogs all playing together off-lead with toys involved be anything BUT a complete pleasure.  I got into it once with the owner of a dog who told me to keep my dog away from theirs because it might start a fight...but that was a unique experience and it was the humans fighting, not the dogs.  The overwhelming majority of people who know their dogs are not trustworthy off-lead for whatever reason do not risk it.  The rest of us have dogs that play happily together, and who don't approach the on-lead ones at all. 

As I say...it's different here.  I can't say whether dog parks are good or bad, but I can say our normal parks are wonderful.  

I enjoy our two local dog parks immensely but I don't like going to different ones because I don't know the dogs there.

One of the parks has a pond, a lovely big field and brush.  The other park has hiking trails, a big field and a large area of foresty type terrain to go wandering in.  If I don't like people or dogs (usually the people) in an area I move to a different one.

My boys need the space to run and gallop and have huge zoomies and I don't have a fenced yard - amazing, I know.  I feel that the dog parks are the safe way for them to let loose.

I was a dog park fan. I used to bring my parents dog to the off leash one (not Apollo because I'm unsure of him with tiny dogs- and yes, I've seen dogs uner 10lbs there, with dogs that weigh over 80lbs playing). But lately (I think it's because it's summer and there's a lot more people) it's been very crowded and turned into the "mosh pit" style dog park. I saw a couple fights, one was really bad (corgi vs. rottie). And I've noticed a couple dogs here and there are running off leash, but with muzzles on. One dog owner brought her dog there on leash because he was dog aggressive, and of course all the off leash dogs swarmed him, she ended up leaving mad.

I also really don't trust a strangers judgement. Too many people are careless and let their dogs do whatever they want while they're on their cell phone or talking to people, or looking for their dog because the dog had no recall and it ran off to the other side of the park.  

So now, I choose state parks and I can take trails less traveled. I swear, Apollo and my parents dog, Barney, have more fun. The can swim, chase birds, there's no cars anywhere near, they can chase their ball without it being stolen, and they don't get harrassed by other dogs. I'm more relaxed, so we stay longer. Every once in a while we bump into someone with a dog, but it's not a big deal.

Also, I NEVER go to a dog park after it rained and there are puddles because I don't wany my dog drinking that water with pee and poop traces in it.

I wanted to say I agree with most of the comments here. My issue is the "other" owners and their responsibilities whether or not they have any. Things can go SO wrong at a dog park. I have taken my dogs, don't know if I will again. I prefer to find a few friends who I know are responsible with their dogs, find a field or park and let our dogs have some fun.

Usually my dogs are so preoccupied with their activities we don't have time for parks.
 

depends on what kind of dog park you're talking about. I'm a big fan of real parks with trails that allow dogs off-leash; unfortunately, most of the "dog parks" in the US are fields with a fence around them and the dogs run wild. Very few dogs do well in that kind of dog park and the potential for injury is high.

I think dog parks (even the enclosed ones) can be a great experience, if you are careful about things.

The potential for badness is high, although that can vary from park to park and even by time of day.

For example, the dog park closest to me is good in the morning. There is a group of regulars who feel strongly about supervising their dogs and speaking up when a dog is causing problems. But in the evening? Different story. It gets crowded, chaotic, and there are people as well as dog fights sometimes. I wouldn't go in there at the "cocktail hour" if you paid me!

Eko has some great dog friends, and I have met some people friends that I now regularly socialize with. I'm glad the park exists, but the system is flawed. I dream of a private park, with large open spaces and admission requirements. Swoon.

(We have a nature preserve near us that is dog friendly, but it also a protected habitat for rattlesnakes. Not a place you want your dog off lead.) 

Benedict

As I say...it's different here.  I can't say whether dog parks are good or bad, but I can say our normal parks are wonderful.  

I'm so jealous, so I'll say good! In my city, dogs are not allowed to set foot in normal parks - even leashed. There are many times I'd love to walk Eko and my daughter to our nearby people park, let her play a while then walk back. Can't do that. :( 

Dog_ma

Benedict

As I say...it's different here.  I can't say whether dog parks are good or bad, but I can say our normal parks are wonderful.  

 

I'm so jealous, so I'll say good! In my city, dogs are not allowed to set foot in normal parks - even leashed. There are many times I'd love to walk Eko and my daughter to our nearby people park, let her play a while then walk back. Can't do that. :( 

Well you and Eko should feel free to visit anytime.  :)

I do think/realise I'm lucky.  At my local park, though it is busy, us dog walkers are the regulars.  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.  We communicate with the officers who patrol the park, we lobby the city council for more benches and litter bins...we are the ones who really care about it, even though it's just an ordinary public park, which at night is filled with yobs getting drunk and leaving their lager tins everywhere.  Although by law we're allowed to be there regardless, we have a lot of freedom with it in the eyes of the city because we take care of our park, we love it so much.  No one else using the park works half as hard as our doggy group to keep it a nice, safe place for everyone.  We have what are called "community support officers" who assist police in patrolling/keeping the peace, and the 2 assigned to our park regularly stop by and walk the dogs with us, or play fetch with the dogs, while chatting with us and asking us if we've noticed any problems, or if there is anything police need to be aware of.  It's a community spirit I really like, but it takes all sides being involved.