Dog Park Rules

[BaileyBear]

My Bailey turned 6 months old on Feb. 2. There are few dog parks around this area and the two that I do go to have a rule that ALL dogs over 6 months be spayed/neutered. Do all dog parks have this rule? I understand the reasoning behind the rule but, because of what I have read here about early neutering I am trying to wait. How then do I manage dog socialization and play time for Bailey? How are other people handling this? I don't have anyone around with a dog for him to play with, the neighbors are all "small dog" people. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[BLCOLE]

Short answer: No, not all dog parks have this rule.

For example, the dog park I use allows INTACT dogs...

 

[Leonard and his bud Snuffles]

Our Dog Park, the dogs have to be 6 months or olderof age as well as fixed. I don't think there is any exception. As is a paid fee as well as a key card to get in. Ther have been paying folks that got puppies after the fact, and brought them in. Of course they were breaking the rules, but I can't say anyone ever made a issue out of it.

 

[BlackLightning]

Ours only requires that a female dog not be in season. You would have to be pretty crazy to take your female to a dog park while she was in season!!!!!

Have you ever attended puppy kindergarten classes?? They are a good way to socialize. We had BAD experiences at dog parks and I have never really gotten over it. We do go now that Ayasha is older, but when she was younger, she was hurt once and another time she got bulldozed by a big dog and it really terrified her.

It is tough when they don't have a lot of playmates. I can relate. Ayasha attended four levels of basic obedience classes that lasted up until she was almost a year old. I think they helped tremendously with her dog social skills as a big part of the classes was dedicated to proper dog socialization.

 

[lilly06]

I have never heard that rule. Age or spay/neuter.

 

[newfy]

Don't have that rule around here,
the closest dog park is unofficial,
most of the owners going there are
responsible..

 

[R Taft]

We went to two separate puppy classes to give katy puppy contact. And Katy went along to Obedience with us and the big dogs to meet all the trained dogs we knew and she did a couple of short runs on the side in some obedience classes, just to learn to behave in company. I will not run a full class with her, because I feel she is too young in bone structure for all the sit/drops.....So we do it for a short time, 10-15 minutes at the most
Katy is six month now and we are going to a morning at our Dog behaviorist training session, we asked if we could come for Katy socialization with more dogs. So she can again meet a lot of dogs in a very controlled area. he lets all the dogs in advanced classes of leash and that is how he trains a good recall. You have to call your dog out of the pack one at the time, it is a challenge at first, but Annabelle and Tessa are good at it. So Katy, Annabelle and Tessa will just go along and be in with about ten other dogs at his place. Annabelle loves Scott, he is her favorite out of home person. I think she knows he saved her
Our Off leash park have no rules........Just no dogs in season or aggressive dogs. We also have off leash time at our Kennel Club, which are fun, but Katy has not qualified for that as yet. They are very strict and you have to be at a certain obedience level. We love those evenings, with Annabelle and Tessa. All the good dogs are there

 

[Emmy985837]

The dog park here is 4 months but again this is Cali we tend to have strange rules but real only you know how old your dog is. Can many people tell the difference between a 5 month old newfi and a 6 month old one?

 

[bria]

I'm told that the rule applies here in the city as well. I don't go to dog parks because frankly I don't trust the dog owners. If an owner is not treating their dog respectfully then chances are that dog will have bad manners with other dogs. I find it's always the wrong dogs that are off leash and if I had a quarter for everytime I heard "gee my dog has never done that before", I'd be a millionaire. Too you're putting pack animals in a pack and it only takes one alpha to start the pack going and this will likely be at another dog. Most of the people I know with younger dogs generally find a small group of other dog owners who have like and get together with them. It could be someone's backyard as well. I also know of a number of groups that were just for small dogs only and that makes perfect sense to me. If you found a conservation area you might be able to let your dog off leash as I don't think they have that rule. I'm always very leary of large groups of off leash dogs still I understand you need to socialize your dog. It's always a tough call I find.

Susan

 

[PushiTOOL11]

The couple that I go to, you can bring intact males.. you just aren't allowed to bring females that are in season. I think the age limit is at least 5 months, but I started to bring Sebastian at around 4 1/2 months because he already had all his shots, and he was big enough by then that people thought he was well past 5 months old, hehe.

I used to take him to the dog park every day, but now that he is becoming more of a "man" I have backed off. Since he is not fixed yet, I started to notice him growling a little at other intact males. I don't think he would actually start any kind of fight, but I'm not so sure about the other dogs. He has had his fair share of dogs trying to attack him, whether it's because of his size, or the fact that he still has his man parts, I don't know.

Maybe trying taking him to the dog park once and see how it is. The worst that could happen is someone telling you he isn't allowed and you have to leave. Are there people there monitoring it? Because I know at mine, there aren't.. it's pretty laid back.

We also have an outdoor mall where I live that allows dogs, so I take him there and walk him around. He doesn't really come in contact with many dogs, but I want him to be used to being around lots of people as well. Is there anything like that in your area?

Just a mention as well, Sebastian absolutely LOVES small dogs.. he is very gentle with them when he plays with them.. maybe try to introduce Bailey to some of the small dogs. It's actually quite a funny interaction to watch.. I still think Sebastian isn't quite sure what kind of creature they are, haha

 

[Carlina]

I am in charge of the dog park in our town and yes dogs are to be spayed or netured but some intact males do come. As long as they are playing nicely they can come but as soon as you see a problem you must take the dog out of the park. We are very lucky we have a 3 acre park plus the farmer next door lets us come on him property so we just move around the outside perimeter. It keeps the dogs from getting into a big group just standing around. I would make sure your dog has all shots as well as kennel cough to protect him while in the park. We have had over 100 dogs there at one time and it is working out really well. Any questions just pm me.

 

[Diana]

Our dog park doesn't have that rule, only that all poop gets picked up and dogs have to be licensed and they often have bylaw officers checking for that. It's funny, we've been going to the same place for over 20 years and have never had a major issue. That being said, there was a day quite some time ago when Teddy was VERY interested in a femal rottie, he wouldn't leave her alone, incessant sniffing, (and he's neutered). The idiot owner laughed and told me, "Oh, that's ok, it's just because she's in heat". I couldn't believe it, I basically asked her if she was nuts and she snapped back that her dog "had to have her exercise too". This is a park that often has a couple hundred dogs at any given time, more on the weekends - what a way to start some really good dog fights!!

 

[BaileyBear]

Emily, are you saying that the dogs need to be spayed/ neutered at 4 months or that age to go into the park? Our parks have separate areas for small dogs/puppies. My puppy is too big for that area though. As far as trouble there was one day that a few pits and pitx were getting testy with each other. Lucky for me Bailey is a bit timid and goes in the other direction quick. I realize as he gets older he could become the target though. There isn't really anyone monitoring that I've seen I just wondered if this was a rule everywhere. I feel like I should be able to determine if my dog is a threat whether intact or not, but realistically I know not everyone cares how their dog acts in public. Bringing a dog in heat to a dog park? Seriously?