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[owen.richards]

What is your opinion on them?

Heres mine
I understand that dogs need to be associated with other dogs, but at what cost? I personally hate the dog park, and stay away from it. I have 2 dogs with 2 very different personalities, and every dog there is different. How do you know who all has their shots, who is healthy, who is friendly? My one dog, Carlo, will play, and have fun with other dogs (I used to take him in the past) but will not take crap from other dogs. If a dog bites him out of agression, or establishing dominance, he will do what dogs do, and try to assert his dominance.

That is one thing that I also hate at the dog park. All the different opinions of other dog owners. You have the crew that thinks that dogs never have dissagreements, and if your dog growls, or makes any move that can be mistaken as agression, then they will label your dog, agressive.

Then you have the people like me. In my mind, dogs have spent thousands of years of evolution using a system of dominance. A dominant dog wont like it, when another dog, tries to assert dominance over him. This is where you get "Dog talk" as I call it. At a park, with tons of different dogs, there will always be a few that try to be dominant. And they are usually labeled as aggressive. I have watched Carlo "Dog talk" and it is alot different to fighting. For instance, he seems to use more muscle, and less teeth. He will push the other dog down. The dog talk only lasts a few seconds, and then its done. The 2 dogs have sorted their beef out, and get along from then on. An agressive dog will not get along.

People see dog talk, and break it up, and call your dog agressive, and you irresponsible. When they break it up, the dogs dont finish it, and they will try again at their first opportunity.

When I introduced Carlo to Donna, they had "dog talk" for a good 15 seconds, and have not bothered each other since. They are great friends, and are practically attached at the hip.

Donna on the other hand is the main reason I havent taken them to the park. She is not just dominant, she is agressive to other dogs. I have been working with her to calm her down, but when another dog is around me outside of my property, she goes berzerck. Shes getting better though.

So what is your thoughts on dog parks? Do you take your dog? or do you exercise your dogs "as a pack"? I take my dogs for runs, and bike rides, and they are perfectly happy walking right past the park.