I am not sure if it is common practice, but we bring both of our pups to the local dog park to mingle and play with the other dogs in the area.
I've attached a link to a video i posted on Google+ of the park as well, just give an idea of the freedom our dogs get.

Gander Paws Up for Dogs Off Leash Dog Park - let me know if the video is not loading, I will repost it to youtube instead
* The only two dogs in the video were Stig and Zero and they were off in the distance, all the other dogs had not showed up yet.

Our dogs have grown to enjoy the park since we got Stig, as Zero wasn't the ball of energy Stig is. But they both enjoy the park and the 10-15 other dogs which are there each evenings. I have to continue to try and find ways to get the two dogs to stop jumping up to greet people, but other than that they are pretty well behaved down there, and play like dogs would. We get dogs of all sizes there, from 6 mth old Female Boston Terrior to a 6 yr old Mal.

How are dog parks ran in your area?

I've only been to one in my area because it's easy to get to and I don't get along well with directions. Ours is pretty basic. Chainlink fence that's probably 6ft tall, a set of double gates to keep the dogs from escaping as people come and go. There is one entrance that's only a single set of doors (i believe this is for any maintenance vehicles) and you do occasionally get the person that attempts to enter through there. Luckily, our park is on a low traffic street so if anyone did get out, it wouldn't be too dangerous for them. It's on a street with a bunch of old warehouses and a furniture store so there's really not a lot of traffic.

We've got two picnic tables and a gazebo in the park for us pet parents. There's a hose and a baby pool and several bowls laying around for the dogs as well as a giant bucket. We've also got a pooper-scooper station that is always stocked with bags so there's no excuse to leave your dog's mess on the ground.

I've been there when there's only 2 dogs and times when there's 30. It all depends on the weather, day, and time. Friday evenings after work are busy, as are Saturday afternoons. Sundays vary. Sometimes they're busy, sometimes they're not. I've only run into the same dogs two or three times. I really wish I could run into the couple with the Akita pup again because she's the same age as Callie (and also has a rhyming name lol) and they play so well together.

I take all mine there regularly as long as the weather holds our. The park here has 2 large dog sections, about over an acre each spot, then the little dog area is about a 1/4 acre or so. Each section has a large tree for shade and benches for people to sit, but be advised, you could get marked lol. My dogs love it. I take my kids over the non busy side and let huskies be huskies. My GSD foster loves to play fetch with a chuck it toy, its awesome to see an abandoned dog enjoying herself and exercising. She is a great dog, can't wait till she is ready to be homed. There should be alot of people wanting this sweetheart thats for sure.

We have 2 that we alternate. One is a HUGE section of what used to be a golf course, but it is not fenced in, so only Tika is allowed off leash there. We can go into the woods there though and its so nice. Both the pups enjoy the woods a lot there.
The other is a smallish dog run and its got about a 5 foot chain fence that makes me a bit nervous. Ripley is allowed off leash in that one, and it really brings out the best in her when she runs with other dogs. At the other park she is ALWAYS attached to one of us. I get nervous bc Rip has shown an interest in passing trucks and its right by a pretty busy road. I get the impression she could jump it if she really wanted to. When other dogs show up though she plays and ignores the trucks. It is nice to see rescues run about with wild abandon. She makes me smile when she gets all goofy playful.

The one with no fence is super popular though, and we have gotten to know tons of owners there, its a really great time when we go. There are loads of options to socialise the dogs and ourselves. The only problem is the over popularness (I know its not a word). Now everyone and their brother go with dogs that arent fixed/arent socialised/very dominant and it makes it hard to control the situation sometimes. Rip got into a fight the last time when another dog mounted her. nothing serious I broke it up, but the other owner jsut sort of called their dog gently and say, hey stop that.

When the normal crowd goes its a great time. Nothing beats a responsible and informed owner.
Kelly

I run a monthly meetup for northern breeds at our 5 area dog parks. Each have their own pros and cons as parks go. all are kept up in good condition, grass mowed, trash picked up, gates and fencing maintained and secure.

I haven't had too many bad experiences in the 6 plus years I've been going and most people are responsible and friendly.

There are always some idiots the either can't read the posted rules or just don't care. If I'm there and it turns into an issue I have no problem telling them off. My wife says confrontation in my strong suit. I just look at it as being outspoken and doing what others are afraid to do.

We use the one by our house which is actually a really nice big park. Much bigger than most in the area. It's very open- it was actually funded by money confiscated by Plantation police. They have the Plantation K9 units work out area on the other side of the fence, it's cool!

My dogs for the most part just play with each other. They use this time to let loose and run. I usually just walk the circle circuit around the park and they follow (loosely.) There have been some issues- thankfully my dogs have never really been on the receiving end. There is another group of people on other forums who hate dog parks- personally I think it just depends on your dogs, the control you have over them, their temperaments, as well as the general population the park attracts. My dogs have zero interest in dog fights or the like so whenever those do break out (as they will- they are dogs) we're never involved. Stark doesn't come if it's going to be a high traffic time. It's too much for him.

The only dog park I know around my area is in the town over and it's tiny compared to what everyone has described on here. Plus, you need a license - $10 for residents and $50 for non-residents. Yeah, not going to spend $50 plus Saber doesn't get along with dogs he doesn't know very well. Not to mention he has a compromised immune system and I just can't take the chance that every dog there is healthy.

We use our dog park around here. I first started bringing Juneau aroud 3 1/2 months (had all of her shots and rabies). I took her to the small dog side and folks LOVED her. She plays nicely with other dogs. There is a group of about 5-10 people that go there every night. She has learned to recognize each pup and etc. Now I take her to the bigger side (35+ lbs) and she runs around. She still misses the small side so around the end of the day, I'll take her over there for the last 15 mins so she can say hi.

I really like it because you meet a lot of people and learn more about your pup. Since I moved here 2 1/2 years ago, I really don't have any real 'friends' outside of work and the boyfriend (still have good friends back in my hometown). So far I've made a few friends around here and feel more comfortable about living here.

Yes there will be jerks that don't follow rules and bring aggressive dogs. You either tell 'em off or just leave. An alternative approach is also calling the sherriff out. There are signs posted in ours for the sherriff's number.

We have several dog parks near me, but they all charge annual fees ranging from 75 to 200 dollars per year. I actually went to one that had sort of an "open house" and dog festival and I really liked it. Some of them are way too big and it would take me hours to get my dog back LOL. This one is not too small and not too big, plus they have 2 separate parks for big dogs and a small dog park.

we also have an indoor dog park about a half hour away from me that I go to alot. It is really cheap, only $3 bucks for the whole day, and they also have daycare, so there are always alot of other dogs there during the day.

I used to take Kale weekly to the dog park, but the city has decided to stop its "pest control" program for the parks, thus creating a crap-load of gophers and gopher holes. Being that Kale has quite the prey drive, going there is pointless. All he does is try to get to the gophers and guard the holes from other dogs...

by the sounds of it, we're quite lucky here to have a former softball field as a dog park with no fees. the only thing that sucks is that there is no lighting, and with our evenings getting shorter, it's gonna be quite hard to get the exercise they have grown to expect. we don't have a small dogs area either, but everyone seems to play nice. dogs being dogs they like to play and wrestle, but most everyone seems to have that similar opinion on how they play so that is great.

Great feedback so far. keep it coming folks, any other dog park experiences?

Yeah we don't have any lighting either so it's only "open" from dawn til dusk which pretty soon, by the time I get out of work, it'll be dark. So they'll have to get used to weekend only trips. And no small dog area for us. But for the most park, the big guys leave them alone or they hold their own. My chi isn't allowed to go anymore because he's annoying with his barking constantly whenever anyone's rough housing with Callie. For the most part the little guys are quick so everyone gets a good work out.

We have really nice off leash trails and park areas, but they are not fenced, so no off leash for us there. We do have an old ball diamond that is fenced and off leash, but it is always very wet so you have to be prepared to go home with a dirty husky. We also have some other sports fields that become off leash starting November 1, not sure if any are totally fenced but I will have to find out.

yeah it is quite funny isn't it how a dog will go straight for that mud hole in the middle of the field and decide to wrestle with friends eh? Stig came back to me the other night with a brown beard on his white face., not to mention how much mud was elsewhere. but then he found a another puddle and washed himself off, as it wasn't a mud hole

I've been taking Cloud to a dog park that's about 20 minutes away from my house. It's pretty similar to what most people have said, open from dawn to dusk, there's a small and large area, double-gated entrance for safety, three poop pick-up stations (one on the front entrance , one on the small side, and one on the big side), a trashcan on both sides, water fountain on the small side and a water fountain on the big side, and some benches. They have a drainage system for when it rains, so it doesn't get super muddy. The only closure guidelines are that the park closes on the first monday of every month, and it will be closed during severe weather conditions, as well as after effects of that (if it gets super muddy despite the drainage system). Only problem I had was in the summer. The park has recently been developing, they've planted trees in the area but they're still really small and young so there's not a lot of shade. Once it gets later in the day though it has some shade in the very back of the park that stretches further as the day goes on due to the forest shadows. Now that summers finally over though we won't have to worry about seeking shade XD

Definitely check out any dog park - it all depends on the owners that bring their dogs. We have a good one by my office, but unfortunately it's too far for weekend jaunts. They have a collection of huskies that show up every day and it's a lot of fun for the dogs to run around since it's a huge area. I do supervise one and hubby the other one to make sure they are behaving and so are the other dogs. It's always a risk because you don't know the other owners - but it sounds like most of the people here have great parks and owners near them! Jealous!

Every dog park closer to us has stupid owners that either 1. let small dogs into the big dog area despite the rules post (no dogs under 32 lbs) 2. Bring out treats or food 3. have aggressive dogs and don't supervise them (Frosti has been bitten by a ball aggressive dog she was just running beside - grrr) and so on... it's not worth the risk to me and they get to play with vaccinated, temperament tested, supervised by professionals dogs at day care so they are very socialized.

At my dog park, there are two sections, and I take mine over to the one not being used so they can play mean and aggressive like huskies do. Even my foster Diamond will play husky style. There are alot of idiots take their dogs to the park and not really watch them. I had a guy bring a PUPPY, maybe 10 weeks tops and put it in the big dog area and he was yelling at Steve to calm down. Maybe you should take your puppy over to small dog. I don't even think the dog is allowed there unless it has all sets of shots yet though.

We have a large dog park (my boyfriend thinks it used to be a trailer park) there is 2 large fields for the dogs to run in though there is only one that is "most popular" and a small field that I find generally the older people with dogs will go to sit so only a few down go in that field. None of the park is fenced/completely fenced off. We have several walking trails with water available to the dogs and they absolutely love that! We have poop bags and garbage's throughout the park to avoid "messes" though there are irresponsible owners that don't pick up :/ We don't have any rules there except mainly pick up after your dog and leash your dog in the on-leash zones of the walking trail. Generally no one is there to enforce these rules so it works off an honour system? Anyways, Cally absolutely loves going there and playing with the dogs of all ages and sizes!!

I used to be an avid dog park goes, but lately I am not as involved with our park. I like the park, but too many owners are so restrictive of their dogs. My dogs like to run around and tackle each other - people see this as aggression, which its not. Cato and Delilah are not dog aggressive at all, they LOVE other dogs - but darn it do they play too rough. Then there are the stupid people who bringing their yappy ass little dogs into the big dog park and get all concerned when my dog rolls them around like a toy....so, to avoid being pissed at some of the people, I don't go unless my friend and her shepherds go.

I don't use dog parks, but I've been taking Bodhi to a doggy day care a half day each week for socialization.
The day care has big dog and little dog areas, is air conditioned and huge.
Bodhi absolutely loves it.
He will start getting excited when we are two blocks away in the car.
He eagerly goes inside with the attendant and doesn't give me a backward look.
They put the dogs in cages by themselves first to prevent insanity.
The other dogs come up to fence and sniff the newcomer.
After awhile, they let the newcomer into the group when everybody has calmed down.
When I pick him up, he is a tired boy who sleeps the rest of the day.
They say that Bodhi gets the other dogs running laps.
His favorite friends are a huge 9 month old malamute and some German Shepherds.
I wish I had known about this for my earlier huskies, for whom socialization was a problem.

We take Blaze and Kerian to the dog park about 3 to 4 times a week. They love it get excited on the ride there Blaze goes nuts. Our dog parks do not allow kids under the age of 12 years old.

The dog park we go to most of the time has some shade trees and picnic tables and benches.. they also have a well with a pump to get drinking water for the dogs.

SOme people get all bend out of shape when huskies play cause they tent to play a bit rough compared to some other dogs.

We usually go in the morning and there is the same dogs there most the time so Blaze and Kerian have make BFF with some of them.

Speaking of kids. Kids are allowed at ours, which, okay, I see it the same as bringing a small dog. If you're comfortable, go for it.

We bring my 4 year old brother but he knows how to interact with dogs and he knows to keep his distance when they're playing. Really, he just likes to throw the tennis ball and watch everyone run for it.

But yesterday this family of like 4 adults and a child brought their dog. Well the child is petrified of dogs. They walked her into the first gate and she lets out this high pitched scream when a dog went over to see who was coming in, like the dogs always do. She was screaming about closing the gate and wanting to go home and went on for like five minutes before one of the parents finally went back to the car with her. And I do mean 5 minutes of screeching.

Now what would possess you to bring a child that's afraid of dogs to the DOG PARK.

calliegirl08 wrote:

Speaking of kids. Kids are allowed at ours, which, okay, I see it the same as bringing a small dog. If you're comfortable, go for it.

We bring my 4 year old brother but he knows how to interact with dogs and he knows to keep his distance when they're playing. Really, he just likes to throw the tennis ball and watch everyone run for it.

But yesterday this family of like 4 adults and a child brought their dog. Well the child is petrified of dogs. They walked her into the first gate and she lets out this high pitched scream when a dog went over to see who was coming in, like the dogs always do. She was screaming about closing the gate and wanting to go home and went on for like five minutes before one of the parents finally went back to the car with her. And I do mean 5 minutes of screeching.

Now what would possess you to bring a child that's afraid of dogs to the DOG PARK.

Ugh I know. I was walking out of my dog park today with Cloud when a kid and his parents approached us. The kid went to pet Cloud on the head without warning, and Cloud is pretty apprehensive of people so he immediately jumped back and the kid started crying and screaming because of the sudden movement and then his parents told me to keep control of me dog >_> Wut? Some people...

We use the dog park frequently but Raven has recently entered the brat stage and now has selective hearing when its time to leave.

paleobones wrote:

We use the dog park frequently but Raven has recently entered the brat stage and now has selective hearing when its time to leave.

She's a husky ha. They are certainly not famous for their recall.