Does Every Dog Enjoy Dog Parks? Apparently Not

Sir Pooch says (or he would if he could:) "I need a new interest, like a dog park. Here's the deal. After ten years, I'm pretty familiar with my own yard. I've chased the geese away and been scolded for rolling in what they left behind. I've barked viciously at the fisherman who dared to almost trespass on his way to the other end of the lake. I was reported to the authorities for my trouble.(I'm thinking they don't report you for barking if you're at a dog park.) I've broken my tether and headed out for the great unknown, only to have my leash catch under the shed in back of the building next door...where I languished, barking, until She Who Must Be Obeyed deigned to come out of the condo and look for me. I've even heard the coyotes howling in the distance, which was pretty exciting, until I heard the whimpering and yelping, and ran back in the house quick-quick. (Coyotes are wild -- they have no manners.When they ask you for dinner, they mean you are dinner.)

A Dog Park Should Be Good for Dog Stuff: Hunting, Tracking and Sniffing

Dogs need to be dogs. People don't get that. We do not want to spend our days doing nothing but snoozing in the corner, except when we get up and move over to the window and snooze in the other corner. She Who Must Be Obeyed(SWMBO) is frankly a colossal bore who sits there hour after hour with that thing in her lap, making clickety noises. She's probably writing about me, when she could be entertaining me. I want to run! I want to sniff! I want to explore and track various dangerous enemies: Squirrels, chipmunks, cats, rabbits, etc. Hey, I've caught the dang tennis ball at least a million times, could we try something else?

Dog Parks Can Help With Canine Identity Crises

"I've always had an identity crisis. See, I was raised around boys. Big guys who had other big guys come over and they were always running in and out of the house, yelling, laughing, playing with me. Letting me jump up on them. Sneaking me food. Roughhousing with me. Teaching me tricks. So of course, they were my Pack. And then they all grew up and went away. Now it's just SWMBO and me. Some Pack."

Why Sir Pooch was Initially Interested in a Dog Park

"So when I heard about this Dog Park thing I was kind of interested. Dog Parks are where lots of critters get together in a big field and run like crazy. And bark. ( Dog Parks are also called Bark Parks, so barking is a requirement.) Chase each other. Play games. Go nuts. Sounded intriguing to me. I telepathically alerted SWMBO to take me to a nearby Dog Park. Of course, she didn't have a clue you have to pay a small fee for a Dog Park pass, and fill out an application to be a Dog Park-er, and show you've had all those infuriating shots and don't have a disease and aren't a dogopath or something. (To keep out the riffraff.)

Anyway, one Sunday we went to Broad Ripple Dog Park in Indianapolis, and found the big Dog Park flooded from a broken water main. It was closed, but they opened up the back up Dog Park. Kinda small for all those critters, but they were letting everybody in, even non-Park members. If you could have heard the barking and yipping and growling and chasing! That's when it hit me.

What I Found Out at the Dog Park: I Really Am Just a Dog

"I started to get out of the car. Looked through the fence and saw at least a hundred of those mangy four legged monsters. It was like looking in a mirror. They looked like me, they sounded like me, they acted like me. There was only one conclusion to draw: I am just a Dog. Not a guy, not people, just a Dog. I was so depressed I got back in the car and refused to get out. No way am I going in there with those......animals.

So SWHMBO gave up on the Dog Park idea. She bought me a hamburger at McDonalds on the way home and I felt a little better. But I did sort of wonder - how did all those other four leggers find out they're just Dogs? It's something you need to be told when you're just a pup, I think. Otherwise it's one heck of a kick in the keester when you do find out."

Footnote from She Who Must Be Obeyed:

When Sir Pooch was just a pup, he got along great with big hulking teenage boys, but I thought it was important to have him socialize with little children. So I rounded up the neighborhood kids and bribed them to come play with him as often as possible. He loved it and so did they. I wanted to be able to trust him around little people, old people, white people, black people, people wearing uniforms, people wearing sunglasses. Pretty soon, it was evident that Sir Pooch had learned to love everybody. (Except fishermen, I forgot to get him used to trespassers carrying poles.)

What did not even occur to me was to expose him to other Dogs early on. And Cats too for that matter. So he never got it that he is just a Dog. Not people. As a result he does not like to be around other animals. He can be intrigued somewhat from a distance, but let that little yappy dog next door come a-running to try to play, and Sir Pooch is on the growl. My son's Dog, my only Granddog, sniff, who is a cute little Puggle, won't even come to see me because Sir Pooch is so inhospitable.

So take my advice: Socialization is very important in training your puppy. And that includes socialization with other animals.

Footnote #2.

Dog Parks, or Bark Parks, are a good way to make sure your dog is getting enough exercise, and learning to socialize rather than terrorize other dogs. In Indianapolis, year long Dog Park passes range from $50 to $75, with one day passes at about $5. (To find out more about Indianapolis Dog Parks, click here.)

Footnote from Sir Pooch:

Socialization, schmocialization. Don't listen to her. I'm still pretty sure I'm not a Dog.