Merits of having a dog park like those in America

euser1984

I live in a decent size town in the country. A guy here is trying to get one of these dog parks up and running.

He even has gone as far as jeopardizing my social meetups for his "dog park" interest...

Would it even be possible to get something like this going in Ireland? I know many american dog owners think they are a bad idea and I can understand why.

Thanks.

Dandelion6

I'm sure there are already a couple here. Never heard any complaints about them in America, the ones I've been to have been great. You do want separate big dogs and small dogs parks though.

muddypaws

There are a few of them in Ireland now, none of the ones I've seen are any good. The one in Marlay Park is a decent enough size, but no dogs on the RB list are allowed in there and the fencing isn't high enough, I wouldn't trust a husky in there at all, especially as there is a five bar gate in the fence, which is even lower, and easy to get over or under. The one in St Annes is even worse.

Personally I'm not a fan of them, as you don't know how well socialised the other dogs in it are, and a lot of owners just let their dogs off lead and then ignore them while they chat, or get on their phone.

borderlinemeath

Dandelion6 wrote: »

I'm sure there are already a couple here. Never heard any complaints about them in America, the ones I've been to have been great. You do want separate big dogs and small dogs parks though.

In all fairness, a dog is a dog. It's how they behave, not their size. Segregating by size will not help socialisation in any way at all. And is a bit insulting to people who own both big and small dogs.

tk123

borderlinemeath wrote: »

In all fairness, a dog is a dog. It's how they behave, not their size. Segregating by size will not help socialisation in any way at all. And is a bit insulting to people who own both big and small dogs.

This is one of the MANY reasons I don't like going into the one in St Annes - you have to go through the small dog part first so depending on who's in there you can be made feel very unwelcome for even passing their dogs their dogs on lead - some of them aren't even small dogs lol!! Yes a big dog can hurt a small dog but we're not all a$$holes who let our dogs run amok crushing other dogs.

OP when you say dog park do you mean an enclosure or a park that allows dogs off lead all the time? My dogs have good recall and don't approach strangers so I can let them off lead for most of our walks in any of the parks we walk in and they keep to themselves - if we go to the market or past a playground or anywhere they might get in the way or bother anyone I put them on lead but apart from that I have no need to confine them to one tiny section of a park.

bmwguy

There are 2 near me one in Grifeen park Lucan and one in st Catherine's park between Leixlip and Lucan. They are good, never saw any hassle except one time a woman asked people how long they would be staying for because her daughter wanted to go in there and was afraid of every dog but her own. Apart from that they work perfectly very well socialised dogs in there.

DBB

I think it is important to have a small dg section and a large dog section... Big dogs play different to smallies, and if there is an altercation, the chances of it resulting in injury are quite a bit higher. There's also a very real risk of predatory drift, a big player behind instances of injuries to small dogs by big dogs.
As I understand it, the self-policing aspect of dog parks in the big cities of America us seriously effective to ensure good owner and good dog behaviour... Stupid, irresponsible behaviour by either owner or dog is swiftly dealt with via complaints from other owners. You just won't get owners there getting away with talking in their phones whilst their dogs run riot within. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to translate too well in the Irish context.

Dandelion6

DBB wrote: »

As I understand it, the self-policing aspect of dog parks in the big cities of America us seriously effective to ensure good owner and good dog behaviour... Stupid, irresponsible behaviour by either owner or dog is swiftly dealt with via complaints from other owners. You just won't get owners there getting away with talking in their phones whilst their dogs run riot within.

Exactly.

irish_goat

I always liked the one in Marlay Park. Our rescue cavalier x can't be trusted off the lead (she'd be off on an adventure) so it was the only place we could let her off to get a good run. She loved meeting other dogs and the interaction with friendly owners did her a world of good too as she was really nervous of strangers at the start. Never experienced any negative sides but I know it's bound to attract the wrong sort of dog owners in Ireland.

I've mentioned it to a few council people in Derry and it's gotten a bit of interest but no wheels in motion yet or anything.

jelone

I think you'd request him to rope the dog when going out.

muddypaws

I was in Marlay Park in May, and there were a few people in the dog park, one guy had a malamute, and someone wanted to go in there with a GSD. The mal owner went over to him at the gate and told him that his dog wasn't allowed in, as it is a restricted breed. The GSD owner politely told him to get lost and brought his dog in. The dog played really nicely, and there were no issues. I'd actually be more concerned about a malamute in there with other dogs, especially the smallies

I was just disappointed about the height of the fencing, not even 6 foot, and its not very well maintained, there are parts of the fence that a dog can get under

riffmongous

Interesting to see people talk about the fencing height, here in Vienna almost every park has a separate area for dogs and the fences are no higher than anywhere else in the park, 60-90cms.

tk123

riffmongous wrote: »

Interesting to see people talk about the fencing height, here in Vienna almost every park has a separate area for dogs and the fences are no higher than anywhere else in the park, 60-90cms.

The one in St Anne's didn't always have mesh either - smaller dogs would just hop out through the bars!! :P

faceman

As mentioned there's a few in Dublin. The one is Cabinteely is far larger than Marley.

Cabinteely doesn't allow certain restricted breeds in but I hear from time to time that there's a bad owner (as opposed to a bad dog!) about.

As the park is large seperating small and large dogs seems unnecessary as the dogs just play with the dogs they choose.

While the dog park is large, Cabinteely as a park is smaller than Markey making access to a parkie that bit easier.

I've come across no issues with fencing at any of the dog parks I've been to

It would be great to have more dog parks around as they are great for responsible dog owners.

faceman

faceman wrote: »

As mentioned there's a few in Dublin. The one is Carrickmines is far larger than Marley.

Carrickmines doesn't allow certain restricted breeds in but I hear from time to time that there's a bad owner (as opposed to a bad dog!) about.

As the park is large seperating small and large dogs seems unnecessary as the dogs just play with the dogs they choose.

While the dog park is large, Carrickmines as a park is smaller than Markey making access to a parkie that bit easier.

I've come across no issues with fencing at any of the dog parks I've been to

It would be great to have more dog parks around as they are great for responsible dog owners.

Where in carrickmines is there a park?

bmwguy

In the parks I use generally people turn a blind eye to restricted breeds, there is a German shepherd and a Rottweiler (has been there since about 3 months of age) that are among the best behaved in the park. I am sure some people will give out though given the chance.

There is an Irish Wolfhound there regularly too, wow, what a specimen of a dog. Beautiful and graceful and the gentlest of giants.

faceman

bubblypop wrote: »

Where in carrickmines is there a park?

EDIT: argh called it by wrong name. It's Cabinteely park. It's close to the children's playground in the park.

faceman

faceman wrote: »

EDIT: argh called it by wrong name. It's Cabinteely park. It's close to the children's playground in the park.

Ahh right, thought there was a new park I had missed!
Dog park in shanganagh park, shankill is quite big, bit there's no problem letting the dog off lead around the fields there anyway

Dubl07

English friends have tried a different concept with their dogs. Over there, some landowners have securely fenced off areas from ¼ acre upwards and put in a double gate system for secure access, a water source and a few sturdy benches inside the enclosure, gravelled an area outside for car parking with bins for disposal of rubbish. They then hire out the play area at a given rate to individuals who organise to bring friends/breed clubs etc and their dogs along as well. If the people misbehave they're not allowed back. It seems to work quite well and would greatly appeal to me as an option here. Different rates for off-peak times and yearly subscriptions/passes etc were mentioned.

Knine

It is not not for me. My dogs are all well socialized but 3/4 are not too bothered about other dogs. My main issue is mixing with unknown dogs & the - only walk their dogs when the sun comes out brigade & these tend to have not many social skills. My only ever trip into one resulted in my Border dog being attacked several times by a Bichon! Owner thought it was hilarous until he decided to defend himself! I also have a big male dog who could seriously injure a smallie just by playing!

muddypaws

Dubl07 wrote: »

English friends have tried a different concept with their dogs. Over there, some landowners have securely fenced off areas from ¼ acre upwards and put in a double gate system for secure access, a water source and a few sturdy benches inside the enclosure, gravelled an area outside for car parking with bins for disposal of rubbish. They then hire out the play area at a given rate to individuals who organise to bring friends/breed clubs etc and their dogs along as well. If the people misbehave they're not allowed back. It seems to work quite well and would greatly appeal to me as an option here. Different rates for off-peak times and yearly subscriptions/passes etc were mentioned.

I've thought about doing it with my exercise field, but insurance etc has put me off, and the fact that I live in the middle of nowhere lol. I have a few friends in the UK that hire places like that though, and one who has bought some land and fenced it herself, and lets friends use it - without charge.

Dubl07

muddypaws wrote: »

I've thought about doing it with my exercise field, but insurance etc has put me off, and the fact that I live in the middle of nowhere lol. I have a few friends in the UK that hire places like that though, and one who has bought some land and fenced it herself, and lets friends use it - without charge.

That's extremely kind of your friend. I'd be perfectly happy to pay to use a decent facility that is policed in terms of fencing, poop patrol and parking. Of course it's going to cost the owner money in terms of public liability, fence maintenance, cleaning, organisation and time so it's really only fair to pay to use the land. I wince but don't sneeze at almost 30 euro for daycare, or 20 for an hour's walk but it would be brilliant to have somewhere really safe to let my dog off-lead without stressing about her being pounced on whether in play or aggression.

If I had the land myself, I'd probably run a water line and have three or four taps, with a similar number of secure enclosures that can be opened into each other or closed off depending on breeds, numbers and demand.