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Anyone use the dog park on Maynard in Cary? I'm usually not a fan of dog parks but I have a dog who really needs to burn off some energy. She pretty much ignores other dogs, including those who are acting out so I think she's a good candidate for a dog park. I'm curious if anyone has any first hand experience with this particular one - is it overly busy, are the owners usually responsible/paying attention, etc.?
I'll probably go ahead and get a pass for her tomorrow, but thought I'd see what I was getting us into.
i have a friend who says certain times are better than others as far as the owners go. I'd give it a try and if it works for you then you know you've hit it right.
There's a dog park in Apex as well, by the community center.
They have separate areas for large and small dogs. Dogs seem to work out any problems themselves. I only saw one fight there between the dogs. Unfortunately at one point they changed from woods chips to a mulch that turned our dogs black so we quit going.
I went there once - I don't know if there was some sort of meet up or something, but everyone seemed to know each other and it was more of a social thing than anything, which I thought was a little weird.
There's a reason you're not a fan of dog parks.... I don't like them, either.
Trust your instinct.
Yeah, I know.. but I don't have a place for my dog to run, and I think it would help her. She's a 5 year old retired racing greyhound that acts more like a 1 year old rambunctious lab in the house. My backyard has too many trees and other obstacles for her to be able to run full out. I took her for a 7 mile hike in Umstead on Tuesday and it barely made a dent in her energy.
Since I have a pretty flexible work schedule I'm thinking I could take her to the dog park at off times. On the plus side, since greyhounds are sprinters she'd not need to run for long. For $40/year I think it's worth trying, but I won't continue to bring her if it's unsafe.
Yeah, I know.. but I don't have a place for my dog to run, and I think it would help her. She's a 5 year old retired racing greyhound that acts more like a 1 year old rambunctious lab in the house. My backyard has too many trees and other obstacles for her to be able to run full out. I took her for a 7 mile hike in Umstead on Tuesday and it barely made a dent in her energy.
Since I have a pretty flexible work schedule I'm thinking I could take her to the dog park at off times. On the plus side, since greyhounds are sprinters she'd not need to run for long. For $40 I think it's worth trying, but I won't continue to bring her if it's unsafe.
You can get a day pass - don't remember the price, but that's what we did to try it out.
I've read good things about it but I've never been there myself. I'd hope that the lazy owner that doesn't take responsibility for their dog isn't going to pay $40 to $80 a year for a membership, but you never know.
If your dog doesn't enjoy the company of other dogs, what does it enjoy? Does it fetch? If so, and it's big enough, I like the Chuck-It ball and thrower. Only thing is, bringing toys to a dog park can cause problems with possessiveness.
What about getting an extender and leash for a bicycle and riding through Umstead? We don't have high energy dogs now, but this is something I want to try when we do get one in the future. I figure it's the best way to really work a dog without completely tiring you out at the same time.
This is what I mean, so that your dog can't run in front of your bicycle and kill you
I've been to Carolina Pines about 5 or 6 times and only once encountered an unfriendly dog. It was fine until I picked up a stick to throw for my dog and it started barking at me but didn't charge me. We just left, because my dog is so submissive, he's typically the target of more aggressive dogs.
I have had a dog come at me in the past and grab my arm at a dog park, had my dog incessantly humped by others, been told that an aggressive dog that snapped at people was "being socialized" so we stopped going when we lived in NY. Too many issues, not enough benefit.
I went ahead and registered for the annual pass, and took her over this afternoon. There were less a dozen dogs there when we arrived, and it was pretty much as I expected. One or two obnoxious dogs (fun police) and I'd say it was about 75/25 on people paying attention to their dogs vs. not.
My dog got to sniff a lot and mark about a hundred times - she loves piles of leaves, so that was a bonus. She mostly avoided the other dogs and was more interested in the people. Towards the end she did run in a few big circles - I always love to see it when a greyhound pours on the gas!
By the time I left there were a couple more obnoxious dogs, including one who came barreling into mine - she stood up for herself and growled, which I was glad to see. Overall I think it will be worth the $40 investment. I'll try to take her once or twice a week at less crowded times, and see how she does when she gets more comfortable. The good thing is she can outrun any dog she wants to get away from! :-)
If your dog doesn't enjoy the company of other dogs, what does it enjoy? Does it fetch? If so, and it's big enough, I like the Chuck-It ball and thrower. Only thing is, bringing toys to a dog park can cause problems with possessiveness.
What about getting an extender and leash for a bicycle and riding through Umstead? We don't have high energy dogs now, but this is something I want to try when we do get one in the future. I figure it's the best way to really work a dog without completely tiring you out at the same time.
Greyhounds for the most part just like to run. If they can run with another greyhound, that's probably the best but you need a big area. They don't really fetch - they might run after a ball or toy but they're likely to blow past it at 40mph.
If I can get her to run full speed for 5-10 minutes in the dog park, that would probably be enough to knock her energy level down (plus our usual walks). Greyhounds really don't have a lot of stamina - dog races are less than 1 minute long, and then they rest for 2-3 days.
Anyhow, thanks for the input everyone. :-)
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