[BrewskisMommy]

I actually have a great story of how a dog park helped my mom's dog to find his confidence. She has a rescue who had been chained to a tree for the first five years of his life (corgi-lab mix, not a rottie). He was unsocialized and scared of everything. After a while, and when he had come to trust her, she decided to take him to the dog park to see how he reacted since he had been in a foster home with other dogs and seemed to do well with them. As soon as he got off the leash at the dog park, he became a completely different dog. He ran and chased the balls and dogs, and actually learned how to use some of the agility equipment. It was as if the other dogs were showing him how to be a dog. After about an hour of playing, he came over and sat down in front of us with his tail wagging. That may seem normal for most dogs, but it was the first time that he had ever approached us on his own, and the first time we saw him wag his tail! Since he has been having his visits to the park, he has gained confidence at home as well. It really turned out to be a great therapy for him.

My rottweiler is 14 weeks, and I plan to take him to the dog park as well. I dont think that "the dog park" can be generalized as one experience. The dog park on wednesday afternoon could be a completely different experience than the dog park on saturday morning. Each time we go, we observe the dogs for a while, and decide whether we are going to let him in. If it doesn't seem like the right crowd, we'll find something else to do. They also have a "small dog" side that is often empty, so we use that if the big dogs are too rough. If you decide to try it out, be careful and use your common sense. If you have a bad feeling, don't be afraid to put it off until next time. I have seen that it can be an excelent experience for some dogs, and I think I'm going to give it a try with my little Brewski!