First Day at Dog Park

kojichankojichan
edited August 2008 in Shiba Inu (柴犬)
Well Koji got neutered two weeks ago tomorrow. That was the last hurdle to getting his "pooch pass" for the dog park in my township. The park is literally six minutes away. So it has been "calling me" since we got Koji -- for both the mental/physical stimulation and for the doggy socialization. I don't (and can't) have a fenced yard, so leash walks are all the outdoor exercise he has been getting. And so with his "convalescence" over, I decided today was the day to take him there and let him run free.

Now I've had mixed feelings about taking him there -- What kind of dogs (read aggressive) will be there? How will he/they react? Will he be safe? Will he actually come to me when I call and submit once it's time to go? Or is going to be "catch me if you can"?

Never having had him off leash, and with little close exposure to other dogs except for the occasional dog we encounter on walks, this was a huge step, and all these thoughts came to mind. But on the safety front, one reason I felt pretty good about the park is that it is divided into separate areas based on dog size/weight. The small dog section where Koji went is for dogs up to 30lbs. Plus, I planned to stay close in the beginning, ready to quickly step in if necessary.

As it turned out, being a week day, pre-holiday week, and late morning, the place was dead. We were the only ones there! So no dog socialization this day, but he had free run of the place.

Well he had a blast. It was so gratifying seeing him running around from one end to the other, with obvious joy. That classic Shiba smile never left his face the whole time we were there. He had a great time chasing my son and I when we would call him and then start running from him. It had to be the best day of his short life.

And I was so proud of him at the end. When I called him, he came right to me and stayed while I put his harness and leash back on. I don't know if he'll be that cooperative every time, but it was good to know that he will come to me off-leash. Anyhow, so far so good. Bringing my camera next time. Looking forward taking him there this winter following a good snowfall.

Comments

  • KaddyKaddy
    edited November -1
    YAY Koji!!!! I wish I could be that lucky with a place for Keiko to run outside!!!! I bet he really enjoyed himself being king of the park. Our dog parks are always crowded hehe :o)
  • ddowdemersddowdemers
    edited November -1
    Great day! Koji must have thought that it was wonderful.
  • SangmortSangmort
    edited August 2008
    Yay Koji!! :D

    Glad to hear everything went ok. You're like a parent who send their first child to school ;)~
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    Sounds like a successful first trip. :-) In my experience, the busiest times tend to be early morning and late evening during this time of year. Especially late evening. You might want to take him early in the morning the first few times so there will be at least a few people there but it won't be as hectic as it can get in the evening. Sometimes we get upwards of 40 dogs in the fall and spring when the weather is nice. I usually just leave at that point because, even though my dogs are pretty good about staying away from fights, its just not worth chancing it in such cramped quarters.

    Good luck on your next trip! I hope he gets some playtime. :-)
  • SakiSaki
    edited November -1
    You will notice that the more you go the more he will get excited when you will be a block away from the park. My oldest, who's used to go more often always starts crying when she realize where we're going. So far I went once with my shiba Sachi and she had a lot of fun with a ... chihuahua.
  • kojichankojichan
    edited August 2008
    Some spam from the park today. It's been pretty quiet because of the holiday -- a lot of people out of town -- so not too many dogs at the park when we've gone. Probably just as well to have fewer dogs in the beginning, anyway. For the few dogs that were there, Koji has reacted extremely well. He is definitely social and is THE instigator -- instigating play with the other dogs every chance he gets. At one point though, he got in over his head and had three dogs running after him. I could tell he was a little freaked by it, but he handled it well. LOL.

    P.S. Got to meet the woman on the park committee who helped get it established last year. Since I had my camera with me, she told me to send her a picture of Koji and she would make him "Pup of the Week" on her affiliated website. : )

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  • ljowen123ljowen123
    edited November -1
    Koji is quite the looker!
  • kojichankojichan
    edited November -1
    Thanks, LJ. : )
  • SangmortSangmort
    edited November -1
    He's a rather leggy boy! What a handsome little man :D~
  • asiaasia
    edited November -1
    I actually came to this site looking for more information about Kai's, but all these amazing Shiba pics make it hard not to fall in love with them too!
  • SangmortSangmort
    edited November -1
    Amber - Trust me when I tell you it wont stop at Shibas, soon you'll find yourself fawning over all the Nihon Ken ;)~
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    That's great that he did so well with the other dogs. I know a lot of Shibas that loved to get chased but get kind of freaked out when too many dogs chase them. Great pics too. Those legs are REALLY long.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    Koji is very cute - he does have some looooooooong legs! :o)

    The chase thing is a real problem for us. Maui LOVES to be chased and all the pups love to chase him, but then he stops and they all run over him. That usually causes a fight, so we have to limit the number of pups that are out with him so he can run and have a good time.

    Kona does really well with him, he is not very rough with Maui - so they play chase a lot.

    It takes a VERY confident dog to be able to walk away from a chase w/o loosing his/her cool.

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