Trying socialization at a dog park?

My own opinion on dog parks: use at your own risk and with good supervision. They will not make a balanced dog out of an unbalanced dog. Do not use them as a substitute for appropriate exercise.

For images of what socialization can look like, click here

Harley on
Martha 's question about dog socialization for an older dog set in it's ways.(from a related other blog)

You mentioned that some dogs like the company of other dogs. We rescued our Chiahuahu/Terrier mix (18 lbs) when she was 22 months old. She exhibited intense fear aggression toward humans AND dogs. She’s over 3 years old now and has settled in with humans quite nicely, thanks to our loving home, regular relaxation massages and gradual exposure to dog-doting humans. I took her to a doggy day care in the beginning to try to socialize her and it didn’t go well. I think it was too stressful for her so I stopped. When we’ve taken her to the dog park and have boarded her two times at the same doggy day care place, she didn’t interact with the other dogs at all (I could watch her on the closed circuit TV from our vacation home’s computer). I feel sad that she’s an “only child” and doesn’t have fun around other pups. I’ve been wondering about trying her at the dog park again now that the weather is improving, but should I assume she’s one of those anti-social types and leave it at that? I don’t want to undo the balance she’s already achieved with humans by putting her in a situation that reactivates her fears.

Hi Martha, Harley here,

I have been training dogs for over forty years and I must tell you that it has been my experience that all dogs can change, as soon as their owners change. I want to point out a couple of things I noticed in your comment. The first thing I want to bring to your attention is how you speak about feeling sad about your dogs situation. While feeling sad for something or someone is a very compassionate and human thing to do, in the dog world if you try to approach a dog feeling sad about them they will only experience a negative energy, and see you as weak,and will not respect you as a leader and protector. You can not help your dog to move forward when they are being influenced by any human emotion,such as,anger,fear,and sadness.My suggestion would be to become educated on what it takes to be your dogs leader, when you learn to use calm and assertive energy, and understand your dog’s body language, you will be in better shape to help them move forward.
One last piece of advice. As far as your dog being anti-social, it is my belief that there is no dog that don’t want to be with other dogs. Dogs are a pack animals,and are very social by nature, and thrive in the pack. The dog park however, is a very unstable and chaotic place. It is not a good idea to take an already unstable dog to the dog park. In most cases, instead of being a calm and social experience it is just the opposite. A bunch of unstable dogs running around doing what ever they want, and their owners are the ones doing the socializing, talking on the phone, chatting with other dog owner, and not paying attention to their dogs. Learn how to be the Leader, and when you can make your dog understand that even when surrounded with unstable and chaotic dogs, she must remain calm and submissive, then you can take her to the park. If you have any questions, or want more information, just click on my name and you will be taken to my Dog Training Tips Community. There you will find, pictures,videos,and valuable information about dog training and understanding their behavior. Get a free e-book about how to be the Alpha and Stop your Dogs Problem Behaviour
I hope I have helped

Ways to socialize your dog

Here just some visuals about what socialization can look like. Take your canine friends with you to expose him/her to a variety of situations. Invite people over and teach him the way you would like them to behave towards visitors. Do this often, at least daily throughout puppyhood and adolescence. There are special requirements if you are going to train a service dog or specialized working dog. This is  your good canine citizen kind of socialization which ideally every dog should get who lives in the vicinity of other people and 4 legged creatures...and a good basis for all dogs. IMPORTANT: you must be in control of these new experiences to keep them safe and fun, building healthy confidence in your dog, as well as a trust based relationship between you and your dog. YOU must be in charge to keep your puppy safe. For example - letting your dog loose in a dog park so he/she can "socialize" with other dogs may severely backfire if you don't know exactly the other dogs it will meet.
From Minette on dogtrainingsecrets.com:
.... young dogs and puppies are forming “opinions” about their world and they need socialization with lots of other “good” dogs so that they can generalize “all dogs are good” but once the dog is mature and likes other dogs this generalization has hopefully already formed and you don’t need to continue to socialize with unknown dogs.

Socializing your dog: It is fun, it is bonding and it can prevent a world of trouble later on.You will never regret the time and effort you spent doing this for your canine friend