Dog Park? Are You Nuts?

I have been watching "The Dog Whisperer" for a few Fridays, and I have picked up one thing from the show: Dogs are pack animals, and they need sometimes to be around other dogs to behave properly. They need to be socialized.

Armed with that knowledge, I decided to take Honey to the dog park on a Saturday. After researching the Plano Dog Park, I realized that I needed to have Honey registered with my city -- which I did. I also went to the garage and looked for a plastic bowl we had bought for her when she first came into our lives, and even got bottled water from the supermarket.

We went this Saturday to the dog park. It was a very warm day, and my car's AC was working, but not as well as I hoped. By the time we reached the park, Honey was a little warm and panting, but she nearly jumped out of her skin with excitement when she saw and smelled a new place to explore.

We made it to the dog park. We followed all the instructions. After watching the Dog Whisperer, I made sure I was calm when we got in, so that Honey wouldn't panic or start growling at other dogs, picking up my energy.

The excitement of going to the new place quickly evaporated when the leash came off, and she was approached by strange dogs. She started whining and looking up to me, as though she was saying, "OK, we need to go. I don't like it here." She'd walk about 3 feet away from me, look behind her, and head back to my side. She was so stressed, she started panting and slobbering all over, but I didn't worry because she wasn't the only slobbering dog in the place.

I walked with her around the perimeter of the park, and she would run to me whenever any dog would come by to greet her. To her credit, she never growled or tried to bite any of the dogs that came by . . . which made me feel confident that she would eventually warm up to it.

Long story short, we were in the park for about 45 minutes, and I met more than a few nice people, all dog owners, who said the nicest things about Honey, petted her whenever she approached, and were eager to reassure me that the behavior was normal for a first-timer. She never did manage to venture far, but her whining eventually became less insistant.

We headed back to the car to her great relief, headed home, and pretty much shelved the dog park issue until we visit the soon-to-be-opened Denton Dog Park. More on that later.