We took Luna, our 8-month-old Golden Retriever puppy, to a local dog park called Barkby to play with other puppies. We came across it online while looking for Dock Dogs events and thought it would be fun for Luna to check it out. They host a monthly Puppy Play day where dogs can play together and jump in the pond. Our older dog, Chewy, who is well-behaved at home, does not do as well around other puppies. Taking him to an event like this would have been stressful, to say the least. Luna, on the other hand, is very social with people and other dogs. I want to keep Luna socialized as well.
We arrived at 1 pm today, not knowing what to expect. The playtime was very friendly, with an obstacle course, lure chasing, and a doggy pond with a dock. They started with a lure machine that dragged a plastic bag around a lawn. When it was Luna’s turn, she took to it right away and did an amazing job chasing after it.
Next was free playtime with the puppies and the pond. After the lure chasing, we were allowed to let the puppies off the leash and run free. We let Luna go, and she had a blast running around with the other dogs and even wading into the water a bit. She was mainly interested in meeting other dogs and people. Watching all the other dogs play and have a good time in the water was very helpful for her socialization. While she did go into the water pretty far, she was still a bit hesitant to swim in the pond.
After about 2 hours, I could tell she was getting tired and less engaged with the other puppies. We packed up our things and said goodbye to the new friends we had made there before heading home. I definitely plan on taking her back there every month that we can. Luna slept the entire way home.
