dog afraid of other dogs in dog park

hi have a female 1.5 year old mauzer (maltese/miniature schnauzer mix) and whenever i take her to the dog park she stays around me and doesnt socialize with other dogs. she is fine with dogs when i walk her outside, they smell each other and all but once i get inside gates of a dog park she wont go and play with other dogs. i have taken her to 4 different dog parks and only recently she started an attempt to socialize. what she does first is growl at the dog and runs towards them then about half way she turns around and comes back to me. not sure if its a territorial thing or not.

i've had this dog since it was 3 months old. it was born in my sisters bf's house by their maltese and miniature schnauzer. the dogs has had all its shots and spayed. she is friendly around certain people and is more of a people person. she has a brother and sister and the brother lives with the parent dogs when i take her there they play and have fun and socialize. how can i get her to socialize around dogs in a dog park? thing is i cant always take her by her parents or brother because the owners dog want another dog in the house since they already have three. aside from taking her to training classes which i cant afford right now what do you suggest i do? thanks

She is afraid. Could be too many dogs at once, could be the size.

Some dog parks have a small dog area, but not all.

Try www.meetup.com
Put in your zip code and
small dog
to see if there is a small dog play group near you.

Do you have a fenced in yard? While at the dog park, make friends w/ other small dog owners, and have doggie play dates in your back yard.

Also, if you find a meetup group, do the same w/ those folks.

Around here, the dog parks are not safe for small dogs, I never take mine ther. At least once a season (mid April to mid November) a small dog or a puppy is killed. :( It is just not worth the risk, to me.

I did find a meetup group, and bunch of us do back yard play dates all season as well, so our dogs get together regularly.

Finally, check with places that offer obedience classes. Many of them offer Saturday morning play times, usually about $5 for an hour. You stay and observe, this is not a drop off. Do that a few times and again, make some friends for back yard play dates. I did this as well.

So now, I have about 15 folks on email, and I or one of them will send out a day, date and time (we usually do 2 hours). Those who can make it respond, so the person knows how many to expect. Only 5 or 6 of us can make it, most of the time. Sometimes, 3 of us are having a play date in the same week, but as the day varies, different folks can make each one.

Good luck!

hi,

i take her to the small dog section there is a big dog and a small dog section. she is afraid of dogs half her size most of the time. i dont have a backyard though i wish i did. i live in an apartment and thankfully after hell she is potty trained. in the apartment there is grass so i take her there at times when i step out. the dog park i go to so far the dogs are good. i am on full watch just in case. and dogs that are aggressive arent allowed in the park so everyone keeps an eye out for anything. i live in los angeles,ca i'll check that site out and see if there is anything around me thanks. what my dog has against dogs half her size or same size is it normal? i thought maybe it had to do with something that happend to her when she was a child but i cant think of anything since she's pretty much been in my family since day one except that she was with her mother for 3 months breast feeding. her father is very very agressive so it can maybe be from him yet im unsure.

Just like humans, not all dogs are comfortable with many new "strangers" around. Some see it as a great time to meet new friends, others find it scary and overwhelming.

Since it is a small dog area, maybe after a few visits, when she gets to know a couple, she will feel more comfortable!

Try the same park consistently instead of a new park each time. She should get to know the area and some of the frequent visitors over time and come out of her shell. Don't coddle her either. When she chases another dog away and then turns around and comes to you just let it go. If the other dog reacted well by leaving her alone it will help with her confidence that she can tell other dogs when she want to be let alone and she's not in any danger. She may soon realize the other dogs aren't interested in her when she does that and then she will have to go initiate a greeting if she's curious about them.

thanks, i'll try to go every other day at a certain time so that i can catch some of the same people. hopefully it works thanks