Okay I've gotta ask. Why do dogs need to play with other dogs to be socialized? I consider Oz to be quite friendly towards other dogs, but he does not get to play with them. He's exposed to them weekly with agility training, but through that controlled environment, he learns to more or less ignore them and focus on me. I actually prefer that. We can walk through the neighborhood and he's not barking, lunging or pulling on the leash to get to other dogs. And he gets plenty of play with me and Murph, so he's not lacking for play at all.

As to Murph, he's very similar to Oz in that he ignores other dogs, when he's on leash. I can take him to places with other dogs, without worry as long as he's on leash, and being a terrier he's on leash 24/7, when he's outside our backyard or house. So no worries there. Now if I took him to a dog park, I'd have major worries. Who he might take a dislike to and attack in the small dog area and hurt, and who in the big dog area would hurt him, because he's not going to back down. I just don't see the benefit. He also gets enough play with me and Oz, and he's not sequestered away at home. So it's not like he's deprived.

Anyway I'm not suggesting what's right for anybody else, I'm just curious why they need to actually play with other dogs to be well socialized vs just being around other dogs. I also worry that one really bad encounter with another dog could actually ruin my dog's attitude towards other dogs.

Par...