Anonymous wrote:7 month old pup, and none.

She does a training class once:wk where she sees other dogs.

We walk by a dog park every day and will stop in for a bit IF there are only a few familiar dogs in there...happens maybe 2-3 times/wk. But she doesn’t really play with the other dogs anyway and is more interested in wandering around, playing fetch etc

I don’t think most dogs “need” interaction with other dogs. I do think playing with other dogs can tire dogs out really quickly and be good for them- if it is the right mix of dogs together.

Incorrect. Dogs need to be socialized. There is a pretty short window for dog socialization 3weeks -3 months or so.

However, dogs should be supervised completely when being socialized. If you're in a city it should be reasonably easy to find a trainer or day care that will help. If you don't know what proper play looks like and the dogs are mismatched in size, dog park is not the way to go.

That's ... not a thing. We do not schedule play dates for our DOG.

I think this stuff usually happens organically. If I have friends with a dog, they play when we hang out. Or if I pick up my son at his friend's house, the dogs play for a few minutes at pickup. Or if I run into a neighbor outside, I invite them into my backyard so the dogs can run around like crazy. I have had a couple of situations over the years where I have met other dog owners in the neighborhood or at certain parks...

"Scheduling" playdates for dogs would be low on my list of things to do!

Are you the OP who posted about your dog being so much work you weren’t enjoying it?

Your DH is right.

“Play dates.” Have you checked out the thread about people using dogs to fulfill emotional needs?

Our neighbors got a new dog right after we did so our dogs play together and have sleepovers when one of us needs a dog sitter. If it weren't for that I wouldn't bother.

There’s a fenced area in the neighborhood that’s an unofficial dog park. We meet up with other dogs every day.

This is such a first world question, I can’t even deal.

I've done play dates for my dogs. They're both shepherds so I was very serious about socialization. It was super fun. Maybe 1 - 2 times per week. A neighbor would drop her dog at my place or I'd take mine to hers. Or we'd meet at a park.

My trainer had "puppy playdates" for up to 10 dogs at a time where she also trained the humans on how to supervise and encourage proper play. Petco also used to host them for free, twice weekly. Not sure if that's happening these days.

In my area, people on Next Door look for these arrangements pretty often.

None, but two nights a week she has dog sports (agility, disc) and a dog walker comes daily for a few miles of walks. Evenings are spent in the yard with the kids and sometimes the neighbor kids will bring their dog over for them to run around together but it's for like 10 minutes ever few weeks.