Socializing Your Morkie

We went to the park last week. Not just any old park, though -- it was the dog park. It was my second time going there, and it was a lot of fun at first. But then a whole lot of dogs started to stroll in. It made me kind of nervous, so I hung out by Mom and Dad most of the time.

I'm not used to playing with little dogs. Most of my cousins are bigger than me, and we don't play much. I prefer playing with humans.

But my parents tell me it's good to 'socialize' with other dogs. They say they should have started bringing me to the dog park when I was a puppy, because it wasn't enough to just visit a lot of people and their bigger dogs.

Toward the end of our visit, I got a little braver and started to wander off on my own a little. Lots of dogs came up to me and sniffed my behind. They tried to play with me, but I was a little nervous about that. But I tried my best to fit in.

If you plan on getting a Morkie puppy -- or any kind of puppy, for that matter -- it's always a good idea to find out where the local dog parks are and to start bringing your puppy there as soon as s/he has all the required vaccinations. We are going to be visiting the dog park at least once every week from now on.

Tips for visiting the dog park:

• Do not bring your dog to the park while she is in heat. It is against most park rules.
• Bring water for your dog, especially if it is hot outside, and a water dish.
• Bring a leash to the park, even if it is an off-leash park. It will help when it's time to leave.
• Bring your dog into the appropriate area of the park according to size. Large dogs should not be in the small dog area.
• Pick up after your dog. Parks usually provide baggies for doing so.
• Supervise your dog. We don't want anyone to get hurt!
• Most of all, let your dog have fun. All the dogs will play and wrestle, but don't intervene unless someone is getting too aggressive.

Do you have any other tips for visiting the dog park?