Iron Hill Dog Park

The facilities are very nice, as are most of the people.

Of course, there are a couple of people with pit bulls who ruin it for everyone else. One is a bleach blonde woman with a blue/white pit. The blonde has a total lack of control over her dog, who tries to 'test' other dogs with relentless agressive rough play. This is not simply rough play. She (the dog) exhibits the classic type of play aggression typical of an older, unsocialized puppy that has not learned appropriate canine greeting behaviors, and whose 'play' escalates into full blown prey aggression. The dog needs some work and an obedience class with a savvy owner who has a clue.

The other female (the dog) is owned by an obese woman. It is a brindle pit. The dog is perfectly fine with the woman's boyfriend, but this woman appears to see the dog as a reflection of her massive 'tude, and that travels down the leash. Potentially nice dog; inept owner.

Again, the two pits mentioned are both females, and if you know anything about pack aggression, you can guess that they feed off of each other, while the women owners seem to get the sort of thrill you find with those fond of low-rent entertainment at the expense of others. You are responsible for your dog's safety, so the wise thing to do is remove your dog if you get a bad vibe. Dog parks are only a game of chicken to losers.

Incidentally, this type of behavior is what ruins it for responsible pit owners, giving the type a bad name.

The Husky I saw was very sweet (and absolutely stunning--love this breed), so I guess I missed the bad representatives. No loss there.

Regarding canine behavior, show me the voice control you have over your dog and I'll show you someone who actually has a clue about canine behavior. Otherwise, don't pee on my leg and tell me its raining. The proof is in the pudding.

Overall a decent experience, with the aforementioned caveat.

The ground is so dirty full of mulch, no grass. The certain dogs and their owners are aggressive and let their dogs act aggressive! My dog recently ended up in the animal hospital for stitches, owner of other dog did nothing. Not worth going this park with careless owners who can't take responsibility for their dogs!!!

Very nice!

We used to take our dogs there, but the "Husky Mafia" ruined it for us. One of them actually enjoys watching his dog try to mount the other dogs. we are done with Iron Hill

The "doggie timeout" and placing the dog on it's side is actually part of training. It forces the dog to refocus and remember his place in his pack with his owner. This was the appropriate course of action. All dogs respond differently to other dogs. Unfortunately, a perfectly well socialized dog can be reactive to a certain dog or multiple dogs on a day when they are just "off". You should learn a little more about canine behavior before making your own (very uninformed) judgement on what you deem appropriate. Since the first instance all seemed well and a removal of the situation occurred, immediate removal is not always necessary. Deciding it was time to go after a second aggression was the responsible decision on the role of the owner.

Please refer to all the literature available on the ability for most people to accurately identify a pit-mix.

This is not a "bad" park. It's okay. Beware however that some dog owners bring dogs that are a little more aggressive then some. I was there yesterday and watched a dog that appeared to be a brindle pitbull mix attack a rottweiler mix. The pit completely threw the rotty to the ground and attacked the rotty. The rotty tried to defend itself as both the owners tried to pull them appart. Eventually they broke up the fight but the owner of the pit/mix did not remove the dog from the park at that time. Both the rotty and it's owner were pretty shakin up but also stayed. The pit/mix's owner proceded to lay the dog on it's side in effort to try and calm it down. It spent a few minutes in "doggy timeout" before it was finally allowed to go play again. The pit's owner did ask if the rotty was okay and the rotty's owner said she was fine. Just a few minutes after being released the pit mix got aggressive with another dog. Finally the owner of the pit mix decided it was time to go and she did.

Unfortunately a little while later the rotty's owner discovered her dog's head was bleeding. It wasn't a very large bite wound (no stitches necessary) but it was enough to warnt some concern as to whether the pit mix should be at a dog park with other dogs. The rotty's owner didn't seem to be too upset and I understand that dogs will be dogs but if it was my dog I would be livid.

So if you are the owner of the brindle pit mix you should know that your dog did draw blood and while the owner of the rottweiler can passively let it go I think you should better evaluate whether your dog is social enough for a dog park.

If you've been to the park, you'd know that when people refer to the "Huskies" being aggressive, they're not talking about all huskies. Rather, there is a husky family who brings their several aggressive huskies to the park on a nearly daily basis. I once went to park with my two energetic dogs who are 25-30lbs, so they are right in the middle of the large/small size. I went to bring them in the large dog park where there were several dogs playing, but the husky owner came up to me and told me that his dogs are not good with small dogs, and I should take them to the other park - where no other dogs were. I haven't been back since.

If you don't have an issue like mine, this is a great park. Lots of space to play and the other owners seem responsible. Just a note, the fence is a little low and jumpy dogs may be able to get over it.

A dog "park" needs to be just that--a "park" where animals can run around, sniff, play (if he or she chooses)and enjoy some free time. This isn't a park, it's a small fenced in area the size of a large back yard. A dog park in Minneapolis, an urban area, is 5 wooded acres. Other dog parks are 1 acre and up. This park (and I am grateful there is one, at least) needs to be expanded to include grassy areas, trees, and walking for the owners. Expand it!

This park is fantastic. All of the dogs have been friendly, as well as the owners. Yes, there are a few huskies that frequent the park. No, they are no more aggressive than any dog in the park.

Henry is a 35 lb beagle mix, and when the huskies entered the park, the owners of the dogs in the small dog park "invited" me to come join them. I was actually a little upset by this. First, Henry is big enough to be in the big dog park, and he usually doesn't get along with small dogs because of his style of play. They assumed that because he is cute and not a husky, that he doesn't play rough.

This park is awesome!! I live 30 mins away but it is so worth the drive!! My dogs absolutely love it, and it wares them out:)

There are 2 seperate fenced in parks. One for large dogs and one for small dogs. Each side has a doggy water fountain and disposable bags for doggy p**p. There is a large playground for children just outside the fenced in dog area. There is no grass in the dog park. Just mulch. My dog is allergic to ragweed so this is a great place for her. She never has an allergic reaction after visiting this park. It's great.

I have never had a problem with any of the dogs becoming too aggressive. Sometimes they are a little to playful with my dog but she lets them know when she's had enough of the jumping and tumbling. And when she growls and snarls because another dog tries to wrestle her to the ground or "thinks she's pretty" the other owners don't get upset. Most the time they tell me "oh she's fine" and "he'll learn". Maybe they are just being nice. But the fact of the matter is dogs bark, growl, jump, run, and generally playfully bite.

I have NEVER seen an aggressive dog at this park. I have seen dogs get annoyed from time to time and in every instance the behavior was quickly addressed by their owner.

Not everybody gets along. In any social situation someone is bound to find something wrong another. Dogs are no different. They won't all be friends. They all have their cliques. Don't expect that you will find a dog park anywhere where there will never be a dog fight. It's inevitable. They are like children.

Here is how this works. If you don't like a million kids ruining your movie, you don't go on a Friday or Saturday night. If you don't like the people or their dogs at the park then don't go.

Delaware is relatively small and if you were to throw your dog in any direction it would land in another park. So visit that park.

Great park, doesn't seem to be too many small breeds (maybe i'm hitting it at the wrong time??) but nevertheless still good times!

Agreed! Especially on the small & large dog parks! That's why the small dog park is there! And we should all just be able to get along, it's silly to have people "talking smack" about certain owners of certain breeds like we're in high school or something! Just silly!

Iron hill is great because it's fenced in and close to where I live. And since I have a Siberian Husky, it's great to go there because of how many huskies are there!
I think it's very unfair for anyone to attack husky-owners and pin-point us as ignorant or our dogs as too aggressive. My name is Amanda and my Husky is Bear. I go there almost every day when the weather is not so hot. My Bear does not have an aggressive bone in his body. He loves to play, and the way Huskies AND other breeds of dogs play is with their mouths....they grab onto other dogs, flip them around...they're never hurting each other. That's how they play. Keep in mind that they're animals and that's how they have fun.
If you see me and Bear at the park and you think my dog is being aggressive, please do come up to me and tell me so directly.
I can say he has been attacked plenty of times by other dogs, mostly from other breeds of dogs other than Huskies, just by walking by them...and yet I don't complain, because I understand dogs. You have to remember that the park isn't that big and its fenced in...and when there are a lot of dogs with different dispositions together in a fenced in area, sometimes there are tiffs and fights. They are dogs. And if someone has a problem with Huskies playing too aggressively, you have every right to leave the park. It's a public park.

There are lots of people that come in with un-neutered dogs when they're not allowed to, which causes fights because other dogs feel threatened or those dogs mount others nonstop, but no one says anything about that.

So again, I take offense to anyone who feels the need to say Husky owners are ignorant. I most certainly am not ignorant. I do my research and I take care of my dog and he listens to me and has a great temperament.

There are a lot of dogs that aren't Huskies that I absolutely love. That's why I like going to the park, seeing the people and dogs that are responsible and loving with their pets and take them to the park frequently. It's not only fun for Bear but also for me :)
So, let's all get along, and talk to the owners in person at the park the next time you think the other dog is being too aggressive! We are mature adults, and we should be able to talk about such things face-to-face without conflict (or without screaming at each other like children, which I have unfortunately witnessed a few times at this park.) Or, start going to a different park if you don't want to talk to the owners! You have that option too! I hear Carousel is quite nice :)

Amazing that the Husky owners are so quick to defend. Being an owner of a beautiful Husky, I am very familiar with the breed. The behavior that the group of Huskies display is very agressive and not typical of the breed. You sound like an owner who is not only in denial... but who probably enjoys the "bullying" that goes on. If you were any kind of responsible owner, you would do as the park rules state, and leash your dog and leave when the dog gets agressive towards others. From my understanding, there are several of the Husky owners who are "Friends of Iron Hill Park" which explains why no one acts on the complaints that are all over the internet, giving the park a bad name and now stating misinformation about Huskies.

Sorry that some people don't enjoy the large population of Beautiful Huskies at Iron Hill, however, please keep in mind, that the Huskies are not agressive dog's, they play rough, they can be very vocal and mouthy, and very high energy but then there are also many other breeds of Dog's that fall into this same category, I think it's unfair to single out the Huskies and to say that the Husky owners are "all" ignorant, that's a bit much, It's mainly the Husky Owners who take care of the park, they always help supply the labor needed to move the mulch, when necessary they frequent the park all year long and keep an eye on things, they are in contact with the Iron Hill board of directors, and address problems as they develop and help to find solutions...They also always bring lot's of water and bowls for "ALL DOG's to Enjoy" they also pay close attention to the dog's and are prepared and willing to break up any little fight's that may happen with any and all dog's in the park, This way everyone can enjoy the park. It's unfortunate when people bring "Small" dog's into the large dog park and get upset when one of the "larger Breed" dog's knocks their dog down, but let's face it, that's the reason that we have a small dog park as well. So why can't we all just get along and enjoy all the fabulous dog's and this wonderful Dog park - Signed "A Dog Lover"

We were happy to see how nice the park was but didn't stay over 5 minutes. I don't expect dog owners to continue to read while their aggressive dog tries to bite mine..

great park.. except for when packs of aggressive huskies and their ignorant owners are there.

A good dog park. Responsible, friendly owners, and very clean.

Great park with lots of balls and frisbees for the dogs to play with. Also very clean with responsible owners. My only complaint would be that it is not very busy during the week. Only seems to be weekends when other dogs are there to play with

I first went there not long after it opened, a beautiful setting with a new BIG dog park and kiddie park. But along the trail, there was poison ivy everywhere, with HUGE hairy poison ivy vines growing up the trees. It was in the woods along the parking lot and the path to the park, and on the other side of the path by the kiddie park, even all over the ground right by the benches parents would use when watching their kids at the park. They had just been cutting it, trying to kill the big vines, and it was in the air and I started having trouble breathing, it lasted a couple of days, but was awful for about 24 hours. I talked to county workers there, and they didn't seem to care. I asked for signs to be posted, that they continue to try to get rid of it. I called the county too, to deaf ears. Yesterday, I went back and it's still there, and no signs, no warning at all, no fence or roped off area to keep people out. This is very dangerous. Dogs, kids, parents and pawrents, it's easy to get into it and poison ivy sucks.

My pals Lola and Gracie joined me last weekend for our first romp in the park. The humans were great, very friendly and kind. The other canines were welcoming and not frightening at all.
We WILL be back.

Signed, Birney D. Dog

This park is AMAZING! there is so much room for the dogs to run. There are two sections:one for small dogs and puppies and one for much larger dogs. Everyone who is there helps watch all of the dogs. If something goes wroneg, someone will step in and take care of the problem. I wish there was more pics of the park. its in the shad and has lots of benches. All the dogs are well behaved and love to play. There are lots of tennis balls and sticks to play with also.Its an amazing park for all canines!

This park is the best! I bring my dog here and she goes crazy running around in this large park. She enjoys being with other canines. The Park has two sections: one for small dogs and one for larger dogs.There are lots of sticks and balls to fetch with too. All the dogs are kept an eye on. There is plenty of space and freedom to run. It is fenced for the dogs who may not come back too quickly. Its an awesome park. Bring all you dogs and enjoy the park. Its great!

This park is absolutely awesome! The dogs have a great time running around, fetching sticks, and playing ball. The parents keep their eyes on their canine children and are ready to step in if there are any disagreements. I highly recommend bringing your 4-legged friends for a great day at the Bark Park!