As a sitter, is it a bad idea to take owners dogs to the dog park (with their permission) ?

I personally wouldn't take a clients dog to the dog park. I view it as my job to keep everyone in one piece while they are away! The dog park just has so many 'ifs'. I know I have had more than a handful of issues at parks on my own time!

My dog doesn't like the dog park, so it's not something I would do. If the owner encourages it and you feel comfortable doing it, then go ahead. I would definitely get to know the dog first so that you know it will listen to you and obey you when needed. It would probably be best to take the dog to the dog park it is used to going to also, if possible.

I am personally not a fan of dog parks. But I hike with my own dogs several times per week at a local national park and always ask permission for the client dog to accompany me weather permitting. I make sure the dog doesn't have any limitations to hiking and ask how far of a distance is okay with the dog.

I feel strongly as a dog sitter it is best to limit the risk factors wherever possible for the best imaginable experience when taking in each, new dog. As dog sitters we have an incredible amount of responsibility to keep someone else's dog safe as well as the people and other dogs who come into contact with that dog safe. In my opinion, it is simply far too great of a risk to take another person's dog out to a public park. As a sitter who has been keeping dogs for more than 20 years I can tell you from experience it doesn't matter how well you or even the owner of a dog thinks they know their dog, they are ALWAYS capable of surprising you. Dogs are animals and at the end of the day we have to remember they will never not have that animal instinct to protect at any cost if they feel themselves or the people they are with are in danger. It is simply not worth the risk and many people don't think enough about what's at risk when the worst case scenario comes about until they're living in it. Be safe, not sorry!

I am a single client boarder, and I often get dogs that don't "play well with others". Maybe that's why I have a 'better safe than sorry' attitude about dog parks. I don't like them anyway, it's like a dog free for all with untrained dogs and owners without a clue. At any rate, I would avoid them even if client said ok, b/c you can never predict what someone else's dog will do in a stressful situation. Depending on size and ability I give them a nice walk/jog in my subdivision. But I specify in my profile that for safety reasons I don't allow client's dogs to come into contact with any other dogs while i am leash walking them.

You can not control other dogs. Not a good idea

I stay overcautious! I have only let rover dogs off leash twice. The first situation was with an insistent owner and not at a dog park. I had been with the dog almost a week, there was no one around in the giant park by their home, and the dog had zero desire to do anything but fetch its ball! The second instance was with my dog and two Rover dogs from the same home whose parents kept hinting they really wanted me to take the dogs. It was the second occasion I had boarded them, I brought my husband with me just in case someone ran off, and there weren't actually any other dogs around because it was muddy (we live in rainy Portland). I let the dogs off leash one by one just to be sure but am glad there weren't any other dogs around because their large male dog played rougher than I expected. His sister and my dog don't care, but there is too much potential for fights with strange dogs. I don't know if I would ever actually take someone else's dog to a dog park. Even if you know their dog well, you don't know the other people. I see dog park fights pretty frequently though most of them aren't bad. I always just tell owners that I prefer to be overcautious and highlight all the steps I take and that I've never had any issues because of the extra care I give the dogs. They can't argue with that, and everyone tells me they appreciate it.

You can if the owner tells you that you can. I personally stay away from dog parks.

I only take dogs when the owner has suggested it,and I have spent enough time with the dog to know it will respond to me. I have experience supervising large groups of dogs so I feel comfortable bringing one dog I am sitting to the park. However, before I had worked in a kennel I would never have taken a client's dog to an off leash park. There are a ton of risks involved and if you are new to petsitting, I wouldn't take the chance! I'm not sure what Rover's official policy is on the dog park; I'm not actually sure they have one or can make one considering we are independent contractors. However, insurance providers may prohibit letting dogs under your care off leash.

I did this per the owner's permission after he said his dogs do great in dog parks. So I took them. I had to leave after only being there for 5 minutes. They were out of control. I don't do that anymore because it could be a risk to the dog in my care, as well as the dogs at the park.