Joaquin Miller Dog Park

the dog park is a great space, wooded, out of the way, quiet. Initially when we arrived it was fine, that was about 4pm on Monday. There were a variety of dogs our pup could play with, run and chase. around 4:30 people started leaving (?) Odd I thought, since they all didn’t arrive at the same time. Then the 5 o’clock crowd shows up and it’s a nightmare! Big, aggressive, ill mannered, untrained dogs with their lazy owners in tow. dog fights, growling, angry dogs. We moved to the farthest end– to keep our dog out of the fray. Nope, the badly behaved dogs charged and attacked our dog 3 different times. Their owners don’t care-«oh they don“t like younger dogs.» «It can’t be trained out of them.» BS! I feel badly for those dogs because it’s not their fault they weren’t trained properly, but seriously we won’t be going back unless something is done about those Pet owners and their pets. THUMBS WAY DOWN.

I like this dog park since there is always dogs there for my pup to play with. They have an area for big dogs and an area for small dogs. The scenery is nice and it super close to the neighborhood.

I take Sgt there all the time .best time to go is evening when there is a lot of dogs. There are water fountains for our pups also large trash cans to dump your dogs poop. which people should (but sometimes they don’t). its a large park for dogs to run around and socialized.

We took the Shorkweenie Diva to the dog park yesterday and noticed the piles of wood chips against the fence on both ends. We also noticed the sign stating that we need to bring rakes from home to spread it out. Uh, here’s a suggestion: If you don’t want employees doing what I would think is in the scope of their jobs, how about calling the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department and signing up as a location for the SWAP program and that way the work would get done and people can do their community service work hours? Expecting dog owners/​taxpayers to do this work is a bit much, an opinion loudly echoed by other dog owners yesterday.

I don’t come here regularly and I don’t go to a lot of dog parks to provide a great basis of comparison.
But I did have 2 dogs with me — 1 bigger 40 lb dog that I was pet sitting that has way too much energy and 1 13 lb dog who belongs to me. [I apologize to those reviewers who say people who bring small dogs into the big dog yard are stupid … I’d much rather bring a smaller dog (who like big dogs) into this area than a large dog into the small dog yard.
The folks that I encountered were all friendly and quite tolerant of 1 noisy vocal dog that had a lot of energy to expend. It seemed to get a decent amount of tree cover — but it was a cloudier sort of day. I mostly liked that they had seating (whether benches or just fallen tree logs) all around the perimeter for people to sit while dogs played.

The park is okay, the people with little dogs that can’t read and use the big dog park are just so stupid I don’t know where to start. Dear small dog people. it is for your dog’s own safety to keep your small dog out of here. Not all big dogs like small dogs and most of us don’t want dog drama!!. It’s not something you can train out of your dog!!!
I guess that some people just don’t like their little dogs that much and want drama. So annoying.

Wood chips for the ground covering. I don’t really prefer to take my dog here because of the wood chips. It’s pretty warm during the summer around noon due to lack of shade. There are large wooden logs for you to sit on, but be careful because you can get a splinter on your bum. It’s large enough for my husky to run around in. There doesn’t seem to be too many dogs around for mine to play with. I’m imagining poop getting stuck on wood chips and then that poop-​y wood chip is dispersed in the rest of the wood chips then here’s poop everywhere. If it was grass, the poop-​y grass just stays in one place.

There are two fenced areas, one for large dogs and the other for dogs under 30lbs and senior dogs. I bring my dog to the small one. It’s a good sized park, not too little or too big. The park has wood chips on the ground, lots of toys scattered around, a water fountain, and seating for humans.
When we go to the park there’s normally no one else present. Once in a while there are a few people and dogs. The large dog park on the other hand typically has about a dozen people and their dogs.
Parking is simple with lots in front. However the ground gets very muddy after it has rained. It gets all over my shoes and then in my car. Now I try to avoid parking there after it rains and opt for the paved parking areas.
I do not particularly like it when people bring their highly active young/​adult large dogs into the small area because they have small dogs with them. I’ve encountered this several times and these large dogs can be intimidating to be around for my dog. If I see a hyper large dog in the small park, we skip it and just walk a trail. Also some people who bring multiple dogs can be lazy about controlling their dogs.

I always pass by this dog park while im hiking or exercising by the stairs so i finally took my dogs here to play. I did not like the vibe nor enjoy my time here due to the old folks who think they own this dog park! These old folks are like a team, backing each other up and haters. They were «tripping» cause my dogs are not spayed and their dogs were getting intimidated.
There was this grumpy old man there… who could not control his dog and his dog kept attacking my dog yet he was giving us attitude when we should be the one giving him attitude! My dogs are harmless and yes, big but also on a leashed. while his dog was causing a fight. Smh. i just feel like SOME people here are not friendly and are just selfish. They dont know how to share the PUBLIC dog park.
Oh yea! Another thing is that people can be so freaking lazy! They leave their doggy bag full of their dog poop next to the trash can on the floor when they couldve just toss it in the trash! Smh!

The furry loves of my life would rate this place 5 stars… I rate it 4 stars because I wish this place has grass and some of the people who come here would pick up after their dog.
I’ve been to many many many dog parks and Joaquin Miller is still one of my favorites. This park is huge, I normally take one of my dogs on a off leash hike for at least an hour then bring him to this fenced in dog park for another hour. It’s really convenient, I love how we both get our exercise! This park is also great for dogs that aren’t too good with recalls… one of my dog likes to wonder off so I can only bring her to fenced in dog parks.
If you come here everyday around the same time… you will meet the same group of people. There’s a group that comes in the morning 9am-​11am then there’s another group that comes later after work, anywhere between 3pm-​7pm. It’s usually more quiet around noon time… if your dog gets overwhelmed easily I do not recommend bringing him/​her to the park in the afternoon time. However, this park is big though so you can always move to a different area.
I use to always go to the Alameda dog park until I found this one. The people here are more understanding and nicer in general compare to Alameda. I rescued one of my dogs and he use to be very aggressive… when I brought him to Alameda, everyone will tell me to leave… but at Joaquin Miller most people can understand my situation and tell me I should socialize him more and don’t mind him (Polo) playing with other dogs. Thank you! I sill don’t understand why some owners are super protective of their dogs!!! They can take care of themselves!!!
Now after proper socializing, he is a much happier and calmer dog. Most people here are really nice and easy to talk to. I’ve made this place my everyday routine already =)

I think every dog park should get at least two stars with that said every time I go here there is nothing but aggressive behavior from other dogs I have a nine-​month-​old pitbull yellow lab who is great with my two little kids and awesome at every other dog park that I’ve been to the problem with this dog park is every other dog and their stupid
owners. If you want to have your dog around aggressive dogs and learn aggressive behavior the great park.

The good: enclosed large dog park with wood chips covering most of the ground. Generally there are a few good dogs that my pouch can find someone to play with. It’s surrounded my a forest with lots of trails if you feel like going off for a hike.
The bad: there always seems to be a few morons who can spoil an otherwise great time. One pet peeve: the smoking. The signs clearly state no smoking in the park. First who wants to breath that filth in in a beautiful and clean forest?!? They leave their dirty butts there where the dogs can eat them. Not to mention the fire danger! There are also the other litter bugs who don’t pick up after their dogs, or control them at all.
All in all though I think it’s the best park in the area.

There’s nothing too exciting about this dog park. It does have two separate dog parks: one for big dogs and one for small dogs. They’re pretty much large rectangles where dogs can socialize with other dogs (and ones can socialize with other owners). It’s fenced, which is nice if your dog doesn’t come when it’s called. Your experience here also depends on the people that use it as well (or lack thereof).
However, it does get used for parking whenever the Woodminster Amphitheater has a show.

Not bad, but then again it’s the only dog park I’ve been to on this side of the bridge.
I usually take Gemma-​bear hiking at Redwood Regional Park, but sometimes I feel lazy – especially after working a busy brunch shift. I’ve seen Joaquin Miller dog park pop up on my feed so I brought Gemma a month ago or so. She’s been back several times and all the owners (and their dogs) have been super friendly. It even got to a point where I saw regulars!
It’s a pretty big space, and there are big bowls of water for your pups. All the dog owners have been generous about letting other pups play with the random balls and toys they bring for their own. The tan bark is a little iffy, and is probably the only downside to the park. Still, a solid place to bring your dog, and you can take them hiking afterwards on one of the many trails.

This is my go to dog park because you can hit it at the beginning or end of any Fruitvale Ave loop. I hit up Radiant Salon, then the dog park, then down to Dimond district CVS or trader joes or sum cheap takeout Chinese then you pass theough Fruitvale and finallly I end up at the High Street 24 hour fitness and/​or the home depot.
Main problem laterly is that my dog — who some might think is big and barrel
chested can fit under the fence in the back areaZ I have to patrol the fence and even then sometimes she escapes!!!
Also the small dog park is very small and sort of boring and super docile.

I am by no means a dog park expert. In fact this is the only park I have taken my dog too. But I love coming here early on weekend mornings and letting him run and explore it, not to mention playing a lot of fetch. They have bowls and fresh water. A huge space and lot’s of other great dog owners.

Loved this dog park! Wooded, beautiful park! I first took Hanz to the small dog to the small dog section and there was only one other dog and my dog was bored. Hanz loves the big dogs and plays fine with them even though he’s only 10lbs. He had a blast! There were lots of dogs and they played well even the big boys like pit bulls and German Shepards. I met a lovely lady and had a great conversation. I highly recommend this dog park!

REVIEW OF SMALL DOG PARK
In general, this is a very nice dog park (see other reviews for its amenities). It is the only dog park I know of in or near Oakland that is for small dogs only and has a limited amount of fox tails during the summer.
Most of the people who use it are responsible, friendly, and follow the rules.
But unfortunately, there are others who believe they are entitled to bring their large dogs into the park despite several signs indicating that small dog side is ONLY for small dogs (or older/​sick dogs), and that the Oakland city council specifically created the small dog park («Gizmoland») so owners of small dogs could have a place just for them. There’s even a prominent sign in the park explaining the history of the small dog park, and the desire to keep small dogs safe from large dogs.
Instead of staying on the large dog side, or automatically removing their large dogs from the park when they see a small dog entering it, these inconsiderate dog owners insist on staying there. They make excuses like «my dog has good manners,» «I have a small and a large dog so have no choice but to come here,» «I don’t want my dog attacked by the pit bulls on the large dog side» or «I come here all the time and no one seems to mind.»
And there are other self-​centered people, who bring as many as a DOZEN or more of their dogs into the park. (Check out the couple with 10 or so little white dogs plus a few black ones that come almost every weekday around 10:30 a.m. — I don’t know if they are hoarders or what, but it’s really inappropriate for them to bring so many dogs there at once.)
I hope Oakland steps up its efforts to enforce the dog park rules so that the small dog park can be used the way the city council intended it to be used.

Wish there was grass in this dog park! I’m not a huge fan of the wood chips at this dog park, but it’s better than concrete I suppose.
There’s a small dog area & a large dog area. When I went on a Tuesday afternoon, the small dog area was almost empty, but there were plenty (anywhere between 6 – 12 dogs) in the large dog area.
There are water spouts in the play area with bowls for your pup to quench his/​her thirst.
Unfortunately I didn’t see any poop bag dispensers here — so be sure you bring bags with you.
The people were friendly — and so were the dogs!
Another minus for this dog park is that apparently they close it off for certain events & use it as a parking lot, which means motor oil gets dripped on the wood chips. I didn’t see any obvious oil stained areas, but still — it’s not ideal.

I cannot believe this place gets less than stellar reviews. It is such a wonderful way to get immersed in the peaceful serenity of mother nature. There is a part of the dog park in which you can hear a highway, but other than that it is quite peaceful and serene, completely ensconced in mother nature.
The trees, and lately the moisture, really makes it easy to absorb qi from the peacefulness around.
There seems to be at least 6 – 12 dogs there just about anytime the gate is open. Most people have been friendly.
If you are not aware, you may miss the small dog section hidden on the hill beyond the large dog section. It seems the small dog section is hardly used. The large dog section is large enough to get away from others if needed.
If you are looking for a way to get away from the city energy, this is just a short ride to the north part of Oakland.
Aside from the dog park, you can put them on the leash and get lost on one of the many trails.
Really this park is just lovely. A completely natural peaceful escape but ten minutes away.