It seems in the last 10 years more & more dog parks are popping up all over. I thought it would be a good idea to go over some of the pros & cons of them & give you some alternative ideas. Dog parks do not fit all dogs personalities & honestly you have to have a pretty well adjusted dog who has great social skills to do well there. I do not have that in my current dogs, but honestly I would not use a dog park any more even if I did have great social dogs .
At least a decade ago I took a class on dog body language & our instructor video taped some dogs at dog parks & would bring them to class for us to learn from. I was shocked at how much I never realized the dogs were communicating (stress, anxiety & fear mostly), these are subtle, so not obvious & not usually understood or realized by humans. After watching these I realized some things about my own dogs when I did take them to a dog park. Ace would drool & I thought it was excitement & it was anxiety & he was not an anxious dog. Sam would stay as far away from most of the dogs as possible & walk the perimeter, probably looking for a way out.
Sam & Ace were pretty dog friendly but they liked being able to choose which dogs they hung out with & introduced in an environment they knew. I fostered both these dogs Sam my 5th foster & I adopted him & Ace was my 50th foster & I adopted him. They both were used to dogs coming into their home, but again that was a controlled environment, not random unknown dogs in a fenced area. Sam did better when we were at a dog park that was wooded & lots of trees & even better if it had water to swim in. Ace never really liked any of them(sad to say I didn’t figure it out for years, but stopped taking them when I realized it). Ace also thought he was the play police & would intervene & stop dogs from playing like it was fighting & not play. He even did it at home, so I’d sometimes have to put him inside so he wasn’t getting upset & try & intervene.
My current dogs Hunter & Echo would not enjoy going to a dog park, Echo is fear aggressive with most unknown dogs & you cannot control who goes to a public dog park with their dog. Echo has never bitten another dog or been in a fight since he has lived with me (right when he turned 1). Hunter prefers one on one play with dogs & gets a little snippy if a 3rd dog tries to join him & his brother in play. Hunter takes more time to decide if he wants to interact with a dog, not aggressive but ignores them & watches from a distance till he decides he wants to interact with them.
Some dogs get over stimulated at a dog park & may become aggressive. There may be people who bring their dogs to the dog park, but really don’t see their dog is a bully & say “oh he’s just playing” or “she does that because she wants to be boss” or a wide range of things that really come down to their dog is a bully & they are making excuses. The sad part is it can physically hurt a dog or cause anxiety in the dog being bullied & then they are unhappy & don’t trust other new dogs in the future. Aggressive dogs do not belong at a dog park, but sadly it happens & the consequences can be fights, injury & even death to a dog.
If you are using or plan to use a dog park check into the rules & how are they enforced? Things you may want to know: are dogs required to have vaccinations, yearly stool checks (checking for worms), to be on heartworm preventive (which also prevents most worms), flea preventative? Who enforces these rules? Dog Parks require owners to pick up after their dogs if they poop, but is the park checked by anyone to be sure missed stools are removed. Stools from a dog who has any infectious worms can put your dog at risk of getting worms. Other risks are heartworm disease, fleas, ticks, kennel cough or other infectious diseases.
Some dog parks are separated into separate parts for big & small dogs. If you are going to use a dog park be sure if you have a small dog he is not at risk of injury by a 100 lb large dog who could trip over him, run into him or injure him some other way.
Dog Parks are a great place for a dog to run off leash & an outlet for excess energy. A friend used to take her step son’s dog to a small dog park to run off some energy as her step son lives in a condo without a yard. The dog was about 1 1/2 yrs old & she ran & ran & somehow messed up her luxating patella & had to have surgery. I would recommend you be sure your dog has a check-up with its Vet & is healthy to the best of their knowledge before letting them loose to run, when this is not a normal part of their routine.
Some people take their dogs to the dog park & let them run amok. They either get out their cell phone, talk to other people there & basically let their dogs do whatever. This can lead to the practice of undesirable social behaviors (such as mounding other dogs, nipping at heals of dogs,bulling dogs) & they can develop bad dog etiquette which can lead to fights.
If you want to visit a dog park then before you take your dog there visit at the same time you plan to be there & see who is there & how their dogs are behaving & if they are engaged with their dog or their phone. Pay attention to the whole place the best you can, depending on the size you may not have access to see it all.
Dog Parks are good when only appropriate dogs are taken there & they have adequate supervision. They can be a lifesaver for those whose dogs need extra exercise & outdoor stimulation in order to relax & behave at home (sadly some high energy dogs are surrendered to shelters or put to sleep because they have too much energy for their owners).
You may want to find out who manages the dog park, is it run by the city, or private owned, who maintains it, who enforces the rules. Some parks require all dogs be registered to use the park,I think this is still the norm, it was when I used to go to them. Some require a dog tag to be attached to the pet’s collar.
A dog park is no place for kids, they can be jumped on, fall down, be run into & not all dogs care for kids so that can lead to issues. I actually heard a lady that went to a dog park with her 3 Corgies to exercise them, she was a very large woman & couldn’t really walk them far. She was letting her dogs run around the park & she was standing there (not off to the side or near benches & a larger dog playing came running at a high speed & hit the back of her knees & down she went. I heard she was injured & needed to be hospitalized & had surgery. You enter the dog park at your own risk, so that all came out of her pocket. I heard it caused some issues with people at the dog park. Some thought the owner of the dog that hit her should have paid her medical bills & others said she should have not been standing where she was & it was her fault. A similar thing happened to a child & the rules said no kids under 12 & she was 4-6 & she was injured in a similar way. I say this because I want you to be cautious & stand near trees, a bench or fence so when dogs are running around you, you’re at less risk, protect yourself the best you can.
No female dogs in season should ever be at a dog park.
No aggressive dogs should ever be at a dogs park.
Only flat quick release collars should be worn once a dog enters the dog park, no pinch/prong, choke collars or harnesses as they can be a special risk to the dog wearing it or any dog that may get injured or hooked on it during play.
Before you take your dog to a dog park
1. Know your dog’s play style, is he or she independent & not like it if a ball is thrown & another dog chases it or chases him/her.
2. Is your dog a rough & tumble play style or a nip at the ankle type (not all other dogs will like these styles).
3.How much training has your dog had? Does your dog have a great recall (comes when called). Dog Parks are open & some are very large & not 100% fully fenced & if your dog doesn’t have a reliable recall you might want to work on this before taking him to a dog park. Many dogs have leash issues so leaving them on a leash at a dog park may put your dog at risk from other dogs.
4. Check out the whole dog park & see if it is fully fenced is there water for swimming, things to play on, woods to hike through, A small or crowded dog park may be considered boring to a dog which can increase inappropriate behaviors that can lead to fights.
5.How does your dog prefer to play, is it a social butterfly or fearful towards other unknown dogs. Not all dogs like it when a strange dog comes up to them & smells their face or privates.
Alternatives to Dog Parks:
- If your dog prefers his/her doggies friends he/she is already comparable with then get together with these dogs in a controlled group in a fenced yard.
- If none of your friends have a fenced yard then everyone can get 50 to 100 foot leashes & you can find a quiet area of a park or open area & let the dogs play on leash. Monitor them closely so no one gets tangled in the leashes.
- Ask a friend or family member if you can use their yard for a play date with a few dogs(clean up after your dog).
- Take your dog to a doggie daycare that introduces dogs & keep the groups small & same dogs in the same group & monitored. There is a dog daycare near me that privately rents out an area on their property to people to use with their dogs (only the dogs you invite can be in there when you are in there).
- There are websites where you can rent a fenced yard, like renting an Airbnb, but it is usually by the hour & usually runs between $5-15 an hour. It could be someones yard or at a dog business. The most popular website by me is called Sniffspot. Some people will use this when on vacation with their dog if staying at a home without a fence & they want their dog to have some off leash time.
No matter what you decide to do, please follow the rules of the place where you take your dog, so the dog will be safe & welcome there long in the future.
I hope you found this informative & will check out my other 102 published posts on this blog. The table of content can be found on my home page under the 3 lines (show), then you can scroll down from the home page to the page you want to read. Please consider subscribing so you get an email reminder & don’t miss a post. Thank you, Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 