Dog Parks

Spring is here and many owners/dogs are flocking to their local dog park for some off-leash fun and exercise! The dog park is a canine wonderland right? A place to exercise your dog till he is dead tired? Think again.


Lex and Lucy at a park in Oregon

Not all dogs are going to be dog park dogs. Of course, reactive dogs are not good dog park candidates, but there are other reasons that makes a dog park an inappropriate choice for some dogs.

Here is some dog park etiquette/checklist:
- Your dog needs to be healthy and up to date on vaccines.
- Don't bring more dogs than you can handle.
- Don't allow your dog to engage in mounting, jumping on people, peeing in the water dish, crowding the entrance/exit, aggressive behavior, chasing down or bullying another dog.
- Clean up after your dog.
- Don't bring a female dog that is in heat.
- Don't bring your dog if he does not have a reliable recall.

Let's say your dog passes that checklist with flying colors and you, as a responsible owner, will not let him do any of the inappropriate things mentioned above. The dog park may be a great place to let your dog socialize and get his doggie ya-yas out. However, please consider only going to the dog park two times per week maximum. Many people overuse dog parks, and this can cause their dog to have a range of behavioral problems.

Dogs (like children), get cranky and tend to misbehave when they are overtired or overstimulated. Staying at the park for more than 30 minutes usually leads to a cranky dog. When I go to a dog park, we stay for about 15-20 mins tops. I am there to play with my dogs, let them say hi to some polite canine friends and leave. I am not there to socialize with strangers, read the paper, check my e-mail or say hello to other dogs.

Last week when I was in the middle of a private training session near the park I saw tired dogs hiding under the benches, exhausted, while their owners chatted together. I saw dogs mounting each other with no repercussions. I saw dogs wandering aimlessly around the field as if lost and I saw dogs fence running, bullying, entrance crowding, water dish peeing and hard-core wrestling! All of the owners were either chatting, playing with their smartphones, reading a book or twiddling their fingers. None were engaged with their dog!

When dogs practice behaviors that are self-rewarding, they get better at them and they do them more often. Those dogs that mounted at the park that didn't get told off by the other dog or the owner is going to continue mounting. The dogs doing all of the unchecked naughty behavior, are going to continue because it feels good and their owners didn't redirect them to something more fulfilling or positive to do.

Using a dog park too frequently as a source of exercise for a dog can create a dog who requires too much stimuli to be tired. Owners can accidentally condition their dog to need that amount of play/exercise each day in order to be tired. Yes, dogs should be fit and be exercised, but the average dog would do fine with half mile walk or less or some good mental stimulation each day. Taking a dog and conditioning him to need 10 miles a day, and his body will get used to it. He will consume more calories, need more food and expect 10 miles a day to be fulfilled!

Parks can also be stressful. All that bad behavior going on can stress a dog out! Your dog may even pick up a few pointers from the bullies if you aren't careful.

So are dog parks bad? No, they aren't bad. I go to the dog park perhaps twice a month. I would probably go more if I didn't feel unsafe taking my daughter and have to wait for my husband to be home to go. When I do go though, I am very careful about watching the dogs in the park before taking my own in. We also have clear doggie park rules and boundaries.

I don't take my dogs in if I see a lot of bullies or intact males. I don't take my dogs in if there are too many dogs in the park or there is a lot of yelling going on. If most of the dogs seem harmless or are actually engaged with their owners, I will go in. I have both dogs wait at both gates before being released into the park. They will quickly go sniff the doggie butts nearby and I count to three mentally before calling them away from greetings. If the other dogs look scared or aggressive, then I do not let them greet. After that we walk to a secluded spot and we play fetch with a ball or frisbee. If another dog comes to chase them and they are fine, I let it happen. If their hackles are up and the other dog is trying to steal their toy. I tell them to lie down and I take the toy and wait for the other dog to get disinterested and leave. If another dog steals their toy, usually I have to stalk that dog and trade him for it. Funny how the owner never seems to help......

Once I have tired, panting Border Collies that are only bringing the toy back half way, they get a drink, I leash them up and we leave. They got exercised, we were there maybe 20 mins, they said hi to a few doggies and we averted learning any bad behaviors!



Tired, panting Lucy = time to go!

For many owners their dog park experience looks a lot different:
Dog drags owner into park, no waiting at gate and charges the other dogs. Dog is growled at, snapped at as he sniffs butts wildly while owner explains his dog is sooooo friendly. Then the dog pees on some people and benches and romps around chasing dogs and stealing toys. When it is time to leave, the owner cannot get her dog to come and ends up waiting another half hour until her dog is passed out and drags him out of the park!

If that scenario sounds like you and you want to change that, please contact me! I have a off leash preparation/distraction class that I offer and while the next session coming up is full, there will be more sessions this summer.