Modar Dog Training & Behavior Consulting

Dog parks. Some people hate them while others love them. What are the facts? Do your own searches
and it's easy to come up with headlines of serious injuries, even death, but not as easy to find an article
soley focused on the pros of dog parks. There are, however, some great tips on making your dog park
experience (should you feel the need to take your dog) as fun as possible and reduce some of the risks.

 

As you've probably figured I am not a fan of dog parks, never have been. When they first came out, I
thought they were a fad created by people, for people. They certainly don't have canid behavior in mind,
because while puppies do enjoy playing, most adult dogs would have no interest in playing with strangers
if given the option. Breeds do vary and we humans continue our attempts to juvenilize dogs into
perpetual puppies, but I have never owned a breed nor individual I felt would be a good dog park
prospect. Even if I did, I would have no interest in that type of activity. The *only* draw for me is having
a space for my dogs to run/exercise. Fortunately, that is attainable in a variety of other ways!

Interestingly, the majority of dog trainers, behaviorists, breeders and competitors (performance, working
and conformation folks) do not go to dog parks. That might suggest that the biggest % of people at dog
parks are less than highly knowledgeable about dogs and dog behavior, which may have some
correlation to all the incidents that go on every day of the week in many cities across the U.S.

Risks. What are they and how can they be reduced? The risk of disease is a real threat that is hard to
reduce, but recommendations would be to not allow toys or bowls to be left at the park or shared.
Obviously scooping the poop is important, but does not remove the potential threat it leaves behind and
removing urine or expecting dogs not to eliminate is not realistic.

Play. Many trainers agree the best dogs for puppies to play with are even tempered adult dogs, not other
puppies. Puppies playing with peers, tend to learn to bite and play rough, somewhat dependent upon
breed. I decide the level of play that is acceptable for my dogs.

What are the main advantages to dog parks? A place to exercise your dogs, right? Well, yes and no,
best to take the edge off before going to the dog park or it is full of over stimulated, highly aroused dogs,
which increases chances of problems.

Socialization, right? Ha, no! The unstructured, unpredictable nature of dog parks makes them one of the
worst places to socialize puppies. I want to expose my puppies to the world in a safe manner so that I
can control experiences and prevent bad ones that may have lasting effects!

The best dog parks are huge, even acres, so dogs aren't forced to interact. Small spaces can be triggers
for many dogs to get uncomfortable. I know of some open space hiking or beach areas that seem to
work much better than the average fenced-in city dog park. It is important to have separate areas for
large and small dogs, small dogs can and do get injured, even killed by bigger dogs at the dog park. Not
all big dogs are friendly to little dogs, they may even mistake them for prey and all it takes with tiny dogs
is a shake to cause permanent damage, even death. Ideally there would be more than one entrance/exit
and there would be a double gate in that area, so your dog is not swarmed upon entrance. Taking your
dog into the dog park on a leash puts your dog at a disadvantage and may increase problems, as does
bringing a muzzled dog. Believe it or not, I've actually heard mention of bringing a dog in a muzzle to a
dog park! Not sure what the point of that is, but the potential for disaster is huge.

Bringing multiple dogs from the same family can result in a pack mentality type of ganging up on other
dogs. It can also be near impossible to handle multiple dogs if a fight breaks out. Even 'buddies' can
gang up on new-comers to the dog park.

Breed and group differences can be a huge issue. Retrievers, sled dogs and terriers all have very
different greeting behaviors and play styles. While it is great, even important to expose our dogs to a
variety of breeds, we need to be aware they may respond poorly to behavior they perceive as rude. For
example, the average Malamute is not going to appreciate a strange Labrador running up into his face or
body slamming him. Sometimes when our dogs react/respond they are not being 'bad,' they are simply
using their canine social skills to communicate... just like humans, not all of us have perfect social skills.

Single event learning is usually thought of as a traumatic event that happens during early developmental,
sensitive or 'fear' periods and has a lasting effect. A search will bring up more information on this. My
goal during my puppy's socialization and adolescence is to expose him to things in a safe, structured
manner where I can control the environment to prevent traumatic experiences.

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I want my dogs to always know I will protect/keep them safe, so they will defer to me to handle
situations. I do not want them feeling they need to defend themselves from other dogs. Many of the
daily events at dog parks are neither necessary nor acceptable. For example, mounting strange dogs is
extremely rude and will not be well tolerated by many dogs. I do not even believe in letting dogs 'work it
out' when they live together, let alone a bunch of strangers at the dog park!!!

Dogs learn to do what works. For some this may mean rolling onto their back, the equivalent of raising a
white flag: I don't want to fight, please don't hurt me! Other bolder individuals discover they can get away
with bullying. The problem is these behaviors can increase, intensify and become extreme, until the
submitter urinates when another dog looks at her and the bully attacks new dogs to the park. Another
common observation is how fearful puppies often grow into aggressive dogs if subjected to dog parks,
daycare, unstructured playgroups. It's very sad because more than once a sweet little dog is the one
who ultimately ends up being euthanized for entirely preventable behavior. Sometimes puppies seem to
tolerate dog parks, but as they enter adolescence and gain confidence, they start trying some of the
behaviors that were used on them. People often don't see what's happening until an experienced trainer
calls it to their attention and they realize the dog is demonstrating the same inappropriate behaviors he
was subjected to as a pup.

Play should look equal and balanced. One dog should not always be on the bottom or top. A dog should
not always be running away, especially if you notice he is trying to hide under a bench or behind you!!! I
hear people bragging how exhausted their dog is after going to the dog park. It's possible that is from
physical exercise, especially if that is the only kind your dog gets, but it's also possible it is a reaction to
the stress caused in this environment.

Recalls. If the only time you use your recall at the dog park is when it's time to leave, your dog is likely to
associate "come" with leaving his fun and your recalls will suffer accordingly. One way around that is to
practice recalls through the whole dog park experience, rewarding each and every time s/he comes and
then allowing him/her to go back to playing, kind of a double-reward. One caution about both food and
toys is they can become objects to guard and therefore create conflict between some individuals.

Overuse of dog parks with some dogs, may make them more inclined to prefer the company of dogs over
humans. Attending positive reinforcement based basic training classes can be very helpful in building
your relationship/bond with your dog, stimulating their mind, helping you understand how they learn and
giving you some basic commands to practice until you have a reliable response, even with the distraction
of other dogs.

There are steps you can take to try to make your dog park experience as fun and safe as possible,
however you don't have control over the other people and dogs that attend the park, so given the nature
of the beast, there will always be elements beyond your control. Therein lies the problems.
Take your dog to training classes. Exercise before going to dog park. Practice recalls during your time at
the dog park. Do not allow your dog to use toys or bowls left at the dog park. Take dogs individually and
avoid going during fear/sensitive periods. Do not use your phone or sit on a bench talking to people,
watch your dog, observe all interactions, be involved and do not allow your dog to bully others or be bullied.

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