Week 6: Dog Park Dos and Don’ts

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Week 6: Dog Park Dos and Don’ts

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A great way for you and your dog to enjoy some exercise is to head down to your local dog friendly park.

But it can also become a place that traumatizes him. Your experience often depends on the behaviour of your fellow dog-owners. A few badly trained people can ruin the experience for you and your dog. For a more pleasurable bark park experience for all, just follow these simple rules of etiquette:

DOS

Come equipped. Bring a bowl and water from home. Towels for cleanup and to cover car seats are a good idea, too. After all, romping, running groups of dogs have a way of getting very dirty. And don’t forget the poo bags!

Let your dog be a dog. If you don't know the difference between rough play and real dog fighting, spend some time observing dogs playing in a group.

Make sure your dog wears his ID. Either a tag or information on your dog’s collar will do.

Keep your dog on-leash until safely inside the park. Then remove your dog’s leash after you enter the off-leash area. Mixing on-leash and off-leash dogs can cause stress in the leashed dogs, which may lead to aggressive behaviour.

DON’TS

Don’t bring a dog with behavioural problems. If your dog's behaviour is unpredictable, he should be carefully socialized in environments more controlled than a dog park.

Don’t bring your dog if he has been sick in the last 48 hours. When in doubt, visit your vet.

Don’t discipline another person's dog. If you find another dog's behaviour unacceptable, take your own dog out of the park rather than correcting someone else's dog.

Don't feed other dogs. You don't know if their owners allow it, and your treats might upset another dog's diet or digestion.

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