My Three Rules for Dog Park Safety

“A dog park is like a cocktail party, where you don't know anyone and everyone is drunk. You could have fun, but it could be a disaster.” Trish King.

In my occupation, I spend a lot of time in dog parks, and I know Trish King is absolutely right. When I take Jesse and/or my clients to a dog park, my goal is to make it fun, happy and safe for the dogs and myself. So when we go to any dog park, even those we frequent often, I follow three rules:

One: Before we enter a dog park, I stop to evaluate the situation. I would rather avoid problems in the first place, and if I don’t like what I see we don’t go in. Here’s what I look for:

Are there too many dogs for the space? The more the merrier is not true of dog parks; too many dogs in too little space are recipes for disaster. If it’s too crowded, we go elsewhere. Then I ask myself three questions: 1. Are the dogs interacting well together? 2. Are the people paying attention to their dogs, instead of chatting with each other? 3. Are there young children in there? If the answers are: yes, yes, and no, we go in. If not, we don’t.

Two: Once we’re in the dog park, I watch my dog(s), and the dogs they’re interacting with. I make sure they’re not getting overly stimulated, tired, stressed, or annoyed. I want to distract or remove them before any of those things occur, which means I pay attention to them the entire time.

Also, I keep my dog(s) away from the entrance, that’s where problems happen first. Plus, I keep an eye out as dogs and people enter. Unfortunately, some people think it’s OK to bring “not dog friendly dogs” to dog parks, others think it’s OK to bring small children… neither is OK!

Three: Knowing when to leave the dog park is important. If things are going well, my rule of thumb is to stay no longer than 30 – 45 minutes. That’s a good amount of time for most dogs to play, exercise well, and do all their business, before getting too tired. An overly tired dog can be cranky and irrational, that’s when little quarrels or big fights can break out.

Even if we just got there, my cue to leave immediately is if a “not dog friendly dog,” or small children arrive. I’d rather not be there to see a dogfight, or a child being bitten. Been there, done that, don’t want to do it again! But that’s another blog…

Having had some very bad dog park experiences, I’ve learned to always follow my three rules…

1. If it looks unsafe, don’t go in

2. Pay attention while you’re there

3. Leave at the first sign of potential trouble