Dog Park Etiquette
/Dog Park Etiquette
Dog parks can be a wonderful place to take your dog to allow him to exercise, give him a chance to run, and to play and socialize with other dogs. It does however come with a lot of rules for proper behavior on both the part of the dogs and the owners part. Below are 12 items to keep in mind when taking your dog to the dog park.
1. Make sure that your dog is up to date on his vaccinations. When going to a dog park your dog should be current on the Rabies, Bordetella, and Distemper Parvo vaccinations. In addition to the vaccinations, it is highly encouraged that your dog be on some form of parasite control to protect him from fleas, ticks, and intestinal parasites as well to have frequent fecal tests done. Be sure to ask your veterinarian for any other vaccinations or precautions that you should take in your city or state.
2. Remove any harness, clothing, and special collars prior to allowing your dog to play in order to avoid the dog accidentally getting tangled or caught up with another dog. Quick release and flat buckle collars that hold the dog’s identification tags are fine to stay on.
3. Only allow your dog to enter the park in a calm, orderly manner. Dogs who enter the park overly excited and reactive have the potential to get other dogs to behave aggressively. It may take several attempts of practice just to get your dog into the designated enclosed – off leash area and longer to actually get into the dog park.
4. It is best not to take your dog to the dog park if they are over 6 months and unaltered, especially females. Females in heat can cause the males to react aggressively and it may also lead to an unwanted pregnancy.
5. Immediately clean up after your dog. This not only shows good manners, but also helps to protect against the spreading of parasites.
6. Avoid taking your dog’s favorite toys into the park. He may begin to exhibit guarding tendencies which can pose a risk for himself or others.
7. Be sure to keep your active attention on your dog. Avoid texting, emailing, or other activities which can take your attention off of your dog.
8. Avoid disciplining other people’s dog. It is best to focus on your dog and to remove him from the situation if necessary.
9. Avoid using the dog park as a place to train a dog with a history of aggression towards humans or other dogs.
10. Take extreme caution if it is necessary to bring small children into the park. Exuberant dogs can easily knock a small child down. Dogs will little experience or socialization around small children may be fearful and react dangerously around them.
11. Be considerate of others and avoid smoking while in the dog park.
12. If your local dog park in not maintained or well constructed, consider going to a different park even if it is further. The safety of your dog is not worth the risk.
Although taking your pet dog to the dog park may be appropriate, taking your service dog to the dog park is considerably discouraged. Service dogs are a large financial investment and are extremely valuable to your health to consider taking the risk, even in the best of dog parks. Your service dog can be injured or can get sick which may take him out of service for extended periods of time. One bad altercation in the dog park can also change the confidence and mental state of a service dog making him unfit to continue service. In our opinion, the risk is just to high to attempt it.
