When we got our first dog, Kaeto, he wasn’t particularly friendly with other dogs. We used to stand outside the dog park near our house watching all the dogs play, wishing we could take Kaeto in. I’m sure we looked kind of creepy. When we got Mauja, she was socialized to go to the dog park when she was old enough. Same goes for Atka.
We would have so much fun watching all the dogs run, play, and tire themselves out. It was also great because we got to meet new people and dogs. We would look forward to our time at the dog park. As time went by, I started to notice things that really frustrated me about the dog park. This is why we won’t be visiting the dog park anytime soon.
1. People don’t pay attention to their dogs. I can’t tell you how many times an owner has been on one end of the dog park, while the dog was on the complete opposite. How are you able to read your dog’s body signals and make sure he/she is acting appropriately? The dog park isn’t a place for you to sit back and let your dog tire himself out. You need to constantly monitoring your dog’s behavior.
2. People bring ‘people food’ into the dog park. Again, not a time for you to sit back and relax. Plus, do you really want ten dogs jumping on you trying to snatch your burger? What if one of them is food aggressive? That’s just a fight waiting to happen. And on that note…
3. People give treats to other people’s dogs. This one I would think would be common sense. Just like people, many dogs are on special diets. Either they’re allergic to something or an ingredient doesn’t settle well in their tummy. Would you allow a stranger to give your kid a cookie? A stranger shouldn’t give your dog one either.
4. People bring unsocialized dogs. This is one that frustrates me to no end. For some reason, people think the dog park is the place to socialize your dog. Wrong. The dog park is a place for social dogs to mingle and play. An unsocialized dog can shift the balance of the entire pack. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen an unsocial dog come into the park and then fights happen within minutes. Another part of this is bringing your dog in on a leash. Leashes create frustration for all dogs involved. There is a section to remove your dog’s leash. Do it.
5. People get upset at dirty clothing. Don’t come to the dog park in your Sunday best. It’s that simple. The dogs are going to be running and rolling in an often muddy environment. With all the stimulation their excitement level rises to the point where the most well-mannered dog may jump on you. If you can’t handle muddy paw prints, slobber, or fur… go wait in your car.
6. People ignore the warning signs. Dogs give warnings when they are unhappy or uncomfortable. Rarely, do things ever happen “out of the blue”. Imagine this scenario. Dog A is playing with a tennis ball. Dog B approaches and tries to steal the tennis ball. Dog A emits a low growl to get Dog B to back off. This sequence occurs three or four times. Finally, Dog A gets fed up and snaps at Dog B. Now you have a dog fight. The warning signs were there. The ball should have been taken away and the dogs separated to cool off a bit. It’s very common to see owners ignore situations like this.
7. People don’t pick up after their dog. Really, how difficult is it to clean up after your dog? It’s like walking through a minefield out there. Pick up after your dog! It’s unsanitary and just flat out lazy. Pick up after your dog. All the time. Got it?
8. People bring females in heat. Unaltered males. Female in heat. Enough said.
9. People bring tiny puppies to the dog park. Every dog park I have ever been to has stated that puppies under four months are NOT allowed. They are not fully vaccinated and extremely susceptible to diseases like parvo. Puppies are also in an extremely delicate state. One bad experience can harm them forever. I could write a whole post on bringing puppies to the dog park, but we’ll leave it at that.
10. People bring tiny children to the dog park. Not all dogs are good with kids. Not all kids act appropriately with dogs. Dogs can be in mid play and knock a child over. Also, don’t be mad if you’re holding a child and a dog jumps up on you. It’s likely the dog hasn’t seen a human that small and is very curious. Little kids should really just stay at home for safety.
Notice how all my statements started with “people”? I am never frustrated with a dog when we visit the dog park, even if the dog is bullying my own dog. It is the owner’s responsibility to step in and take control of their dog. The dog park used to be a pleasant place for us, but now we see fights almost daily.
This is why we won’t be visiting the dog park anytime soon. We have just as much fun running in our backyard with our pups 🙂
Do you go to the dog park? What are your experiences like?
NO!! My Dane doesn’t care much for adult dogs and yes she’s been through 3 sets of training classes. This used to really bother me. All my other friends with Danes would have these big meet ups but we would either stay home or not take our girl. Now I see the same Dane having friends posting about dog fights nearly every time they go.
As for me and my girl, we’ll stay home together.
Glad to see other people feel this way 🙂 I’ve seen people do big get togethers with littermates at the dog park here. They never seem to end well. People assume that just because they’re from the same litter, they’ll get along regardless of socialization. Plus, some dogs are just more people dogs anyway!
Yup, dog parks are a dumb idea that were created more for humans than for the dogs themselves. As a German Shepherd pack, we know that dog parks are just not going to work for our dog’s temperament, we won’t force it on him any more because there are just too many people that don’t understand the way that GSDs interact. All of the ugly incidents we’ve encountered (and there have been many) have been because of humans’ bad behavior not the dogs. We say forget it.
I think there are a lot of breeds that are misunderstood and many breeds just don’t mesh together well in a large group setting. You can also tell the dogs that only get the dog park for their exercise. That’s just laziness on the owner’s part.
My dog is very misunderstood there and is very hard because of his looks/breed and is very hyper and wants to play alot of people get frustrated with him but why else do you take your dog to the dog park….on the child note at times I do find myself having to take my child to the dog park but he is in his stroller I would never let him run around in the place where it isn’t safe for him but he loves dogs so those who come up and stick there nose in his stroller will get love lol
A lot of dogs are misunderstood at the dog park. I’ve just decided I’d rather walk my dogs than have to deal with issues. Of course, each individual dog park is different as well. In California, we had a dog park that we loved. We haven’t been so lucky with our time of visiting here.
No dog park near where I live, but some people say they hate when people bring balls to throw for their dogs, then get mad when all the other dogs want to play too. What do they expect?!
I know my dog would want to chase that ball!
Agreed! I’ve seen many people get fussy when other dogs play with the ball they brought. Or they have a dog that is possessive over the ball. That never ends well
Those are all reasons why we don’t take Boomer and Dottie to dog parks. We really wish we could but we don’t want to take any risks!
The first time Chowski and I went to a proper off-leash dog park was for the filming of a TV commercial. He had so much fun running around with the dogs however I didn’t feel comfortable with how some of the larger dogs were treating him. They had such big paws and were pawing at him trying to pin him down.
Needless to say we kept near another Pug, a Puggle and a big softy Golden Retriever. I am going to attend a local ‘Pug meet’ and I think I’ll feel more comfortable with him around other dogs a similar size and temperment. It’s also great because this group of people are intentionally going to socialise their dogs with others (hopefully meaning that they are well socialised to begin with!)
I LOVED your points on dog park etiquette and you’re completely right about it being the owner’s issues, not the dogs. 🙂
I wish I could find something similar for pyrs! Pyrs are typically big softies with some crazy looking play. It’s so much fun to watch them really get into their element and play together. I’m sure it’s similar for other breed meet-ups as well!
Hopefully, we’ll be moving to an area soon with a bigger pyr crowd so we can do something like that 🙂
We feel the same way and I haven’t been to a dog park in years. We wish people were smarter with their dogs, but they aren’t (and yes, it’s the humans’ fault). Momma limits my socializing to dogs we know, and we find that hikes with a small group of dogs and people is an awesome way for dogs to socialize. Even dogs who are little anxious around other dogs often relax when hiking.
I would love to find a group to hike with. We recently went on a hike and a farm dog down the road came and joined us for the entire hike. It was so much fun!
All very true, however I think that for many dogs, even well socialized ones, the dog park is not the place. Plenty of dogs don’t like the dog park. They are stressed and the owners are clueless. I only take two of my five dogs to the dog park because though two enjoy it. Also I do sometimes where what other people might consider nice clothes to the dog park, a nicer top and jeans or even on a few occasions a casual dress, but the thing is I “dress up” all the time as I wear all vintage or vintage style clothing. Whatever I wear to the park I expect a dog to jump up on me and it to get dirty and I d ont mind at all
retro rover
OH MY WORD is what I say! I never went to the dog park because I worried some of those things might happen, but WHOA! That is ridiculous and I don’t blame you one bit!
Yep, all of those things are so annoying! 🙁
We had a recent dog park visit that scarred me pretty badly. A dog came up and didn’t like my Pyr. This dog was maybe 30lbs, owner was 50 yds away. Because I agree about being right with my dogs in a dog park, I was right by my Lola. As soon as I saw her reacting to this dog, I grabbed her, pushed her into a sit, and held her between my legs. She was scared and shaking and of course wanted to “pyr-tect” herself and me. While we were standing there holding on for dear life, this dog ran circles around us lunging towards Lola, and the owner who finally showed up was standing 5 ft away calling it’s name, like that was going to distract it from this fun game of torment the big white doggy. After maybe 30-45 sec this dog gets tired of the game and finally hears it’s owner, who as they walked away told me that “You shouldn’t bring violent dogs to dog parks.” I left in tears with the sympathy of every other person who was nearby and saw the whole fiasco.
I have had mixed experiences, but I still go. The biggest problem is the inattentive and irresponsible dog owner. I once had an inattentive owner who had 2 dogs, not bad dogs, my then 10month pry mix engaged play, but the 2 larger dogs played rough, chased, my dog submitted and whined, he was scared, the owners were slow to react and apologetic. I kept inserting myself to get the other dogs to back down until the owners could get control. These things happen but the owners should have been closer and paying attention. What I learned, is my dogs don’t get to engage if the other dog’s owners are not nearby, and I carry pepper spray. I also always carry my leash with me. But I have had great experiences too. I have seen when an aggressive or illsocialized dog’s owner is heckled into removing their dog from the park after repeated bad interactions. I have a dog who can sometimes over react, but we worked with a behaviorist, went to doggy daycare, etc. I have only had 1 incident in 7 years where she overreacted to a very persistent annoying dog that keep pouncing on her, but after my dog snapped the second time, I calmly removed her and went home. So I understand things happen, but yeah, as usual, people are the problem. I generally want 7 or more acres for big dogs, those parks I have never had an issue, it is usually the smaller more crowded ones where I see the problems.