Should You Take Your Dog to Dog Parks and Dog Runs?
Are off-leash dog parks and dog runs good for your dog? Learn how to pick a dog park and use it safely.
Everybody loves a dog park. Your dog gets to run off leash and socialize with other dogs. It’s important for dogs to spend time with other dogs. Right?  Actually, many trainers never bring their dogs to dog parks and advise their clients not to do so either. I’m a little less radical than that. This week, the pros and cons of dog parks, and of your dog as a visitor to them.
Should You Take Your Dog to Dog Runs?
A big drawback of public dog parks is that not all the dogs will be socially skilled and friendly. Some pick fights; some are a bit timid about other dogs and snap when a bouncy puppy comes too close; some have learned that it can be fun to bowl over small dogs and make them squeal. Not all dogs’ play styles mesh well. Some dogs do well meeting other dogs one on one in an open area but get touchy in a confined space with a bunch of strangers.
Wait, there’s more! Many humans are fairly oblivious to dogs’ body language. They see that solo dog being chased by two others, they see the solo dog’s tail tucked between his legs, they see that when the pursuers catch up, the solo dog drops on his back and presents his groin, but they don’t add that information together to conclude that the solo dog is being bullied and having a crummy time. On the other hand, people often mistake normal dog play for fighting, and they reprimand adult dogs for appropriate social corrections delivered to puppies and other pests.
Territory Problems in Dog Parks
Primates often cluster in small groups to pick through one another’s fur for lice. Humans in dog parks often cluster in small groups to gossip and drink lattes. Same difference. When the humans hang around in one place, the dogs tend to follow suit. Soon the dogs of the latte drinkers have staked out a territory around their humans. They greet new arrivals with a challenging charge–not fun for the entering dog. Crowding also arises if benches and water sources are placed right near the park entrance. It takes a cool dog customer indeed to walk into a bunch of unfamiliar dogs without anxiety. Watch dog park entrances for a while and you’ll see how many arriving dogs either posture tensely or offer exaggerated deference as they come in.
You can’t control other people’s behavior, of course, but avoid contributing to the stationary, territorial crowd. Walk with your dog or play games well away from the entrance.
Don’t Socialize Your Puppy at Dog Parks
What this spells for puppy socialization is, in general, steer clear. Yes, friendly adult dogs can help teach puppies to communicate appropriately, play appropriately, and otherwise interact appropriately. But remember that fears are learned quickly. One traumatic encounter with a serious bully can damage your puppy’s social skills for a long time to come. A puppy who’s not the most confident in the world can be swamped and scared by the eager attentions of a passel of strangers bigger than she, even if none of them means any harm.
When Should You Take a Puppy to a Dog Run?
I’d consider taking a puppy to a dog park or dog run only under certain circumstances. For instance, I’d like the space to be enormous so that crowding doesn’t ratchet up social tensions. I’d go during off hours. Before I went in, I’d spend a few minutes checking out the body language and play styles of the dogs already present. Better yet, I’d go at a completely dead time with a small mixed group of sociable, friendly adults and puppies and hold a hopefully private party for a little while.
If this sounds as if I think the ideal is a private play group of carefully selected dogs–well, I do! Skip the dog park and use any available fenced area, such as a big backyard. Or look for a training facility that offers supervised puppy playtime. These options are safer for your puppy’s behavioral health.
Be Cautious When You Bring Your Adult Dog to a Dog Park
Dog parks and dog runs present similar problems for adult dogs, except that a confident, behaviorally healthy adult dog should be better able to take the occasional difficult encounter in stride. Still, go at uncrowded times and check out the party carefully before you go in. Watch for tension, posturing, ganging up, and if you see them or other undesirable behavior, come back later.
If you have a small dog, stick to areas designated for them. Large dogs can easily intimidate or hurt smaller dogs without even trying. And sometimes, play tips over into predatory behavior, as if the large dog stops recognizing the smaller animal as a dog. I haven’t found any solid information about the prevalence of such “predatory drift,” but the potential for tragedy is obvious.
Should You Bring Toys and Treats to the Dog Park?
Because many dogs guard toys and treats, it’s generally best to leave these at home. I say that with a wince, though–in urban areas, the dog park may be the only place available for a game of fetch. If you do bring a toy, be careful and sensitive. If your dog will argue over his ball, then don’t bring his ball. On the other hand, even a dog who just delivers polite warnings to pushy dogs, such as a brief freeze or a lip curl, may eventually meet a dog who escalates in response. Most dog squabbles do little or no injury, but be aware of the risk.
[[AdMiddle]If your dog doesn’t pick fights but tends to pester dogs who have toys, teach him a rock-solid “Leave it” or come-when-called, and use it. And if yours is the dog who steps up the argument when another dog warns him away, he shouldn’t visit the dog park at all.
Don’t Go to Dog Parks If Your Dog Has Behavior Problems
My neighborhood in Brooklyn has an email list to which someone just posted in dismay following the third time the same dog jumped her dog during off-leash hours at the local park. Years ago, I repeatedly brought a problem dog to off-leash hours because whenever we had an uneventful visit I told myself that really, he was okay. Somehow it was harder to remember the many occasions when he picked a fight. Don’t be like my long-ago self! Your dog’s behavior won’t improve if you keep putting him in situations he can’t handle, and it’s unfair to subject other dogs to his problems.
The reverse is also true. If your dog is afraid of other dogs, dumping her into the deep end of the dog run isn’t going to help her feel better about them, any more than dumping me into a vat full of cockroaches would make me feel all cheerful about shiny skittering oval ugh. Spare her; hire a behavior specialist to help you ease her fears.
Does Your Dog Need to Play with Other Dogs?
Fear  and aggression aside, somehow many of us have gotten this idea that all normal dogs enjoy meeting and greeting and playing in dog parks. It’s not true, any more than it’s true that all socially healthy people enjoy big loud parties where they know hardly anybody. Sure, many puppies and adolescents happily play with any willing dog. But most socially mature dogs play less with other dogs, and even seem less eager to interact with them.
An adult dog who has a few dog buddies and who politely greets new dogs but then minds her own business has no particular social need for the dog park. If it’s your only off-leash option, fine. But if you have other choices, consider them. She’ll have at least as much fun taking a long off-leash hike with some canine and human friends, or just playing fetch or tug with you in the backyard.
As for dogs who respond aggressively to other dogs, appropriate behavior modification may be able to help him make some dog friends, but unscripted off-leash encounters with random dogs are probably off the table forever. So what? A dog can live happily with no dog friends at all, provided he has human company and enough physical exercise and mental stimulation. Â You might be pleasantly surprised to find how deep the bond between you and your dog can grow when you play and train with her during the time you might otherwise have spent picking lice off your fellow primates.
I welcome your comments and questions–email dogtrainer@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email. And you can talk to me on Facebook, where, amazingly enough, I’m The Dog Trainer. Dogalini is me on Twitter. That’s it for this week – thanks for reading, and now go play with your dog!
Resources
Bennett, Robin, and Susan Briggs. Off-Leash Dog Play: A Complete Guide to Safety and Fun. Â (C&R Publishing, 2008).
Smith, Cheryl. Visiting the Dog Park: Having Fun, Staying Safe (Dogwise, 2007).
Cheryl Smith’s handy one-page “Dog Park Tips” – well worth printing out, laminating, and posting at the entrance to any dog park or dog run!
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About the Author
Jolanta holds professional certifications in both training and behavior counseling and belongs to the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She also volunteered with Pet Help Partners, a program of the Humane Society of the United States that works to prevent pet relinquishment. Her approach is generally behaviorist (Pavlovian, Skinnerian and post-Skinnerian learning theory) with a big helping of ethology (animal behavior as observed in non-experimental settings).
