What I like (and don't like) about dog parks
PhuongNam/stock.adobe.com
In blog posts, social media posts, and in person, I frequently mention that I like dog parks. I always mention there’s also a list of caveats with my recommendation to take your dog to a dog park. But I realized yesterday that I have never written down all the reasons I like them - and all those cautions - in one place. I’m going to try to fix that here.
Why I like dog parks
Exercise
All of our dogs need exercise. Some more than others, of course. But they all need to move around. I believe that the average healthy youngish dog just doesn’t get enough exercise with our standard walk around the block at a human’s pace. We rarely walk far enough or fast enough to meet their exercise needs. Of course there are ALWAYS exceptions to that. I know dog owners who go for 4-5 mile walks with their dogs daily. And other people who jog or run with their dogs (which brings up questions about running on hard surfaces). But I suspect that’s not most of us. I suspect there’s little that can compete with big open spaces to run on dirt and grass.
There are times when I’ll intentionally take a dog to an empty dog park so they can get some exercise. Dogs who might be a bit fearful of other dogs or who play too rough or are even aggressive still need exercise. Of course, in those cases, we leash up and head out when others arrive and want to use the park.
I regularly see overweight dogs in the USA. And I think half of the problem is a lack of sufficient exercise (the other half being a question of diet - but I’m not qualified to delve into that). We already know the downsides of obesity or even carrying just a bit too much weight on living bodies. It can lead to joint problems, heart problems, and more. I think it creeps up on people slowly and they truly don’t even see their dogs as overweight. Exercise can help.
Ongoing Socialization Opportunities
We often talk about socialization for puppies (and it’s terribly important). But that’s not what I’m talking about here. Dogs are social creatures - meaning they generally aren’t found alone like some other animals (some snakes, Black Rhinos, tigers, polar bears, moose, sloths, sea turtles, and more are typically found solo except to come together to feed, to breed, or while raising their young). And at the opposite end of the spectrum, we have flock animals who stay together with their own types often for protection or because they are truly family units (including elephants, lions, meerkat, orcas, herds of wildebeest, and many types of birds). Dogs are somewhat in the middle. They aren’t technically pack animals despite that often being said. But they aren’t typically true loners either.
Just as our social skills can get rusty when we withdraw from contact with others - consider how awkward it felt getting back together after the Covid pandemic - a dog’s skills can get rusty too. I think it’s important that we give them the opportunity to get together with their own kind. The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare are internationally recognized guidelines for ensuring the well-being of animals under human care. One of them mentions the “freedom to express normal behavior” including “the opportunity to interact with others of their own kind (or to avoid them if they prefer).”
I regularly see dogs who know and obviously like each other based on their behavior when they get together and it’s fun for me to watch the ease with which they interact. I see dogs who play really rough with one dog moving on to be much more gentle with another regular at the dog park because they’ve all figured out what each other likes. Dogs who are adept at adjusting their approaches and play styles based on the body language and shared play history are less likely to get involved in fights (yes, don’t worry, I’ll address those down below).
Some of my client dogs were simply starving for the chance to interact with other dogs. When given the chance, some of them needed to be taught or reminded about being polite - but then their behavior problems (including sometimes really serious “reactivity” while on leash) lessened or resolved entirely.
Other Enrichment Opportunities
In addition to challenging a dog’s bodies with exercise, we need to challenge their minds too. There are tons of ways to do this. And socialization is certainly a form of enrichment. Puzzle toys or sniffaris (walks where the main purpose is to sniff instead of trying to reach a certain destination) are common examples. But I think sniffing around in a dog park is enriching for many dogs. Even some senior dogs who are less interested in play can be found sniffing every inch of a dog park. I can only imagine what they must be “seeing” with their nose - the squirrel who ran through the empty dog park early this morning, the dogs who rolled on the grass shortly after the park opened, the dog who pooped over in that corner yesterday. They might find a well-chewed toy left behind by others to sniff or chew. They might even find a stick that’s fallen out of a tree. Recently, a baby bird fell out of a nest in our local dog park (he was rescued and quickly returned to the nest by a person who happened to see the whole thing happen). The dogs spent lots of time sniffing that area and circling the tree! I once saw a harmless snake sliding by just on the other side of the fence as my own dog followed along investigating with her nose. I like to think that dogs go home with new memories of things they saw or smelled during their visits at the dog park.
What I don’t like about dog parks
Not all dog parks are created equally
This is literally true and figuratively. Literally, some dog parks just aren’t built well. They might be too small and crowded, poorly maintained, lack fresh water, or don’t have sufficient fencing to contain the dogs. We even have a dog park here in Central Florida with a big lake next to it. I often see dogs swimming in the lake while their owners watch - seemingly entirely unconcerned about the alligators who are known to live in the lake. To be fair, alligator attacks on dogs in lakes are incredibly rare. So, the probability is low but the risk is still very high (almost certainly death of the dog).
Some dog parks are less desirable because of the dogs who frequent them. Not all dogs should go to dog parks. Some are aggressive, some are simply bullies when it comes to play, some easily tip over into injurious fights about minor offenses other dogs routinely shrug off. There could be any number of reasons for these behaviors ranging from poor social skills, a history which has taught them to bite first and ask questions later, to pain from arthritis to back problems or other injuries/illnesses. Many of these dogs could be candidates for future visits to dog parks after resolution of medical issues or training interventions. But, at least for now, we shouldn’t be taking those dogs to dog parks and subjecting other dogs to their behavior. It’s not only physically dangerous, we could be accidentally teaching dogs to become defensive around other dogs. I recently saw two Basenjis getting into fight after fight with dogs almost as soon as they came in. They apparently come in all the time and are known for causing problems. They shouldn’t be there and their owner is being irresponsible (in addition to being in violation of the clearly-posted rules against bringing in aggressive dogs).
In other cases, it’s not the dogs who are the problem - it’s their people. The most common complaint I have are people who aren’t paying attention to their dogs. They are either chatting on the phone, surfing the internet, or socializing with the other dog park regulars who are there. I enjoy visiting the dog park and chatting with people - but I’m there for the dog(s) I brought and my conversations are frequently interrupted when I need to wander away because my dog is exploring another part of the park. Yes, there are times I can let down my guard a bit with a group of dogs I know well. Otherwise, I stick fairly close to the dog I brought. I’m really a “low intervention” type - I rarely get involved with my dogs who are having a good time with other dogs. I don’t even always get involved if there’s a squabble. But I am nearby, nonetheless - JUST in case.
Remarkably, I have seen people stop by with their new dog on the way home from the shelter where they JUST got the dog. They have no clue how the dog is going to act and yet they bring them in with a variety of dogs, with no opportunity to have built a relationship with the dog, and without time to to train (or test) the dog’s recall, leave it, etc. These dogs have typically gone through quite a lot in the past weeks and certainly that day. Throwing them in with a bunch of strange dogs is a recipe for disaster - and it often plays out with the dog trembling and terrified under a park bench or pinning and injuring other dogs. In one of my favorite dog parks, I once saw a medium sized dog who had just been adopted earlier that day kill a small dog who had been adopted just the day before. This was, first and foremost, a failure by the humans who brought the dogs. No, the larger dog should never be allowed into another dog park. And the smaller dog should not have been brought into the big dog side of the park. But neither dog should have been brought to a dog park at all so soon after adoption. (Side note: the larger dog was returned to the shelter and euthanized - something that could easily have been avoided with more cautious owners.)
I’ve seen people get in arguments about petty things (one fellow threatened to kick my dog if my dog dared hump his - his wife wisely dragged him out when I explained to her what would happen should he make that mistake). I once saw a person pull out a gun and point it at another park visitor over a minor squabble between their dogs. I’m typically more concerned about the people in the dog parks than the humans!
how do I pick a dog park?
I visit them many times before ever bringing a dog. I’ve met a lot of dogs and their people at many parks before ever bringing my dogs in. It’s time consuming. But I want to know the regulars and the busy/slow times for parks. I visit on weekdays AND weekends (weekends are often very different - filled with people and dogs who come far less often and are often less skilled with appropriate park protocols). I entirely avoid one of my favorite dog parks on weekends for this reason. I rarely see dog fights during the week - but they appear common on weekends and holidays.
I make sure there are separate big and small dog sections. I make sure the park is big enough. By the way, if the park is REALLY big, I might bend on the separate big/small sides. I used to regularly take my small dogs to a popular dog beach in California where there’d be tons of dogs but rarely an issue because dogs had so much opportunity to move around and away from one another.
And even with that, the mix of people who show up every day is always a bit different. At my preferred dog park, I often know every dog there. I know which ones might be inclined to target puppies for bullying. I know how to spot those Basenjis. And if I see them, we simply won’t be going in that day. If the park is exceptionally crowded or there are dogs I don’t know, I’ll hang out outside the fence for a while to see how they are doing - and if I’m not feeling fairly confident, I’ll head home. The park will still be there another day when there’s a better mix of dogs.
Anything else?
I think all dog owners should become fluent in reading a dog’s body language. And I think that it’s even more important for dog owners visiting dog parks. We should all be able to quickly recognize when a dog (our own or not) is fearful and needing space, happy and playing even if a bit too rambunctious, or just needing a little break or support. We should be able to spot the signs of appropriate play and should be paying attention to our dogs to make sure that they are being good citizens to their doggie friends.
Some of my clients have had dogs who were desperately in need of ongoing socialization opportunities. When I felt it was appropriate, I’ve encouraged them to go to the dog park to see if their dog’s behavior improved. I’ve always offered to go with them to help keep everyone safe. In some cases, we’ve taken the extra precaution of muzzle training their dog before going to the park. One of my clients was convinced that her 15 pound poodle was going to “kill all the other dogs” - but he was nothing but appropriate and when his needs for socialization were addressed, much of his problematic behavior lessened.
I obviously can’t promise that being careful will be enough. Just as we take a risk every time we ride in a car, our dogs are at risk nearly anytime they get off the sofa. An aggressive off-leash dog could show up out of nowhere while you’re walking your dog in your own neighborhood. And yes, a dog could get a twisted ankle, or get in a scuffle that results in injuries at a dog park. Or they could pick up a disease from a sick dog at the dog park. Those risks are often brought up by people who don’t like and don’t recommend dog parks. I think they are overblown and don’t outweigh the benefits.
Yes, we should always weigh the risks. Tomorrow I’ll get in my car to go someplace I like to go. And I’ll soon be back at a dog park to provide exercise, socialization, and other enrichment opportunities to dogs at my carefully-vetted dog park.