Dog Parks - Good or Bad?

A visit to a Dog Park on a beautiful day should be an uplifting experience for you and a fun experience for your dog. Isn't it great to watch them all play so wonderfully together with the sun shining and the birds chirping in the trees? We pet owners stand around laughing at the crazy antics of our beloved four-legged family members and catch up on the local news in town.

All is grand in doggy-park land until one dog decides to cause a stir. Perhaps one dog sniffed another dog's butt a little too long. Or the all too familiar "mounting mode" starts to annoy a dog. So a little snarling and snapping begins and then what? Well, hopefully the owners don't ignore the behavior or even worse, never even see the incident due to complete distraction.

Visits to the park can be a great time for pet and owner! However, your Vet might tell you that instead, sometimes they are the arena of unfortunate dog fights that give Vet Clinics business they would rather not receive.

Dogs must learn proper etiquette and guess who is responsible to teach them? Yes, the owners! It is imperative that we carefully supervise our pets at parks to prevent any unacceptable behavior from occurring.

Certain canine behaviors are not socially acceptable such as excessive sniffing, mounting, mouthing, growling or cornering. If the dog being "annoyed" retaliates, they are not the one with the "bad" behavior. Rather, they are merely telling the "annoying dog" to mind his/her boundaries.

Any canines that are fearful, aggressive or even exhibit reactive aggression in behavior should not go to Dog Parks. Neither should puppies under 4 months of age. Also, if your dog is toy possessive and toys are in the park, he/she should not go in at that time.

Dogs at community parks should have friendly and outgoing personalities and display proper social etiquette. They should not be overbearing, obnoxious or bullying. They should also be obedient to basic commands of their owner such as "come" or "sit and stay".

A word of warning... You and your pet might know and practice all the rules of Doggy Park Etiquette but that doesn't mean all the others at the park will. So pay attention at all times. Continue to teach your dog the rules of Dog Park Etiquette! Make the visit to the park a pleasant experience for everyone.

The warmer weather is here so it is time to enjoy it with your dog. It could be at a local park or the trails in your community. Dogs love the outdoors but they love it most when accompanied by their best friend!