Dog Parks are a Beautiful Disaster of Opportunity

My Opinion on It, as a Professional, as a Dog Owner, and as a Disabled Individual

As a professional, it’s a great place to train your dog around a wealth of distractions and shenanigans, OUTSIDE THE FENCE.
As a dog owner, it makes me nervous to think about taking my dogs inside the wire. I’ve put a ton of work into my dogs. I know my boys are reliable and safe, but I don’t know that of the other dogs there, and it is incredibly easy for dogs’ play to tip over into a genuine fight in the blink of an eye. My boys are also service dogs or in-training to be one. Anything happening to them would mean my health care management gets absolutely obliterated, as well as whatever physical and mental injuries they sustain.
As a disabled individual, it makes me nervous. Dogs can hurt me incredibly easily, by jumping up, rushing into me, or mouthing on me. I don’t need the pain trigger of being mobbed by a bunch of enthusiastic and possibly out of control dogs.
Have I taken a dog into the fence? Yes. My 1st dog used to go all the time. She was a bully, though I didn’t know it at the time. She was in a fight once, not a bad one, and not one she started, but she was determined to finish it. Not a proud moment. The horrifying part was when the owner of the other dog was walking her dog off, petting it, and praising it for doing better than last time and not killing this one…

I did take Robbie to the dog park 3x during his training. Inside the fence, we worked on recalls, being accepting of other dogs possibly being rough with me, and doing commands. It was also an opportunity for me to study body language between a familiar dog and unfamiliar dogs. It was very stressful for me, having him in there, and I second guess that choice to this day. It’s not one I’ll be repeating or recommending to anyone, but it’s good for you to know that I’m not perfect.
In summary, I do not advocate for taking your dog to the dog park. The only time I feel your dog should be at a dog park is to work on training with YOU, and should be working outside the fence, never going inside. ​
​That said, I feel it important for you to be aware of the opportunities for good or bad learning, advantages, and disadvantages presented by the dog park. ​

Disaster of Opportunities

At a dog park your dog could learn so much. There is equal opportunity to learn good behaviors, learn bad behaviors, have training unraveled, have training strengthened, have fun, or leave in tatters.

• There is the opportunity to practice handler focus. Or to practice ignoring their handler because maybe to your dog, no leash = no reason.
•  There is the opportunity to share toys with strange dogs. Or to practice resource guarding over a coveted stick.
•  There is the opportunity to practice walking through gates politely, without rushing. Or to practice shoving their owner out of the way, so they can barrel into the waiting throng of dogs faster. Or the opportunity for other dogs to rush you and your dog, leaving you trapped in a small box with no escape.
•  There is the opportunity to practice good manners when meeting new dogs, choosing which dogs to play with and which to ignore, and good manner during play. Or the chance to practice being a bully or getting bullied.
•  There is the opportunity to practice known training skills in a high distraction zone, ignoring other dogs, toys, birds, squirrels, and a plethora of smells. Or the opportunity for them to get stressed out & overwhelmed if they weren’t properly prepared for working in a high distraction zone like the dog park.
•  There is the opportunity to meet friendly dogs. Or the opportunity to meet dogs with who are aggressive, reactive to certain stimuli, or generally dangerous.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages of Going Inside

• Gives your dog a chance to run and play without the fear of them running away or getting hit by traffic
• Fenced in area to practice off-leash focus and commands such as sit, down, hell, and recalls
• Fun bonding time with your dog
• Chance to experience and observe different types of dogs and dog behavior
• Might make new friends with other dog owners in your area
• Some parks encourage private introductions between each dog to ensure that they will all get along with each other before being allowed to play freely off-leash (this is rare)

Disadvantages of Going Inside

• Can’t be 100% sure of the behavior, disposition, training level, or demeanor of the other dogs
• Not all of the owners are attentive about where their dogs are, what they are doing, and sometimes even ignore them when they misbehave
• While there are signs up telling owners not to bring aggressive dogs into the park, not all owners obey the rules
• Dogs may be at risk to disease (you can’t be sure the dogs are healthy), getting attacked, learning poor behaviors, or being mistreated by other owners
• You can’t trust that the other owners will intervene if something happens, or that their dog is well-socialized
• There are so many dogs to watch & try to read their body language all at once.
• Your dog might learn poor behaviors

How to Train Safely at the Dog Park

Stay outside the fence! Use the presence of the dog park as a distraction and added challenge for your dog, without exposing them to the dangers of it. There is plenty that can be done outside the fence.

• Practice asking your dog to hold a sit or down along the walkway to the gates. You want them to remain in their position, ignore dogs that pass by, ignore strangers that approach. This exercise is vital for service dogs to learn, but can be a great exercise in impulse control for pets as well.
• Practice recalls on leash a few feet away from the fence, slowly increasing the challenge for focus & responsiveness by moving closer to the fence. Goal would be to be right along the fence line, with other dogs barking and running on the other side, with your dog able to do recalls on leash without issue.
• Practice walking in and out of the initial gateway (most parks have two gates to enter), when no one else is near the gates, to reinforce good manners around higher distractions and in a potentially higher excitement level.
• Sit on a bench close to the dog park, and ask your dog to hold a long down without whining, barking, or breaking down.