Why you should never take your dog to a dog park?
Dog parks have been around for a long time, and for the uneducated person, it seems like a great option. The outdoors, the ability to run and have fun in a large area with friends, what could possible go wrong, right? Well, unfortunately many things can go wrong and trust me, it goes wrong daily, we just don’t see it. Let’s get into it.
Dog parks were build to promote, among other things, the idea that dogs can have a social area “to play with other dogs”, which by definition does not match with the essence of the species. What do I mean by that? Dogs are predators and pack animals. They’re genetically designed to fit in a pack and build their lives around that group. They operate in survival and defensive mode and dealing with strange dogs in the same fenced in area is completely against their nature. That is why we see, and hear about, many dog fights inside dog parks. But why the fights happen? What are the triggers and how do we trace them back to specific causes?
In dog parks there are many resources including water bowls, toys, food, people and the area itself. We have to remember that a territory, in a dog’s mind, should be claimed first by a leader before it can be properly shared by a pack, also under the hierarchy of that same leader. That is the only way a group of dogs can cohabitate peacefully without any issues. When there’s no hierarchy defined the territory is open to be claimed by any new individual and that is the number one trigger for possible conflicts. Remember that resource guarding is one of the major reasons why dogs bite or fight over. Some dogs see their owners as valuable resources and they are always there in the park with them.
Most people fail to see the signs because they choose to see any sort of interaction between dogs as pure play, and that is simply not true. When strange dogs meet, the first thing they try to do is establish hierarchy. They need that definition to be crystal clear before they can move any further at any level of interaction to avoid conflict. That is why we see many of these dogs trying to subdue and dominate each other in those areas very quickly. Some of them will move in slowly and some will be much more aggressive right away. That is just the primal dynamic of predators, and dogs are no different. if you don’t believe me just go to any dog park, sit and watch for a few hours. It’s all about body language and our ability to read it properly.
We also see some dogs that avoid interaction all together and simply keep it to themselves, staying in the realm of the owner the entire time. So while owners see the dog park as a place for fun, exercise and social gathering the dog sees it as a modern day colosseum. I’m not joking!
Aside from the possibility of fights we also have to mention the exposure to elements that can cause health issues in your dog. Remember this is a public place so your dog will most likely be in contact with other dog’s feces, urine, vomit among other things. Unfortunately not everybody takes care of their animals the same way and if your dog’s immune system is not at its best he or she might suffer the consequences for this visit. You may see allergic reactions, diarrhea, skin infections and many other symptoms that can indicate a possible health problem. I’m not against exposure to elements but in my experience I know most dogs don’t go far from their neighborhoods so most of them have weak immune systems by default. A dog that doesn’t get to visit different places often will most likely be more affected in areas like parks than the opposite. So be mindful of that.
We also have to mention the training part of it and how going to a dog park can affect the training the dog already has. Remember, the majority of dogs that go to dog parks only do so because they were not trained to be anywhere else, meaning they don’t know how to behave in a social setting calmly so they go to the dog park to run wild basically. Those are the dogs that are going to be around yours, and if you have ever invested in training you know that doesn’t come cheap so get ready to see your investment go to waste. Why? Because dogs can be highly influenced by their surroundings and even if your dog had been through training he’s going to be pushed and pressured by the other dogs to act differently. In a nutshell it’s not fair to your dog.
The good news is, like I mentioned before, a well trained dog does not need to ever step a paw into a dog park, simple because he has many other options. A well trained dog can go anywhere with you and his day can be filled with multiple activities that does not include the dangers and unpredictable outcomes of a dog park. I know I may sound harsh but I’m only stating the truth. I’ve been a dog trainer for over a decade and I’ve had multiple dogs. I’ve been in many dog parks throughout my life and I’ve seen it all. One of the reasons why I invest so much in a broad social experience for all dogs that come to train with me is because I never want to find myself wondering if the dog park is my last and only option. My dogs go everywhere with me and they enjoy a much better life at any place because I trained them to do so. I would never take any of my dogs to a dog park and I hope your consider this message before taking yours.
If you want to see the possibilities of what you can achieve with training please take a look at some of my videos and you will see how dogs can truly be great companions when we know how to advocate for them. Don’t put your dog at risk, stay away from dog parks.
