Dog parks can be a solution for city dwellers who own dogs. They help offer for their canines’ exercise needs in a space-challenged environment. Urban budgets usually do not allow for dog park supervisory staff. The design of most dog parks will cause safety and security concerns:
- There is no one in most parks checking the temperament or health of the canine guests coming in.
- People are responsible for cleaning up after themselves. Many people do not do that and treat a dog park more like a potty and leave it spot.
- Additionally, no staff are available to safely and knowledgeably break up an inevitable fight. Vaccination or pest control medical records are not checked before people come in.
- The population of individual dogs and personalities changes all the time in these parks. Thus the pack vibe can change completely with the wrong temperaments in the same space.
Not all dogs are going to get along with any strange dog that approaches them. Even if they get along with most dogs, some dogs will not. Canines can be reactionary around toys and strange dogs. Some dogs just don’t like certain other dog personalities. Additionally, some dogs are jealous of attention taken away from their owner or live-in canine companion. Combine with this the changing pack order that happens, and dog wanting to naturally keep or protect their status. The changing of the pack alone can cause problems of aggression and fights. This is not a problem with your dog. But remember you are surrounded by other strange dogs. This can be a problem with them. No one wants their dog to get in the mix to simply defend themselves.
Most dogs that go to dog parks are not trained. Here, I am using my definition of trained. It is not just the mere act of assuming the sit position for a second and then releasing. Training (and a prosocial temperament) is what makes a dog more controllable when unpredictable situations occur. Training allows most of us to keep our dogs safe. This is why most trained dogs don’t need the confines of a dog park to get their exercise. Untrained dogs have no one to follow but themselves when a problem arises. The communication between the owner and dog for direction is non existent. This will only add to the problem above if a dog to dog or person to dog problem breaks out.
Finally, as intimated above, disease and pests come into the dog park. Even when waste is picked up, it can leave behind germs,worms, and viruses. This can be a problem if you don’t know what the many dogs that come through there have. Because of the lack of supervision, sometimes these parks are nasty and dirty. Fleas are a pest that is common to be picked up at a dog park. An owner will not know if a dog has been fully vaccinated. There is also no way to know if it has been exposed to something like rabies. This issue is solved if there is a supervised dog park.
The best solution is to train your dog so that you don’t need a “dog park” to visit. Also, have friends whose dogs you know get together with you and your dog. Be sure that your dog is in control through training, when you walk them around strange dogs. This is the socializing dogs need, not instances that increase danger to your dog. I would love to hear about supervised dog parks, please e-mail me or comment if you know of any.
Need help training your dog so you can both have more fun and adventure? You can call us at 207-361-4395 or e-mail us at mannerlymutts.rubin@gmail.com
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