Why not take your dog to a dog park?

The dog park contains way too many unknowns to be certain your dog will have a safe, confidence-building experience there. Do NOT take your puppy to the dog park. It is far more likely that they will become overwhelmed or have a bad experience than gain the proper socialization you are hoping for. Getting crashed into by other dogs can affect their comfort around other dogs for life. If you have a dog that is worried or reactive toward other dogs, do NOT take them to the dog park. This is like being afraid of the water and being dumped into the ocean to sink or swim. The goal is to seek out situations where calm dogs hang out together and go sniffing together. Crashing around, wrestling and mock fighting, or chase, tackle and pin games can teach poor social skills, not good ones. If your party animal loses his mind when he sees other dogs, STOP going to the dog park or day care. For many dogs, the repeated free exposure to other dogs makes them worse. Injuries can also occur, as serious injuries - even death - can result from the injuries inflicted to a small dog by a larger dog. Dog fights also can arise between dogs of any size, so owners must always be watchful of their pet to make sure that safe play is taking place. Viruses can live in the soil for a very long time, and a dog park is a breeding ground for any number of viruses and parasites that can be spread via the soil, water and air. Parasites can be picked up through contact with feces and by drinking water from puddles in common areas where fecal matter has been.

One main problem with going to dog parks is that there’s no way to know the temperaments of the other dogs. Just because your fur baby is friendly and well-trained doesn’t guarantee the other four-leggers are. Unleashing a group of dogs within the same environment poses a variety of problems, including dogfights, which are a common concern among pet owners. Unfortunately, not all owners pay close enough attention to their dog while visiting the dog park. When this happens, dogs often use that time as an opportunity to misbehave. Again, this can lead to some unpleasant altercations between dogs that could have possibly been avoided. Bringing your pooch to the dog park could expose him to other pets that may not be in good health. Sharing drinking water or coming in contact with another dog’s fecal matter can cause things such as kennel cough, canine influenza, giardia, fleas, and other parasites to spread easily. Furthermore, not all animals may be up-to-date on their necessary vaccinations.