Why shouldn't you take your puppy to a dog park?

They are not appropriate places to socialize a dog. Many dogs aren’t comfortable being in groups of unfamiliar dogs. Encountering groups of other dogs all focused on you can be overwhelming and frightening for a socially unskilled dog, especially a young one. If your dog isn’t socially skilled or mature, letting them run free in a dog park could lead to behaviour problems. Your dog could be intimidated or bullied by other dogs and your dog, unsure how to respond, could start acting defensively or bullying other dogs, too. Dogs who are fearful or shy under the age of 2, females in heat, easily over-aroused, dog selective, resource guarders, fence runners, prone to barrier frustration, or any with a bite history are likely to be anxious, frustrated, defensive or hyper-vigilant in a dog park. Many dogs who aren’t comfortable in a dog park can experience trauma which may not be detected by their owners but will impact their future behaviour especially if they’re young and still maturing. Not all friendly dogs have been socialized with children or are comfortable with children, for everyone’s safety, best to save time with children for leashed or trail walks where dogs are more closely monitored.

Not all dogs have been fully trained or adequately socialized. It’s hard to know how a dog will react to your pup or if they will respect their boundaries. You can get a general idea of a dog’s temperament based on the breed, still, a pet’s environment largely affects their behavior. Because there is little structure at the dog park, dogs are left to run free and do as they please. You don’t know which dogs have a history of aggression. Many dog parents will push their dogs to be social without understanding if they want to be social and are comfortable in this environment. They may not notice that their pup is giving off signals of discomfort. If the pup’s person doesn’t advocate for them, they will be forced to act in their best interest leading to conflict and fights. Harmful interactions like dog fights could create more fear in your pup and impact the trust you have built with each other.