Do dog parks cause reactivity?

I have had minimal issues with the dog park, as the people who use it are responsible and have friendly dogs of all breeds. She’s never been bitten or anything. I’m guessing she may have been tired and it affected her behavior negatively. Though with that being said, on other post-dog park days, she has done just fine too. She growled and lunged at a small dog and it made me feel very bad. She wouldn’t have bitten him, as she’s a very playful dog and loves dogs of all sizes. If a rowdy dog follows her, I’ll leash her up and take her elsewhere. If she feels like a dog is playing too rough, she prefers to just go away instead of snapping.

It takes a dog community to make a dog reactive. They did something wrong, when I truly believe in most cases, it takes a dog community to make a dog reactive. Left to have to manage situations like this again and again because the owners have no idea, each morning in the same park, you can see where reactivity comes from and some dogs end up hating others by sight. When dogs first become reactive there is a stage of denial, everyone and every dog website is offering advice, every dog owner is trying to give advice, more exposure is often the advice but you can see that without education you are creating more issues with more dogs. Those owners who think they have social dogs in the park often are the ones who have the least dog body language knowledge. The owner is not aware that their dog is not coping and continues to expose their dog to the same routine and so expose them to the same unpleasant scenarios again and again. Being able to read your dog’s body language is key. Training is essential to every dog, the more trained your dog is the easier is it to call them away, and the easier it is to notice when they are unconfrontable or overly excited.

Dog parks are often seen as a great place for dogs to socialize and burn off energy, but for reactive dogs, they can be a challenging environment. Reinforcing Ignoring Commands: When reactive dogs are consistently allowed to blow off commands in the presence of other dogs at a park, it can reinforce the idea that they can ignore their owner's cues. Over-Excitement around Strange Dogs: In a dog park, there's often an abundance of unfamiliar dogs, which can trigger over-excitement in reactive dogs. This heightened arousal can make it challenging for them to stay focused and maintain self-control, potentially leading to undesirable behavior. Increased Likelihood of Negative Interactions: Interactions at dog parks can be unpredictable, and encounters with aggressive or dominant dogs may escalate tensions in reactive dogs. Negative experiences can worsen their reactivity and lead to fear or anxiety in future social situations. Amplifying Feelings of Insecurity: For reactive dogs, the dog park environment can be overwhelming and intimidating. Being surrounded by multiple dogs, both familiar and unfamiliar, may amplify their feelings of insecurity and vulnerability, reinforcing their reactive responses as a defense mechanism. While dog parks can be a fantastic space for the few dogs that are comfortable with them, they may not be suitable for those struggling with reactivity.