{"id":2130,"date":"2021-05-07T04:47:48","date_gmt":"2021-05-07T03:47:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.helene-pawsitive-solutions.com\/?p=2130"},"modified":"2023-03-09T15:51:50","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T23:51:50","slug":"should-i-take-my-dog-to-the-dog-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.helene-pawsitive-solutions.com\/en\/should-i-take-my-dog-to-the-dog-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Dog parks: yes or no?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I went with a friend to a dog park, where she brings her dog from time to time, to let him play with his best friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was supposed to be a quiet hour there, after lunch time. But we ended up with 12 dogs at the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And to those who know how to read a dog, it was pretty obvious that not all of them were having fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worst 2 of them were basically overwhelmed or purely terrified\u2026And it ended up in a fight…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all dogs want to go or should go to dog parks<\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before deciding to bring your dog to dog parks, carefully consider if your dog is a good fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think that taking your puppy to a dog park will help him socialize with other dogs, well, you\u2019re wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good socialization is a positive experience<\/strong> and a positive experience<\/strong>.<\/mark> Dog parks are far from being the good place for that. You can\u2019t control everything and there\u2019s no way you\u2019re 100% sure that everything is going to be fine for your dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your puppy get overwhelmed and scared, you might end up with a big problem later.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Will MY dog be OK in a dog park?<\/mark><\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your dog is super social, loves every other dogs, don\u2019t mind being chased and knows when to go away from other dogs, then you\u2019re fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to acknowledge that dog parks are a closed space, full of different kind of dogs and humans, that you mostly don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, for some dogs the dog park is the only activity they have within the day. So obviously, they are full of pent up energy once they get there.<\/p>\n\n\n

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They\u2019re going to play roughly, eventually harass other dogs, chase, bite\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is YOUR dog ready for the dog park?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Senior dogs, skittish dogs, puppies or dogs who can stand being around other dogs but don\u2019t particularly enjoy that, would be better out of this crazy circus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior dogs<\/strong> are usually done playing like crazy with random dogs in a closed space. If your dog might be in pain<\/strong>, if he doesn\u2019t like too much excitement\u2026 He could get anxious and become reactive pretty fast.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Skittish dogs<\/strong> are just going to feel overwhelmed and either freeze, run away from other dogs or become aggressive. The \u201cimmersion\u201d technique doesn\u2019t work, it can only make things worst.<\/span><\/strong> Imagine if I bring you to a place full of spiders, snakes, clowns or whatever scares you and so you get used to it in the end and don’t fear them anymore Do you think that we\u2019ll work? (Spoiler alert: it never does<\/span>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is just torture for them. And I\u2019m pretty sure you don\u2019t want to torture your dog.(Right??)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Help your skittish dog: hire a R+ trainer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you want to help him feel better around other dogs or other people, call a positive dog trainer. There are better ways to help your dog!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you just rescued a dog, take the time to get to know him before bringing him to a dog park. See how he is with one dog, then two\u2026Don\u2019t just hope for the best!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better safe than sorry!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My dog doesn’t have friends<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a common mistake to think that every dog should be friends with any dog. Some dogs, just like Humans, are not very social, and we should be ok with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Don\u2019t force your dog to interact, let him choose if he wants dog company or not. You might turn a \u201cnot interested, thanks\u201d dog into a \u201cGet the flock away from me\u201d dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observe his behaviour and understand what he\u2019s telling you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn about dog body language:<\/mark><\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Any dog owner should learn how to read a dog and be able to recognize canine stress signals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cListen<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0your dog’s whisper<\/strong>\u00a0so he doesn’t have to shout.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Chirag Patel<\/strong>, Domesticated Manners<\/a><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you speak dog?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A webinar about dog body language is included in my online courses<\/a>, as it’s essential to be able to read your dog. For me, it’s the key to create a very strong bond and always be there for your dog when he needs you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Are they really playing?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another important thing is to be able to analyse the play<\/u><\/strong>, to see if it\u2019s appropriate play behaviour or if should give your dog a break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n