Dog Parks are Great....until they aren't

A wide open space where your dog can burn off some of that high-voltage energy is fantastic.

But a dog park may not be the place for you or your dog, not without some planning and awareness.

Answer these 5 questions:

1. Do you know how your dog behaves around other dogs? A dog that plays with a neighbor's dog and has an established relationship… does not count.

2. Will your dog come to you if called? He does when we are in the house or yard… does not count

3. Do you have a good knowledge of reading canine body language? Tail tucked or tail wagging is a start but not enough to head off to the dog park with.

4. Are you prepared to pay attention and monitor your dog's behavior?

5. Do you know when to step in or let it ride?

Dog Parks are an exciting place

for your dog to run, play, and socialize with other dogs…until it isn’t.

Every dog is different and every day is different for the dog, much like it is for people. We all have good days and bad ones and we bring that emotional state to our every encounter. Sometimes a dog park can provide a launch site for disaster

It only takes one - one dog - one unaware person to ruin all the ‘happy’ that a dog park has to offer.

Is it worth the risk?

Here are my thoughts:

Dogs are brilliant at reading each other’s body language and communicating all the other dogs need to know about their emotional state. (and they are great at reading us too.) This skill set, like with their human counterparts, may not be enough to prevent or resolve conflict.

There are dogs that don’t seem to know how to read social cues and blunder into disagreements with other dogs. The overwhelming majority of these types of conflicts are quickly resolved with a bit of frightening-looking posturing. Hopefully, a lesson is learned that will be heeded in the future

Some dogs have a fear factor that guides their

emotions and you see these dogs get snarky

when a dog's approach is too quick, too invasive, or just unwelcome. Message delivered, the other dog decides if they should walk away or try a different approach. Their body language will express their distress. Dogs can generally work this one out.

the dog on the right is presenting whale eye, the tongue is spatulated and the ears are back . All of these combined add up to a very stressed little dog.

Dogs may feel vulnerable for any of a number of reasons; a little sore, feeling unwell, the dog down the street looking at them sideways and all these different triggers have stacked and now they are in a foul mood. This dog on any other day may be fine and looking for fun, but not today! This falls on the dog’s person to be paying attention to what is going on with their dog. Not every day may be a good day for the dog park.

Some dogs are bullies. Dogs may not be a bully every day and maybe not towards every dog but it is a red flag behavior. They may single out another dog to pick on or together with other dogs will target a particular dog. This dog needs to have its play monitored closely and redirected by their person. If this is a dog that spins up they need a time out or better yet, to go home and not be at a dog park.

Sometimes a dog or a group of dogs will get too excited and pick on another dog in an excess of stimulation which in dog terms it is called hyperarousal. An overstimulated prey drive spurred on by motion, such as a running dog, can create a nightmarish situation. In this state, the dog(s) generally don’t (can’t) listen and may quickly escalate into a dog fight. Again, control of this situation belongs to the dog’s person. If they are not paying attention or do not know how to redirect, or stop their dog then their dog should not be in a dog park.