It's no secret to anyone who knows me in this industry that I am not a fan of dog parks, and that is putting it nicely.  Actually, generally speaking I hate dog parks; I am in no way saying that the way I feel is the one & only way to feel and that everyone should feel that way too (am I ever saying that?), but I am throwing it out there for the record and taking this opportunity to explain myself.

I am laughing right now as I'm writing this, because I'm realizing that it is probably starting to look like I "hate" a lot of things... It's really just Flexi leashes & dog parks... (until next week when I have a whole other topic I forgot about to rant on!)  Just kidding, but truly, I'm not a negative person.  It's just these hot button issues!

Anyway, allow me to define dog park, in reference to what I am referring to here.  A dog park is a fenced piece of property where dog owners get together legally to socialize.  Socialize their dogs or socialize themselves?  Hmmm.. A topic for discussion indeed.  A dog park can also be unfenced, such as the W***** Center in the town over from me, and I much prefer that variety if I have to pick one, because it does, in theory, require owners to have enough control of their canines to let them off the leash without the benefit of the fence containing them.  That (AGAIN, in theory) would lend itself to owners having verbal control of their dogs, hence a more advanced level of training in order to keep everyone safe.  More on that later.

Whenever you close dogs in, literally or figuratively, tensions run higher.  That's a fact, and any trainer worth their weight in salt will tell you the same thing.  That applies to animals in general, probably including humans , too.  When you close in a bunch of strange dogs (so I am not speaking about a denning scenario here), tensions run higher, meaning, stress levels are higher & dogs are more likely to squabble.

I am NOT saying that it is impossible to use the dog park responsibly.  It just never seems to happen.  Obviously, I am a professional dog trainer, which means I see the repercussions of this arguable fact walk through my facility's front door all the time.  That ALONE will put a bad taste in your mouth eventually for the whole dog park idea in general.  It's more than that, though.  My main issues with the dog park are as follows, and I am mainly referring to the fenced variety here:

People make the mistake all the time of taking their dogs to the dog park FOR exercise.  This is a huge mistake.  The dog park, if used responsibly, should be what comes AFTER you've taken the edge off your dog WITH physical exercise (and I mean more than the five minutes it takes you to walk from your vehicle to the gate of the dog park).  When people use the dog park as their dog's source of physical exercise, what you end up with is a big group of strange dogs closed in together with eight hours or so of pent-up physical energy.  That is a recipe for disaster by itself.

I totally disapprove of people who bring their dogs to the dog park with NO recall on their dog.  What "no recall" means is that you are unable to reliably call your dog to you (including off of a distraction, up to & including: toys, sticks, people, kids, oh, I dunno, another dog...).  I feel like this is often what happens: people bring their dog to a fenced-in dog park BECAUSE they have no recall on their dog.  I am NOT accusing every single dog park proponent of this, but I know from experience that this is often the case.  What if their is a squabble?  Are you able to call your dog to you?  If the answer is no, your dog shouldn't be off the leash in this setting.

It is frequently posted (and this varies by park) that children under a certain age aren't allowed there.  This is a safety measure that some people don't heed.  It is completely irresponsible to have your 13 year old child handling your dog in a dog park.  I just want to say that out loud for the record, and AGAIN, that does not mean that I think every single human being that has ever visited a dog park is guilty of this infraction.

Also, and I have had multiple clients pick up on this after I mention it & reaffirm it, because it happens ALL the time.  People frequently bring their dogs to the park, and then sit there with their coffees, phones, even LAP TOPS, fill in the blank, and aren't even watching as their dogs are off riding each other in the distance...  Again, I am NOT accusing every single dog park user of this, but who can deny it happens with frequency?  Any time dog owners are totally oblivious to their dogs' behavior, I take issue.  Especially in this type of scenario, people miss the little red flags that prelude an actual fight, and when you miss those, all you see is the explosion, and then it's the classic "out of the blue!" (which, for the record, is bullsh*t, baring a brain tumor or neurological disorder; it's never "out of the blue."  YOU just didn't see it coming.. especially if you were on your IPhone.)

There are no checks and balances at most (not ALL) dog parks.  There is no one standing there with a clip board making sure your dog is vaccinated & healthy.  Anybody, theoretically, can bring anything in there and no one is ever the wiser... until somebody gets sick.  This is another reason not to bring dogs you've had for a matter of DAYS to the dog park... more on that in a few paragraphs.  Of COURSE there are signs posted that your dog must be vaccinated, and many require licenses, but as anybody that's ever been to one can attest to, people frequently ignore every single thing that sign says.  This becomes an even greater problem when lazy (or oblivious) owners don't clean up after their pets.  It simply isn't the same as an indoor facility that is cleaned & sterilized at the end of the night.  Does anybody remember all the circulating facebook posts of razor blades in cheese cubes and poisonous treats turning up in dog parks (and canine GI tracks)?  Dog parks are frequented by many MANY dogs owned by irresponsible people (they are like moths to a flame when it comes to dog parks), and not everybody appreciates our beloved pets as much as we do... People with bad intentions (as evidenced above) are attracted to dog parks for the purpose of targeting dog owners in general, and it happens more often than you think.

People also do not realize - and this isn't exclusively "dog park people" - that canine behavior (and attitudes) change as dogs mature.  That is not negative or positive.  It just IS.  Just because a young dog (1-2 years old even) is super tolerant of other dogs (or certain behaviors) does not mean that is going to stay that way, even if you, as an owner, change NOTHING.  It does not surprise me in the LEAST when I get this phone call:

"All of a sudden, my dog doesn't seem to like other dogs.. He has started getting in fights at the park" to which I usually say, "Ok, how old is he?  18 months?  2?  3?  4?"  There is nothing surprising about this to me, because I know that maturity is a factor, but dog owners in general are baffled by this.  (I am in no way, shape, or form saying that maturing is an excuse for bad behavior; it isn't.  But it should provide a little bit of insight.  Are we the same people we were at 13?  17?  23 years old?  Hope not... (Thank GAWD in my case! :)  And just because your dog was acting a certain way, or deferring to certain dogs, or tolerating certain behaviors, at 8 months old, doesn't mean this is going to stay that way, regardless of whether or not you change anything.  Make sense?)

Now, this is not directed at any one person or organization.  This is a general statement I am making, I am being completely honest, I stand behind it 100% and here it is: it is ASININE to me that people fostering dogs bring their foster dogs to the dog park, some within 48 hours of HAVING the dog.  This is why: first of all, until a dog is adopted & released to the adopter, the rescue organization in charge of that dog is responsible and liable for that dog.  IF there is an incident, whether or not the foster dog "started" it, if a bystander is bit in the process of breaking up a fight or any similar altercation, the rescue organization is liable for that.  As one can plainly see, this is a terrible (and UNNECESSARY) position for a shelter/rescue organization to be in, a lawsuit waiting to happen, and in the cases where it has happened (and it does), the whole thing is completely preventable by being responsible and NOT bringing your foster dog to the dog park.

Beyond the liability factor, foster (and adopted) dogs take some time to adjust and "show their true colors."  You couldn't possibly ascertain within 48 hours that your foster (or new) dog will be "fine" at the dog park.  By bringing your brand-spanking-new adoptee or foster to the dog park, you are unnecessarily putting others at risk.  You DON'T know what the dog's background is or how it will react in a given situation.  You couldn't possibly know how it will respond because you can't possibly know the dog  in that time frame, nor have you built a relationship where you have reliable control of that dog.  Bringing a brand new dog or foster dog to the dog park demonstrates a total lack of knowledge to me.  Lack of knowledge huge crime?  No.  But then again, if you are going to put yourself and your dog(s) in that position, you have the responsibility to GAIN the knowledge to know that isn't a good idea.  It certainly isn't setting the dog up for success.

I am all for dog-on-dog socialization.  It is not that I don't think dogs should have that, because I totally do.  I think there are much smarter ways of going about it than to try your luck on any given day at the dog park.  It can be a chore, but finding a responsible, reputable doggie-daycare can be a great option.  I stress the "responsible, reputable" part, which will require some research.  There are also great groups on Meetup.com for dog owners to socialize their dogs.  Group training classes are a great place to start & make some friends, for you AND your dog.  My dogs socialize with other dogs all the time... We meet up with friends (human & canine), take training classes (socialization doesn't always mean wrestling), they go, on occasion, to a reputable daycare that I totally trust, and the best: I train my dogs to a degree that I can have them hike with me off leash and we hang with like-minded folks (and dogs) who do the same.  (People frequently say right here "Well, I don't KNOW any other dog owners like that."  Sign up for a cool training class and you will.  Meetup.com, again, is a great resource as well, although all groups cannot be created equal.)

In short, as you can see, I am NOT a dog park fan, and I don't utilize them with my own dogs.  I have no idea why people place such an emphasis on having to have their dogs go to them, for all the reasons I cited above.  I definitely will acknowledge that it's not impossible to use them responsibly, but by design, they don't lend themselves to responsible dog ownership, and there are a million other ways to socialize your dog.  I won't begrudge anyone a good time that IS able to use the dog park responsibly, but I can't think of an instance I'd ever put my dogs in that situation, and I guess I have to say, I would never put my stamp of approval on one.  Again, I'll reiterate one more time, I am NOT saying that everyone who goes to the dog park is the caliber person I described in this article, but you'd be the exception and not the rule.

Herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre it comes!  Love it or hate it, thank you for reading, and if there is anything I can do for you and your dog, reach out at hexdogs@gmail.com.  Thanks again.  Happy training!

Cassie-Leigh Stock, ABCDT, CTDI, AKC-CGC

Nawwww, that's just the title of the article. :)  When it comes to dog training, honesty really is the best policy with everybody.  I am feeling particularly inspired at the moment by an 8 year old French bulldog and his owners that my co-partner & I met last weekend who was resource guarding.

When we were first contacted about this particular case (dog not pictured), I have to admit, my first thought was, "Why did you wait 8 years to address this?" and I will tell you that I did in fact ask that very question when we arrived at his very pretty suburban residence.

The answer was simple... in its simplicity.  The behavior wasn't a problem until a baby entered the picture.  It was totally manageable and simply not a big deal.  Now, the point of this article is in no way, shape or form to pick on the owners of this dog.  (They were actually fabulous and the dog turned out to be SUPER smart, very motivated, and a way willing participant in his own rehabilitation!)  The reason I am using them as an example here is because they really helped me helped them by being completely honest, and therein lies my point.

I don't feel anything can efficiently by gained in this industry (dog training) by sugar-coating things, whether that is on the part of the client OR the trainer.  I am not doing anybody any favors my minimizing, dancing around issues, or trying TOO hard not to hurt your feelings.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE people (I'm like the golden retriever of the human world.. lol) and I have total respect for dignity, but I can't help the dog or the human by being too nice... That is a lesson it has taken me years to learn, and easier said than done!  (Saying it & practicing it are indeed two different things, and just like the dogs, I, too, am a continuous work in progress!  And I'm very thankful for that.)

This situation frequently presents itself with regard to aggression in dogs.  I can't even tell you how frequently I am on the receiving end of conversations that go like this:

"She's just fearful, she doesn't growl.  Well, she doesn't bark, she just growls.  She barked that one time, but never, NEVER bites.  She'd never bite.  Except for that time that she just nipped my niece.. but it was just a nip.. It was just a warning.  She didn't bite.  Just that one time, she broke the skin.." etc.

You see where I'm going with this?  A bite is a bite is a bite.  It's teeth on skin (clothing counts).  There are different types of bites.. I'll allow that in.  There are inhibited bites, there are more intentional ones.. but a bite is a bite.  Hate to be the one to point it out, but it is what it is.  Let's stop sugar-coating it, recognize it for what it is, and see how we can move forward together to change this.  This is the attitude I HAVE to bring to my job, in order to be able to help.

Problems begin in dog training when people aren't honest, and that starts with the self, not with the trainer, although there are certainly consequences of that carry-over.  A lot of the time, people have a hard time acknowledging the reality with their own dogs, and that can mean many, many things, from the fact that many owners treat their dogs like human babies, to the fact that their wittle fwuffy wuffy sweethawt pibble has teeth and CAN in fact bite someone.  It can be extremely difficult to get honest with ourselves when it comes to our dogs, especially when our behavior is contributing to issues.

That is not to say that using fear tactics are in order, although I'd probably be bullsh*tting if I said I never tried to scare someone into action with a piece of information.  Here is what I mean by that: there ARE dog owners out there who are completely oblivious to their own dogs' behavior, (or just have a really poor understanding of dog behavior in general), and thankfully, some of them find their way to proficient dog trainers.  On the rare occasion that I end up with one of these oblivious-type clients (see Your Dog Trainer & You for more on THAT), sometimes they NEED to hear it laid out there:

"Your dog has all the symptoms and is on its way to biting someone." 
"That is NOT friendly behavior." 
"Your dog has zero respect for you."
"YOU are the one causing that behavior."

You can likely see in just reading that how harsh some of these things sound - (imagine being the one having to say it!  Although some people have way less issue with that than me :) - but sometimes, that is how people need to hear it, and I am doing them no favors by being vague.  No matter how "harsh" I might sound, I am always delivering the information from a place of love, with a desire to help & move everybody forward in the best, safest, most effective & fun way possible in order for everybody to achieve that harmony in the household and a happy relationship with their dog.  I want the dog to feel the same peace & balance that they have given me.  I appreciated it so much last weekend when those clients were totally clear, no reading between the lines, no p*ssy-footing around the issue, just, "This is what it is.  This is why we haven't addressed it.  This is what we need to have happen," to which I am easily able to respond, "Thank you for your honesty.  This is what I think.  These are the consequences if we don't make some changes.  And don't let laziness be an excuse not to do the work.  Let's DO this!"  That's my kind of appointment! :)

(In case you were wondering, the prognosis on the 8 year old Frenchie referenced in this article is excellent, and his owners were fantastic clients that reminded me not to pre-judge, remember always what I just reiterated about honesty, and I thank them for the experience!)

As always, love it or hate it, thank you for reading, and contact us anytime for more info: hexdogs@hotmail.com.