WECLOME TO HEX DOG TRAINING!
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • FAQs
    • Affiliations
    • Directions
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us
  • Rates
  • Menu
  • Puppy Classes
  • Private Training
  • HANG 'N' TRAIN
  • Day Train
  • Canine Good Citizen
  • Electronic Collar
  • What You Need for Class
  • Calendar
  • Register
    • Private Registration
    • Group Class Registration
    • Day School Registration
  • Payment
  • Facebook Group
  • Blog
  • Photo Gallery
  • Apparel
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • FAQs
    • Affiliations
    • Directions
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us
  • Rates
  • Menu
  • Puppy Classes
  • Private Training
  • HANG 'N' TRAIN
  • Day Train
  • Canine Good Citizen
  • Electronic Collar
  • What You Need for Class
  • Calendar
  • Register
    • Private Registration
    • Group Class Registration
    • Day School Registration
  • Payment
  • Facebook Group
  • Blog
  • Photo Gallery
  • Apparel
WECLOME TO HEX DOG TRAINING!

Ask Me How I Feel About Dog Parks.  (Here it comes.)

5/7/2013

20 Comments

 
Picture
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:

Picture
Picture
Picture
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
20 Comments
Ames
5/7/2013 12:45:06 pm

You didn't even touch on how much disease is at dog parks, for human and canine. Blows my mind how many people thing socialization with owners and dogs you don't know is a good thing.

Reply
Cassie-Leigh Stock link
5/7/2013 01:29:46 pm

I actually hit publish before I was finished with it... lol. I TOTALLY hit on that, and I agree.

Reply
Kelly Ratcliffe
5/7/2013 02:07:43 pm

I was very pleased to see your comments on the age issue. I have a Great Dame in English Mastiff. My Great Dane Sinatra was born deaf and I was looking to adopt a special needs dog. My Mastiff is voice controlled and I taught my Dane Sinatra to respond to me using hand signals at a local off leash park but when we're at the dog park he was taught to follow his sister who is voice control so when I call Daisy he would follow her. This worked great until he hit what I call the terrible two's. It wasn't souch the lack of listening it wad the over excitement to see the other dogs and play with them he would bound up to them and by to he was by no means a small dog so the other dogs with get scared and then that would become an issue. I hate retractable leashes with a pashon and it was killing him not being able to play at the park (state park big open fields lots of room no fence hiking)
trails) but I don't know how to get control of the situation? Maybe you could point me in the right direction?

Reply
kelly ratcliffe
5/7/2013 02:13:14 pm

sorry I just wanted to clarify my rant above was about the terrible twos well (now four) issue I'm having with my deaf great danes not about the dog park

Reply
Kate
5/7/2013 05:01:10 pm

AGREED. And what about the dummies who bring food into the park?! Yeesh! Oh, and my mom used to bring our older dog to the dog park and she witnessed a big GSD attack a boxer puppy. She threw her book at the dog to try to break up the fight (don't even ask me why she had a BOOK with her at a DOG park) - it kind of helped. After the GSD's owner finally pried him off the poor pup, he left and then returned with the GSD in a muzzle.

Or what about my client (who is a responsible dog park visitor) who was bitten by a dog who was brought by the pet sitter who took it upon himself to "socialize" the dog who is terrified of people and dogs..... ::SMH::

Reply
Amy
5/7/2013 09:36:24 pm

Bravo and well said. While reading, each situation came alive, like I was reading a script in action. Thank you for including foster, rescue and shelter dog advise!

Reply
Lindsay
5/7/2013 09:53:12 pm

Thanks for this, Cassie, you have a lot of great points. One thing I would like to add to is about the social maturity of dogs. As you said, dogs OFTEN change as they mature and in many dogs this includes not wanting to play, wrestle, and run around like maniacs. In my work at an animal shelter, I often have people coming in who want to adopt a dog that can go to a dog park. Often its especially people who are adopting bully breeds that are keen to show people how nice they are, and this to them means the dog should play with every dog in a dog park. They don't want a dog to just be social and hang out with other dogs, they want them to wrestle and be crazy. I do enjoy seeing my own dogs playing, (it's just plain fun) but I recognize that my Golden is not the kind of dog that will ever enjoy playing with a new dog right off the bat. It takes him a long time before they get to be that good of friends AND this is normal social maturity in a lot of species (including humans).
Another thing that I have found interesting is the amount of shelters across the country now offering playgroups for their shelter dogs. They are extremely successful, and this being with a bunch of stressed out, under-exercised dogs who don't know each other at all. The difference, however, is the people. Two trained people can easily manage a group of 6-10 dogs with no incidents. (There has been one issue needing medical attention in the last 5 years at the shelter where I work). Its a wonderful outlet for the dogs, both those who enjoy playing and those who enjoy wandering sniffing and getting out of their kennels. Its something I never thought I would believe in, but I am a convert! Sorry to get so long but this is definitely something I am passionate about. :)

Reply
Angie
5/7/2013 10:45:23 pm

I've tried the dog park scene and was surprised to learn that while my two dogs get along so well and seemed to do fine with other dogs - they can't go to a dog park together. Lexi is the "fun police" and bullies anyone who tries to play with her little brother. We used to belong to a wonderful private dog park which was 50 acres, fenced into different regions. The biggest one was for group play or if you didn't like the mix, you could check out a 5 acre field for just you! This was a great place for working on training recalls. I would never take my guys to a regular dog park again, just too stressful for them and me!

The other day when I was walking my dogs, a guy with 2 dogs wanted to let our pooches meet and I said my dogs weren't friendly. He didn't stop coming toward me saying they looked friendly. They probably would have been fine, but I wasn't about to put us in the middle of a 4-way dog fight to see how they got along.

Reply
katie link
5/7/2013 10:47:55 pm

Another fave: unaltered dogs at dog parks... Well, unaltered dogs in general, but especially off-leash at dog parks. SMH.

Reply
Natalie Femino link
5/8/2013 02:39:14 am

Well done Cassie! I dont go to dog parks for all the reasons you state. My observations have been that most people do not behave responsibly but all it takes is one for an incident to occur.....In theory the idea of a dog park is wonderful, in reality it sucks! It is not about the dogs it is about the owners. And I LOVED the point you made about foster dogs.....

Reply
Ames
5/8/2013 02:46:41 am

Haha sorry Cassie. I would delete my original comment cause it doesn't make sense lol but I can't Figure out how on my cell lol

Reply
Kendra
5/23/2013 07:03:29 am

Three of my dogs go to the dog park with me every week or every couple of weeks. The park we usually goto is 18acres, fully fenced. My dogs have bomb-proof recalls and are socially appropiate with dogs & humans. Also, they are more interested in running, sniffing & peeing than playing with dogs so we keep to the perimeter. Thank you for laying this out as clearly as you did. It was a great read. Since our interactions with other dogs & humans are limited, we very rarely have issues but that's not to say I don't see examples of what you mentioned nearly every visit to off-leash parks.

Reply
6 Dogrees link
5/23/2013 08:34:25 am

I am not a fan of irresponsible owners at Dog Parks. I can not take my own dogs to dog parks as they hate big dogs. i am sure there are big dogs that feel the same about little dogs. I think taking a bunch of dogs that do not know each other and (stupid clueless owners) are asking for a open invitation to Mayhem. I am not saying dog parks themselves are horrible... it's the owners. Personally I do not go nor recommend to the adopters of our rescue dogs. You don't take kids to a pool without a life guard I feel the same about dog parks... they should be monitored.

Reply
Kevin
5/24/2013 12:43:04 am

It's not dog parks that you don't like, it's people.

Reply
Cassie-Leigh Stock link
5/25/2013 09:53:21 am

There is some truth to that in this scenario.. I actually love people as much as I love dogs (which is a tremendous amount - I dedicate my life to it :), but there are some locations on planet earth that just attract idiots, and the dog park is one of them for sure.

Reply
Matt Smith
5/29/2013 03:11:00 am

What about hounds? I find that it is difficult to establish a strong recall with my hounds. This is why fenced-in dog parks are invaluable to my family. My hounds (who are very well-socialized with other dogs and people by the way) love the freedom of being able to RUN.

Reply
Cassie-Leigh Stock link
6/3/2013 11:54:15 pm

As far as the points that I made as to why I dislike the use of dog parks generally speaking, there aren't any breed-specific exceptions for me.. Regardless of whether you have hounds or huskies or Rottweilers, if you can't reliably call them to you, I wouldn't be putting them in situations where you might NEED to call them to you... If there is a squabble, and you can't call your dog to you, or someone irresponsible comes in with a dog who shouldn't be there, and you are unable to call your dog to you, again, I take issue with that, regardless of breed. Your dogs could be super nice, well-socialized dogs for all I know.. I stand behind the points that I made as to why I personally can't stand dog parks, and there aren't breed-specific exceptions for me.

Reply
Debbi
6/7/2013 05:41:42 am

I took my two to the new dog park in Randolph on a Sunday evening for the first time. The walk from the parking lot to the park is at minimum a quarter mile. The park itself was nicely put together with tunnels, tires, etc to encourage agility. When I arrived all three dogs in park were altered and just wanted to play. My two were fine (exhausted from a previous walk, then a ride, then the walk in). Enter Mr. "no I am not neutered" who was a shepard/rottie mix - great looking dog. Owner was pleasant and we chatted about the park, where the water was, etc. When I asked how old his dog was, I was told about a year. Now I had observe this dog's behavior when he entered and knew I was not hanging long because 1 - my guys were showing signs of "enough already" but most importantly 2 - the unaltered dog was mounting every dog there! I did a short "soap box" about how neutering a dog does not take away anything other the reproductive genes and that those genes will produce even more unwanted pups in this world of ours". The man said as I was leaving - well if the behavior of his dog made me uncomfortable I should not come on the weekend when it is packed with such behavior. Lots of dogs mounting and aggravating lots of dogs. I smiled sweetly, told him to have a nice day and that we would probably never be back on the weekends or any time soon. I told him to have a great night and think about getting his dog neutered as some day, some time, a dog bigger, stronger and more powerful could cause his dog a world of hurt.

Reply
Gabi
9/19/2013 05:42:11 am

I agree with you for the most part. My three social dogs go to daycare, have regular play dates with dog friends I know, two of them compete in agility, two of them do lure coursing, all of them are in regular obedience classes etc... That said, I do utilize our local dog park on occasion. The occasion being, when I have an afternoon off work (afternoon meaning 1-3 p.m. or so) and I will take all three of them with me to get some off leash running time in. The dog park is very large, all three of my dogs have flawless recalls, and they all stick with me - for the most part I do laps around the park and they all run back and forth while generally staying within 30 feet of me or so. The most dogs I have ever seen at the park when doing it this way is two. Since there are so few dogs in the park, I can gauge immediately if my dogs are going to get along with the others and leave if need be. I've never had a problem though - in fact, the other day, as soon as we got there, someone already there with a whippet mix leashed up her dog and left, saying that he had a problem with chasing smaller dogs (one of the dogs with me is smaller) and so she would leave. That to me is extremely responsible. I also was there once when two other people were there, both with "ball dogs" and the dogs got fussy with each other about a ball, once, and then one of the owners immediately volunteered to leave so the dogs would not fight. I know this is all the exception, but so far it's worked out well for me when I have the time and want a good place to take everyone off leash. (Our park also has a lake and wooded trails through it... it's 24 acres so a bit more space than your average park).

Reply
New South Wales Chinese link
2/27/2021 11:46:02 am

Very creative posst

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Search archives for specific topics:

    the Authors

    Cassie & Kim own HEX Dog Training and bring their experience to you in this entertaining collection of articles on all things dog training.

    Archives

    October 2018
    April 2017
    September 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    July 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012

    Categories

    All
    Dogs
    Dog Trainers
    Dog Training
    Hex
    Hexdogs
    Pitbulls
    Pit Bulls

    RSS Feed


The material contained on this site is digitally tagged for copy write and trademark protection.  All information, to include but not limited to: photos, text, logos and images are the sole possession of Higher Expectations Dog Training and Behavior Modification, its' owners and subsidiaries.  It may not be used without the express written consent of the organization.

Photos used under Creative Commons from Todd Money, Mary Anne Morgan, Todd Money, Todd Money, Todd Money, docoverachiever