While dog parks can be an excellent way to socialize your pet or let your pet out some pent-up energy, there are certainly a few things to think of before you take them to the park!
Closely Watch Your Dog
Once you’ve ascertained that your dog is going to be safe and happy in the park, it’s still important to be extremely careful. Instead of browsing through your phone or concentrating on other pet owners, keep a close eye on how your puppy interacts with others. Pay attention to the language of their bodies and the dogs around them. If your dog seems frightened or anxious, or starts acting aggressively with others, take away them from the park before the situation worsens.
Limit Their Play To Size-appropriate Areas
Dog parks are usually divided into play areas for large and small dogs, and it’s essential that your dog stays in the right place. Your little dog may get on well with larger dogs in other areas (or likewise), but the park is not your garden. A larger dog can inadvertently harm a small dog, even in friendly play. There is also a possibility that a larger dog might see a small dog as a prey, that may lead in death or serious injury.
Make Sure Your They Are Healthy And Fit
Your dog should be spayed or neutered, up-to-date on their vaccines, and physically fit. You wouldn’t want to bring a sick dog (or one of the missing vaccinations) to the park. With a lot of dogs going to the park on a daily basis, you risk having your own dog get the disease transmitted from other pets. Instead, make sure your dog has a complete health check from the vet before you plan a visit to the park.
Consider The Alternatives
If you have a small dog and have access to a big park with full of large, dangerous dogs, the park may not be the safest place to take your dog to play. Think about going home with dog-owning friends with dogs of known attitude, or a walk with just you and your dog. Or perhaps your local park just needs improvements, such as adding a safer, small dog-only enclosure.
Socialize Your Dog First
With dogs and owners in the park, it’s convenient for any dog to get frustrated, particularly if they’re not used to a lot of disturbance. It’s best to socialize your dog first with a small group of well-behaved dogs and owners they’re familiar with, in a safe setting like a fenced back yard.
Get Your Dog Vaccinated
While you may be keen to take your new dog to the park to enjoy them play with other pets, don’t rush it. To prevent your dog from transferable diseases, it is essential to ensure that your dog has all of its immunizations. Since it is difficult to determine the health status of all the dogs playing there, it is best to only bring fully vaccinated dogs to the park.
Be Careful Off Leash
Never have your dog held back in a loose area with a leash. This can create discomfort in a leashed dog, and they’ll feel worried and have no other alternative but to react violently. If you feel that your dog is capable of handling the park situation, release them as soon as you enter the park, and keep a close watch on him at all times, especially around other dogs and kids.
Research Your Local Parks
Checking out the local parks around your home will help you and your canine friend find the perfect environment to have all that repressed energy out. Not only would they need to exercise, but playing will also be a great experience for all of them involved.
Before you take your dog out, check out the park and monitor the humans and dogs that are available at the time you normally take your pet and ask yourself these questions.
- Is the park too congested at this point of time?
- Is gating and fencing safe?
- Are there separate places for large and small dogs?
- Do the owners pay careful attention to their pets?
- How are the people with the dogs of others?
The kinds of owners you see in the park are as crucial as the dogs you see there. If people appear to be extra sociable to each other or more interested in their mobile phones, they may be delayed to see any aggressive behavior that their pet may have.
The park is one of the nicest spots you can bring your pet, as it empowers your dog to stay fit, exercise and have fun playing with other friendly pets. When you give priority to safety, both you and your dog are sure to have an enjoyable day at the park.
