Now, that being said, as a trainer, I think that you have to go into a dog park situation with a few reservations. Here are some reasons that I do not fully embrace dog parks:
- Dog owners are not responsible. They go to the park, let the dog off leash and smoke, chat with other owners, text on their phones-basically doing anything other than paying attention to their dogs. Meanwhile, Stan the Stud is running around, terrorizing the other dogs, enforcing his digging habit, and (heaven forbid), doing that thing that intact males often do with anything and everything.
- Dog owners are not responsible. Their dog poops, they leave it. This is not only gross, but it's unsanitary and makes the park a haven for doggy diseases, disgusting flies, and putrid smells.
- Dog owners are not responsible. They don't properly socialize their aggressive dogs. Fido the Fierce is dog aggressive and bites and runs down all dogs under 20 pounds. Fido the Fierce's mom thinks the dog park is a great way for Fido to get exercise and thinks he's just being "friendly" with the poor Cavalier. Or, in a similar vein, the owner knows that Fido is a bit nutty with other dogs, but thinks that by exposing him to all the dogs at the park, it's going to help.
- Dog owners are not responsible. They don't properly socialize their shy dogs. Helena the Hesitant is young, adopted, and was possibly abused before going to her new family. Helena the Hesitant's dad thinks that she should just "man up" and deal with her fear. So, he takes her to the dog park, throws her in the waves of doggy fur and watches as she drowns among slobbery balls and flying fur.
- Dog owners are not responsible. They do not realize that five months worth of training can all go down the tube at one dog park outing. How many times have you been at a dog park and heard Oggie the Oblivous's mom yelling at him to "Drop that!" "No! No! No!" "Here Oggie, here boy!" and Oggie just happily ignores the broken record playing in the background. All of a sudden, all those commands are deemed worthless and as your dog is 30 feet away from you and running in a pack of other freed canines, you have about .001% chance of enforcing anything you say. Later that night, Oggie's mom wonders why he won't come in from the back yard when he's always done so before.
- Dog owners are not responsible. Fun instead of safety comes first. Those packs of dogs at parks have the mob mentality-they think as a group and act together. Sure, they may be having fun, but they are much more likely to do stupid things. Fred the Follower could be running, not paying attention, and slam into a tree, a fence, a sprinkler head...you name it, anything. I've seen this happen and the results are not happy. Another thing that happens is that owners allow their dogs to over-exert themselves which can lead to exercise-induced collapse, heat stroke, exhaustion, etc.
Notice an overlying trend to my list? That's right, dog owners can often be irresponsible about their dogs. Dogs will be dogs, especially when they get together. You have no way of telling your dog, "Hey, Oggie, if you don't listen to me while you're at the park, you're not going to be able to go back for a really long time," or "Helena, honey, if you feel nervous, just tell those mean dogs to go away." Anyhow, you get my point: humans are the responsible party for their dogs.
So, here are some quick ways to counteract the negatives at the dog park:
- Pay attention. Yes, socialize with the other dog owners, but first and foremost, watch your dog-are they getting into trouble, causing trouble, too scared, tired, exhausted, or anything else they should be? Don't turn your back to your dog. Watch them close and be their advocate, helping them out of situations that they aren't able to handle.
- Do your own thing. Socially, there are certain norms for communicating with others. Bag it-tell the person that you're talking to that you are trying to keep an eye on your dog. Don't make eye contact as often as you normally would with the person you're talking to-keep your eyes on the dog. Be rude-interrupt the conversation if your dog needs you to act as a referee. Apologize to your conversation partner later. Excuse yourself when your dog poops-saying something as simple as, "I'll be right back, so hold that thought, I just need to clean up after my dog really quick before I forget."
- Socialize anywhere but the dog park. The dog park is not for dogs who are uncomfortable in new, strange, exciting situations. Take obedience classes, do agility, have small play groups with friendly neighbor dogs, hire a private trainer, go to the pet store and work on appropriate behaviors, but do not expect to do beginning socialization at the dog park. The park is a great way to keep your dog's socialization up-not to begin the process.
- Go during off hours. This a great time to use the park-maybe only a dog or two, maybe none, but there is the open range you may not have in your apartment. This is also a good time to practice their recall-on a long line!-and the other habits that reinforce a reliable recall.
- Don't go. If it's dirty, unsanitary, not safe, just don't go. Let the owners know why you don't want to go (in a polite way), and offer a solution. (Hey, I don't like going to the dog park because there is a lot of diseases floating around. Maybe we could put up signs encouraging people to pick up after their pets.)
- Leave early. Is Fido the Fierce being a bully? Leave. Is your dog acting scared? Leave. Are there too many dogs? Leave. Sometimes, it's better to have a healthy and safe dog than to give them a "good time."
Dog parks can be great, but they also have their own issues. Please be a wise dog owner and think about your dog's needs first.
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