Dog
Park Etiquette
 A
local dog park is a great place to take your dog to give
it a chance to socialize, but it is never a good idea to
use it as a substitute for taking a walk with your dog. Taking a excited or
anxious dog to the dog park is just asking for a fight.
In order to make a
visit to the dog park a pleasant experience for
everyone, your dog needs to be completely calm and
totally under your control before you enter the park. If
your dog does not respond to your voice commands every
time, you probably need to re-think going to the dog
park for a while.
As always, you should
never socialize a sick dog in a public environment. Make
sure that your dog has a clean bill of health before you
bring it to the dog park. If your dog has skin problems,
parasites or any other sickness it may
expose a lot of health
dogs to it.
Here are some other
things you need to know in order to make the dog park
experience a great one for you, your dog and everyone
else who visits the dog park.
1. Upon your arrival to the dog park, make sure
that your dog is completely calm before you go through
the gate of the park. If it takes a few minutes for your
dog to achieve a calm state of mind, so be it. Take all
of the time you need!!! If you enter to soon, the next
thing you do might be breaking up a fight.
2. After entering the park, make sure you keep
your dog in sight and under voice control at all times.
3.
While in the park watch for any excited or out of
control dogs that might be in the park. Avoid them at
all cost. Remember, not everyone at the dog park has
read this list.
4.
You are responsible to clean up after your dog and
dispose of anything left by your dog. The best and
quickest way to do this is to carry a zip-lock baggie or
two in your pocket so that they will be handy if you
need it.
5. In most areas your dog must be vaccinated
and have all shoots up to date. Some areas also require
you to have your dog licensed as well.
6. If your dog starts to become unruly or plays
rough, correct this behavior at once. If it continues to
be unruly, put the leash back on the dog and leave the
park until it becomes calm again. Remember, owners are
responsible and liable for the actions and behavior of
their dogs at all times.
7. While you are using the dog park, it is OK
for you to do some socializing too. But your main focus
is to pay attention to your dog at all times. You need
to be able to respond to his/her needs or actions at a
seconds notice.
8. It is always best that all dogs at the dog
park be supervised by an adult. If a dog is brought to
the park by a child, and parent or guardian should
always be present. NOTE: In most areas Children 8 years
and under are not allowed in the off-leash dog area.
Children ages 9 - 15 years must be accompanied by an
adult.
9. Keep your dog within the designated
Off-Leash Dog Area boundaries. Once you leave the area,
be sure to replace the leash.
10. In most cases, all other city, county or
state park rules apply to dog parks so it is important
that you know the park rules before you go in. |
