It’s Not the Dogs—It’s the People: Why Dog Parks Are a Recipe for Trouble

It’s playtime. You’re outside with a bunch of friends, running around, and enjoying the day. More and more friends keep arriving, and the playground is getting pretty crowded, but you keep playing even though you’re running out of room. Someone joins your game of chase, and isn’t listening to the rules. Instead of everyone taking turns chasing with one another, this new ‘friend’ won’t share the game and keeps going after everyone in a one sided pursuit. This game is no fun anymore, and you try to get out of it, but you continue to be pursued, and now you’re getting frustrated. You’re wondering ‘where are your parents?!’ At some point someone in your group snaps, and tells this new friend to back off, accidentally hurting him in the process. It may sound like I’m describing your average children’s playground. But no, I am describing the inner workings of your average….dog park.

Now, let’s say I was describing a human playground in the above scenario. As someone who also works as a preschool teacher, I can tell you with absolute certainty that children and dogs have similar play styles, operating off of similar instinctual waves lengths. The difference? In a human playground, there is an advocate. One or several adults overseeing how the children are playing, and stepping in accordingly when playtime gets too rough or chaotic. In a dog park? No such order exists (usually). The dogs are unleashed and the people go stand off on the sides and play on their phones or have their conversations. And as a result, because there is no order and no one person in charge, the dogs take over. In dog world, there must always be order. Order means survival. Chaos is a threat. So, if the human will not intervene when a dog friend gets too bossy, a confident dog will. And the result is something that offends most humans: barking, a dog pinning another dog down, growling, and sometimes, blood shed. After all, dogs don’t speak human. They speak dog.

So how do you make dog parks safe? The dog park should be used as a supplemental activity for your dog with the sole purpose of giving your dog a chance to socialize with other dogs. It should not be your dog’s only form of exercise. Dogs that enter a dog park jacked up with energy are far more likely to cause problems, or be targeted by other dogs because of the chaos they are bringing in with them. On the flip side, if your dog is insecure and shows extreme hesitation when confronting other dogs, they should also not be brought to a dog park. Dogs parks will be too overwhelming for them, and as a result they will associate dogs with negative feelings. Dogs like this that are forced to socialize oftentimes become a target in large groups as well. Insecure dogs do best with one on one playdates with mild mannered pups where their confidence can grow!

Dog park safety also depends on the human. The human needs to become more aware. If your dog does not listen to you, they should not be in a dog park. Listening to you INCLUDES coming when called AND responding to their name. If your dog does not understand basic social cues, such as a dog asking them to back off or leaving a dog alone who does not want to interact with them, they should not be in a dog park. These dogs need help in learning proper social protocols BEFORE they can be allowed to…socialize. If you are going to take your dog to the dog park, they need to be walking FIRST. Getting exercise before playtime allows your dog to get out some much needed energy, before being placed in a stimulating environment. When you put TOO much energy in an arena filled with stimulating situations, the end result can be pretty…unfortunate.

As a dog trainer, it is very hard for me to recommend taking your dog to a dog park. The environment is unpredictable and the lack of human awareness makes it a pretty poor place for your dog to have a good time. The alternative to an enclosed dog park is a more open arena, such as off leash hours in parks like Central Park and Prospect Park in New York. These parks offer a more natural way of socializing for your dog, infinitely more space…and all you have to do is teach them a proper recall! But the trade off is a dog who is truly enjoying a little more freedom without the stress of a bossy, entitled pup weaseling their way into their good time, and ruining the fun.