With the heat of the dog days of summer behind us, it’s a cool time to take your best friend to the dog park. Or is it?
After all, dog trainer Trish King once declared, “A dog park is like a cocktail party where you don’t know anyone and everyone’s drunk. You could have fun, but it could be a disaster.”
Jorge Melara, a professional dog trainer and owner of Divine K-9 in Madison, recently visited “The Larry Meiller Show” to discuss the rules and etiquette of these pup playgrounds that dog owners — and their dogs — need to know in order to have fun and avoid disaster at their next visit.
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Ahead of the visit
Understand your dog. Melara stressed the importance of having a good relationship with your dog before introducing your pooch to the wider social circle of the dog park.
“You have to have a relationship, and that includes some basic obedience and manners,” he said.
Command performance. When considering what commands dogs should know before they go, Melara emphasized the basics: “At the very least, name recognition. And a recall is key. The recall needs to be sharp enough to work through all of the distractions at the dog park.”
Melara suggested using rewards to get your dog to check in and stay close.
“They’re going to hang out near the treats,” he said. “They’ll walk ahead and then look back, and then you say, ‘good dog,’ and you call them over and give them some treats. Then you have a dog that’s going to stay within a safe perimeter.”
Know the park. That safe perimeter could include keeping your dog in the appropriate area within the park. Many dog parks have separate spaces for small dogs and big dogs, an attribute supported by Melara.
“I do like the separation of the little dogs from the big dogs,” he said. “When dogs get aroused, they get careless with their bodies. It’s not that they’re being aggressive, they’re just being careless. And that’s where accidents can happen.”
What to pack. When loading up the car, Melara advised to keep it simple.
If your dog can be territorial over balls or frisbees, don’t bring those toys.
“If they can’t share, they shouldn’t bring it to the dog park,” Melara said. “Because it could cause a hazard.”
Melara also advised bringing a leash and keeping it handy: “If there’s a little argument, I get my dog. I put her on a leash. I let everybody deal with what’s going on, and then I can let her off leash again.”
Consider, too, packing your dog’s own water dish and water.
Avoid the rush. Simply knowing when to go to the dog park is important, according to Melara.
“When first introducing your dog to the park, don’t go at peak hours — like 7-9 a.m., noon-2 p.m. or 4-7 p.m. If you can, go when retirees bring their older dogs and it’s a little more calm and gentle at the park. Then you can start going at some of the busier times to gauge out how your dog is doing.”
When you arrive
To leash or not to leash? Knowing the proper space also means knowing whether you are at a dog-specific park or a dog-friendly park.
When visiting a dog-friendly park, leashes need to be used.
“I don’t care how good your dog is off-leash,” Melara remarked. “Be respectful to other owners because their dog might be reactive.”
Dog-specific parks, however, are typically off-leash environments. And they can be chaotic.
Release the hounds! Melara observed that much of the chaos happens when dogs and their owners are simply trying to enter the park:
“The dogs that are arriving at the dog park are all as high as a kite because they’ve been charging up in the car. And the dogs leaving the dog park are high as a kite because they were just running around with their friends and buddies.”
Melara advised owners to get away from the entrance as quickly as possible after arriving. Similarly, Melara warned against a protracted “Wisconsin goodbye” when leaving the park.
“The dog being sniffed by eight or nine dogs gathered at the gate as he’s trying to get in or out might not appreciate it,” he said.
Take that pooch plunge? Many dog parks have available swimming areas — if owners aren’t too particular about how dirty their pups will undoubtedly get.
“Make sure that the water your dog is swimming in is some sort of moving water,” Melara advised. “Because algae blooms found in standing water can be deadly to your dog.”
Too shy? If you have a dog that is submissive or introverted but you still want to work on their social skills, Melara recommended finding a small group of dogs in the neighborhood that your dog can play with at their respective homes.
Then, a trip to the dog park can be planned with these other neighborhood dogs, who can act as a buffer from the other dogs.
But Melara stressed, “The reality is that some dogs just aren’t meant for the dog park, and that’s OK.”
If you’re looking for more privacy, Sniffspot is a website that lists rentable private dog parks.
Break it up. If your dog gets involved in a heated argument at the dog park, Melara advised grabbing them by the hips or waist and then gently pinching them around the withers just enough to cause a little discomfort. That should startle the dog just long enough for you to grab their collar.
Under Wisconsin state law, dog owners are legally and financially responsible for injuries caused by their dogs. This means the owner could be liable for damages such as medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.
