Is my dog ready for the dog park?

Is my dog social? Have they learnt how to greet other dogs and people calmly? Your dog needs to be comfortable meeting other dogs (including overly excited dogs) and new people and not display any aggressive behaviours.

You also need to ensure:

• Your dog has a solid recall and can follow basic cues under distractions.
• Your dog is NOT recovering from an injury or illness or a female in season. If so, dog parks are not advised.
• For puppies, they need to be fully vaccinated before visiting a dog park. You also need to assess if your puppy would benefit from being in a dog park. It means your puppy could be interacting with dogs of all ages and sizes and while that can be beneficial, some adult dogs don’t tolerate puppies that well, and one negative interaction for your puppy could mean a lifetime of concern for them.

We recommend staying outside a dog park for the first few visits. Get to know the dogs and people who visit, see if your dog likes to interact with them through the fence first. Make sure you are happy with how the dogs inside the dog park are behaving and if their humans are supervising them.

Are YOU ready for the dog park?

You need to know:

• How to get your dog’s attention.
• How to read and interpret basic canine body language (including if a dog is overwhelmed).
• How to understand the basics of dog play behaviour and when to intervene.