Dog Parks: Advice, Tips, and Information

Pup Concierge
Dog Park Tips

As the weather gets warmer, if you're anything like me, you can't wait to spend lots of time with your dog(s) at the dog park. Even if you've never been to a dog park before, I've included tips and information to make your dog park visits fun and safe for you and your dog. Dog parks provide incredible exercise and socialization for your dog. Taking your dog to the dog park before a long car ride, before guests are coming over, or before you leave to go to someone else's house will ensure your dog is tired and therefore better behaved.

Entering the Dog Park

• If your dog gets very excited as you approach the park, do not let them pull you. If you let your dog pull you to the park, you're rewarding the behavior by allowing them to get to the park faster and the park itself is a huge reward! Instead, every time your dog pulls, stop walking. This may mean that you walk a few steps, stop and wait for your dog to sit or release the tension in the leash, before you begin walking again. This teaches your dog that you will not tolerate pulling and the notion that the more they pull, the longer it takes to get to the park. Additionally, if your dog is pulling terribly, I recommend walking right by the dog park and going for a long walk instead of playing in the park that day. This will teach your dog that every time you walk towards the park, it doesn't necessarily mean they're going to the park rather they will only be permitted to go if they can walk nicely to the gate.
• Do not bring treats into the dog park with you. Other dogs will try to mug you, jump on you, and get to wherever you've hidden the treats and this will not be a relaxing time for you. Keep any treats inside a treat pouch not your pocket (planet dog and gentle leader make great treat pouches, old makeup bags also make great treat pouches or just a ziplock bag)! Before entering the dog park, leave your treat pouch outside the fence.
• If you have a small dog, I recommend bringing them to the big dog and small dog parks, they should be socialized to dogs of all sizes!
• Do not bring toys with you to the dog park. Even if your dog shares toys well, other dogs will guard resources and this is the most common cause of dog park fights.
  

At the Dog Park

• The purpose of the dog park is for your dog to socialize with others! Give your dog freedom to play with other dogs and people while keeping a close eye on them from a distance. I recommend giving your dog a lot of independence at the park and encouraging them to make friends. If you're constantly standing over your dog's shoulder, pulling your dog onto your lap for attention, or pushing him/her to play with others, then you're becoming the center of attention for your dog instead of building their confidence with others. If your dog is extremely clingy, keep your interaction with your dog to a minimum, ignoring is best and supervise at a distance.
• In general, it is best for dogs to work things out on their own. However, some dogs aren't good at reading another dog's signals, and likewise, some dogs aren't good at establishing and reinforcing their boundaries. In some cases, it is best that people step in to assert the appropriate boundaries. If another dog is being too aggressive with your dog or becoming fixated on humping, and the dog's owner isn't getting involved, grab the other dog's collar and pull them away for a time out. If the owner comes over to see what you're doing, explain in a nice way what the dog was doing that warranted a time out. Hopefully the owner will be understanding and pay closer attention to their dog's behavior.
• If your dog is humping too much or not playing nicely, grab your dog's collar and pull them to a corner of the park for a timeout where you hold their collar and ignore them (keep your back turned, no talking to them, or touching them). If the humping or other undesired behavior persists, you should leave the park. This technique is called Negative Punishment, and if you are consistent, your dog will make the correlation between humping and having to leave the park. To further explain Negative Punishment, the dog is removed from the environment (negative result in the dog's mind) and the humping behavior decreases (punishment).
• If there is ever a fight at the park, do not try to separate two dogs by reaching for their mouths. This is probably your instinct but it is very dangerous. Rather enlist help from others and lift the dogs by their back legs upside down. This is a very disorienting feeling for the dogs and naturally they will release hold of whatever is in their mouth both due to gravity and shock of being upside down. Additionally, creating a loud noise or throwing a shirt over the dogs will also be distracting. If the dogs are injured in the fight, put pressure on any wounds and do not move the dog until the bleeding has stopped, then exchange information with the dog's owner including their phone number, dog's veterinary information and get to your nearest vet immediately for the vet to examine your dog. It's a good idea to know the address and phone number of the vet nearest to your favorite dog park but when in doubt call 311 in New York. In pet emergencies, you cannot call 911 or you will be fined, use 311 instead.
  
• The dog park is a great place to practice off leash training- come, fetch, or a game of hide and seek is a great way to let your dog know that even though they have freedom, they still need to respond to your commands. I especially love hide and seek because if you hide behind a tree and call your dog, your dog learns to look for you which come in very handy when it's time to leave.

Leaving the Dog Park

• If you have a very outgoing dog who never wants to leave the park, keep changing where you're standing or sitting is a great way to encourage your dog to look for you and be aware of where you are. Also play hide and go seek with your dog, give them lots of praise and attention when they come find you! When it's time to leave the park, never chase your dog to leave, this will turn into a very fun keep away game for your dog and they're faster and will generally win! Instead say your dog's name and "come" as your run towards the gate to leave the dog park. It's a lot more fun for a dog to chase you and at the same time your dog will comply with your command to leave the park. Praise your dog as your buckle on their leash to leave. I also find retreating and bowing in a playful way to your dog (think of the yoga pose downward facing dog) to be a great way to inspire your dog to leave the park. It's the same pose dogs do with each other when they're playing. When your dog complies and comes to you to leave give lots of verbal praise and tactile praise, once you're outside the dog park, give them a treat from your pouch and lots of praise.
• If these methods don't work, I recommend having a friend meet you at the park who your dog doesn't know well. When you say "come" or "let's go" to your dog, if they dont comply, leave the park while your friend stays to supervise your dog. Once your dog realizes that you've left without them because they didn't comply, it can be a changing moment in their lives. Sometimes you may have to leave for 30min before it really hits home for your dog. When you come back to the park, say "let's go" or whatever command you want to use every time, and if your dog doesn't comply, leave again. This technique doesn't work on every dog but this technique has been very successful for me and my clients. Oftentimes in one day, your dog will change their way of thinking and watch and follow you to the gate to leave because they don't want you to leave without them.

New York City Dog Runs
For more information or to find the dog park closest to you, check out:
http://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/dogruns

My favorite dogs parks :
Tompkins Square Park 1st Avenue to Avenue B, from East 7th to East 10th streets

Washington Square Park 5th Avenue, Waverly Place, West 4th Street, between McDougal & Thompson streets, south side of the park (behind building)
Central Park www.centralparknyc.org