Love or hate dog parks?
Dog park
By Dr Joanne Righetti (visit Pet Problem Solved website)
Dog parks were the promised nirvana. I have a puppy and want her to meet other dogs. This is such a critical part of her development and socialisation. We can meet other dogs in the street but a tangle of leads inevitably results as the dogs wrestle, play bow and run circles around one another. An off leash area seems ideal. I can let my puppy run free and play to her heart’s content.
Why then do I spend my time watching what every other dog is doing? Are they going to be friendly? Is their owner watching them? What if I want to do some training with my pup, will other dog owners call their dog away from us? (No chance!) Should I intervene in every dog argument?
It seems to me that there are positives and negatives to these designated dog friendly areas:
|
Pros |
Cons |
|
Allow dogs to run and exercise and to socialise with other dogs |
Some dogs are not social & may be scared or aggressive towards other dogs |
|
Allows owners to socialise with other dog owners |
Not all dogs want to play |
|
Dog owners need not walk pavements for hours |
Owners often let dogs do whatever they want |
I wonder if these parks need to be better designed. Mine is great in that it is fully fenced, has access to water and poo bags. (Off leash etiquette is extremely important.) But it is a flat field. There is little to entertain my dog except other dogs. We can’t use it when sport is on.
So what’s the overall concerns us on dog parks? Do you have a point of view (councils will be reading so now’s the chance to speak!)
· Do you wish you had an off leash area and why don’t you have one in your neighbourhood?
· Have you had good and bad experiences in an off leash park? Were you or your dog to blame? Do you still use the park?
· What would you change about your off leash area? Separate ones for small and large dogs, more to do in the park? What is the ideal dog park?
