Dog parks aren’t all fun and games

Before I adopted my first dog, I used to walk by dog parks, delighting in all the different kinds of dogs at play. It looked so fun for dog and guardian alike. So, after I adopted Digby, a McNab mix, I couldn’t wait to take him to one and be a part of all the fun.

I brought Digby to my neighborhood dog park, ready to watch him make some doggie friends. We arrived and several of the dogs ran up to greet and sniff him, but he only had eyes for me. In fact, he couldn’t care less about the other dogs. He stood by me, avoiding other dogs’ overtures for play the entire time. I finally walked to a different part of the park and threw him his ball. He ran like lightning to chase it and bring it back to me, happy as a clam. OK, so Digby wasn’t a dog park dog.

For other dogs, dog parks can be much worse than just “not their thing.” One of Marin Humane’s behaviorists described dog parks this way: “Imagine you’re a total introvert but someone has forced you to attend a big, loud party. Annoying people keep coming up to you, getting in your face, talking excitedly or trying to get you to play games you have no interest in, and on top of that, you have no escape. That’s what a dog park feels like for some dogs.” And, depending on the dog, that trapped feeling can manifest itself in defensive behaviors.

Some dogs might be too bold, too defensive or have resource guarding issues to play safely in that environment. They might become easily overwhelmed by all the stimuli dog parks provide. On occasion, dogs form impromptu packs and might gang up on a new dog coming into the park. And some dogs can’t seem to calm down once they’ve become excited — for those dogs, we recommend a little exercise before coming to the dog park.

People sometimes don’t recognize problem behavior or they chastise a dog for behaving improperly when the dog really didn’t. More often, they just tell the guardian of a frightened dog that the dogs will “work it out.” Unfortunately, the way some dogs work it out might result in serious injury. Dogs that are traumatized in a dog park at a young age can develop lasting behavioral issues.

To make things worse, people become easily distracted by their phones or chatting with others and are not carefully watching the dogs for warning cues.

Don’t get me wrong; for some, dog parks can be a great way for exercise and socialization for the dogs. When dog parks become about what we want, instead of what’s best for our dogs, we’re not being good pet parents to them.

Marin Humane recommends socializing your dog through playdates with known dogs or in a closely supervised play group. Puppies, in particular, should not be brought to dog parks for their safety and so they don’t pick up bad play habits.

It’s up to us as their guardians to pay attention and recognize that our dogs might prefer to chase a ball, a private playdate with their best dog buddy or simply playtime with us in the comfort of our own home.

Lisa Bloch is the marketing and communications director for Marin Humane, which contributes Tails of Marin articles and welcomes animal-related questions and stories about the people and animals in our community. Find us on social media @marinhumane or email lbloch@marinhumane.org.