Dog Park Safety - Being Proactive vs. Reactive

Dog Park Safety

How to be Proactive vs. Reactive

It’s a warm sunny day at the dog park .  All the dogs are playing nicely.  Owners are chatting.  When all of a sudden…there’s a fight.   A dog fight.  This time there were no injuries.  However, that isn’t always the case.  Unfortunately, if you have ever visited any one of the 600 dog parks across the United States, you know one of the many risks of bringing your dog to the dog park is a dog fight.  What you may not know, is that owners who are aware of the risks, understand the personality and temperament of their dog, and are able to recognize the signs of appropriate canine play tend to have have a safer and more enjoyable visit.  How can owners obtain this knowledge?  Let’s start at the beginning...

Approximately two years ago, I was approached by a State of Connecticut Animal Control Officer to develop a program on dog park safety.  The goal of this program was to give owners the information needed to keep themselves and their dog(s) safe while at the dog park.  Before designing the program, I spent many hours observing owners and their dogs.  Here is what I learned:

• Sometimes owners don’t observe the rules of a dog park.
• Sometimes owners bring dogs who may not be suited for the dog park environment.
• Sometimes owners don’t know how to help their dog get ready for the dog park.
• Sometimes owners are unable to distinguish the difference between appropriate and inappropriate canine play.  

Based on my observations it became apparent that pet dog owners needed to have a solid understanding of the following:

• An awareness of the pros and cons of being in a dog park.

• To learn which dogs are the best - and not the best - candidates for the dog park.
• An understanding of how to prepare your dog and what to expect while in the dog park.
• Be able to identify what appropriate intercanine behavior looks like.

In my webinar titled: Dog Park Safety - How to be Proactive vs. Reactive each of the above topics will be covered.  The goal of this webinar is to provide pet dog owners with the knowledge to keep each visit to the dog park a positive and safe experience.   


Scheduled to be live on 4/1/12