©Scott Sheaffer, CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, USA Dog Behavior, LLC

I enjoy taking my personal dogs to the dog park. Dog parks are great for most dogs, but not all.

Truth About Dog Parks and Dog Owners

Many dog owners really like taking their dogs to the dog park. When I ask new clients what their primary behavior objective is with their dog, they frequently respond, “I want my dog to enjoy the dog park.” Truth be known, many owners enjoy dog parks more than their dogs do.

“…dog parks are most assuredly not for every dog.”

Dogs That Are Okay at Dog Parks

The general checklist to know if your dog is probably okay to regularly attend dog parks includes the following items:

Your dog is not dog-reactive to dogs. Simply stated, this means your dog has historically shown they are not aggressive toward unfamiliar dogs and they don’t try to avoid unfamiliar dogs.
Your dog is not frequently targeted by other dogs. Targeting is an especially disturbing-to-watch behavior that one or more dogs do toward individual dogs. You see this at dog parks. This occurs when one or more dogs “gang up” on a dog that is clearly trying to tell the other dog(s) they are highly stressed by this targeting and want nothing more than for it to stop. Some dogs, through behavior cues they give to other dogs, tend to unfortunately invite this kind of unwanted attention.
Your dog is not aggressive to humans. I know what you’re thinking, “Does Scott really need to add this to the list - isn’t it common sense?” Unfortunately, I see human-aggressive dogs all too frequently at public dog parks. Really bad idea.
Your dog is healthy. Clearly, your adult dog needs to be current on all vaccinations and be in generally good health.

This is not normally a problem, but if you go to a dog park and notice out-of-control dogs that aren’t being managed properly by their owners, it might be time to calmly remove your dog and go back another day.

Dogs That Are Not Okay at Dog Parks

And now the checklist for dogs that are most likely not good candidates for dog park visits.

“But Scott, my dog loves the dog park!” Are you sure they do?

Dog-reactive dogs (i.e., dogs that get grumpy or fearful around unfamiliar dogs) frequently appear as if they love going to dog parks. Below I’ve provided some common things that might masquerade as indications your dog is enjoying the dog park, but they actually may not be.

Your dog is unbelievably thrilled to go into the dog park. They show this by pulling like a freight train as you move toward the dog park. This could be caused by a high arousal level, but frequently is actually caused by something quite different - posturing. Posturing is a way for fearful dogs to let other dogs know “not to mess with them” - a bluff - defensive aggression. Truth is, your dog might be stressed by other dogs at the dog park. If your dog has a history of dog reactivity, you can be confident they are probably posturing. When you consider dogs are on leash as they enter the dog park area, this exacerbates their fear because they are not free to control their interactions with other dogs.
Once your dog enters the dog park, you may find they explore every linear foot of the dog park fence. In fact, they seem to spend almost all of their time sniffing around the fence - they must be having a great time. Most dogs want to interact with other dogs; this non-stop fence sniffing can be an indicator your dog might simply be deliberately avoiding other dogs.
You find your dog seems to enjoy the dog park and wants to include you in the fun because they spend most of their time at your feet. Your dog is most likely telling you they prefer being with you and aren’t all that thrilled to be at the dog park with unfamiliar dogs. They may be telling you they prefer to go home.
You find your dog’s tail is wagging non-stop; they must be having a great time. I’m going to repeat this again; dogs with wagging tails aren’t always happy. Please see my free video, Understanding Dog Body Language to learn more about this. Wagging tails can mean a high level of arousal that is not necessarily associated with happiness.

Dogs That Are Not Okay at Dog Parks, Other Considerations

The following are a few additional things to consider as you observe your dog’s behavior at dog parks.

If your dog is frequently getting into skirmishes with other dogs and you’re confident it’s not play behavior, then your dog is telling you they may not know how to play well with other dogs and might need to get their exercise in other ways.
Be vigilant about your dog not having a bad experience with another dog at the dog park. SEL (Single Event Learning) occurs when a dog is exposed to something (normally something aversive) and quickly makes a rather dramatic and enduring association with it. A large dog that engages your dog-friendly-dog in a significant dog fight is an example of something that could cause this. Even if your dog has no history of issues with other dogs, this can occur.
Older dogs that are far from their prime years in physical health and cognitive awareness are frequently not completely happy dog park attendees. The same is true for sick dogs of any age.
Dogs that roll over on their back the second they enter the dog park or when approached by other dogs at the dog park are not looking for belly rubs (the same is true when they do this with unfamiliar humans in many cases). This kind of behavior is known as a calming signal or appeasing behavior that tells the approaching dog(s), “I’m no threat to you; please leave me alone.” Your dog is nervous and probably doesn’t want to be at the dog park.

Concluding Thoughts

Some dog owners and people in the canine professions feel dog parks should be avoided at all costs. I am not one of those people for a host of reasons.

However, dog parks are most assuredly not for every dog. Just like there are some people who don’t like big parties, some dogs don’t enjoy dog parks. Consider whether your dog really enjoys dog parks or if it’s something you’re doing primarily for yourself.

There are worse things than deciding dog parks aren’t right for your dog.