As with most things in the world, there are multiple ways to look at every situation.
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So let’s get into the pros and the cons of the dog park- which is very similar to the pros and cons of doggy daycare.
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It is indeed socialization. If your dog plays with other dogs and they run around and they have a great time together, it’s great socialization. And in socialization, every now and then, someone has a little spat. One dog complains at another dog. They have a little tiff. They get over it. Everything is fine.
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This is just like kids playing with their cousins. That part is fine.
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When socialization breaks down is when someone in the group is aggressive. A bully. Again, we’re going back to children and the daycare example. If one kid is a bully then nobody wants to play with him. Or her. And that kid gets kicked out of daycare. And sometimes that dog gets kicked out of daycare too. Or the dog park.
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Sometimes, dogs can be out of control, or their prey drive can be so strong that if another dog is running away, the dog with a strong prey drive goes too far. And will attack. I’ve seen dogs end up at the emergency room because of these events.
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And so the result is, the dog and the owner never go back to the dog park. Or doggy daycare. Understandably, of course, because they never want it to happen again.
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So now what? Their dog gets less and less socialization, and may sometimes become either reactive or fear aggressive.
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So- I’m gonna say something that some of you might find a little bold or maybe a little strong. But it’s that the owner is not being in charge of their dog… on both sides. The overly aggressive dog needed more training so that he/she didn’t get out of control. And the dog that got attacked – it’s always possible that the owner wasn’t hyper-vigilant of the situation to intervene before a problem happened.
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As pet parents, we don’t like to hear that. That it was our mistake. It is a tough pill to swallow. You know what? When my dogs have an altercation it’s up to me to make sure it doesn’t go too far. And it’s my fault if I don’t prevent a problem.
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OK, so that’s the behavior side.
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What else happens at dog parks? I often say to people that kids get cooties at daycare. Our new generation, I have to explain that cooties means some kind of an infection. Ha ha. Anyway. The kid who never goes to daycare and never goes to public situations never gets sick. At least as a young child. Wait til later…
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Same thing with our dogs. You go hang out with other dogs and somebody has a little bit of a respiratory illness. Boom. Everybody gets kennel cough. Usually it’s “self limiting” – which means it’s not a big deal and the dogs get over the illness. Again- like our kids catching colds at day care.
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And fleas. If someone has fleas, everyone has fleas.
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And what does the city spray at the park? Do they use round up? At the least, you might wipe off your dog’s feet after the park. (With plain water and a wash cloth – read my post about dog wipes.)
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Dog parks?
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They can be great when you know the group and everyone is in control of their dogs. But a bunch of strangers? Be vigilant.
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Still seeing patients in Tampa, Clearwater, and virtually.