Dog Park Etiquette

Simply having a dog does not entitle you to going
to the dog park. Some people just go into the dog
park, go sit somewhere and read a book, and pay
no regard to what their pup is up to. It can be
a big problem sometimes. If you want to take
your dog to socialize, be sure he knows how to.
And that you know how to.

Know who started it
Pay attention to your dog so that if he gets
into a fight, you know who started it. If it was
your dog, he needs to be reprimanded. First of
all, pull him off immediately. The other owner
will not respect you if you just stand and wait
for the fight to end. Not to mention, if
something bad happens to the other dog that
yours is attacking, you could be sued or at
least be responsible for some expensive medical
treatment. Second, put your dog in the time out
area. There is usually one in every dog park.
Yell at him immediately and shut him into the
time out area for ten minutes. You must do this
every time he attacks a dog so the he learns the
association between getting cut off from
socializing and attacking other dogs.

Clean up after your dog
It's a dog park. Not a bathroom. Watch your dog
to see if he does his business and pick it up
immediately. Most parks have a trash can and
scoopers to help you do this. For extra brownie
points, pick up some leftovers from other dogs.
People will appreciate that and everyone should
do their part to keep the park pretty.

Let others pet your dog
Some people become territorial about having
other people interact with their dog. My friend
used to be that way, but I went with her to the
park one day and I told her, "People are going
to start keeping their dogs from socializing
with yours if you become so noticeably irritated
when they so much as pet your dog." After that
she started to be more and more social with the
other owners. She thanks me for giving her that
little slap on the wrist because, she is
actually a voice coach and through her
conversations with people, found a lot who
wanted to learn to sing better, or knew someone
who wanted singing lessons, and she got a lot of
business through it. Moral of the story, be nice
to everyone you meet. And let them pet your dog!

Share your water
If you bring a water bowl for your dog, know
that other dogs are going to drink out of it.
Don't become territorial about it. Honestly,
there is only so much room for dog bowls in the
park. If everyone brought one, it would be a
disaster. So be grateful everyone isn't
cluttering the place with bowls, and share
yours.


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Vera Esther is a healthy living, dating and
luxury lifestyle writer. She has blogged about
everything from organic wine tasting to how to
tell if your first date is controlling and even
innovative ways to pursue hobbies like learning
how to sing online with sites like
http://www.bristowvoicemethod.com


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