Dog Parks
Advice from Animal Expert Dr. Grey Stafford
 Recently, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit a great dog park in Gilbert with our little Italian Greyhound mix. There were ponds, wide-open fields, agility-like obstacles to climb and dogs, so many dogs! As fun as it appeared on the surface to us humans, the experience can be more than a bit chaotic and overwhelming for some pets.
While many pups and their families were completely at ease with all the commotion, not every dog or puppy is ready for such full throttle fun. In fact, the best feature of this dog park was a spacious and strategically placed fenced area for small, young, and/or timid animals. It allows pet owners to slowly introduce (i.e., reward) all the changes and sensations the dog park offers, while providing their pet a measure of comfort and security. Such areas give pet owners a greater level of control and safety as inexperienced pets learn to calmly meet and play with each other through a secure wire fence.
This is so important because as we’ve discussed so often in past columns, the best way to shape reliable animals is to prevent behavior problems before they happen. When it comes to training desirable behavior, early success really breeds future success.
Eventually, as your pet learns to adjust to the energy and number of strange animals and people using the dog park, owners will be able to spend increasing amounts of time using other parts of the dog park. However, keep in mind that no matter how successful your pet has been in the past, each trip to the park is a new and unpredictable experience. So it is important to focus 100% of our attention on our pets to prevent them from getting into trouble.
Lastly, such parks usually have ample waste bags and cans to help pet owners clean up after their pets. Since fall is a particularly virulent time for common (and completely preventable) diseases to spread through animal wastes, it is imperative that all of us do our part to protect our pets and those of our neighbors. So, clean up after your pet, and have a great day at the park!
Dr. Grey
Learn more about Dr. Grey Stafford
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