Copied from DogWood Park www.dogwoodpark.com
- Don't the dogs fight? Although dog fights do sometimes happen at a dog
park, they are uncommon. Dogs that seem dog-aggressive in their own yard
often get along fine with other dogs in a dog park situation. There are
probably several factors contributing to this: (a) the dog park is neutral
territory; there is nothing to defend; (b) the dogs at the dog park keep
changing, so there isn't time for a "pack" to form; (c) dogs that are off-leash
are much less likely to be aggressive than leashed dogs; (d) a large park
tends to inhibit aggressiveness (the dog knows there is lots of room to get
away if need be).
- I'm not sure how my dog will react to being around the other dogs.
Is it okay if I leave him on his leash until I know if he is going to be okay?
- If you have reason to believe your dog will be seriously aggressive toward
other dogs even in a large neutral territory, do not bring your dog to the park.
Bringing a dog-aggressive dog and keeping it on a leash is not acceptable,
other friendly dogs will repeatedly approach your dog, and the situation will
not be pleasant for them. If you are not sure how your dog will act, but have
no reason to believe he will attack other dogs in a neutral territory, your dog
will more than likely be fine, provided you let him off his leash. We have seen
time and time again a seemingly aggressive dog brought into the park on a
leash who became a very nice dog once he was unleashed. Leashed dogs
tend to feel intimidated by dogs running around off-leash, the leashed dog is
not on equal footing with these dogs. The leashed dog, knowing he can't run
away if need be, tends to act aggressive in order to "scare" off the unleashed
dogs. And the leashed dog may feel protective of his owner on the other end
of the leash. We recommend that unless you have reason to believe your
dog is a danger to other dogs (and if that is the case he shouldn't be at a dog
park at all), you let your dog off his leash as soon as he enters the park. If
there is a problem you can immediately leash him. Or, drop his leash and let
him run around a little bit with the leash still on; that way you can more easily
catch him if need be.
- What's the best way to break up a dog fight should one occur?
- There is no absolutely safe way to break up a dog fight, but one of the
methods recommended by the experts is for each owner to grab his/her dog
by the tail or hindquarters and pull the dog away from the other dog, hold on
to your dog's hindquarters until he has calmed down, and then leash your dog
and take him home. Under no circumstances should you ever break up a dog
fight by grabbing a dog's collar or anything near the biting end of the dog!
- Do I need to worry about my dog getting fleas at the park? Park
management does not expect to have a problem with fleas at the park. The
park covers a large area and much of it is in the sun, these conditions are not
conducive to flea reproduction. Also, one would guess that anyone who
cares enough about their dog to buy him/her a membership in a dog country
club will use one of the modern flea products such as Frontline or Advantage
to make sure their dog is flea-free. But should a flea problem ever occur at
the park, steps will be taken to control the situation.
- Do I need to worry about my dog getting a disease at the park? When
someone signs a membership application one of the rules they are agreeing
to is to not bring their dog to the park if it is sick. Another rule they are
agreeing to follow is to keep their dog up-to-date on its shots. Although the
only kind of vaccination that is verified by the park is rabies, one would hope
that anyone who would buy their dog a membership, would also make sure
their dog is protected by its vaccinations. But even if someone does not keep
their dog up-to-date on parvo/distemper shots, your dog is protected as long
as you keep his shots up to date.
- At what age can a puppy be brought to the park? It takes time for a
puppy to build up immunity to diseases such as parvo and distemper, and
some vets recommend that one wait a four months, after the pup has received
all its shots before letting it be around a lot of other dogs. DogWood Park has
no minimum age restrictions for puppies--we simply recommend that you
follow your vet's advice, whatever that may be. (WOOF rules state a puppy
must be at least four months old with all shots).
- My kids love dogs--why can't children under 4 feet in height visit the
park?
- (WOOF rules state that children under 8 yrs. Old should not enter the fenced
area!) We'd love to be able to safely let children visit the park, but
unfortunately small children are at greater risk of being injured at a dog park
than are older children and adults. A small child is more likely to be at a dog's
face level, and more likely to be bitten in the face if a bite occurs. Young
children often run instead of walk, and scream instead of talk--these actions
can cause some dogs to get overly excited. Young children sometimes have
not learned that not all dogs like to be petted. Groups of large fast-running
dogs can easily knock a small child down. While we at DogWood Park firmly
believe that kids need to learn proper behavior with dogs, we feel that doing
so in an area with so many large dogs is not in the child's best interest.
|
