Examiner.com

The advent of dog parks in the DFW area has provided a secure place for dogs and dog lovers to gather and play. Dogs parks provide the off lead play time and dog to dog socialization that have been historically lacking in the life of the urban dog. Dog parks are great fun and most dogs and owners thoroughly enjoy them. However, any time you bring together a mixed group of dogs unknown to each other, you run the risk of altercations between dogs and the spread of disease. To minimize these risks, dog owners should consider the Do's and Don'ts of dog parks listed below.

Dog Park Do's

• DO supervise your dogs play time. While its a nice opportunity for dog lovers to socialize, your main focus should be your dog. You should always know where your dog is, and what it is doing while at the park. Accidents happen while your back is turned. So be vigilent.
• DO pick up after your pet. All dog parks have at least one rule in common, that you bag and dispose of your pets waste. Its good pet etiquette and your responsibility to pick up after your pet.
• DO put your pet on a leash before leaving the park. Even well mannered dogs aren't 100% predictable and can run off or be hit by a car upon leaving the park.
• DO interact with your dog. Be an active part of your dogs dog park experience. Play is a great bonding exercise.
• DO remove training collars, choke chains, prong collars while your dog is in the park to prevent accidental strangulation and injury.
• DO check the posted rules of the dog park and adhere to those policies.
• DO utilize small dog and large dog areas. Your small dog may be fine with larger dogs, but some larger dogs are NOT fine with small dogs and may give chase and injure your small dog if it is allowed to run and play in the large dog off lead area. Keep in mind that if you choose to allow your small dog in the large dog area, and it is injured by another dog, you will have little to no legal recourse.
• DO watch for signs of stress in your dog. Excessive panting, shaking, yawning, hiding and growling/snapping at other dogs that approach your dog are all signs that your dog is not enjoying his experience and its time to leave.

Dog Park Don'ts

• DON'T bring your dog to the park if it is sick. If your dog has diarrhea, is vomiting, has a cough or any nasal or eye discharge, keep your pet at home. One of the risks of dog parks is the spread of communicable diseases. Not only will keeping your sick pet at home prevent the spread of the disease, it will also prevent your already immune compromised pet from contracting some other illness.
• DON'T bring your in-season bitch to the dog park.  Adding an in season female to a mixed group of unrelated dogs that don't know each other is like adding jet fuel to a forest fire. You risk causing dog fights either involving your dog, or between other dogs because of your dog. You also run the risk of an unwanted pregnancy. When your bitch is in season, stick to leash walks.
• DON'T bring an un-vaccinated dog or puppy to the dog park. Again, this is an issue of communicable disease transmission. Diseases like Parvo can live in the soil for months or even years.
• DON'T Bring your puppy under six months of age to the dog park. Puppies are vulnerable to attack and to disease. Waiting until they are six months old gives them time to mature physically enough to safely interact with strange adult dogs.NOTE: Puppies under six months still need to socialize, but this should be done in a controlled setting with dogs you know and can trust, not in the free for all of a local dog park.  If you follow the AVMA guidelines for puppy immunizations, then by six months their immune systems should be strong enough to withstand attack from diseases like parvo and distemper for which puppies are commonly vaccinated.
• DON'T give any dog other than your own treats or tidbits. Some dogs have food allergies and cannot have certain treats. Some dogs can become aggressive and possessive over treats.
• DON'T bring small children to the dog park. Check your local dog parks posted rules for the age limit, but in general children under the age of 10 should not come to the dog park. Not all dogs live with children or are used to them. The dog park should be a safe place for these dogs to play and interact with adults and other dogs without being confronted with a child. A running child may excite a dogs prey drive and cause them to chase and nip or even bite your child. Use common sense, and if you bring your older child to the dog park, make sure he or she knows how to properly interact with strange dogs.
• DON'T bring toys to the dog park that you can't afford to lose. With so many dogs, chances are, your dogs tennis ball will get stolen and/or destroyed and you won't be leaving with it. Don't bring a dogs favorite toy, or one that would distress your dog should another dog takes possession of it. If your dog is possessive over all toys, it is best not to bring a toy to the dog park with you, and supervise your dog closely to make sure he doesn't engage another dog for its toy.
• DON'T bring your dog to the dog park with known dog or human aggression problems. The dog park is NOT the appropriate place to work on aggression issues. Aggression issues should be worked out with a qualified trainer or behaviorist using dogs and people of known temperaments and backgrounds.
• DON'T bring your shy/nervous/fearful dog to the dog park. The chaotic atmosphere of most dog parks does not lend itself well to overcoming fear and anxiety. The best place to work on these issues are with qualified behaviorist and trainers using positive reinforcement techniques in a controlled class setting.
• DON'T utilize shock collars in the dog park. This can cause redirected aggression and lead to fighting. If your dog can't be trusted off lead, work with a qualified trainer before bringing your dog to the dog park.

Dallas Dog Training Examiner Traci Murdock Lists area dog parks in her article "What about dog parks in DFW?"