Visiting the Dog Park: Having Fun, Staying Safe

by Cheryl S. Smith

Have fun and stay safe at the dog park
Taking your dog to a dog park is a great way to exercise and socialize your canine companion. Dog parks offer fresh air, open space, and freedom a chance for your dog to be a dog. But not all dogs enjoy the experience and not all dog parks are safe for your dog. Visiting the Dog Park gives you inside information on deciding if your dog is ready for a dog park outing, whether the design of the park makes for safe play, and teaches you simple things you can do to prepare for a great dog park experience.

Learn practical skills
-Evaluate your dog's personality and temperament to decide if he's dog park-ready.
-Learn about design features a well-planned dog park should have.
-Teach your dog four simple behaviors to make him dog park-safe.
-How to read canine body language to avoid problems.
-Dog park etiquette for both dogs and humans.

BONUS! Information on small dogs in dog parks, conflict resolution, and how to find a dog park.

Praise for Visiting the Dog Park from experts
Cheryl Smith barks an honest appraisal of what dog parks are all about, the good, the bad, the clean and the messy. I especially appreciate the chapter "Canine Observation Skills" because she recognizes that what dogs are saying to one another is important--after all they are /dog /parks.
Steve Dale, syndicated columnist "My Pet World" and host "Pet Central" WGN radio Chicago

Cheryl Smith has hit a home run with this much-needed book. It equips the dog owner with everything he or she needs to know before visiting the dog park. Canine body language, appropriate play styles, and conflict resolution are covered in depth.
Sarah Kalnajs, author of Language of Dogs and Am I Safe? DVDs

Paperback

First published March 16, 2007

Reviews

[Kerrie Hoar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dog parks - what are they, how should they be designed, how can you get a dog park in your area, how to find a dog park in your area.
Dog park behaviors - how to identify dog types, how to interpret canine body language, how to deal with problems at the dog park - with humans and canines.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though personally I am not fond on dog parks (and I live on a farm so they’re fairly obsolete in my case) I found this a very good study in dog behaviour. I liked her simple explanations of the different characters in dog social groups, the descriptions reminded me greatly of ‘Don’t Shoot the Dog’ by Karen Pryor, another excellent behaviour and training book (for dogs and people alike!). I also think the behaviour portions of this book would be useful for multi-dog households (particularly if you have a roommate situation with multiple people owning separate dogs) and other multi-dog places like boarding kennels, dog daycare, and shelters.

Some of the training advice was a little... shall we say; interesting. I recommend looking into multiple other sources for your training advice, there’s lots out there, but otherwise a very solid book with lots of great information.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read because it was on the CCPDT list. It is a really quick read and the information is good, but all seemed either intuitive or basic to me. I think it is structured well, clear, and would be accessible for someone new to dog ownership.

There are some resources in the back that look like they may be more in depth on starting a dog park which I haven't looked at yet.

[Veronica Bair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some useful tips on dog body language at the dog park.

[Elizabeth Frum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little resource for dog park stuff.