Off-leash means off-leash

Buddy and I go to the dog park almost every day. It’s a great place for dogs to get out some energy by running or wrestling, do a lot of sniffing and exploring, get pets from strangers, and just generally relax outdoors off-leash. 

“Off-leash” being the key. Recently someone brought a puppy to the dog park and kept it on-leash. This is more common than you might think. People have a fearful puppy who’s just starting to explore around other dogs, people are afraid they won’t be able to recall or help their dog if it gets in trouble. They may be right.

But six years of dog park experience have taught me that you really shouldn’t bring a leashed dog into an off-leash dog park. If your dog is timid and afraid of other dogs, having it leashed in a dog park only exacerbates the situation. Your dog is basically a stationary target, at a huge disadvantage due to the leash. All the other dogs are running around doing dog things, while your pup is severely limited. They have no way to escape if another dog is a little too curious or becomes aggressive. All they can do is cower or lash out.

Your dog may become defensive or even aggressive, because they feel unsafe. The leash that was supposed to make your dog safer has the opposite effect.

Dogs can take awhile to get used to the dog park—it’s a very different environment from what most puppies are accustomed. There’s tons of new smells, strange dogs, strange people. The dog park can be scary at first. Your dog may cower around your feet the first few times. They may never get used to the dog park, but the likelihood is that they’ll slowly start exploring, sniffing other dog’s butts, running around and playing—before you know it, they’ll be excited to go and won’t want to leave.

Please don’t bring your frightened puppy on-leash to an off-leash park. It’s a good way to traumatize your dog and turn them off from the dog park. Your dog is not really experiencing the park if they’re on-leash. 

Instead, I would suggest taking your dog at a low-traffic time to start, when there’s only a few other dogs, even no dogs at first. This gives your dog a chance to experience the dog park without being totally overwhelmed. Walk around and let them familiarize themselves with the space. Ease your dog into the dog park experience, off-leash, and your dog will likely learn the ropes in no time.