Enclosed Dog Parks - Good or Bad?

An enclosed dog park is a fully fenced park where owners can bring their dogs to play with other dogs off-leash.

Enclosed dog parks can be a fun experience for your dog, and a good way to expend some of his boundless energy. However, enclosed dog parks may also be very stressful for some dogs, may result in dog fights, and may cause dog-to-dog aggression.

Note: Do not leave a training collar (e.g. prong collar, or choke chain) on your dog in the dog park. Always use a flat collar. Choke chains can easily get caught in teeth, while the dogs are playing, and cause extreme choking or even death.

1. Provides good exercise for your dog.

An enclosed dog park gives your dog the ability to have off-leash time in a fairly large space. Most dogs will enjoy the freedom to run, jump, smell, and play with other dogs. This also helps them get rid of excess energy.

If you do not have a backyard, an enclosed dog park may be a good place for your dog to run free. On-leash walks alone (3 hours daily), were insufficient to drain my active young dogs.

2. Helps socialize your dog to people and other dogs.

Bringing your dog to an enclosed dog park will get him accustomed to a wide range of people and a wide range of dogs. This may help build his confidence and make him more adaptable to new things.

A well socialized dog is a joy to have because you can take him everywhere with you and not have to worry that he will get stressed or show dog aggression to something unexpected.

3. Is convenient and free.

Enclosed dog parks are free and open all day long.

The most dangerous aspects of an enclosed dog park is that your dog:

• May get into fights.
• May get injured.
• May accidentally hurt a person or child. This usually occurs when the person is trying to stop an ongoing dog fight.
• May develop fear and aggression problems. Once your dog has had some bad experiences with dog fights, he may develop dog to dog aggression.

Dog fights usually occur because of irresponsible owners.

The most common problems you may see in an enclosed dog park include:

1. People who focus on socializing with others and pay no attention to their dog.

When in an enclosed dog park, most of your attention should be on your dog.

If any problems should start to arise, stop your dog from getting involved.

If you start to feel even a bit uncomfortable with any of the new dogs (e.g. too dominant, too rude, too energetic), you should just leave. Better to be safe than sorry.

2. People who bring dominant, aggressive, or fearful dogs.

Some dogs are just not appropriate for enclosed dog parks.

Dominant dogs can become aggressive when they perceive their dominance is being challenged. Fearful dogs can become aggressive when they think they are in danger. This may occur when they are surrounded by other dogs, or in body contact with other dogs.

If your dog has gotten aggressive with other dogs before, i.e. been in a dog fight or bitten other dogs, it is best not bring him to an enclosed dog park until he is fully rehabilitated.

Fix dog aggression problems in a lower stress environment and not in an enclosed dog park. Even in the absence of aggressive dogs, problems may occur. Some dogs may dislike rough play, some dogs may dislike barking, or some dogs may dislike being chased. In fact, a dog may dislike another dog for no discernible reason.

It is crucial to always be on alert and diffuse problems before they escalate into a dog fight.

3. People who "correct" other people's dogs with physical force.

DO NOT correct other people's dogs in an enclosed dog park.

If you do so, you will get bitten sooner or later. If your dog gets involved in a disagreement (before it escalates into a dog fight) just separate your dog from the others. Make a loud noise to briefly distract the dogs, and remove your own dog from the group.

If the dogs are already in a fight, then do not introduce more aggression into an already explosive situation by manhandling unknown dogs. Refer to How to Break Up a Dog Fight by Ed Frawley.

Someone at the dog park once told me, "You have to hit/slap/beat the dogs when you separate them, to show them who is boss, or they will bite you."

That is one of the most stupid things I have ever heard in my life! Doing so will definitely get you bitten, and you would deserve it!

4. People who bring really young children who do not know how to interact with dogs.

Young children often scare or attract the dogs by shouting at them and then run away like prey. Because of their size and their fast movements, small children may trigger prey drive in dogs. This may cause otherwise calm dogs, with good temperament, to chase and even nip or bite the child.

For the safety of the child and the dogs, do not bring young children (below 10) to an enclosed dog park.

If you want to bring your child, please make sure he/she knows how to interact with dogs. Absolutely no teasing and no running around.

A small child may also be knocked over by dogs who are running or wrestling. Here are some other things not to bring to an enclosed dog park.

The quality of an enclosed dog park depends on the people who frequent it.

If you want to explore this dog activity, get all the information you can and make sure to visit the park before bringing your dog. I am not a big proponent of enclosed dog parks because all it takes is one irresponsible dog owner, and his under-socialized dog, to start a fight.

If your dog absolutely loves playing with other dogs, then consider dog daycare, group dog walking, or inviting dogs over to your house. An enclosed dog park can be very stressful on both you and your dog. Unless your dog is very balanced and you have good off-leash control over him, an enclosed dog park may not be a good idea,

If your dog just wants to play fetch with you, or if your dog is older and just wants some peace and quiet, please do not bring him to an enclosed dog park. Why subject him to the torture? In such circumstances, an off-leash trail, or a large school field will probably make your dog much happier.

When we bring our dog (a Shiba Inu) to the enclosed dog park, we closely supervise him. We always stop him from humping and other anti-social behaviors. However, it is difficult to keep an active dog out of trouble all the time.

Sometimes, our dog will redirect and bite on us when we try to separate him from other dogs.

In all our enclosed dog park experiences, our dog only got into one almost-fight with another male Shiba Inu. There were no injuries, and no breaking of skin, but it was an unpleasant experience for everyone involved. Even though we had already gotten hold of our dog, the other owner grabbed him by the scruff and wanted to shake him. We, of course, made him stop.

After experimenting with enclosed dog parks for several months we decided to stop going. Given our Shiba Inu's personality and his interaction style, it is simply too dangerous for him to mingle with a large number of unknown dogs.

We also did not want our Shiba Inu practicing bad dog habits such as redirecting his frustration and biting on us.