All Things PetsLife & Lifestyle

Dog Park Etiquette Tips

By AKC Staff

BlueEyed DogIf you’re an urban or suburban dog owner, you’re likely familiar with the local dog park. It’s a canine oasis, where your leash-less pet is free to sniff, run, and socialize with other dogs.

But like any social activity, it’s important to know basic rules of etiquette. And in this case, it’s not just a matter of a social faux pas—failing to comply can put your dog and other pets at risk.

Basic Dog Park Etiquette

  • Should your pet show signs of illness or a contagious disease, don’t bring him/her to the park.
  • Do not bring a puppy that is less than 4 months old or a female dog in heat.
  • Keep an eye on your dog! Don’t let your dog be aggressive with another dog.
  • Be courteous, pick up after your dog.
  • Don’t bring food for yourself or your dog.
  • Bring a portable water bowl for your dog—water bowls at dog parks carry the risk of communicable illnesses.
  • Keep your small dog in the designated small-dog section of the park—even if he/she enjoys hanging out with the big dogs.
  • Bring a ball… but be prepared to lose it.
  • Don’t let your dog run in a pack. Intervene when play starts to get too rough

 

Originally published by the American Kennel Club. For more dog tips and information visit www.akc.org

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Heidi Frankel

Heidi Frankel began her career in sales and marketing in Los Angeles. Upon moving to Dallas, she has worked in both television and radio as a creator, producer, writer, reporter, and co-host. Throughout the course of her career, she has interviewed such celebrities as former Dallas Cowboy Troy Aikman, pop-culture icon Stan Lee, astronauts Jim Lovell and Fred Hayes, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, and former President George W. Bush when he was Texas Governor. Heidi lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband. They have one son. She enjoys gardening, exercise, spending time with her sweet cats, Virgil and Aeschylus.

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