11/24/2025
All the good reasons I tell clients to stay away from dog parks. It’s just not worth the risk.
Dog Parks? Hard Pass.
What’s the big deal with dog parks and are trainers just overreacting?
Dogs are social creatures. Most enjoy the company of familiar, well-matched dogs. So in theory, dog parks should be a great place for them to connect and burn energy... right?
Unfortunately, that’s often not the case.
Here’s why:
Quite often dogs at dog parks are strangers to each other. Meeting unknown dogs typically triggers an adrenaline spike and heightened arousal, that can quickly tip into tension, high-pressure situations or conflict. Repeated exposure to this dynamic conditions a dog to associate social dog interaction with high intensity interactions and adrenaline dumps. In many cases, this is where reactivity begins - often observed as frustration on lead.
Safe and healthy introductions require structure. Wide open spaces, minimal training, and a lack of handler control (can a dog recall off other dogs?) make dog parks a high risk environment for incidents.
Add to that the fact that dogs all have different social styles - some are boisterous, others are timid, and appropriate pairings become nearly impossible. The goal of any interaction should be to promote appropriate social behaviour, where dogs feel safe, have fun, while not feeling overwhelmed and pressured. It’s hard to do that in a chaotic, uncontrolled setting.
A better approach?
Find a dog your dog pairs well with and meet in a safe and suitable environment, or consider a structured daycare program run by qualified trainers who can supervise and manage play appropriately.
Lastly, we acknowledge there are some well managed park environments where regulars meet and manage the space/social interaction well. These are rare though.
