Try these real life tips for having a fun and safe days at the dog park!

1. Make sure your dog is healthy when you come. Don't bring dogs that are not up to date on shots! If your dog might be too frail because of age to be rambunctious with younger dogs, don't come! If your puppy is very small, it just isn't time yet.
2. Do expect to allow your dog to be OFF leash at the park. A leashed dog cannot behave normally toward approaching dogs and may become defensive and aggressive. This is not the place to practice training or tricks, and your dog is NOT safer if he is tethered to anything, even you. He must be able to evaluate and react on his own terms if he is EVER to feel comfortable interacting with new dogs.

For many dogs and dog owners, their first visit to the dog park can be overwhelming. "Click here" for list of suggestions and hints to make their experience a positive one. Used correctly, a dog park is a valuable part of a dog's socialization. 

There is a reason dog parks have rules and there are some common sense things that can be done to ensure safety of the dogs. 

Dogs should not be on leash in a dog park ever.  Leashes constrain the scared dogs and can make them more prone to snap.  Other dogs that require a leash and that much attention should not be in the park.  Aggressive dogs are never welcome.  Call the city or county that runs the park if there is an overly aggressive dog and have them banned.  The police in our metropolitan area regularly circulate the parks and dog parks.  

Some owners out there can ruin the good vibes for the rest of us. Here is a video report of owner who lets there dog run free in a parks that requires dog to be on-leash. Beyond that, they don't pick up after there dog. This of course will leave a bad impression with the whole neighborhood. If any responsible dog owners ever try to establish a dedicated dog park here, they will have to combat the negative impressions the neighborhood sure has toward this dog owner.

View the whole report.

Here are some general suggestions about how to get along well in a dog park. Used with permission from Elsa (she was the author of Colorado Dog Park website that is no longer in existence.)