Dog Parks for You and Your Dogs

Dog parks are not only for dogs, their owners can have a good time at them as well, but they need to be careful and watch their dogs above all else. Many dog parks have walking trails for both dogs and their owners or the dogs could run freely, off-leash if they are well trained.

As soon as a dog and her owner arrive at the dog park, the owner should locate the pet waste stations because it is necessary for the parks sanitary conditions to pick up after your dog. The pet waste stations typically have a roll or two of small plastic trash bags to pick up the dog-doo without having to touch it with a bare hand. Then there are plenty of trash cans and some of the newer waste stations offer sanitizing gels for fresh hands.

Some of the smaller dog parks ask that their visitors come prepared and only offer the dog waste receptacles for dumping the piles. They do not provide a way of picking up after your dog. There are several leashes that have a small plastic bag dispenser attached to the handle and this way the clean up material is already in the palm of your hand and it is a quick and easy job.

Once cleanup is no longer an issue, a dog owner and their dog should go off and have some fun at the dog park. If a dog is well trained and well behaved around other dogs, then it could be let off-leash to play with other dogs. If a dog is aggressive towards bigger, smaller, older or any number of different types of dogs, then it should stay on a leash. You might try a long line which is anywhere from a 15 foot leash to a 50 foot nylon leash. Choose something around the 20 foot range. This allows the owner to hold some if not most of the leash in her hand and the dog to explore more than a traditional four or six foot leash.

A long line or long leash is an excellent way to help your dog become used to a new situation such as the dog park. Some of the dog parks have things for the dog and owner to do together such as run an agility course with various pieces of dog park equipment. This could be anything from a dog walk, much like a gymnast's balance beam only wider and with a small board at each end so that the dog could walk up and down to the 'beam'.

For your dog's safety, do not bring toys to the dog park. She may not want to share her toys with the other dogs and this could cause a lot of problems. One activity style toy may be alright such as a fetch for the pond or lake or Frisbee. But these should be kept to a minimum and if other dogs become interested in playing too put the toy away. Dog fights are scary for you and the dogs so try to avoid them at all costs.

Lee of TerraBound Solutions, Inc. specializes in park furnishings for both man and man's best friend including pet waste receptacles,dog park equipment, park benches, and more.