As a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge and Skills Assessed (CPDT-KSA) with the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) and member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), i'd like to interrupt this blog post with some valuable information to help you have a safe and successful visit to the dog park. 

1) A dog park is a place to bring socialized dogs, it's not a place to socialize one. Unfortunately people may bring inappropriate dogs to the park so keep an eye on your dog, as well as others. 

2) The dog park is not a place for young puppies. Certainly not before they're fully vaccinated, and with caution between the ages of 6 months and 2 years when they're in their secondary fear period and may be more sensitive to scary situations. We don't want them to have disaster outing at the dog park that may cause them to become defensive and fearful of all dogs. 

3) Pay attention to your dog. The dog park is not the place to read a book or check your phone. Your dog may be friendly and appropriate, but could be other dogs at the park who are not. If you see something that you're not comfortable with, just leave; the park will be there tomorrow. Better safe than sorry. Just like the school playground, sometimes dog parks have bullies or dogs whose play style is too much for your pup. Just leave, go for a walk instead and return another day. 

4) Pick up after your dog. If you're heeding #3 above, then you'll notice when your dog eliminates. Nobody wants to step in dog poop and you certainly don't want your dog to track it into your car. It's not the Parks Department's job to pick up the poop, it's yours! 

5) Watch for resource guarding; there are usually old tennis balls or possibly abandoned toys laying around dog parks as well as the water fountain / water bowls, this is a potential recipe for an altercation. Just like kids, dogs tend to want what another one has. Watch for this behavior both with your own dog, as well as with others in the park. When in doubt, remove the object and throw it in the bin and watch the water source for dogs who may be guarding it. 

6) Monitor your dog's heat level and water intake. Some dogs don't know when to stop and can suffer from heat stroke. The most telling symptom of heat stroke in dogs is excessive panting. Other symptoms may include signs of discomfort such as drooling, reddened gums, vomiting, diarrhea, mental dullness or loss of consciousness, uncoordinated movement, and collapse. Also watch for excessive water intake; water intoxication (also known as hyponatremia) can be life threatening to a dog. 

7) If your dog won't come to you when you call them, you're not ready for the dog park. You should have some level of control over your dog before you let them off leash in multi-acre area. I've had training clients tell me that they were at the dog park for almost 2 hours because they couldn't catch their dog when they wanted to leave. Practice coming when called at home, and on a long-line outside and in your backyard before you release them into doggie Disneyland with a pack of their best friends. 

8) Learn a little about dog body language so you can recognize subtle signs of stress in your dog or burgeoning inappropriate behavior in another so you can avoid an unfortunate incident. I've shared one of my favorite handouts below. 

9) Most dog parks have separate ares for dogs of different sizes / weight limits, please adhere to them as this is for the safety of all dogs at the park. One exception to the rule might be an older larger dog that just dodders around and could get hurt by roughhousing dogs in the large dog area. I've seen families with both large and small dogs take both into the large dog enclosure and it makes me incredibly nervous. Yes your Maltese may be ok mixing it up with your Labrador Retriever at home, but to the greyhound that comes into the park when you've got your back turned, it looks like a rabbit and the chase is on. Small furry things may trigger a prey drive response in some dogs and we don't want your little fluffy one to be the target. 

10) The dog park is fun, but it shouldn't be the only form of exercise your dog gets. It can be crazy, chaotic and at times resemble "Lord of the Flies". In other words, it's not normal. There's something to be said for a relaxing walk where your dog can sniff and explore. I can almost guarantee that your dog is not thinking about you while zooming around the dog park with his buds. Think about things that you and your dog can do together where you're involved in the enrichment, thereby deepening the bond between you.