Agenda Item 5.1A - Dog Park Update

Home Browse Search

Dog Park Benefits and Purposes Purpose is to provide a place where dogs can run freely off-leash and socialize with other dogs. Although they're not for everyone, dog parks can benefit both people and their pets. Benefits Many behavior problems in dogs are caused by a lack of physical and mental activity. Dogs were born to lead active lives. They've worked alongside people for thousands of years, hunting game, herding and protecting livestock, and controlling vermin. Dogs' wild relatives lead busy lives, too. Their days are full of hunting, scavenging, avoiding predators and complex social interaction. Most pet dogs, on the other hand, spend the majority of their time alone at home, napping on couches and eating food from bowls—no hunting or scavenging required. Many become bored, lonely and overweight. They have excess energy and no way to expend it, so it's not surprising that they often come up with activities on their own, like unstuffing couches, raiding trash cans and gnawing on shoes. To keep your dog happy, healthy and out of trouble, you'll need to find ways to exercise their brain and body. If they enjoy the company of their own kind, visits to your local dog park can greatly enrich their life. Benefits of going to the dog park include: � Physical and mental exercise for dogs Your dog can zoom around off-leash to their heart's content, investigate new smells, wrestle with her dog buddies and fetch toys until they happily collapses. Many dogs are so mentally and physically e�austed by a trip to the dog park that they snooze for hours afterwards. � Opporlunities to maintain social skills Dogs are like us, highly social animals, and many enjoy spending time with their own species. At the dog park, your dog gets practice reading a variety of other dogs' body language and using their own communication skills, and they get used to meeting unfamiliar dogs on a frequent basis. These valuable experiences can help guard against the development of fear and aggression problems around other dogs. � Fun for pet parents Dogs aren't the only ones who enjoy dog parks. People do, too. T'hey can exercise their dogs without much effort, socialize with other dog lovers, bond and play with their dogs, practice their off-leash training skills, and enjoy the entertaining antics of frolicking dogs.