What to Bring (and not to bring) to the Dog Park

Dog lovers from all over just love to bring their dogs to play at the dog park. Dog parks can rage from the  paid-membership parks, to the parks that are free and community-run. Whichever you choose, you ought to know what to bring on your doggy adventures.

What to Bring:

A small bag to carry your things in. Probably best if it’s one you don’t mind getting dirty.

A leash

A ‘Drool Rag’ – Any old rag will do. Even if your dog is not the kind that is prone to drooling, all the new dog scents can cause any dog to drool with excitement. I learned this the hard way with my Chihuahua/ Dachsund mix.

Band-Aids and Anti-biotic cream, not for your dog, but for you. Dogs get excited, and it’s not uncommon for an excited pooch to accidentally scratch you while he’s riled up.

Poop bags for well, you know.

Water for your dog. Though some parks provide public dishes for all dogs, not all dogs will drink from them, that’s why I always bring a small dish and a refillable waterbottle for my pup, Rockie.

And Finally, Water for you!

Also, don’t forget a camera!!!

We’ve covered what to bring, now comes the other side of the stick, what Not to bring.

Things NOT to bring

• Food – this includes dog treats of anykind. Bringing anything edible into the park will attract all of the canine patrons to you. You don’t know what the other dogs are being fed or if they have any allergies.
• Your dog’s toys from home – Some dogs can be territorial over their things, and he may not be happy if another dog takes his favorite squeaky toy. Another reason not to bring your dog’s toys is that you may not get them back in one piece.
• Flip-flops or sandles – Ever have a dog with long nails step on your foot? It hurts. Wear closed-toe shoes to the park to minimize risk of personal injury. And though hopefully most atendees clean up after their dogs, a tennis shoe is going to keep your feet a lot cleaner if the unspeakable happens.
• Young Children - I know you want to bring your little one to see the doggies at the park, but many dog parks do not allow young children in off-leash areas. There are good reasons for this. Dogs play rough, and they often like to jump up on small children, knocking them down, even if it’s playful, it can still cause injury. A more important reason is that some dogs, usually small breeds, are afraid of young kids. A dog, like any other animal,  has a fight or flight response. If he’s afraid and cand flee, his next instinct will be to fight, and no dog owner or child’s parent wants to have to go through the situation of the dog nipping a child, because of a misunderstanding.