Are Dog Parks in Omaha a bad idea?
Are dog parks bad? Some dogs may LOVE the dog park and do just fine. However, there are a lot of factors to consider before deciding to engage in dog park activities:
Party time: You are teaching your dog that when they see another dog it is “party time”. Trying to distinguish between when it is ok to play with another dog and not becomes difficult. Your dog is getting all of its reinforcement (rewards) from playing with other dogs and not you. Dogs can become reactive or think it is playtime when they see other dogs out and about.
Safety: Think of a football game where you had no rules and no age or weight limits. You have a 300 pound NFL player tackling at 3 year old child. It may not go well. It only takes ONE bad interaction to make your dog fearful or possibly get injured. We have all seen big dogs in the small dog areas or overly aggressive dogs that have no place being there.
Health: Are all of the other dogs up to date with their vaccinations? Are they carrying canine pneumonia? There have been more and more cases of canine respiratory outbreaks that are related to dog parks.
Your relationship: If your dog gets the majority of its play time from other dogs they begin to value them over you. When you play with your dog it strengthens your bond. It is no different than parents who just hand their kids iPad because they are too lazy to interact with them.
Some dogs may do just fine at dog parks and at the end of the day it is a personal choice. However, it only takes one bad interaction to cause a whole lot of damage. Not worth it in my opinion.
Consider having playdates with dogs and people you know and trust in a controlled environment.