Park Etiquette: Dos & Don'ts

Your first trip to the park is always an exciting one and if you don’t know the etiquette, other dog walkers will have you up to scratch in no time. Everyone wants their pooch to have a nice time and enjoy just being a dog at the park. Getting them off the lead at a dog park is half the fun, as they can go where they like, sniff what they want and learn how to make friends. There’s nothing quite like watching your beloved pet make their own friends and getting to know other parents who love their fur babies just as much.  

When you first start walking to the park with your canine companion, they’re likely not going to have total freedom on your first visit. Before you can enjoy this, there are some common rules you should be following when you first go to the park and it can take a few visits to learn the lay of the land. 

While most etiquette for walking your dog in the park should be common sense, you might be surprised to find just how many pup parents choose not to follow them. Having some basic etiquette at the dog park means you’re looking after your beloved pet but also being considerate of other dogs enjoying the park.

It should really go without saying that you should never leave the house without some poo bags. Not only can you be fined if you're seen not picking up after your pooch, but it can ruin everyone else’s fun. Parks aren’t just for fur babies and their parents but children often play there too, and no parent wants to be cleaning dog poo off their child’s clothes whenever they go out to play. Dog waste is a major factor in spreading parasites and illness. It’s not just a common courtesy to pick up after your dog but it’s important in stopping the possible spread of parasites to other walkers.  

We’re all guilty of it at times; you might leave the house thinking you have a full roll of poo bags only to find that you run out after your pup relieved themself in the grass. You should always be prepared with multiple bags but if you happen to run out, other dog walkers are often very happy to give you one of theirs if you ask. You only have to forget your bags and have to ask if someone can spare one once before you become the person with pockets full of poo bags ready to share with pet parents in need!  

It’s all well and good going to an off leash dog park, but if your pooch doesn’t have any trained recall, then you’re going to spend the whole time chasing after them and annoying everyone else. You’re rarely the only person using the park and while other dog owners may understand the trials and tribulations of a puppy learning to go off lead, other people may not. If you are unable to recall your pooch to you, you risk having an out of control dog, which is against the law. Having an out of control dog carried the penalty of a fine and potential prison time, and while it may seem like a far stretch that your friendly, bouncy puppy could get you in trouble, it isn’t. 

A dog can be considered dangerously out of control if they make someone fearful of an injury so they don’t even have to cause harm. If they’re jumping up to say hello or accidentally knock a child over and you can’t call them away, you may be reported for their behaviour. Training a recall is one of the most important things to do before letting your pooch off the lead. It can be a fun process that you start before they can even start going out for walks so they can be a polite park user by the time you start taking them out.  

You’re always going to have stiff competition when you go to the park for being the most exciting thing there. You’re going up against other people, dogs, birds, squirrels and things like bikes or joggers. There’s a lot going on that can be great fun for your dog but to have the best behaved pup in the park, all you have to do is be more exciting than all of them! This might sound like an impossible task but a big part of being exciting for your beloved pet is having a strong bond with them. A strong relationship with your pooch will have them checking to see where you are and wanting to be closer to you so it makes training them the basics much easier.  

There’s also a secret weapon you can have that will instantly raise your value to your puppy pal, their favourite treats. You might not be actively training your dog but every outing is a chance to put in some practice and if you have a pocket full of treats, you’re going to be far more exciting than anything else happening.  

While there are plenty of things you can do to make walks in the park enjoyable for everyone, there are also lots of things to avoid doing so you don’t ruin anyone’s fun.  

Teaching your pup social skills is much like teaching a child to be social. Social doesn’t mean they are going to run up and make friends with everyone they meet, it is much more diverse than that. A well socialised dog will be able to read the body language of other dogs so that when they’re off lead and making decisions for themselves, they will know who wants to be their friend.  

One of the biggest mistakes new pet parents make when it comes to their puppies is letting them try to make friends with every dog and human they pass. Socialising your pooch involves a wider repertoire of behaviours, and letting them greet everyone will often mean they’ll get frustrated if they can’t. On lead frustration when a dog sees another dog and wants to go and play can often look an awful lot like aggression, and you will find it increasingly harder to find your pooch other doggy friends if they start to get frustrated on lead. Teach your pooch to say hi to doggy friends but to also be able to walk past them when needed.   

This phrase is a pup parent’s worst nightmare if they have a shy or anxious dog. A big park etiquette no-no is letting your dog run up to other dogs, especially when they’re on lead. There are a number of reasons a person may have their dog on lead. They could have poor recall, they could be recovering from an injury or they could be anxious about dogs or people. In situations where a dog is kept on lead, the polite thing to do is to call your pup back to you and put them on lead. If their pooch is friendly, then they have a greeting on the lead. However, you should never just let your dog run over to find out if they’re friendly for themselves.  

It could be something as simple as the other parent is trying to practice walking their pup to heel and an excitable friend bouncing over is going to be the last thing they need. 

While it’s a given that if you have a dog you probably love dogs and sometimes it’s just as nice for you to make some new doggy friends at the park as it is for your pooch, practice caution when it comes to meeting new pup friends. If you’re tempted to speed that new friendship up with a little treat, you should always ask an owner’s permission before you do so. Their dog could have any number of intolerances or illnesses, which means their diet is limited and feeding them your dog’s favourite treat can do more harm than good. They could just be on a diet which may seem like a little thing but dogs are often on diets to avoid the health implications of being overweight. Giving a treat also raises your value to that dog so if another owner is trying to train recall and their dog realises they can just get treats for free from you, you’re going to undo someone else’s work with their dog! If you ask and the other pup parent is happy for their dog to have a treat, then go ahead but the key is to never do so without permission.  

Communication is key to a fun and enjoyable walk for everyone. Once you know the basic etiquette of taking your pooch to the park, you will both be able to have lots of fun together. For more advice about your canine companion, check out our selection of blogs online.