Quote:
Originally Posted by darkim
Start with walking your dog outside the fence line around the perimeter of the dog park. This will provide security for yourself and your dog plus it will get your dog used to being around a pack of dogs. This may take a few visits. Then when you're ready ... keep your dog on a leash when you enter the park. This will allow you the ability to protect your animal and show leadership among the pack. If you're not comfortable with that ... I strongly suggest a professional trainer to help you become a better pack leader.
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Boy do I disagree with this. Walking your dog outside the fence line is going to incite every dog in the park to run the fence in a frenzy. It will not be pretty and may cause fear or aggression in your dog as a response.
Entering a dog park with your dog on a leash renders him unable to defend himself and incites aggression in certain other dogs. Dogs can sense the vulnerability of a dog on a leash when they are not . Many parks have rules forbidding having your dog on a leash inside the park. That's why there's an airlock area as you enter, so you can safely let your dog off leash before entering the park.
At the shelter where I volunteer to take dogs out into the play yards, one of the rules most stressed is not to let them run the fence with the dog in the next yard.