Danger Zone: Navigating Your Neighborhood Dog Park After The School Holidays

by

Lucy Punch

School holidays are now finally over and it is always nice to return to the familiarity of the daily routine after a long, fun – and often exhausting – break. Things can get very busy for the past few weeks – with you, your family, and your beloved pet trying to get back into the swing of things – and it is vital to keep in mind that when you return to your local dog park, things may not be as you left them before.

Let\’s face it: visitors often cause accidental damage, even after they leave. The local dog park, that nice and happy place that was once full of familiar faces and friendly wagging tails, may have become a strange environment to both you and your dog during the holidays with lots of people and their canine friends come around. The out of town visitors to the dog park may well have turned everything upside down, according to your pet at least. The park will be full of new, different, and sometimes, unpleasant smells. It is recommended that you keep your pet on leash when you initially return to the pet-friendly areas until you have had a chance to check out the altered surroundings.

Before you enter the area, take the time to walk along the perimeter of the fence, to make sure that none of the dogs that have previously visited the park have dug holes big enough that your pets could crawl through to escape. Check along any potential obstacles for hidden dangers as well. Make sure that the holiday visitors did not leave their own dog toys behind in the play area, and dispose of anything that doesn\’t belong, especially those that could potentially harm your dog. This will not only make the park safe for you and your pet but for others who use it as well.

It is very essential that you keep a close eye on your pet for the first few times back at the pet-friendly dog park. Make sure that she is behaving well or at least normally while she is there. After the excitement of the holidays, some dogs may find the return to their old park boring and even awkward, while others may be overly excited to see their old friends again. We suggest taking the time to comfort and reinforce your dog\’s confidence for the first few times that you return to the park, now that the holidays have passed and you\’re back to your old routine.

To get more expert tips on how you can manage your pet when in a

dog park

or

pets allowed

accommodation, visit http://www.takeyourpet.com.au — your one-stop shop for pet-friendly advice. Subscribe to the newsletter for the chance to win a FREE pet-friendly holiday!

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