What to watch out for and do when taking my dog to the dog park?

I strongly recommend you consult with a professional, in-home dog trainer. You need a trainer to come to your house and see the behavior and how you react. Likely you are making this worse. This is your best bet at correcting this problem before it worsens. Shy dogs that are unsure need special care and it is not recommended that you try to correct this on your own. I found this one trainer in your area. If they can't help you they may be able to recommend someone to you. Your vet's office may also be able to recommend a trainer. ( http://www.cjsdogtraining.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=42 ) You may also want to consider getting her spayed. She is going to resent other dogs jumping on her/being around her when she goes into heat. Taking unspayed dogs is to a dog park is not recommended and it is often posted at the entrance to the park that no intact animals (male or female) are allowed because it starts fights.

The dog park can be a scary experience at first, and if Bella is under socialized may be a bit overwhelming. Many dog parks do have small dog only areas which may be less stressful for Bella as she is a smaller breed. You can start by simply walking around the park (but not entering it if fenced) just to get Bella used to the sights and smells and other dogs around. If she seems calm or excited, you can then enter the park. Often times dogs will be greeted at once by several others, which may be a little overwhelming, so encouraging Bella to walk around and keep moving can help keep the pile off of her. If she becomes too stressed out, nervous, or begins to snap or growl, leaving the park is best to avoid a fight or more stress. Some dogs really like the park, while others don't have as much fun, so don't feel bad if she doesn't enjoy being there. There are many other things you can do such as long walks, games of fetch, and visiting locations together to encourage acitvity and mental stimulation with less stress.

If Hondo gets into a fight every time he's at the dog park it would be best to discontinue going. For some dogs, the dog park is a high-stress place and it may not be for them. Other ways to exercise can include solo walks, fetch in secluded areas, and even focused activities that don't involve other dogs. If he's having trouble with the new puppy, or is severely dog aggressive/reactive it would be best to talk with a trainer or behaviorist in your area that can work with you on a plan to help get him more desensitized to other dogs, and potentially doing OK with some. In the mean time, if play gets too rough or one or both dogs seems agitated, taking a break and separating both dogs until they've calmed down is best. Make sure not to leave them unsupervised together as even the sweetest dog can accidentally injure another! Since aggression toward other dogs is a complex issue, it is best to work with a trainer who can supervise your techniques and plan in person.

You're right that there can sometimes be problems when introducing two dogs for the first time, especially if either of them has any history of aggression towards other dogs. I would recommend introducing them in a neutral place at first, like a park. Keep both dogs on leash, let them sniff each other briefly, then go for a walk together. This allows the dogs to get used to each other's presence without feeling pressured to interact. After the walk, take them both home and into the house together and if things are going well, let them off-leash to relax. If things don't go smoothly, it would be best to get help from a veterinary behaviorist (ideally) or a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person. You can search for a behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org or a qualified trainer here: www.ccpdt.org.

As long as your dogs are fully vaccinated, there's no problem with them being around other dogs. You can take your dogs to visit the dog park daily if you'd like, I'm sure they would enjoy running around and playing with different dogs. I hope this helps!

Is there a reason you can't walk around with them at the park? If you're tending to your daughter on the playground, it may be best to skip bringing the dogs and instead just schedule outings where you can walk around and keep an eye on the dogs and your daughter at once. Otherwise, your pups may think they're being abandoned, or if left unattended may injure themselves or others if stressed out. If you must leave them, practicing long-distance wait and stay commands, and rewarding them for calm behavior with a favorite treat (before you start going to the park) may help with their anxiety and teach them that it's OK and rewarding to wait once in a while.

When going to the dog park, I recommend that as soon as she starts to pull, immediately turn around and go away from the dog park for at least 10 steps, then you can turn back and try again. When she starts to pull, once again turn around and take 10 steps away. Give positive reinforcement with treats when she walks by your side where she is supposed to. The goal is to teach her she will get to the park faster if she doesn't pull. Blowing leaves are often a big trigger, and dogs want to chase them. This can be harder to directly train for because the wind is unpredictable. One thing you can do is give Sie a command to look at you. This can be "look", or "Sie", or another word you choose. She should look at you, and not at the treat. She only gets the treat when she looks at you. But if she can learn to stop what she is doing and look at you and away from whatever she finds interesting, this can help with many issues. Then on windy days, you can ask her to sit as the leaves blow by, and stay focused on you. Any training issue requires time and dedication to fix. Be patient and consistent, and over time it should improve. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.