Cesar's Dog Park Tips | Cesar Millan

While Cesar encourages everyone to exercise their dog on a regular basis, he also reminds you to keep in mind that a good pack leader maintains leadership even at the dog park. Here are 5 tips Cesar has for dog owners who want to demonstrate good pack leadership.

1. Make sure your dog is spayed or neutered, has all her shots, and is in good health. Under no circumstances should you bring a sick dog to a dog park!

2. Do not use the dog park as a substitute for the walk! If you drive to the park, leave your car a block away and take your dog on a vigorous walk of at least thirty-five minutes to drain some of her energy. Never take an over-excited dog to the park.

3. While at the park, don't "punch out" on your calm-assertive leadership. Be aware of your dog at all times, and take responsibility for her behavior.

4. A calm-submissive dog will not attract another dog's aggression--but an excited dog, a weak, timid dog, or an aggressive dog can become a fight-magnet.

5. Know your dog! If your dog has poor social skills, is overly fearful or is dog aggressive, or if you have not yet established your calm-assertive leadership with your dog, find a more controlled way to introduce her to the company of other dogs, such as "play dates" with one or two other dog owners.

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Fri, 06/25/2010 - 1:23am — DwellingWolves

Accident waiting to happen

I have a 2 and a half year male Pit bull x Mastiff who is a great dog on the lead to walk but tends to be very disobedient when he off leash at the field. As we don’t have Dog Parks near where I live, most of us in the area walk our dogs down the flood fields.
And my dog while is generally well behaviour with everyone he has a bad tendency every time to get fixated on a dog he hasn’t already meet that afternoon anywhere in the field (even way across the other side of walking up along the round side on the leash) and if he isn’t without arms length he doesn’t listen to me and takes off to where ever the other dog is.
And all he wants to do is go greet them and then he comes back over and doesn’t bother them. But when we takes off after dogs on leashes walking besides to road is scary and given people that don’t know him don’t like a dog like him coming taring across to field at them . And I know there are some dogs there that are aggressive and don’t get along with him and if he gets snapped at by another dog he becomes dominant and it turns into a fight.
How can I get him to listen to me off leash and not have him go running after every dog without me letting him know it’s ok because I’d hate to take him down there and have to keep him on the lead cause he loves to run around , chase balls and play in the water and with other dogs .

Sun, 02/07/2010 - 7:09am — Daisy

dog park behaviour

I wrote in awhile ago for help dealing with my Anatloian Shepherd while at the dog park. She is 18mo and still learning how to be polite. She had developed a bad habit of rushing dogs at the gate as they first entered the park. Not only is this rude, but at 110lbs this is unacceptable to me. I thought I had tried everything. I tried to block her as she would crouch in stalking mode, but she would just scoot around me. I tried following up and making her sit after she did the behaviour, but it seemed that by the time I got her settled the lesson may have been missed. Then I saw an episode that clicked!

This was the park that I have been bringing her to since I got her at 8wks. We came there at least four times a week, and now at 18mo she thinks she owns the joint! The very next day I took her to a different off leash park and the change was immediate. We arrived at the new park and I went for the tour to let her get to know the place. She didn't leave my side for a second, she walked slowly and slightly hunched with her tail somewhat tucked. What a difference. She eventually began to feel more comfortable and found some friends to wrestle with. This was a great lesson though for me and since then we have been mixing it up going to different dog parks. we have even returned to our original park and she seems to be over the rushing thing there!

Fri, 06/25/2010 - 1:30am — DwellingWolves

Clicks to me to

While I have no seen to episode you are referring to my dog exhibits similar behaviour where I walk them at a field in our area where everyone walks their dogs. Expect my runs the entire length of a field after dogs or up on the road side where someone is walking their dog on leash.

But unfortunately there aren’t many places where I live that you can take dogs to play with other dogs off leash or run around freely. And I’ve found even taken him to other areas he isn’t familiar with hasn’t changed the behaviour and can be worse because they’re not dogs or people who are familiar with him.