How often have you seen this? Someone walks into a dog park, fixates on his smart phone and stays that way, completely oblivious to whatever his dog might be up to.

I know, I know, it’s the uber-tech age and many humans want to be wired most of the time. But taking a dog to a dog park and not monitoring him just isn’t safe. It’s a bit like taking a four year-old child to an amusement park and letting him run amok with no adult supervision.

Dog guardians can go a long way to making sure that dog park experiences are safe and pleasant for humans and canines by keeping these tips in mind:

• You are responsible for Scrappy. Pay close attention at all times to what he’s doing and how other dogs are behaving towards him.
• Avoid doing things that take your attention away from Scrappy, like talking on cell phones, checking email, texting, or getting caught up in conversations with other dog guardians.



• Dog parks aren’t appropriate for dogs that are afraid of or don’t get along well with other dogs. If you don’t know if your dog is a good dog park candidate, or you’d like your dog to become more comfortable with other dogs, consult with a positive reinforcement trainer.
• Scrappy should be completely healthy and up-to-date on his vaccinations whenever he visits the dog park.
• Make sure Scrappy has a reliable recall before taking him to an off-leash park. Park rules typically require that owners have their dogs under “voice control.”
• Take Scrappy’s leash off as soon as he enters the park. This avoids him becoming frustrated by being leashed while other dogs are off-leash. It also avoids turning Scrappy into an easy target for other unleashed dogs.
• Take frequent obedience breaks with Scrappy. Call him to come to you, reward him when he does, and ask him to sit for the reward of resuming play. These breaks help Scrappy keep his impulses in check and are good practice for times when you may need him to come to you in a hurry. Rewarding him with something fabulous when he comes to you at the park teaches him that it pays handsomely to pay attention to and check in with you when he’s playing off-leash.
• Think of yourself as Scrappy’s advocate and ambassador. If he’s is being bullied or harassed by another dog, intervene. Call Scrappy to come to you and move far away from the other dog. Leave the park if the other guardian won’t/can’t get and keep his dog under control.
• If Scrappy is bullying or harassing another dog, step in. The other dog’s guardian may tell you not to worry, that his dog is fine and enjoys playing that way. But bullying and harassing aren’t polite play; they stress the targeted dog and can result in dog fights. If Scrappy won’t stop bullying, it’s best to leave the park.
• If Scrappy gets upset at other dogs who approach him when his toy’s around, don’t bring the toy to the dog park.
• Avoid bringing puppies younger than 4-5 months to dog parks. Some adult dogs are quite intolerant of puppies. Some dogs like to bully pups. It’s easy for puppies to get hurt by adult dogs due to size & strength disparities. A scary negative experience at a dog park could scar a puppy behaviorally and install a fear of other dogs. Instead, take puppies to trainer-supervised puppy playgroups where they can exercise safely off-leash, learn bite inhibition, polite play and dog-dog social skills.
• Avoid bringing young kids to dog parks. It’s just too easy for them to get knocked down or hurt accidentally by romping dogs. Other dogs are a big unknown when it comes to kids. You don’t know if other dogs may be afraid of kids, or if a running, shrieking child will stir up a dog’s prey drive.
• Always pick up after Scrappy.

On January 14, 2011, the GGNRA released its Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) and proposal to drastically limit dog-accessible areas throughout the Bay Area. Beloved leash-free areas like Fort Funston will limit unleashed dogs to small patches of land and beach, require dogs to be leashed on most trails, and ban dogs from the majority of the park. Other areas will ban dogs altogether.

Like many Bay Area dog guardians, I’m very upset about the proposed changes. Fort Funston is one of the few spots in the City where dogs can roam leash-free outside the confines and inherent challenges of an enclosed dog park. Funston is a unique option for dogs who don’t do well in cramped and often crowded dog parks. At Funston, dogs get terrific exercise and have plenty of room to negotiate the amount of space between themselves and other dogs.

Fort Funston, aka, Doggy Heaven

The loss of dog-access to GGNRA lands presents negative environmental impacts for Bay Area dogs and humans. Clearly, the restrictions will seriously hurt dogs’ quality of life. Our dogs live in a congested urban environment, frequently in small homes and apartments with no back yards or open space in which to exercise. Adequate off-leash exercise is crucial to dogs’ behavioral wellness and quality of life. A dog that isn’t getting enough exercise is a dog that will in all likelihood develop behavior problems ranging from destructive chewing and boredom barking to anxiety and aggression. Sure, the City has many off-leash dog parks, but they’re already often too crowded to be safe. The GGNRA’s planned restrictions will result in even worse overcrowding, less room for real exercise, and higher risk of dog fights.

The proposed restrictions won’t just harm dogs. The restrictions will result in negative environmental impacts on dog guardians and their neighbors. According to a 2007 estimate, there are 120,000 dogs in San Francisco – more dogs than kids, and approximately 1 dog for every 7 human City residents. A bored dog’s incessant barking disrupts his human family and anyone else within earshot.

Off-leash fun at Ocean Beach

What’s to be done? I have a few suggestions:

Woof up or forever hold your peace! The GGNRA will accept public comment on the Study through April 14, 2011. There are several scheduled meetings to which the public is invited to comment. Written comments can also be submitted to the GGNRA in writing. Go to the GGNRA’s site for information on meetings and to submit comments on the DEIS.

Make sure your comments are of the type that count. It’s not enough to simply protest or voice your displeasure. The comments should be related to the environmental impacts of the proposed dog restrictions, and the potential environmental effects that GGNRA is concerned about. SFDOG.org has put together a detailed and cogent list of suggested comments on the DEIS, and welcomes everyone to incorporate them into written comment letters to the GGNRA.

Contact your local political reps (congressional reps, senators, state senators and in San Francisco, the supervisor for your district), communicate your position on the issue and find out how they plan to address this. Let them know this is an issue that affects all of us, not just a handful of dogs or dog walkers.

Be a dog ambassador. Keep Fifi healthy, up to date on vaccines, and licensed. Pick up poop. Train her to be a model canine citizen on and off-leash. Keep her out of areas designated as dog-free zones, and don’t allow her to chase or disturb wildlife. Snappy recalls, leave its and off-leash stays are essential. So are polite human greetings. Off-leash heeling comes in handy for walking Fifi past distractions and keeping her close to you and out of wildlife protection zones.

Spread the word.
You’d be surprised how many people don’t know about this.

For more information on this important issue, visit www.SFDog.org, www.crissyfielddog.org, and the GGNRA website.

This week I saw something that set off my alarm bells — a 4 month-old puppy at a local dog park. As soon as the human guardian took the puppy off leash several big adult dogs bounded up to the pup and surrounded it. The puppy retreated behind the person’s legs. The person pushed it towards the dogs gently and told it to go play. Whenever the puppy ventured onto the field, a big dog charged after it barking, other dogs joined in, and one of them inevitably tackled the pup. Each time, she yelped and scurried back to her person with her tail between her legs only to be told again to go play.

She certainly wasn’t the first person I’ve seen bring a pup to a dog park. I’m sure she meant well and thought she was doing the right thing. She probably thought it was a good way to exercise and socialize the puppy to dogs. Well-placed though those intentions may be, bringing a puppy to a dog park isn’t a good idea.

Vinnie Shows Off Puppy Teeth

Puppies are babies. Before the the age of approximately 16-20 weeks, pups are at the most critical and impressionable time in their lives. Bad scary things that happen to a young puppy have a good chance of traumatizing her for life.

My dog I are frequent fliers at San Francisco’s off-leash parks and beaches. I’m grateful that there are areas in our busy urban environment where my dog can run free and play with other dogs. However, I’m also well aware of the unpleasant things that can happen in dog parks, particularly where young pups are concerned.

Dogs at dogs parks are unknown quantities. Dogs who don’t get along well with other dogs are often brought to dog parks. Many adult dogs are impatient of and intolerant with puppies. Some dogs have a rough play style. Others like to bully and harass dogs. Dogs who visit dog parks may not like it when another canine approaches their toys or humans. A fleeing yelping puppy may trigger a dog’s prey drive; a dog chasing the pup may start to treat her like prey. Dogs who are playing together sometimes tip into fighting. Some dogs tip from playing into fighting easily and often. And some dogs at dog parks don’t come reliably when called.

Add to these factors the fact that all too often, humans don’t watch their dogs as closely as they should in dog parks and don’t intervene in doggy interactions when they should. The result? A puppy could very easily get hurt by an adult dog in any of these scenarios. Aside from the risk of serious physical injuries to a pup, a bad scary incident with an adult dog could leave the dog with a deep long-lasting nasty association with other dogs. Depending on the sensitivity of the pup, she could become fearful or wary of dogs for life.

Puppies don’t have all their defense mechanisms yet. Pups still have puppy teeth, not adult dog teeth. They have puppy jaw and muscle strength, not that of adult dogs. Puppies don’t have the stamina and power of adult dogs. Puppies are still figuring out how to “speak” dog and many puppies do so clumsily.

So what’s a well-meaning puppy guardian to do? Drop-in puppy playgroups and socials monitored by positive trainers give puppies opportunities to frolic with other puppies the same age. Interactions are supervised and controlled in a positive way. There’s a significantly lower chance of puppies getting hurt – physically or otherwise — in this kind of environment. And for an added bonus, playgroups mean plenty of time to practice doggy language and social skills with other pups.

Puppy Play

Besides playgroups, a positive reinforcement puppy class is another chance for supervised puppy play and a head start on manners. Puppy class is a also a great place to to meet other puppy guardians and set up puppy play dates in someone’s yard.

When pups reach the age of six months, providing they’ve been well-socialized during young puppyhood, they’re better equipped for interactions with other dogs. At that age, there’s more of a level playing field and supervised visits to dog parks are safer. Notice I say “safer” as opposed to “safe;” as I mentioned earlier dog parks aren’t risk-free. All dogs at dog parks should be monitored closely by humans to avoid scuffles and injuries.

No matter your dog’s age, doing a little homework ahead of time will go along way to making any visit to an leash-free area a more positive experience for you both. A rock solid recall and a really reliable “leave it” mean dog park outings are safer for your dog and more fun for everyone.

My dog Vinnie is a young Kelpie mix we adopted when he was a wee 4 months old. We’ve never had his DNA tested but I’d bet my last dollar he’s all herding mutt. He’s got the high energy, drive and smarts of a herding dog. And over the summer, he passed his herding instinct test with flying colors.

Vin checks out a dog park

Given his often maniacal energy, getting him plenty of off-leash exercise every day is a top priority at my place. Vin needs lots of room to run and play with other dogs or he makes his own fun in our home, usually in ways we don’t appreciate.

Thanks to Vinnie we’ve explored loads of off-leash spots in San Francisco. Here are his top 5 favorite play areas in no particular order. Four paws up for every one!

1. Fort Funston. Whether you choose to wander the trails and hike the dunes, or head all the way down to the beach, this is an enormous slice of doggy heaven. It’s a wonderful place for humans to visit too. While dogs galore race all about, you can admire gorgeous coastal views, check out weekend hang gliders, scout out sand dollars on the beach or watch for wildlife. I’ve spotted hawks, whales and dolphins here! This place is so big that you can’t see it all in a single visit. Visit often and choose a different route each time. You’ll feel like you escaped the City and your dog will adore you for it. A solid recall is a must as this “park” is unfenced. There are doggy water fountains on the main paved trail and in the parking lot.


Glorious leash-free Ocean Beach

2. Ocean Beach. You may not realize it, but two stretches of Ocean Beach are open to leash-free pooches. They are the area south of Sloat Boulevard and a much larger area north of Stairwell 21. The larger area is Vinnie’s favorite because there’s loads of room to break into a full out gallop. This beach is unfenced so make sure your dog is trained to come to you when you call him. Bring your own water and some for your pup as there are no water fountains.
3. Upper Douglass Dog Park. This park is tucked into the hills overlooking Noe Valley at Douglass and 27th. It’s fenced except for the narrow entrance. Besides a large flat 3-acre grassy field, there are steep rocky outcroppings at one end of the park where nimble and fleet-footed canines scramble up and down. Hike a hidden trail that ascends the rocks in one corner and weaves among the tall trees overlooking the park, and you’ll feel like you’re in a forest, far from the City. Big rocks and tree logs make nice spots to perch while your pooch plays. This park has a dog water fountain. The City and Bay views from just outside the park are lovely.

4. St. Mary’s Dog Park. If your dog is still honing his recall skills, this park’s for him. It’s fully-fenced so you can relax, big enough for chase, fetch and frisbee, but not so big that you won’t be able to find him. You won’t find gravel or hard-packed dirt here. Most of the park is lush grass where dogs love to roll and frolick. Shrubbery and trees create natural hide-and-seek pockets for dogs who are so inclined. This park is located at Murray Avenue & Justin Drive and has a dog water fountain.
5. Stern Grove. Many people don’t realize that Stern Grove’s not just for humans. It’s got a couple of leash-free dog parks. The best and largest is the Pine Lake play area, located off of Crestlake and Vale in San Francisco. At 3.3 acres,it never feels crowded even though it’s heavily-used by dogs in the know. A paved path that loops around the huge grassy expanse provides a nice jogging or walking route and a welcome alternative to standing around while your dog plays. This park’s not enclosed, but it sits in a deep natural valley and is far enough from streets that you needn’t worry about your dog running into traffic. There are two dog water fountains and free parking in the adjoining lot.

If you’ve never visited these parks, get out there now while the days are still on the longer side. Don’t forget to take poop bags. And if there are other “4 paw” SF dog parks your pooch loves, by all means, post a comment and let us know about it.