---
title: "Taking Your Dog to the Park"
id: "202824"
type: "post"
slug: "taking-your-dog-to-the-park"
published_at: "2021-05-07T01:02:00+00:00"
modified_at: "2021-05-07T01:02:00+00:00"
url: "https://www.petlandsanantonio.com/2021/05/06/taking-your-dog-to-the-park/"
markdown_url: "https://www.petlandsanantonio.com/2021/05/06/taking-your-dog-to-the-park.md"
excerpt: "The park is a great place for your dog to run free amongst other dogs and more importantly, socialize. There’d also be the occasional butt sniffing, but consider the ‘hazards’ that come with the park. While the park sounds just..."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Community"
---

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# Taking Your Dog to the Park

May 6, 2021 ·  3 min read ·  [Carley Kuehner](https://www.petlandsanantonio.com/author/cosmick/)

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The park is a great place for your dog to run free amongst other dogs and more importantly, socialize. There’d also be the occasional butt sniffing, but consider the ‘hazards’ that come with the park. While the park sounds just perfect, you’d need to make sure that your dog is ready for the park environment. Not sure what this entails? Then take a look at this checklist:

1. Will Your Dog Have Fun?

More than anything, you need to be certain that your pet would have a good time. Not all dogs are big fans of socializing with other dogs, and your pup might get frightened by large, adult dogs. A good way to break them in would be supervised playgroups or play dates, perhaps with friends’ puppies who are in the same age bracket and would interact pleasantly. Also, if your dog displays signs of aggression, even at that young age, you would need to work on curbing that before introducing him to a dog park.

1. Are Vaccinations In Order?

Taking your unvaccinated pup to the park opens them up to transmittable diseases, and puts other dogs at risk. This is why you need to get your pup vaccinated first for all necessary ailments, as well as various parasite preservatives. Furthermore, as a rule of thumb, your pup should only visit the park when they are 17 weeks or older. Keeping your pup’s information updated is also essential in case they get separated from you, so, even when you’re letting them off-leash, the collar and tags should stay on.

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1. Does Duke Have Basic Training?

The most basic of training: would Duke respond to a “come!” command? If you’re not certain that your dog would respond to your summons, then it isn’t quite dog park time yet. To get Duke used to answering the summons, you can start in the living room with short distances. You can then extend this to further distances such as calling from an entirely different room. For every time he runs to you, make sure you give him a treat; this would help with ingraining this response in his psyche. This particularly comes in handy when it looks like trouble is starting to brew at the park and you need to get your pup out of the mix.

1. Are You Conversant With Dog Park Manners?

Knowing dog park manners is important to keep your dog in line. For instance, there’s a thin line between normal play behavior and bullying, and you need to be able to detect when your dog is acting up. This is a two-way street, so it could happen to your pup too and you should be ready to rescue your pet. A dog park is meant for relaxation and socializing, so, if your dog is experiencing stress and anxiety, the purpose is defeated. Similarly, recall that pups would pick up proper mannerism from well-socialized adult dogs, so the occasional growl from one during dog to dog interaction shouldn’t be perceived as a fight, especially when no harm or bullying is evident.

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         Petland Leon Valley   758 Google reviews   Write a review                 Posted on Google        Karina R     Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My dad got my Malti-poo from this store 6yrs ago when I was a teen. We bought him at 3mo old! He was a happy puppy. My family requested to play with him in the little cubicles and we were delighted. He was a little pricey, but he had his papers, proper shots/vaccines, and had an underbite that made him adorable. He’s doing well even today! Never gotten injured or sick. He’s expected to live the normal expectancy of a malti-poo.
I don’t remember much about the store or any changes since then, but I remember that the lady helping us was nice!
Here is Marshmallow!         Posted on Google        Charles B     Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Lots of dogs for adoption, well taken care of. Also have some birds, rabbits and a few sleepy ferrits. I stopped in for some feeder fish. Very nice staff.         Posted on Google        Joshua B     Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Loved the exotic birds         Posted on Google        Melinda R     Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. This was my 2nd time back. My daughter has been wanting another set of guinea pigs. I saw the most beautiful lionhead rabbit 🐇 about 7 weeks. LORENZO educated me on their demeanor, foods etc... I was there a good while, he showed no signs of rushing me, or pushing a sale. Answered all my questions and even educated me on ferrets as i asked lol he loves his job & wish all associates were like this everywhere! I was very pleased 😀 didn't grab the rabbit as my daughter took forever to answer me, but we're leaving for vacation and would not be cool to leave him alone . We will be back! And I will only ask for him! Thank you for the great customer service!              
```
