Dogs Are Gods Of Frolic

Dogs are amongst the most amazing creatures because they give unconditional love. Dogs love their masters and the masters reciprocate by providing them with all the things of comfort they can afford. Dog supplies are important and useful things for keeping your dog healthy and happy, and include items for dog grooming and maintaining good dog health. Canine or dog supplies can be classified into several sub categories, including dog training supplies, dog grooming supplies, and even more specialist items like hunting dog supplies.
Dog Grooming:
Dogs are gods of frolic. Undertaking thorough dog grooming is like having a permanent job requiring lots of patience, yet packed with exercise and the general fun of bringing up a dog and ensuring it lives a long and carefree life. Dog grooming is an important practice which should not be underestimated - a practice which ensures good dog health and hygiene and should also help to eliminate most dog health problems.
Dog grooming is in fact a somewhat intense program of dog health care that covers the entire life span a dog. Puppy care, canine health care, giving a hygiene bath, washing, combing, brushing, checking ears, paws, teeth and underside, nail trimming, removing dog fleas and insects, and fixing regular meetings with a professional veterinary are all important activities that a dog owner should undertake. A dog's masters should follow a schedule of regular grooming sessions.
Puppy care is a very important practice that requires a lot of diligence and patience. Like children, puppies require some extra special attention. A puppy needs to be handled with extreme care, and should be groomed properly, fed carefully and well, and bedded properly.
Dog Grooming Supply:
Good dog grooming supplies are required to help undertake the important activities of dog grooming and care. A dog supply may include a dog house, dog furniture, dog carriers, dog beds (and designer dog beds), dog toys, dog collars and leashes, dog bath tub, dog soaps, dog perfumes, dog odor removers and mouth fresheners, dog clothes, designer dog clothes, dog t-shirts, dog jewelry, dog food, dog tonics & supplements and dog medication.
Dog Beds:
A dog bed is a bed designed especially for the sleeping comfort of a dog. It should be the snug retreat to where it retires to take sweet dreams at the end of a long and active day. Good dog beds play a very important part in keeping your dog in good health. An improper sleep may very much affect the health of a dog, thus dog masters should be very careful when buying dog pet beds. Dog beds and dog bedding include a dog bed mattress, dog bed sheets, dog bed cover, dog bed cushions, dog pillows, dog blankets and dog quilts or duvets.
Dog beds are available in numerous designs and sizes including luxury dog pet beds, large dog beds, wicker dog bed, leather dog beds, top quality dog beds, orthopedic dog beds etc. There are a number of designer dog pet beds available. Dog beds can also be purchased online, as there are many dog pet bed manufacturers now selling their dog beds through their websites.
"Perhaps the dog is the only animal that has seen its god, as a man is a dog's idea of what God should be."

Paul MacIver writes articles about Pets [http://www.information-spring.info/?cat=12] and pet health care. Visit Ultimate Dog Beds [http://www.ultimate-dog-beds.info] for further info on dog grooming, Dog Beds [http://www.dogbeds-online.info] and pet health care.
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How To Cut A Dog's Nails Without The Blood, Sweat and Tears!

Your Dog's Nails
How to cut a dog's nails is one of the most frequently asked question when it comes to grooming dogs.
Knowing how to cut a dog's nails is so important and if you're wondering how to trim a dog's nails - you need look no further. As usual, we've done all the research for you and presented you with a step by step guide on this delicate procedure.
Knowing not only how, but also when to cut a dog's nails is so important. Your dog's nails grow constantly and how often they need to be clipped will depend on your dog's lifestyle. If you dog does a lot of his walking on hard surfaces, he may very well need little or no extra help in keeping his nails short as his nails will be naturally worn away through friction.
However, if like our dogs, your dog mainly stays on grass, sea sand and woodland tracks, clipping dog nails becomes an essential part of his or her grooming and it becomes important that you know how to clip dog nails.

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Not knowing how to cut a dog's nails and failure in clipping dog nails will lead to crippling pain in your dog's paws and could lead to permanent damage and malformation.
If clipping dog nails is really not your strong point, take your dog along to your vet or groomer. They know how to cut a dog's nails - and it is amazing how much less of a prima donna your dog will be with total strangers!
When To Start
Dogs are often reluctant to have their nails clipped, therefore, starting the process at a very young age is a good idea.
Initially, get your dog accustomed to you simply holding and stroking their paws. Then progress to applying light pressure on their paws and nails - lightly pinching their nails between your finger and thumb. Reward them for allowing this.
Then, after a lesson from your vets in how to cut a dog's nails, lightly trim a couple of nails a day. Just trim off the tips - this lessens the chances of you cutting too deep and frightening your dog off.
Talk to your dog in a soothing voice all the time and reward him with his favorite treat and a romp straight after. He will gradually grow accustomed to this unpleasant procedure and learn to at least put up with it.
Tools You Will Need
When you're wondering about how to cut a dogs nails, there are a variety of nail clippers and trimmers on the market. The guillotine type is my favourite tool when trimming dog nails, though a strong claw cutter may be required for the bigger breeds and basset hounds - they have incredibly large claws!
Sometimes you may want to use a small file or a dremel tool to file down any jagged edges after trimming a dog nails, but frankly, my dogs can't wait to get away from me, so I'm happy to let them round off any rough edges in the normal course of their everyday walks.
It is also advisable to keep a styptic pen handy just in case you clip into your dog's quick - but we'll discuss this later.
Anatomy Of A Dog's Nail
Knowing how to cut dog's nails is easier when you know the anatomy of a dog's nail.
A dog's nail is constructed of a hard outer cover, which protects the quick which is the inner soft part containing blood vessels and tender nerve endings. In dogs with light coloured nails, the quick can often been seen as being faintly pinkish in color and is thus easy to avoid cutting into.
In the more common black nailed variety, the quick it totally invisible. Therefore, knowing exactly how to cut a dog's nails in this case is imperative. In these cases, trimming off little nibbles instead of large slices is more advisable.
Keep checking the clipped part of your dog's nail and look out for a dark spot in the middle of the newly clipped area - this shows the start of the quick - do not cut too far into this. Taking just tiny nibbles, you will then start to see a pale third inner circle. Stop there - or else you are likely to hurt your dog.
Also, don't forget your dog's dew claws. Growing on the inside of his legs and not in contact with the floor, these do not get worn away and will sometimes curl completely over causing your dog to get snagged in undergrowth, his bedding, etc. This can be very painful, so do keep those neatly trimmed too.
Best Way Of Clipping Dog Nails
The best way how to cut a dog's nails is to have the dog lying on a raised table or other surface. Do remember to put a non-slip mat for your dog to sit or stand on so she doesn't slip and hurt herself. Having someone strong hold your dog in their arms while you quickly clip a couple of nails is another effective way of doing this.
However, your dog may be as good as gold and let you cut their claws with no fuss at all - in which case you are a very fortunate person!
Carefully read the instructions for the nail clipping tool of your choice. For example, with the guillotine, you need to cut from the underneath of your dog's claw upwards. Never clip downwards.
Position the tool in the right place, wait for an opportune moment when your dog stops wriggling, double check that the clipper is in the right place and squeeze firmly and smoothly - the nail will just pop off.
When wondering when and how to cut dog's nails, little and often is the best policy. Just nibbling off the ends of each claw will be less stressful for your dog - and yourself! The point to aim for is to trim off any bit that protrudes over your dog's pad. Thus, when he stands, your dog's claws should not touch the ground.
The good thing is, very much like our own nails, the more you trim your dog's nails, the more the quick will recede. Therefore, clipping dog nails doesn't have to be done all at once - take your time.
Oooops! You've Cut Into The Quick!
However experienced you are in knowing how to cut a dog's nails, accidents will happen.
Clipping into the quick will cause your dog to yelp in pain - I hate it when that happens. And, just as would happen if you cut into your quick, a fair amount of bleeding will occur. As much as you try to not let this happen - it will at some stage - so it is best that you learn to deal with it.
Please, let me reassure you that it is not half as dramatic as it looks. Keep calm, deal with the situation and give your dog a big cuddle and his favorite treat when it is all over.
If learning how to cut a dog's nails is all a bit much for you, take your dog to a groomer (some will even come to your home) to have her nails trimmed. It doesn't cost very much and at least your dog wont hold it against you if her nails should accidentally be cut too deep!
If bleeding does occur, you have three options -

You let the bleeding stop normally - but this could go on for about 5 - 7 minutes (call the vet if it goes on for any longer) and be tramped into your carpets as your dog seeks to get away from you. Also, your dog will try to lick her bleeding nail, which could cause the bleeding to continue even longer.

You can hold a piece of tissue paper or a pinch of cornflour firmly against the source of the bleeding - if your dog will hang around long enough! - or

You can keep a styptic pen or stick handy as part of your dog's grooming kit, which when applied to your dog's nail will stop the bleeding instantly. It doesn't hurt your dog - which is a bonus. You can get this from your vet or a good pet store.General Feet Check-Ups
Though knowing how to cut a dog's nails is important, just as important is checking your dog's feet regularly.
Check her pads for thorns or broken glass. Our dogs love paddling in the sea and I also always ensure their paws are rinsed when they get home as dog skin is pretty sensitive to salt water.
I always check them when they come back from their forest walks too - I watch out for any signs of limping. Our dog, Holly in particular, being long haired, tends to bring half the woodland walk back home with her and I've occasionally found thorny bits buried deep within her coat.
In winter, I pay special attention to our dogs' paws because of the salt gritting which takes place and also because they may have stepped on something they couldn't see under the snow.
In Conclusion
It is so important to keep your dog's nails trimmed and her feet in good condition. Walking on overly long nails is painful - can lead to broken nails, nail bed infection and huge amounts of bleeding - and can also lead to ingrown nails which break into the pads of your dogs paws.
Just a little bit of regular preventative action on your part can make life so much easier for your dog. Knowing how to cut a dog's nails and just a little extra bit of care and attention will go a long way towards keeping your dog active and healthy for a long, long time to come.

With years of experience in breeding, training and handling dogs, Marion Herbertson is first and foremost a dog lover. Visit [http://www.advice-on-pet-care-and-pet-product-supplies-online.com/Dog-Grooming.html] - for more of her practical, sometimes humourous advice on pet care.

Monster Birds Of The Americas

For most of modern human's existence, say over the past 50,000 to 100,000 years, if we saw something fly under its own power, it was a bird, a bat or an insect - maybe a 'flying' fish or 'flying' fox if you want to stretch things a bit. Relatively few of these feature prominently in any culture's mythology. Bats might have an association with vampires, but your average run-of-the-mill garden variety bird is usually taken for granted - unless they are monstrous in size and like humans for dinner.

If there's nearly one thing universal in Native American mythology it is giant birds, monster birds, even the Thunderbird (which has been adopted as a brand name for many products not to mention the name of a TV show with associated spin-off motion pictures). Now apart from the actual observations of these winged monstrosities, there's nothing all that unusual about giant flying creatures in mythology. What sets these 'birds' apart is that they often like to snack on the natives - as takeaways, not dine in. Is there any natural terrestrial explanation for birds carrying away humans, like a crow picking up a kernel of corn? Or, might one have to resort to another, more unnatural and perhaps extraterrestrial explanation?

Mythological Monster 'Birds' of the Americas

Dragons: While primarily connected with the Old World (Europe, the Far East, etc.), dragons have some, albeit lesser known connection in the New World of the Americas, perhaps a bit more in the guise of serpents, that is taking on a serpentine appearance. This is most notably so with respect to that famous feathered serpent (sounds more like a bird actually) Quetzalcoatl, a central Aztec deity, but noted as well in Mayan culture and that other, and mysterious initial Mesoamerican civilization, the Olmecs.

However, we do have the Piasa Bird which is depicted as a dragon in a Native American Indian mural above the Mississippi River near modern Alton, Illinois. It's thought that the originals were done by the Cahokia Indians way before any white settlers arrived in their territory. Their pictographs of animals, birds such as the falcon, bird-men and serpents (monstrous snakes) were common, as was the Thunderbird icon. According to a local professor living in the area in the 1830's, John Russell, the Piasa Bird depicted in the mural was a monstrous bird that inhabited the area and attacked and ate the locals that inhabited various Indian villages in the area. Apparently it got a taste for human flesh after scavenging human carrion (corpses).

Thunderbirds & Related: These beasties are nearly universal in Native American Indian mythology, and what's more they carry many similar features. They tend to be very large birds that are seen as the personification of thunder (the beating of their wings) and lightning and all things stormy; a sort of Zeus or Thor but with wings, talons, a beak and feathers. The Native Americans believed that the giant Thunderbird could shoot lightning from its eyes. Say what? Even odder is that the Thunderbird often has teeth in its beak. We've all heard the phrase "rare as hen's teeth" - well that's because modern birds are toothless.

Thunderbirds were also associated with the Great Spirits so common in Indian lore. They were servants of these deities and apparently acted as messenger-boys (sorry, messenger-birds) - a sort of extra-large carrier pigeon - carrying communications between these various Great Spirits. Thunderbirds were associated with the weather as we've seen, and also with water. Now an interesting parallel is that dragons in the Old World are often viewed as go-betweens between the gods and humanity (sort of again like carrier pigeons) and their having some control over the weather and the waters was a common feature as well.

So, this mythological monster bird is common throughout Indian legends. Actually in one case there was a Thunderbird that resembled a giant eagle that was large enough, and powerful enough to carry a whale in its claws. Say what again? According to the Makah people of the Northwest Coast, a Thunderbird saved a village from famine by snatching up a whale from the Pacific Ocean and giving it to the community to feed off of, giving the village food lasting for many weeks. Would this be an American example of a case of manna from Heaven? Now no bird could actually carry even a small whale in its beak or talons, so there must be another explanation.

I've previously related how the Navajos have associated Ship Rock (or Shiprock) in New Mexico with a legend that says they were flown by a 'flying rock' (Ship Rock) provided by their Great Spirit to escape their enemies from up north. The Navajos, in other legends, have associated Ship Rock with the presence of 'Bird Monsters' or cliff monsters that preyed and feed on human Navajo and Zunis flesh. I wonder if that could be a garbled tale of UFO abduction.

Related are the tales of the Yaqui from around the Sonora region in NW Mexico. Yaqui legends tell of enormous birds around Skeleton Mountain that carried off men, women and children.

There's a petroglyph at Puerco Pueblo (or village) located in the Petrified Forest National Park of an enormous bird with a human suspended in the air by its beak. If we assume the human is of average height, say 5' 6" tall, then the bird, to scale, is roughly 13' 9" tall. That's one very big bird! The petroglyph was carved into stone many, many hundreds upon hundreds of years ago by the ancestors of the Hopis, maybe even by the lost Anasazis.

When it comes to the Thunderbirds, scholars of mythology strongly suggest that this creature is just the embellishment of the California condor, eagles, or the extinct teratorns. However, to my way of thinking, one doesn't usually associate birds with thunder and lightning (i.e. - storms). Now you may see birds riding the thermals that might precede a storm, but you don't tend to see birds out and about in stormy weather - they seek shelter from the elements too. Yet many tribes like the Lakota Sioux or the Ojibwa of the Great Lakes Region make the connection between these Thunderbirds and lightning in particular. Perhaps the association with something flying and thunder and lightning suggests something a bit more technological!

I mean something that can serve as a monster carrier pigeon between the gods, lift huge weights, abduct humans (recorded in many Indian legends) and shoot out lightning bolts doesn't sound like biology to me, rather more something artificial. Now perhaps all these legends of abducting and man-eating giant birds are nothing more than a rogue eagle or condor with too much testosterone in its system who, feeling threatened, attacked a lone Indian and like the fish that got away, the bird just grew and got embellished, and grew some more and got even more embellished until it reached ridiculous proportions and abilities. Well maybe.

Private Dog Parks: Can Be The Safe Choice

With an increasing number of serious incidents being reported at dog parks, I want to introduce the safe alternative that a well-run private dog park can provide. You will find that a properly designed and managed private dog park is a dramatically different experience than what you have read about or have witnessed in public parks. A privately run dog park can properly screen, staff and enforce park regulations. We do caution you that even with the information you will gain from this article, please know that any dog park is not regulated, so we encourage everyone to do their homework before visiting any dog park to ensure it is right for you and your dog.

The current trend is that community and homeowner associations are responding to community demand by setting aside a small plot of their land for a public dog park. Unfortunately these unmanaged and unregulated fenced areas often turn to that of neighbor confrontation, injury and horror, even with the best of intending groups and dog owners. Let's face it, without any oversight or enforcement, incidents are going to occur. Because I recognized the dangers in dog parks to the point that I would not take my dogs to one, I was motivated to devise the complex recipe for a safe off-leash dof park. Therefore; I conducted an in-depth investigation of many existing dog parks to establish the precise formula needed to create an off-leash haven.

I visited many, talked with visiting dog owners and observed many dog parks, both private and public. From my investigative travels and with my inherent understanding of dogs, I developed the complex operating matrix for a safe, off-leash dog park. Since that design work, we have successfully opened the first of our many private dog parks that thousands of qualifying dogs and their owners have already enjoyed. Our safety performance at the Royal Paws Dog Park & Doggie Day Camp facility speaks for itself with an impeccable safety performance and industry leading staffing ratio.

Benefits to your Dog with Off-Leash Exercise

The benefits to a dog at an off-leash dog park or any open area of land are immense. Unleashed running elevates heart rate, increases metabolism, improves gastrointestinal efficiency, and extends muscles and joints, all of which contributes to general overall fitness. It is known that maintaining such a healthy lifestyle for your loved dog will increase longevity and reduce risk of all associated conditions and diseases that obesity can cause. The experience for your dog in open field run is like no leashed exercise we can otherwise provide and the benefits will last a lifetime. When letting your dog run in an open field for exercise value, please consider that there are many risks to both you and your dog. You may be violating leash laws, the dog can track a scent or get lost, run into traffic or unwelcome neighborhood area, confront aggressive dogs or dangerous wildlife or foliage; which are all of the reasons as why I do not take my dogs to any open land without fences despite their excellent obedience.

In fenced area designated as a dog park, in addition to fitness improvement, your dog can enjoy benefits from the social interaction with the other dogs IF experienced without incident. The advantage for a dog that is well exercised and socialized benefit the dog, the owner and the community ONLY IF they have somehow avoided traumatic incident. Well exercised and socialized dogs are much less likely to contribute to neighborhood nuisances like chronic barking or showing aggression to other dogs.

If public parks could operate as well-run private dog park do, these benefits would be maintained. Unfortunately, many dog parks are not continuously regulated nor do they have the resources or knowledge to accurately screen the dogs; therefore, odds are that incidents will occur. Incidents like your dog being attacked by another dog or even being bullied by another dog can cause regression in social skills, cause behavioral issues, invoke fear aggression or cause physical injury or death. Following any incident at a public park, without a safe and regulated choice of private dog park that can best create positive experiences to overcome the impact of the incident, your dog may never physically or emotionally recover from the past trauma. The likelihood of good experiences for your dog in a well-managed private dog park is the reason that many loved dog owners everywhere chose private over non-regulated public parks.

Premise of a Safe Dog Park - It's Private

The advantages a private dog park has over any public dog park is the ability to secure more favorable, larger parcels of land, improved grounds maintenance, set dog health requirements, enforceable park rules, screening of appropriate tempered dogs and third party intervention. Beware though and do your homework about any private dog park you intend to visit. Just because they can do all of the above does not mean that they do! While it is integral that the private dog park has the ability to control all of the above to make visits to a well-managed private dog park enjoyable, the most important to me are the health and temperament screening and ability of park staff to intervene.

If you have read the actual details in the recent headline grabbing horror stories of incidents in dog parks, they almost always are a result from a dog being in the park that should not be or from uneducated/erroneous decisions made by visiting dog owners. Both of these should not occur if your private dog park is consistent in managing and operating the facility for the safety and enjoyment of all. With private dog parks operating as a business, financial success is always a consideration. So turning away visiting dogs equates to lost revenue, so unless the park is focused exclusively on maintaining a safe environment for all, a private park that is short-term financially driven can pose the same risks that a public park does.

The third party oversight ability of park staff to intervene is required to eliminate personality clashes and biased evaluation of situations and/or dog's behavior. So when the experienced screener determines the dog lacks the temperament so he/she can play with others, it is the park staff's responsibility to deal with the disappointed dog owner. Same intervention by park staff goes in the event a visiting dog owner does not abide by park rules or a dog plays too rough or violations of any other park code of behavior. You can imagine these discussions are difficult; however, by park staff entertaining such discussions it eliminates any personal intervention by visiting dog owners.

Telling a dog owner that their dog is not allowed or can no longer come to the park until troublesome behavior is removed is always difficult. However, it is critical that the staff of the private dog park you are intending to visit has the proper screening system, the diligence to comply and financial ability to effectively turn away the revenue for dogs that do not appear to be capable of socially interacting at such level to keep the park safe for all.

As important to the screening is the park's development and maintenance of expertly developed park rules. To the novice dog owner, many of the park rules appear to be too cumbersome and detailed. The reality is that each rule of a well-run dog park is well thought through and derived from merit by an expert in dog behavior. Compliance to all of the rules is key to the safe enjoyment of the park by all. For example, the toy aggression of a dog or rough play can within seconds turn into a dog fight even with the best of mannered & socialized dogs. Without such detailed rules and the full oversight to insure they are all followed, the private dog park could turn into mayhem.

Dog Park Management of Sizes and Breeds

For the safety of all, we highly recommend separating small dogs from large, excluding entrance to a few breeds, requiring males be neutered unless under strict command and requiring that dogs be at least four months old to enjoy the park. What we hear the most from small dog owners is that they want their small dogs to be able to play in the designated big dog area because "they like to play with big dogs". Although the small dogs may have enjoyed past experiences playing with a large dog of neighbor or friend, the risk remain of physical injury to the small dogs if they are allowed in the same area as big dogs. It is my opinion each size should have designated areas to create safe play for all. Thus, we recommend that when investigating which dog park is right for you, this should be part of consistent operations.

Let me first say I do not believe in stereotyping any particular breed for temperament. However, due to instinctual drive levels, size and bite capacity, there are some breeds that I believe should be prohibited from entry to an off-leash park and some that should have elevated entrance criteria. Pit bulls, not specifically because of temperament but rather from jaw force/releasability should be forbidden from the off-leash dog park. Although we have met some of the sweetest and well-socialized pit bulls, we do not allow them to visit our parks because the risk is so high of severe injury to another dog if they were to bite.

Chow Chows are another breed that unless have a lifetime of scalability or coming in as a young dog, do we rarely let into the park. Any of the other "working breed" dogs, including terriers, due to their breed characteristics, prey drive, protection dog status and/or sheer size should go through elevated entrance criteria. These types of dogs must meet entrance-required temperament, in addition must demonstrate clear owner command. Upon meeting entrance criteria, they undergo frequent evaluations for continued social ability and owner command. All other dogs must pass dog socialization evaluation and demonstrate basic obedience.

Many Responsibilities of the Dog Owner

Even with the best of run private dog parks, the dog owners retain a high level of responsibility upon park entrance while be willing to withstand the occasional park staff directive. They must carefully watch their dog, abide by all park rules, maintain the obedience skills of the dog and know their dog well enough to predict their dog's behavior. Knowing your dog's mood, watching it's posture and identifying or correcting any potential troublesome behaviors is critical so all can enjoy the park. Every dog will encounter occasions where they will meet another dog that they do not like or are uncomfortable around.

It is the best of private dog parks where entry requires command of your dog so that incidents of escalated aggression can be avoided when each dog owner carefully watches their dog and can command their dogs away from each and every situation. Incidents occur only when the dog owners are not vigilant in watching their dogs or do not understand their dog's behavior and the slightest of uncomfortable encounters prolongs to escalate into a dogfight. Again, each dog owner should understand their dog's postures, expressions and movement to be able to differentiate in off-leash situations when they are comfortable and when they are not. If the dog owner does not intuitively understand their dog, we recommend seeking the assistance of a professional dog trainer.

Safely Socializing Dogs Early Benefits Everyone

We believe that all dogs, when in receipt of proper health vaccination should be socialized in a safe environment to improve their ability throughout their life of all of the benefits an off-leash park can provide. Any puppy, following final adult vaccination booster should be introduced socially to other dogs, people, children and other distractions and a well-managed private dog park creates the perfect place. Puppies visiting a safe off-leash park will easily learn good behavior in the dog social structure and provide the dog owner the ability to enhance obedience training with distractions. Just as the benefits of teaching good manners to a dog early in their life are immense, so are the risks that behavior issues or dog aggression will occur in the event the early experiences are traumatic.

With puppies, we strongly encourage you thorough investigation on the park you are considering to take them to best create the opportunity for good experiences. We recommend you confirm that the park is well maintained, strictly managed and rules enforced. Taking the puppy to a private off-leash dog park will provide your dog a life-long of comfort around other dogs, people and children. However; even with the best of private dog parks, there are other distractions that you should have your puppy comfortable with, which is why we also recommend taking a puppy (when fully vaccinated) to busy shopping malls with diverse people and sounds, nature walks with children & bicycles and on-leash dog walking trails to learn on-leash manners.

Picking the Private Dog Park for You

While private dog parks are gaining in popularity because they may be the only choice for safe and enjoyable off-leash fun, enter with caution. If a dog park is "Private", it is operated as a business entity, but this does not guarantee it is safe for you and your dog. It is our recommendation that with any place you intend to take your dog, you first tour the facility. Inspect the fence and the grounds, as well as talk with some of the dog owners visiting to learn about their safety record and staffing. After touring, talk with the park staff about what is required to visit. If you do not have to show paperwork confirming vaccinations or they do not meet your dog and determine social ability with other dogs, we would recommend that you know there may be risks. As with any place that you take your dog, insure you have great command of your dog and you are comfortable with the park layout and your dog's social skills to lessen the chances of a possible incident with another dog.