A well-designed dog park offers plenty of opportunities for pups and people alike when it comes to exercising, chatting and sniffing. (OK, maybe that last one is just for the pups.) Hang out at a good dog park for a while, and you’ll see plenty of happy pooches getting some much-needed physical activity, along with humans sharing shaded benches and plastic bags.
Dog parks aren’t for everyone. Some dogs — just like some people — don’t get along well with others. Some would rather stay home and curl up on the couch. But others thrive in the sun, and love to socialize and make friends.
This list is for you social animals, even though some of the parks, especially Fiesta Island in San Diego, are so big, you might have parts of them all to yourself. I stick to the big parks with my own dog, Cleo, who has back issues and cannot run around with other pups. Cleo’s wiggly little walk is part of her charm, but roughhousing is out of the question, so I’m careful where I put her down and let her sniff around. She still enjoyed coming along for most of the ride as I reported this story across Southern California.
Before we get to the list, here are some tips for playing nice at the dog park:
- First, please follow the signs when it comes to separate areas for big and small dogs. Canines of all shapes and sizes are great — they’re dogs, after all! — but owners of small pups often prefer to keep them away from larger breeds.
- Second, be sure to take off your dog’s leash before entering; this is easily done in parks with double-gate systems. New arrivals sometimes get swarmed and sniffed, and leashes can complicate the process and bring out aggression.
- Third, and this one is a bit controversial, don’t bring toys to the park. The rules for private property fall apart inside those gates, and some dogs get agitated easily when others try to take their possessions.
- Fourth, and hopefully we can all agree on this one, please pick up after your pup. Many of the parks on this list provide poop bags, but it never hurts to have an extra few with you.
- And finally, stay alert. The social dynamics can change pretty quickly inside those gates, and even the friendliest mutt gets cranky sometimes. If you sense aggression in any direction, it’s best to remove yourselves. There are other parks and other days.