small dogs

Small Dog Owners
Your job is to protect your dog, so please, don’t put your small dog at risk by letting him play with the big dogs.

The Pooch Playground provides a separate quarter-acre area for small dogs 25 pounds or less.

However, many owners of small dogs don’t use this separate area and instead let their small dogs run free with the large dogs. The most common reasons the owners give for doing this are:

             “My dog is used to playing with large dogs.”
          “My dog is not afraid of anything.”
            “I want my small dog to learn to play with large dogs”
            “There aren’t any other small dogs here to play with.”

Your dog may be totally fearless and used to playing with larger dogs, but this does not ensure that your small dog can safely play with them at the dog park.

Small dogs can be viewed as prey by larger dogs (who aren’t used to small dogs).

Small dogs can be run over by larger dogs playing hard.

Small dogs can be tripped over/kicked by humans who are not looking down.

Small dogs can be injured by rough play they are engaging in.

The large dogs aren’t usually being “aggressive” or engaging in inappropriate behavior. They are just being dogs. Unfortunately, small dogs are always the losers when there is a purposeful or accidental encounter between large and small dogs.

Picking up and carrying your small dog doesn’t guarantee safety because being elevated can either give a small dog a false sense of control because of the elevated position and close human backup, or entice other dogs to jump up at your dog for a closer sniff.

Many dog parks that didn’t originally have separate small dog areas have had to add them after a tragic incident in which a small dog was killed. Even if a small dog survives a bad encounter with a big dog, it may become insecure and anxious or become aggressive toward larger dogs. Your job is to protect your dog, so please, don’t put your small dog at risk by letting him play with the big dogs. Ask yourself how you would feel if your tiny best friend were injured or killed and you could have prevented it?