Should You Take Your Dog to the Dog Park?

Dogs are social creatures, but while some dogs clearly love to visit dog parks, others seem less happy about it. New research by Ottenheimer Carrier et al (Memorial University of Newfoundland) investigates whether the dog park is stressful, and what dogs do there.

A chocolate and a yellow labrador running with a stick
Photo: Gerald Marella / Shutterstock

By Zazie Todd, PhD

Dog parks are open spaces, usually fenced, where dogs can be off-leash. They are particularly useful in municipalities where leash laws mean there are few spaces for dogs to run free. The researchers recruited owners at a dog park and asked if their dogs could take part.  

Eleven dogs took part in the first study, in which saliva samples were collected before and after a walk, before arrival at the dog park, and after being in the dog park for about twenty minutes. Because some samples did not get enough saliva, full results were available for six dogs. The results showed that salivary cortisol levels were higher after 20 minutes in the dog park compared to before they arrived. There was no difference in levels before and after a walk.

Sixty dogs aged 6 months to 15.5 years took part in the second study. 81% were spayed or neutered, and all but one were medium or large breeds because the park was for dogs over 12kg. Owners completed a questionnaire about their dog, including the frequency of visiting the park, and canine personality scales. Each dog was videoed for twenty minutes, and then a saliva sample was taken.

The videos were analyzed to see how dogs spent their time. Five dogs were not included in this analysis because, during the time of the video, they were alone or one of only two in the park and hence did not have chance to interact with several other dogs. For the remaining dogs, there were typically seven dogs in the park at any one time.

Forty per cent of the time was spent near to a human, either with a human alone or with a mixed group of human(s) and dogs. The size of the dog park could have had something to do with this. Dogs spent about a third of their time alone, and about a quarter with other dogs in groups or more.

There was a correlation between play behaviour and mounting. There was also a correlation between stress behaviour (such as a tucked tail) and a hunched posture. Almost all of the dogs displayed a stress-related behaviour at some point, and 83% displayed at least one play signal/behaviour. Older dogs were less active, and younger dogs were more playful.

The owners’ ratings of their dog’s amicability were linked to the frequency of play signals and behaviours. Ratings of extraversion linked to how much time was spent in a pair with another dog. 

The dogs who visited the dog park the least had the highest cortisol levels, suggesting that they found it stressful. Dogs that had already visited the park within the previous week showed fewer stress-related behaviours than dogs that had not visited as recently. In these dogs who visited often, the high cortisol levels most likely reflect arousal at the presence of other dogs and the environment in which they could run around.

So what does this mean for your dog? The scientists say “Owners of dogs showing lowered posture in the dog park might be advised to reconsider exposing their dog to this setting for welfare reasons. Most dogs, however, especially those which owners rate as physically active and friendly, appear to have overall positive experiences in the dog park, and likely benefit from the physical activity and social interactions that such a setting provides.”

Does your dog like to visit the dog park?

See also: Why do dogs play?

Ottenheimer Carrier, L., Cyr, A., Anderson, R.E., & Walsh, C.J. (2013). Exploring the dog park: Relationships between social behaviours, personality and cortisol in companion dogs Applied Animal Behaviour Science , 146, 96-106 DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2013.04.002



  1. I don't take my husky too often, it's usually once every couple weeks. He LOVES it. I usually have to keep a close eye on him, because while I know my dog knows how to play, I can't trust other owners to be as present as I am.

    Instead he goes to doggy day care once a week where he's closely supervised by a trained staff.

  2. Interesting and informative piece! We have refused to take Dakota to a dog park for a myriad of reasons. 1) Dakota doesn't always like other dogs 2) We would NEVER, EVER consider an off-leash park 3) My vet STRONGLY advises against it because he says it is a hotbed of dogs that CLAIM to be vaccinated, when in fact, many are not. It is just opening a dog up to potential problems.

  3. My dog Joey simply doesn't like dog parks. He follows me around as if he were afraid of being abandoned. While he'll play well with dogs he knows well, he never seems to relax around dog park dogs.

  4. My pug is 2 years old. When we walk around our apartment complex, or even at a "regular" park for people, she wants to meet and play with every dog she sees. However, when we get to the dog park, she doesn't really want anything to do with other dogs! She just follows me around the whole time. If I stand still, then she just stands by me. If I walk around, then she walks with me. Other dogs often come up to us. When they smell her, I can tell she's not super pleased with it, even if it's a dog of similar size or smaller. She drops her tail a little (not all the way in between her legs). I don't get it. Why does she love dogs outside of the dog park, but when we get to the park, now she doesn't want to play with the dogs?


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