Puppy doesn't want to leave dog park

[Jen]

Like any other dog, Brutus LOVES going to the dog run. He loves it so much that he refuses to leave. We can usually get him to come back to us to put his leash back on, but the moment he realizes we're leaving, it's a battle. No matter what we say or do, he will try his very best not to budge, and at 50 lbs, he is surprisingly very strong. We end up having to practically drag him away on the entire walk home. Does anyone else deal with this? How can we get him to cooperate and walk like a normal dog so we don't get so many weird stares? :) 

[Jenny and Cooper]

Hi Jen, I'd like to see what the others have to say because we're in the same shoes! At least you can get the leash on your dog, for us getting the leash on is a struggle. It's getting better since I've been brining his favorite treat. Can you picture us chasing after him to just get the leash on? He would even bark at my husband cus he knows hubby is going to put the leash on. It gets embarrassing too. The "come" command is like foreign language to him when we are at the dog park. Have you tried his fav treat? The last time we went, I took fresh cheese with me, that helped him "sit" so we can put his leash on. Yes, walking to the car can be a struggle sometimes. It's a dead weight at the end of the leash. Lol we always wonder can we go like other normal dogs we see without using treats? Lol. We'll see what the experts say!

[Jen]

I'm just glad to know we aren't the only ones with stubborn pups! lol :) We haven't tried distracting him with treats yet, but will give that a shot! Thanks!

[Corinn Laitre]

What's the rest of his week like? and how often do you go to the dog park? 

If the dog park is the only place he gets to socialize and run free then it would make sense for him to cling onto the fun for as long as he can.  Maybe try taking him for a run before you get there to drain some of the built up energy so he's tired sooner and will be happy to go home for a rest ;)  If he gets regular exercise during the week and has other social activities then I would recommend maybe putting him on leash and walking for short periods while at the dog park and releasing him to play as a reward so that leash walking isn't seen as the end of fun everytime.  That's what has worked for me in the past, best of luck!

Another quick note: Make sure he's following you while you're at the park and not vice versa.  Anytime our dogs get a little far ahead we change direction so they have to keep their eye on us which makes it easier to lead them home after since when they've already been "following" you while still having fun ;)

[Jen]

Thanks so much for the great tips! Brutus gets plenty of exercise and since we live in Manhattan, he sees and interacts (briefly) with other dogs all the time, but the dog park is the only time when he gets to play with other dogs for an extended period. He goes wild in there and runs up to every dog and plays like a maniac. It's his happy place, and he definitely clings on to the fun for as long as he can!! :)

[Becka]

Hi Jen! Although this is probably frowned upon at your dog park (as it is at mine), when Sadie was a puppy I trained her to come whenever I called at the dog park with treats. (This was the only time I ever brought treats to the dog park.) The important part is to practice getting him to come when you call and not leaving the park, so that he doesn't associate the calling with the leaving. So treats can help with that, but you could also just reward him with lots of pets and an enthusiastic "good Brutus". 

[Jen]

Thanks, Becka! We will definitely give that a try. Hopefully the other dogs don't come running when they smell the treats :)

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

I agree with Becka. Although we don't go to the dog park, I frequently call Gracie over in the yard just to give her treats. Then when I decide it's time to go in, she doesn't associate me calling her to go in with negativity due to practicing the recall throughout her play time.
I know I read it somewhere before we went to training class, but it was reinforced at training. It works really well. She's at least 70lbs now, so no way could I pull her if she didn't want to listen. ;)

[Jenny and Cooper]

Brutus sounds like a long lost twin brother of Cooper. Lol he does bark at other dogs when trying to get them to play with him. He does that mostly to smaller dogs. Thank goodness he surpass the weight limit on the small dog area so now we go to the big dog area. He barks less there and has one golden retriever that he loves to play wrestle with. But once the retreiver gets tired, Cooper will bark at him. We haven't met another dog who has the same endurance of energy as Cooper. We let him run around in our backyard before we go and he still has lots left!

As far as treats, yes it'll be a problem with other dogs that's why we never really got to practice the "come" with treats too much in there. Some other dogs just won't take no for an answer and you feel awful! Some has super power nose and they KNOW you have treats. Lol So we use one treat to put the leash on, the other treats to walk to the car. Lol

Yikes 30 mins of barking?! I think Brutus would make a great playmate for Cooper. Then they both can play til they drop and we won't ever have to hear the barking!