About South Arm Dog Off-Leash Area

• Type: Off-Leash Dog Park

• Size: Small

• Enclosed: Yes

• Doors: Two sets of double doors

• Traffic: Low to Moderate

The South Arm Dog Off-Leash Area is an enclosed dog park that's located inside South Arm Park in Richmond, British Columbia. The dog park itself is a little hidden and from the parking lot, you need to walk past the playground and cut through the grassy area to get to the park. This park will always have a place in our hearts because it's the one where we first met up with other Shibas in Richmond, many of whom remain good dog friends today.

Since the first time we visited, many upgrades and improvements have been made to the park and we feel a lot more comfortable bringing Markus today.

When we first visited, the park didn't have the double doors, which meant that an owner coming in could accidentally let dogs out by just opening the door. They've since added another layer of doors, which is better for keeping dogs in and also better for reactive dogs. Reactive dogs like to keep things on their terms, so by entering a park where dogs are able to swarm the entrance makes it a lot harder for them. The park does have two entrances and we found both of them to be fairly busy. We recommend picking the one that's not as busy or wait until the group of dogs aren't near the door anymore if you have a reactive dog.

In general, we've found that the park doesn't get too busy. There have been a number of times where we were the only people in the park, which is great for owners whose dog is reactive or even aggressive. Even when there are other dogs, it still doesn't get too busy, so it's good for reactive dogs to get used to being off-leash with a limited number of dogs.

The park is medium-sized and there's definitely enough space for dogs to run around and play fetch. The park has a good mix of grass, sand and an area with smaller rocks - smaller than gravel, but not sand. Unfortunately, we have found that the grass gets extremely muddy if it rained recently. When it does rain (which happens quite often around these parts), we'd recommend not coming to this park. The park also has a tube for dogs to run through, a few logs and giant rocks for dogs to hop up on. There are also a few benches for owners to sit and rest, though, we should mention that we've heard stories of dogs using those benches as launching pads to leap over the fence. Seriously.

What we liked

• The times that we've gone have been pretty quiet.

• They've upgraded to the double layer of doors.

• There are logs, big rocks and tubes for dogs to play on.

What we didn’t like

• The benches are too close to the fences and dogs can leap over.

• When it rains, the park gets extremely muddy.

• There's no water station/area. You will need to bring your own water.

• There's no direct path to the park and if you're coming from the parking lot, you need to cut through the grass to get to the park.

Our Recommendation For Reactive Dogs

The South Arm Dog Off-Leash Area has been pretty hit and miss for reactive dogs for the times that we’ve been there. Of course it’ll always depend on the other dogs, but I’ve been there during quieter moments where we had the entire park to ourselves and we’ve also been there when there was another aggressive dog. If you’re hoping to practice recall training while off-leash, this would be a good place to go if you’re able to time it when the park’s empty (we went just before sunset around dinner time). The size of the park makes it so that it’s hard to avoid other dogs, so especially if the park is busy, I’d recommend it’s best to avoid.

Disclaimer

Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.

Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.