Colder weather means more energetic dogs. Come and play.

The College Park Dog Park Association coordinates membership-based access to the Acredale Park dog facility managed by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, in College Park, Maryland and has done so continuously since 2002.

The mission of the College Park Dog Park Association is to keep the park friendly, safe and clean, in cooperation with the M-NCPPC. The dog park is fenced, has running water, members pitch in to keep the park clean of waste, and M-NCPPC maintains a healthy grass surface with shade trees. A paved path leads to the park from the parking area.

Our About Membership page includes details about becoming a member of the College Park Dog Park. It should answer most of your membership questions.

Learn more about membership requirements, eligibility, and fees on the Join Us page.

Still have questions? The Contact Us page provides ways to reach the CPDPA Officers.

If you would like to join, but are unable to afford the annual membership fee, contact the officers.

The College Park Dog Park relies on member volunteers to ensure continuation of our Association. Volunteers serve as President, Treasurer, and Membership Coordinator for the organization each year, selected through an annual election process.

We also expect members to maintain the park, by replacing dog waste bags, acting as Docents to orient new members, and helping with annual clean up events. If your dog loves the park, empty the trash.

Please let us know if you would like to volunteer in any other way by sending an email to cpdppresident@gmail.com.

Now that construction on the small dog area has been completed, it's time to start thinking about our next membership meeting.

A Dog Walks Into a Bar (dog humor) Disobedient Dogs.

From the Annals of Dog Science Are black dogs harder to place from the pound?

Small Dog Park Extension

MNCPPC has completed work on the extension of our current park. The small-dog section will share the water fountain. As part of the extension, the remaining area has been opened to the main park, providing a greater play area for our larger members.

If you know anyone in the membership area with small dogs, steer them our way! Construction is complete and the park is open again!

Thanks to all...

who are picking up after their dogs, AND who are emptying the big bag in the park into the bins in the parking lot. The park is as clean and non-muddy and shady and beautiful as it has ever been, thanks to everyone's efforts.

Good Dog Play at the Park.

It is probably inevitable that there will be incidents at the dog park in which one dog attacks another, or creates an situation in which a dog feels threatened or uncomfortable. We'd like to do everything possible to avoid these situations.

Good dog play is identifiable because the dogs have their tails up and are taking turns chasing/ being chased or wrestling top/bottom.

A dog who feels threatened will tuck his tail and seek protection behind humans or under benches.

Problems are most likely to arise:

When there are a lot of dogs in the park (say more than 4). The dogs wind each other up and fail to take needed pauses in their play. As you enter the park, take a moment to appraise the number of dogs and potential for trouble.
When a new and unfamiliar dog enters the park. Be aware of entering dogs and be close to your dog and prepared to take control of him/her at the gate until the new dog has entered and introduced himself.
When one dog is leashed and another is not. Unleash your dog in the "foyer" to ensure that all dogs are on equal (unleashed) footing upon entering the park.

The majority of our active members use the "whatsapp" application on their smart phones. It has become the primary means of connection for play dates and we've been very happy with how this has worked.

Here's an example:

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, at around 1 p.m., Chris sent a message "Tomas and I plan to swing by the park around 4:45." Three people responded by 3 p.m.: "I can come around 5:15", "Count me in." "We'll be there around 4:45." And four dogs (and four people) had a pleasant time.

If you want to join the group, do these three things:

1. Send an email to Steve Kreider (Walter & Lillian) (cpdppresident@gmail.com) and ask to add your cellphone number to the Whatsapp group. Please include your dog's name(s) in the email.
2. Download the Whatsapp application to your smart phone and complete the setup process.
3. Use it to arrange meet-ups at the dog park.