- Home
- Board and train
- Practice after board and train: Ravenswood Park
Ravenswood Park
Practice after board and train: Ravenswood Park
Ravenswood is a quiet woods with ten miles of carriage paths and trails, which makes its few tight spots stand out: a narrow boardwalk, a busy lot, a bend where two dogs meet. Those are the places a board-and-train graduate learns to pass other dogs without fuss. Here is what The Trustees ask, and how to use the park for that work.
The rule
The rule: leashed in the parking area, off-leash walking allowed under Trustees guidelines, and no uninvited greetings
The Trustees' page for Ravenswood says dogs must be leashed in the parking area and asks you to put dog waste in the barrel provided. The park covers 600 acres, opens daily from sunrise to sunset and is free. The Trustees' guidelines for dog walkers list Ravenswood under the reservations that allow off-leash dog walking, with no extra restriction named after it, but exclude entrance and parking areas from off-leash use in general.
The same guidelines set the manners that matter most for this page. Recognize that other visitors may not want your dog to approach or touch them, and ask first. Do not let your dog chase or harass wildlife. Bag waste and carry it out if no receptacle is there. The Trustees also note that some properties bring in temporary on-leash rules during grassland bird nesting, so read the park page the morning you go, and treat off-leash time as something your dog earns by passing politely.
- A leash in the parking area, every visit
- Off-leash walking allowed on Ravenswood's trails under Trustees guidelines
- Ask before your dog approaches anyone
- Sunrise to sunset, free, with waste in the barrel
The boardwalk
On the boardwalk through the Great Magnolia Swamp, practice a wait at the end and a calm U-turn
The Trustees describe a boardwalk through the Great Magnolia Swamp, home to native sweetbay magnolias. A boardwalk removes your usual escape route: you cannot step off the path to give another dog room. So decide in advance what you will do when one appears ahead. The simplest answer is to wait at the end. Ask for a sit beside you on solid ground, pay your dog for watching the other dog come off, then walk on.
If you are already partway along, turn around with a cheerful U-turn cue and walk back to the end rather than squeezing past. Teach that U-turn at home first: say the cue, turn away and pay your dog the moment it turns with you. On the boardwalk, use a standard leash rather than a long line, keep your dog on the side away from the oncoming dog, and feed steadily as you pass if a pass cannot be avoided.
Passing politely
On the carriage paths, pass other dogs in a wide arc with your dog on the far side and its attention on you
Polite passing is a sequence, not a single cue. Your dog notices the other dog, you move to the side of the path, your dog walks on your far side so you are between the two dogs, and food arrives at your leg the whole time the other dog is close. Afterward your dog gets a released sniff as its paycheck. The two-week Advanced program names neutrality and structured socialization among its skills, and this is where they get used. Our board and train page compares the one-week and two-week stays.
Off-leash graduates need one more piece: a recall or a hand target back to your side the moment another dog appears, before either dog closes the distance. Clip on for the pass if you need to; most owners coming the other way will appreciate it. Practice on the wide carriage paths first, then on narrower trails such as the two-mile Ledge Hill Trail, which The Trustees describe winding among fern-covered boulders.
- 01
Spot the other dog early and say your dog's name or its check-in cue.
- 02
Move to the edge of the path and switch your dog to your far side.
- 03
Feed at your leg, a small piece every second or two, while the other dog approaches and passes.
- 04
Keep walking, because stopping to stare invites a greeting.
- 05
Once the other dog is well past, release your dog to sniff the verge.
- 06
If your dog stiffens or stares, turn and add distance before the pass, and make the next one wider.
Seasons
Plan around mountain bikes outside mud season and bow hunting from October through December
The Trustees close all Ravenswood trails to mountain biking from March 1 to April 30, during mud season, which tells you bikes use them the rest of the year. A bike coming fast round a bend is a moving trigger many graduates have not met. Practice the same pass with bikes as with dogs: step aside, your dog on the far side, food at your leg, and pay calm watching as the bike goes by.
Fall brings hunting. The Trustees authorize seasonal bow hunting at Ravenswood with written permission for a limited number of hunters, from the first Monday in October through December, Monday to Saturday and not on Sundays. The page does not list a closure for it, but in those months wear bright colors, put a bright vest on your dog, stay on the trails and keep an off-leash dog close. A Sunday walk avoids the question.
- No mountain bikes March 1 to April 30, so expect them the rest of the year
- Bow hunting with written permission, first Monday in October through December
- No hunting on Sundays
- Bright colors for you and your dog through the fall
What to avoid
Avoid greetings on the boardwalk, long lines in tight spots and off-leash time before passing is reliable
Avoid nose-to-nose greetings on the boardwalk or a narrow trail. Two leashed dogs meeting head-on in a tight space is where most scuffles start, and your graduate learns that other dogs mean a greeting. Avoid a long line on the boardwalk as well; it wraps around posts and legs in seconds. And avoid unclipping simply because The Trustees allow it here, since permission from the land manager is not the same as readiness in your dog.
Avoid the parking area as a warm-up zone. The Trustees require a leash there, other dogs are getting out of cars, and it is the most crowded spot in the park. Walk straight through it to the trail and start your practice once you have some space. If your dog reacts on the way in, that is useful information: start the next visit with more distance and an earlier pass.
- No head-on greetings on the boardwalk or narrow trails
- No long line on the boardwalk
- No unclipping until passing on leash is easy
- No training in the parking area; walk through it
At Dogtown
When passing needs more work
Programs for leash manners, neutrality and dogs that find other dogs hard.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Can my dog be off leash at Ravenswood Park?
What should I do if another dog is coming on the boardwalk?
Is Ravenswood open during hunting season?
When can bikes be on the trails?
My dog lunges at other dogs on leash. Is Ravenswood the right place to practice?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Pass with room to spare.
Tell us how your dog handles other dogs on a narrow path, and we will point you to the right program.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
