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Off-leash Gloucester
Gloucester Dog Park: the fenced off-leash acres at Stage Fort
A fenced two acres sounds simple, and for the right dog it is. For the wrong dog, it is where a play style gets tested by strangers. This page covers the layout, what the park asks of a dog, and where a Dogtown playgroup fits when the open field is not the answer.
The place
Two fenced acres at Stage Fort, split by size
The park is two acres of fenced ground inside Stage Fort Park, at 65 Hough Ave in Gloucester, divided into a small-dog area and a large-dog area, each behind a double gate. The water fountains are turned off for the winter, so carry your own from roughly November to March. The park's own site and the city's parks page publish the hours and the house rules, and are where to check for storm closures.
Because the park sits inside Stage Fort, the walk from the car is a leash walk under Gloucester's regulations, and the park's beaches are closed to dogs. The size split is the most useful thing about the place: a twelve-pound dog can run without being flattened, and a big adolescent can play flat out without a small dog underfoot. A small dog in the large-dog area is the most common mistake we hear about.
- Fenced 2 acres at 65 Hough Ave, inside Stage Fort Park
- Separate small-dog and large-dog areas, each behind a double gate
- Fountains off in winter, so bring water from November to March
- Hours and house rules: the park's site and the city's parks page
What it asks
A recall past a group, a soft play style and a license on the collar
An off-leash park asks for a recall that works when five dogs are chasing a ball, not just when the yard is empty. It asks for a dog that can be body-slammed and shake it off, and that stops when the other dog says stop. Watch for the dog that guards a ball, the dog that herds the group into a corner, and the dog that pins others at the gate; if one is yours, leave. You are the referee, and the referee watches the whole time, not the phone.
The paperwork is the city's, not the park's. Gloucester requires a dog license, issued by the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave for $20 for a spayed or neutered dog plus a one-dollar fee, with a current rabies certificate and a $20 penalty after April 30. Keep vaccinations current too; the AVMA explains why a park full of strange dogs is where it matters. Ticks work the grassy edges from April to November, and the wooded margins of Stage Fort hold porcupines and coyotes at dusk.
- A recall that pulls your dog out of a running group
- A play style that stops when the other dog stops
- A Gloucester license from the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave, on the collar
- Water in winter, a tick check in the warm months, and out before dusk
The gate routine
Getting in and out of the dog park without a scene
Most trouble at a dog park happens at the gate, where every dog inside comes to inspect the new arrival. A routine that gets you through the double gate calmly, and out again before things go wrong, is worth more than any amount of training in the middle of the field. It takes two minutes, and it works at every gate.
Leaving early is not a failure. A dog that has had fifteen good minutes and goes home before the group turns is a dog that will want to come back. A dog that stays for the bad half hour learns the wrong lesson about strangers, and that lesson is expensive to unteach. Quit while it is going well. That is the whole trick.
- 01
Read the park's site and the city's page, and pick the area that matches your dog's size
- 02
Check the collar for the Gloucester license and the rabies tag before you leave the car
- 03
Stand outside the fence for two minutes and watch the group before you commit
- 04
Enter the first gate, close it, unclip inside the second gate, then move away from the entrance
- 05
Keep walking the perimeter so the group spreads out instead of piling on your dog
- 06
Leave at the first sign of guarding, pinning or a dog that will not stop
How Dogtown fits
When a matched playgroup beats an open field
A dog park is a group chosen by whoever showed up. A Dogtown playgroup is chosen by us: seven to ten dogs matched by size and temperament at the free evaluation, with a handler in the group for the whole session, on turf and the indoor floors at 210 Eastern Ave. The evaluation, on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, is the most honest read on how your dog does with strangers, because our team watches a few supervised hours and tells you plainly. A full day is $42, a half day $33, and FIRST15 takes 15 percent off the first visit.
For the dog whose recall falls apart in a group, our trainers cover recall and leash work in the training programs, from $94 per session. For the days the park is iced and you are short on time, a solo walk from home is $25, $35 or $55 by length. And after a muddy afternoon at Hough Ave, a bath only from $55 needs no evaluation.
| Gloucester Dog Park | Dogtown playgroup | At-home walk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who chooses the group | Whoever is there | Our team, by size and temperament | Solo, no group |
| Supervision | You | A handler with the group throughout | A Dogtown walker |
| Cost | The park's site lists any fee | $42 full day, $33 half day | $25, $35 or $55 by length |
| Weather | Fountains off in winter; closed after storms | Indoor floors when the turf is out | Any weather the dog can walk in |
| Requirements | Gloucester license and vaccinations | Free evaluation, license, Rabies, DHPP, Bordetella | Free evaluation and an address we cover |
Nearby
Stage Fort itself, the license page and the parks past the bridge
The Stage Fort Park page covers the leash rules on the lawns and the fort around the dog park, and the beaches that are closed to dogs. The Gloucester dog license page has the City Clerk's deadline and paperwork in one place, and the leash law page reads the city ordinance plainly, which matters the moment you step outside the fence.
If two acres is not enough, the North Shore dog parks page rounds up Danvers, Salem and Beverly, and Dogtown Common is the unfenced alternative for a dog with a proven recall. Ravenswood Park in West Gloucester is the woods walk when you want trees rather than a fence, and the winter walks page covers where the footing holds in January.
At Dogtown
Instead of, or as well as, the park
A playgroup chosen by us, solo walks from home, and a bath after the mud, for the days the fence is not the answer.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Is there a fee to use Gloucester Dog Park?
Are the water fountains on in winter?
Can I bring a puppy to the dog park?
What if my dog gets bullied or starts bullying?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- Gloucester Dog Park
- Gloucester parks and recreational facilities
- Gloucester dog licensing
- AVMA on vaccinations
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
A group we choose for your dog.
The free evaluation runs on weekday mornings between 6:30 and 9:30 AM: a temperament test and a few supervised hours in a playgroup of seven to ten dogs. FIRST15 takes 15 percent off the first daycare visit.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
