As most of you know I have spent much of the last 4 years observing dog play through HRCC's dog park excursion offering and dog behavior course work. While I recently decided to no longer offer this service it was an amazing chapter in my life. Each day was a BLAST as well as an educational experience. Through this service I took up to 10 dogs daily from the west side of the pond and headed to Marymoor. All dogs were fully off leash while at the park but carefully screened prior to becoming a client and therefore, under great control (most of the time;-0)! I am very proud to report that with all of those dogs, all of those hours at the park, and all of the fun there was never one dogfight or injury. Just great fun!!
During my time out at the park I witnessed more conflict, which was shocking to me!! "We were at the Disneyland of all dog parks how could people not be having the time of their lives?" Well it became clear in very short order that, while most people love to watch dogs play, they have NO IDEA what they should be looking for to keep their dogs safe, under control, and having fun. Many do not understand their own dog's limitations nor do they respect what limitations other dogs might have. So here are some tips to get you started!
What You Should You Look For In Dog Play:
- Loose body posture
- Relaxed ears, mouth, and tail
- Frequent role reversals (in most cases)
- Play Bows (this is an easy to see clear signal-"just playing")
- You know your dog better than anyone-really watch your dog and look for signs they are comfortable and having fun:)
Signs of Stress or Wanting to End Play (cutoff signals)
- Ears back
- Tail tucked
- Trying to get away or hide under you
- Yawning
- Lip Licking
- Out of context sniffing the ground or scratching
- Heavy blinking
- and more
Signs That There Could Be An Issue
- Tense body posture
- Forward Stance
- Closed Mouth
- Growling
How to Avoid 'Issues'
- Be an advocate for your dog (never be afraid to ask someone to call there dog or walk away from play). Humping is one of my pet peeves. Many will say let them work it out but to me it is a clear sign of over arousal and I saw it as the biggest instigator of fights between dog and people for that matter. Easy to call your dog apart and give them another shot. If it continues find another playmate!
- Have trained behaviors in place such as a solid recall, sit, conditioned positive association to a collar grab in case you need to grab your dog quickly, etc.
- Frequently call your dog out of play to ensure the arousal level never get too high. Simply recall reward with praise and release them back into play.
- Avoid dog walker groups. Indeed these dogs are having great fun and you want your dog to have fun too but...these dogs are very savvy at playing with one another and tend to be a bit rougher than your dog may be interested in. Also, while you would hope, not all dog walkers are educated in dog behavior so don't assume they know what to look for either!
- Watch and listen to your dogs at all times and react appropriately.
- Always carry a leash with you.
- Have fun and remain calm.
This is just a brief overview. If you are interested in learning more about how to keep your dog safe at the dog park, a great book is "Visiting the Dog Park" by Cheryl S. Smith.
High Paw,
Jaycee, Poncho, and Norton
