- Training and Behaviour - with Joan Weston
Dear Joan:
We have a six-month-old Black Lab and have recently started to visit the dog park in our neighbourhood. While our dog seems to mostly enjoy the trips he is starting to become very rambunctious while he’s there. How do I know if the dog park is right for my dog?
Sincerely,
Brandy in Toronto
Dear Brandy:
Ah the dog park. Toronto dog owners flock to them on a regular basis. We have become so enamored of these meeting grounds that real estate agents now promote their proximity whenever paw owning buyers are afoot. What could possibly be wrong with having a wonderful area where dogs can play with their friends while moms and dads sip a latte and renew acquaintances? In a word, plenty. While the off leash park can provide a great place for your dog to fetch a ball or two, they can also be the place that your dog gets injured or learns to be a bully.
How can you try to ensure that the dog park remains a positive experience for you both? Here are some guidelines.
1) Does your dog want to go? With dogs, as in people, play serves different purposes as the animals get older. Not all dogs like to play with other dogs as adults. When’s the last time you and your significant other planned a romantic evening with a trip to Chuck E Cheese followed by a rousing game of Chutes and Ladders? The next time you go to a dog park, instead of watching the dogs that are playing, count all the ones that aren’t. We get so blinded by our rose colored expectations that many dog owners don’t notice how little their own dog actually enjoys going. Your dog wants to spend one on one time with you, and not all dogs need extensive dog play to be happy.
2) Don’t overuse it. If your dog has a few pooch pals she has a great time romping with, then let her go, but not every day. Spend off days hiking, bicycling or in reward based training classes which use food and play.
3) Keep your time there short. Play visits should last about a half hour or less. Incidents most often occur when dogs get adrenalized, like an over stimulated toddler at the end of a birthday party. Typically, when dogs have been allowed to engage in unabated, vigorous play for more than several minutes, problems can occur. If you give your dog short sets of play, lasting between 10 minutes and 20 minutes, you will greatly lessen the chance that he will have an unpleasant incident and always go home with a good feeling.
4) Keep moving! One of the triggers for aggression is space, or lack thereof. When owners stand around to chat, the space at shoe level reaches higher values than a 4 bedroom on the Bridle Path. Incidents can occur because dogs feel trapped; they want to stay close to Dad, and this other dog is pushing in, but they don’t want to move away from Dad’s sock. When you go to the park, rather than stand in the middle, hike along the perimeter at a brisk pace. It continually keeps your dog in motion so that he isn’t left to play for too long and gives you a chance to reward him for checking in on his own. Your heart will also thank you for it.
5) Learn to read body language. Go to www.dogwise.com to find trustworthy training books and look up those on body language. If you are going to allow your dog to hang out with the neighborhood fur kids, it’s critical to know what they are saying to each other. The better understanding you have of behavioral indicators, the better your odds of avoiding a problem. Listen to your little voice. If you are getting a knot in your stomach and you didn’t have fish tacos for lunch, trust your instinct and get out of there.
6) Beware of extreme size differences in play. If you have a small social dog, you are far better to set up play dates with a friend or fellow park acquaintance with a suitable playmate. Unless you are absolutely certain that you can read when a bigger dog views little Muffy as a potential playmate rather than a potential appetizer, you are never wrong to err on the side of caution. Small dogs can and have been killed by larger dogs, whether it is outright aggression, predation or a combination of the two.
7) Use fenced off leash areas as training opportunities. If you go to the off leash area four times a week, at least two of those times should be not include play with other dogs and all fun should be with you. You must balance play time with controlled positive training. Stay outside the fence while you do heeling, come, sits and downs or play tug with your dog.
While off leash play areas have been a boon to many, they are not without problems. Letting a dog run amok at the off leash park can be the equivalent of sending your three year old child to go play with gang members. Just because they’re the same species, doesn’t mean they all behave appropriately with each other. It only takes one or two bad incidents for a dog to develop fear or aggression issues. So remember; like wine, women and song, everything in moderation. Unless it’s songs by Meatloaf…then I don’t think you can ever overindulge. But perhaps that’s just me.
Joan Weston owns Fangs But No Fangs Canine Behavioral Consulting Services in Caledon, ON. Although she specializes in aggression, she works with all types of training and behavioral issues in dogs. If you have a question or subject suggestion for Joan, please send it to Dogs, Dogs, Dogs! at info@dogsx3.com or fax to 905-620-0805.
