Dog Park Etiquette

A common sight in almost every suburb now is the dog park and more and more are being launched in every municipality as the pet dog population grows. What defines a dog park? A dog park is a dedicated space where dogs are allowed to be off leash. Some are open which means there is no fencing, however, the vast majority now are the enclosed or fenced dog parks.

Whilst there seems to be no standard regarding the design of the enclosed dog parks, they mostly have something in common; they are fenced, they might be double gated, they have a water point where dogs can drink, they have a bin with poop bags, they have some seats, some trees and some vegetation.

What most lack is space, divisions for different sizes and play styles, fences are often not high enough, there are often not enough water points, the surface is often not maintained, they are bland, they lack signage about canine etiquette and there are no rules regarding what dogs can and cannot be in there.

Councils had the right intention when they came up with the initial concept, an enclosed, safe space where people could ‘socialize’ their dogs, giving them room to run, play and train, while off leash. Sounds great right? Here lies the issue. Councils assumed all dogs were sociable, all dogs were well trained, all dogs, no matter what size, could play together and all owners were responsible and sadly, that is not the case. And the bigger part of the equation, everyone, dog owners included, assumed all dogs would want to be there!

Many dog owners also hear, whether from friends, Google, vets, even some trainers, that socialization is so important. If their dog physically interacts with every other dog, then surely that will teach the dog to be friendly with others, to love all dogs and to be a well adjusted dog. What exactly is the definition of Socialization? According to the Oxford Dictionary, socialization is the formal, uncountable process by which individuals learn to behave in ways that are deemed acceptable within their society. It is the mechanism for adopting cultural behaviours. 

Interestingly, there is no specific mention of physical interaction regarding socialization.

Recent research found that only 8-10% of dog truly want to socialize and play with other dogs. The reality is that 90% of dogs will either tolerate other dogs, be extremely selective when it comes to who they will engage with, or avoid altogether, displaying forms of aggression when in the presence of other dogs.

Whilst I am not a fan at all of dog parks, if dog owners feel compelled to take their dog there, let’s make sure we follow some basic rules, we understand etiquette when in these spaces and we understand basic canine behaviour and body language. By doing this, we can avoid physically or psychologically traumatizing the dogs.

Here is something to think about, putting your observational skills to work. The next time you walk past a fenced dog park……

1. How many dogs do you actually see playing together?
2. How many dogs are in the park in one go?
3. Do all the dogs know each other?
4. For those playing with other dogs, is the play reciprocal?
5. How many dogs are there just sitting beside their owner while the owner sits down?
6. How many dogs are there just following their owner while the owner does laps?
7. How many dogs are playing with their owner with a ball?
8. How many dogs are just wandering around sniffing the environment?
9. How many dogs are there just frantically running around on their own?
10. How many dogs do you see moving from person to person, seeking pats and attention from humans?
11. How many dogs do you see showing signs of not wanting to enter the dog park to begin with?
12. How many dogs are standing by the exit points, waiting to leave?
13. How many dogs appear worried, avoidant, fearful, conflicted?

 

Now let’s move our focus to the dog owners.

1. How many are on their phones?
2. How many are talking to other people with their backs to the dogs?
3. How many are actively engaged with their dogs?
4. How many owners supervise the play and intercept when things start to escalate?
5. How many dog owners are there telling others to let their dogs ‘work it out’?
6. How many owners have the ability to recall their dog away from others?
7. How many are aware of their dog’s body language and emotions?
8. How many owners stop entering the park when they can see their dog does not want to go in?
9. How many owners leave when their dog has clearly had enough?
10. How many owners go back to their cars while their dog is in the dog park?
11. How many owners remain at the park!!!! There have been plenty of reports where owners turn up, drop the dog off and leave only to collect it later when it is exhausted.

 

Now that you have gathered some observational data, let’s look at ways we can ensure the dog park experience is going to be amazing and let’s look at whether the dog should be there in the first place.

When we consider the dog park, whilst it is a place where dog people gather and socialize, the reality is, very few dogs want to be in there to socialize with their own species. We need to ask our dogs, listen to our dogs and really think whether that environment is going to be beneficial for them.

Dogs that slow down as they approach the park, hesitate to enter, are attempting to retreat from the entrance, react at the other dogs inside the park, appear overly aroused/excited, display any form of aggression (growling, snarling, lunging), raise hackles on the back of their neck/spine, have history of biting other dogs, have history of being fearful of other dogs, have anxiety in the presence of other dogs, have little experience (puppies), have unknown experience (newly adopted dogs), have poor recall or poor basic skills, have a poor connection with their owner – these dogs should not be entering a dog park.

These dogs need space and time, they need to build confidence, they need a solid foundation in skills as well as a solid connection with their owner. They also need their anxiety addressed so that they can make better decisions if they feel unsure. Most dogs in the list above may never enter the dog park when there are other dogs in there and this is totally okay. Dogs do not have to be friends with every other dog, it is not natural!

Most dogs would also prefer to observe initially, maybe sniff around where others have been, and then maybe consider investigating one dog, not ten to begin with. And if they then feel comfortable and want to take it to the next level, one will initiate play with a play bow and wait for the other to reciprocate. For some dogs, observing for weeks is their preference, especially if they are nervous or less experienced.

It is so important that you listen to your dog and observe your dog to avoid potentially flooding it, taking it into an environment/situation where there is no escape from what it may fear; as this is detrimental. This is why so many dogs end up in fights in dog parks. So many dogs attempt to leave or avoid other dogs, some display aggression, yet they are not removed from that setting. And sadly, when this occurs, the dog learns it has to fend for itself and express its opinions even louder, until eventually someone listens. What does that reinforce? That the only way you will be heard is to act in an aggressive manner!

Now if we look back at that earlier list of observations of the dogs, if the dog hesitated, if the dog reacted, if the dog avoided, if the dog preferred people, if the dog just waited with the owner until they left, if the dog spent its time playing alone or sniffing alone, then this dog prefers to do anything but enter the dog park! This dog wants to be left alone and just wants to hang out with their human.

What about the dog that is running around erractically, chasing, bullying, rolling other dogs, pinning other dogs, annoying other dogs, barking at other dogs, humping other dogs, where other dogs are not doing the same in return? Well this dog has lost control of its emotions and whilst it may be getting very tired from all that running around, it will likely also be quite overwhelmed and stressed. This then puts more pressure on the dogs trying to avoid this emotionally dysregulated dog, hence why things escalate so easily. So this dog should also not be in a dog park.

What are we looking for then? How do we know the dog enjoys being in the dog park with its friend?

If your dog can calmly approach the park, can respond to your verbal cues at any point, can accept treats at any point, can calmly approach other dogs, briefly sniff a dog before deciding whether it is a good play match, can recognize body language in the other dog when asked to be left alone, plays equally and evenly, taking turns at who is winning the sparring match, taking turns at playing chase, playing tug equally, softens its play according to the size and style of the other dog, can easily walk away from dogs, can be recalled away from other dogs and can disengage from other dogs, then this dog is very likely having fun!

Dogs generally also prefer to play in pairs, not groups, so you often see them break away where they play one on one with a dog that has a similar play style. There should always be a softness about the interactions, there should be fairness, even between dogs that play hard and rough.

We should be looking for appropriate body language, soft body, soft eyes, tongue hanging out, open mouth, pupils normal, ears soft and in their natural position, tail on the horizontal or in its natural position, softly swaying side to side. The dogs might be rolling onto their backs, legs in the air, spooning on the ground, licking faces, just hanging out shoulder to shoulder or sniffing together. Even when dogs are wrestling, the body and face should appear soft.

When play starts to become one sided, one dog is controlling the narrative, then this is when things start to go sour and if owners are not supervising, not watching out for these early changes, then you are missing the opportunity to intercept before things get out of hand.

What else should we look for?

Cut off signals, time out signals, all dogs display them during play if they know what they are doing. When you observe two dogs playing, how often do you seem them suddenly pause, suddenly stop to sniff the grass or have a pee, suddenly stop to scratch. These are intentional pauses and are literally designed to be a self controlled ‘time out’ moment. When one dog senses some escalation or shift in energy, it will likely pause to try and de-escalate the other dog, giving it time to get emotions under control, to pay attention to body language again, to catch its breath, to rethink whether play will continue or not. It is not uncommon to see many cut off signals throughout play and at some point, one will signify play has come to an end where the dogs part way.

Now imagine a skilled dog, trying hard to let another dog know it needs to calm down, and that hyperactive dog is just not listening, coming back again and again and again. This is when things escalate because the skilled dog, more experienced dog, can no longer tolerate the lack of respect or lack of self control. And this is when we start seeing growling, snarling, lunging, pinning or biting. This is why active supervision is crucial. If you have an adolescent dog that lacks skills and experience, you need to step in to help your dog cool off before it offends every other dog in the park.

How do we know when the dog has had enough? 

That is easy….the dog simply stops playing, shows a lack of interest in engaging with others, it attempts to retreat, lie down, finds a shady spot, or goes off sniffing. Some dogs come over to their owner and ask to leave and if you know your dog well enough, you will know the facial expression, the look it gives you. This is when you should be calling it quits and leaving. Avoid waiting for your dog to get frustrated and angry or so exhausted it cannot calm itself down. Play does not have to go for an hour, in fact even 15 minutes of good solid, reciprocal play is more than enough. Way too many owners wait too long, they want to see complete exhaustion. Complete exhaustion often leads to decreased tolerance and increased risk of injury!

How do we know if the dog does not want to go to the dog park?

Again, this is easy….. your dog will tell you. As mentioned earlier, if the dog is not keen or is overly keen, take this is a warning sign. If your dog cannot cope once inside, this is a warning sign. If your dog spends more time controlling others, getting flustered by others or avoiding others, then this is a warning sign. If there is any escalation in aggression, this is a mega warning sign. If your dog is pulling back, refusing to enter, that on its own is very clear.

But shouldn’t dogs love all dogs???

I am always baffled by this question as the same can be asked of humans. Shouldn’t we love all other people? This is not natural, in any species. We have those we cherish and love, those we hold close, those we admire, those we like, those we accept,  those we tolerate, those we dislike, those we loathe and those we want nothing to do with. This is totally normal and we can decide who we want to hang out with and who we want to engage with most of the time. Whether at work, school or a public setting, we can also move away from those we dislike or feel no connection to. When you are forced to hang out with people you do not like, you feel quite uncomfortable, awkward, sometimes even distressed. The same goes for dogs!

In the dog park, dogs have little choice regarding who they can associate with because all personalities enter at once into a fenced space. Owners are often on a tight schedule, they only have that afternoon period after work available to exercise their dog. And what better way to tire the dog out by letting it run wild for an hour while catching a break after a day at work!

So we often see congestion in the dog park in the afternoon, with large numbers of dogs of all breeds, sizes and levels of experience, in a small space. Again, this is unnatural. Then add to this a high level of energy in the dogs after sitting at home all day and we have mayhem when they are let loose. Big dogs are chasing little dogs, puppies are ducking for cover because they are trying to stay out of the way, the over enthusiastic dog is pestering all the others, one just goes around humping continuously, one is stealing the balls, some are just sitting near their owners, counting the minutes before they get to leave, some are being dragged in so they can just get their play over and done with. Then we have the little dogs with small dog syndrome, taking on every large breed in there, then in comes the new dog that gets the attention from all the others, where it gets mobbed at the entrance and fears for its life. And somewhere in that mix, we have two dogs actually playing nicely. In a nutshell, it is not natural for dogs to love all dogs.

Put the phones away!

Another common scene in the dog park, many are sitting down or standing on their phones, scrolling away and catching up on their socials or making phone calls. This takes up a large amount of concentration and soon after, the dog in the background is forgotten.

Dogs in dog parks are no different to children in a kid’s playground. It has to be supervised to ensure everyone is playing nicely, everyone is sharing, everyone is being respectful and kind, everyone is playing fairly and that no bullying is taking place. Parents supervise the play to ensure their children are safe and having fun at the same time.

Why is it then that with dogs, a species far more primal, are put in a space with others where they are left to fend for themselves? Why are the dogs not being watched constantly, interrupted when needed, removed when needed? Why do we still hear phrases such as, ‘leave them, they will work it out’, or, ‘ yep it needs to toughen up’, ‘it needs to know who’s boss’. How are dogs learning from this other than that playing in a park with other dogs can be unpredictable, frightening, dangerous?

Skilled and experienced dogs know what they are doing, they know their language very well and they often have incredible self control and incredible levels of tolerance, but not all dogs possess these skills and not all dogs have had opportunity to even develop them yet. In fact most dogs never develop these skills. It takes time, it requires hours of supervision, excellent management, the dog needs to be even tempered and stable in every way.

Advocate for your dog

If you are in a dog park and you feel uncomfortable about the play, the energy, the approach of another dog towards your dog, then please advocate for your dog and step in. And the same could be said of your own dog. If your dog was behaving in such a way that it did not look or feel right, step in before someone complains and before another dog is traumatized.

This is also not about being breed biased where one assumes certain breeds are deemed ‘bad’ or ‘dangerous’, but instead look at the dog as a whole. If you feel either dogs are not comfortable or the dogs are being pushy/disrespectful, then it does come down to you to step in and intervene and end that interaction. Please do not allow others to tell you to let the dogs work it out. Whilst their dog may walk away feeling pretty good about itself, yours may come away traumatised. If your gut instinct says the interaction does not look right or even if you are not experienced enough to understand it, simply end it and if necessary, leave!

Treat pouch drama

Training inside a dog park is a great idea when it comes to teaching your dog to follow your cues in the presence of other dogs. BUT, when you are walking around with a portable lolly bag on your body, and you are dispensing lollies so to speak when your dog approaches you, it does not take long for the others to realise there is a very generous person amongst the crowd.

So how do we reinforce our dog for great behaviour without getting mobbed or triggering resource guarding?

You need to ensure you have broken away from the crowd before you can treat your dog. So if you have called your dog over and it brings along a group, then keep moving away until they all retreat and your dog clearly breaks away from the others. This is when you can deliver a treat to your dog.

Avoid giving other dogs treats too, no matter how cute they are, as it will encourage them to seek you out and potentially guard you over others too. Instead encourage other owners to bring their own treats to reinforce their own dogs!

Also ensure your treat pouch is not hanging or overflowing or you are accidentally dropping treats on the ground as this too can potentially lead to resource guarding where the dogs may fight over the food. Treat pouches should be against the body and able to be closed completely.

Leashes on or off?

This is often another area where things go terribly wrong. Imagine a bunch of dogs running around playing, chasing, wrestling and now in comes a new dog, still on leash with no ability to retreat. All the others come over to check the new dog out and this poor dog hits the floor in sheer panic, it goes into freeze mode because it cannot move away. Now imagine one dog goes to the back for a butt sniff, a simple gesture of one getting to know another, but the dog on leash finds this extremely invasive and now flashes teeth, begging to be left alone. This now makes the rest of the group feel uneasy, one growls and the next thing we see is a group of dogs fighting on with a dog on leash!

When we enter the dog park, providing the dog has clearly expressed it feels comfortable to enter, the leash must be off. The dog must have the ability to move away if it wants to and not feel restricted in any way. If you are uncertain about whether your dog will jump over the fencing, then you are better off not entering. If you are uncertain about whether you can recall your dog or collect it when it is time to go home, then you might be better off working on a long line in an open space away from dogs until you have got that bit sorted.

Please ensure before you allow your dog to enter the dog park, that the leash is off and that the dog is wearing a secured collar or harness.

Clean up after your dog!

There are no poop fairies that enter the park in the night to collect what comes out of your dog so when you are in a dog park, it is so important that you clean up as soon as you see your dog poop. There is nothing worse than a dog running in the park and stepping through poop, only to now smear it all over you or your car. If there are ten dogs in the park in one go, it is likely 10 poops will be produced in the time they are there as they like to copy each other once one has started.

Bags are always available in a dog park and if they have run out, there is always someone there with a spare or two.

Let’s all be responsible dog owners and pick up poop as soon as it has been ejected and dispose of it correctly.

Children in dog parks – yes or no?

This is a tough debate as children can learn a lot from observing dogs playing, however, as mentioned earlier about supervision during dog play, this also goes for those with children. It is not uncommon to see children, toddlers even, running around inside a dog park while dogs are running around. The dogs are not likely to attack the child but it is highly likely that the child will get mowed down for simply being in the way and this can be dangerous.

If children are to enter the dog park, they should remain out of the way, standing with their parents or seated, so they cannot get knocked over or jumped on.

Big dogs versus little dogs

It does not take a rocket scientist to see that when a large breed and small breed collide, one is clearly going to come away broken. I am always dumfounded by how many dogs parks are a one size fits all style. I can count on one hand the parks that have been designed beautifully where small breeds and large breeds are clearly separated by fencing. For the most part, most fenced parks have a ‘quiet’ zone, no idea how that works, and the dogs, no matter what size or play style, are expected to be safe in the same space.

Yes it comes down to the owner being aware and responsible, but again there is often this pressure, little dogs must be good with big dogs, big dogs must learn to be nice to small dogs. In a fantasy world, yeah sure this might work, but the reality is, it simply doesn’t.

So many large breeds are clumsy, not capable of running a straight line, terrible at stopping and small breeds, well they are just small! Imagine a big goofy Labrador running towards a Miniature Dachshund and suddenly rolling it after falling over its own feet. This Dachshund could end up with life threatening spinal injuries from a silly accident. Or imagine the small breed that is inexperienced and learning about dogs and suddenly a large hound looms over it trying to sus out what this small thing is. Imagine how scared that small dog might be, leading it to now growl and snarl to protect itself.

And let’s not forget the prey driven dogs who have urges to stalk, chase and hunt small critters. Some dogs, in the moment, forget that not all small things are rabbits and they take chase of a small dog breed instead. We do hear on the news, we see on social media, small breeds that were grabbed, shaken and killed in dog parks. Does this mean the prey driven dog was a bad dog? No, it is just following through on a strong instinct. Should that dog be in a dog park? Probably not however prey driven dogs generally only chase down what they deem an easy grab, so you don’t often see prey driven dogs chasing down something their own size or bigger.

What about the large dogs that are great with small dogs? Oh they do exist, but again they are very experienced, very well adjusted dogs and they are hard to find. If you own the smaller scale, until you have established the larger dogs are extremely sensible around small breeds, please avoid putting them at risk.

If your local fenced dog park only has a one size fits all style, talk to your council, put pressure on them to create better designs so everyone can play safely.

So the last question is, if most dogs prefer not to physically interact with other dogs, how do we socialize them?

Consider chatting to owners of the other dogs that do get on really well with yours and exchange details, find a more private space where the dogs can play together or select a time when there is nobody else in the park.

Remember that most dogs prefer not to physically interact with other dogs, so just going for a walk and passing other dogs is still socialization. Consider group walks with others where the dogs can be in each other’s presence, but are not expected to play, this is still socialization.

Focus on the dogs that may be in your life, such as family dogs, neighbour’s dogs and friend’s dogs.

Remember too that as dogs age, their desire for physical interaction with other dogs decreases and often by the time they reach four years of age, most no longer seek it out.

And for the most part, your dog prefers to hang out with you, not everyone else, so enjoy the time you have with your dog, explore places together, watch the world go by and sit in the moment. Take the time to think about whether your dog wants to be in a dog park, should be in a dog park, enjoys the dog park. All you need to do is ask your dog!