25/09/2017
So many people LOVED our dog park rules we decided to make FREE posters. If you would like a FREE poster to put up at your local dog park please make your request in the comments below. Here is the post that started it all: TAKING FIDO TO THE DOG PARK – THE RULES
Dog parks. They're a play heaven for our furry friends, right? Well, not really. Dog parks are one of those places that seem like a brilliant idea — and would be, if we all knew how to behave. But we don't.
A single situation gone wrong can escalate into an attack or fight. I've talked to people whose dogs have had serious injuries, because what seemed like play escalated into an attack — something that probably could have been avoided if everyone involved had been reading the body language of the dog and paying attention to some simple rules of behaviour. The bummer reality is that dog parks are not the playground most people think they are. But they can be. Here are the most common things people do wrong.
1. Scoop Fido's p**p
Let's agree I don’t need to explain this one. If you can’t manage to scoop Fido’s p**p you have two choices You can move to the countryside and now you can let Fido s**t all over your property. Or find Fido a good home and go buy a fish; because that is the level of responsibility you can handle as a pet owner.
2. Not exercising a dog before taking her into a park.
This might sound counterintuitive. I mean, we go to dog parks to exercise our dogs, right? Wrong. Dog parks are a supplement to a dog's daily activity, not the soul source of exercise or socialization. A dog that has been inside or alone for hours has pent-up energy, and bringing her into an extremely stimulating environment such as a park with other dogs is like holding a match really close to a stick of dynamite and hoping the fuse doesn't catch fire. Fido might mean well but being overly exuberant with a dog that doesn't appreciate this could result in a fight. Or, Fido might mean well but be so excited about running around that other dogs start to chase her and she suddenly turns into the prey object for other dogs (resulting in a fight). See where I'm going with this? Well-behaved dogs are exercised dogs. So get those zoomies out of your dog before you bring her into a park situation.
3. Bringing dogs with rude greeting skills and not managing (parenting) them
We've all experienced it: meeting a person who stands way too close when we don't even know them. Meeting someone who is really loud and tells obnoxious jokes within the first 30 seconds of an introduction. Meeting someone who shakes your hand for too long until it's kind of creepy and awkward. We glare at them, chalk them up to being rude, and count the seconds until we can escape.
It's like this for dogs too. Introductions are important and make a difference in how dogs will get along. Allowing your dog to go charging up to a dog that has just entered the park is rude. The new dog is possibly on edge, examining its environment and level of safety, so your dog running full speed to that new dog could be asking for an instant fight. Allowing your dog to mount another dog in a dominance display is also rude. Allowing your dog to continue sniffing another dog that is clearly uncomfortable with being sniffed is, again, rude. It's up to us humans to help dogs make polite introductions to each other. Knowing what's polite in the dog world and what isn't, and knowing how to help Fido be a polite pooch is essential to having positive experiences at a dog park.
Our dogs deserve a chance to learn manners. It is our job to teach them manners. DO NOT leave this critical teaching role to other dogs in the park. If you don’t know how to read dog behaviour (body language) it is your responsibility to learn. Teaching people to read dog behaviour is one of the key things we do at Not Just 4 Fido. But of you don’t live in Australia then find a good dog behaviourist in your area. Until you can find a good dog behaviourist read a few Ceasar Milan books and watch some you tube videos. Sticking you head in the sand and hoping for the best is not an option.
4. Bringing a female in heat or pregnant female.
I have no words for this one. But it happens — even though it never, ever should. If you want to see all hell break loose among a group of dogs, then watch when a dog in heat is brought into the mix. But of course as a responsible dog owner and not a registered breeder you had Fido spayed or neutered a long time ago, right?
5. Bringing puppies less than 12 weeks old or dogs with incomplete vaccinations.
There are so many diseases and parasites in a dog park to begin with — it just makes you shudder. Older puppies and adult dogs who have been immunized can mostly handle the germs etc. Puppies under 12 weeks or that haven't been fully immunized against common diseases need to be kept well away from dog parks.
6. Picking up and carrying a small dog.
It is extremely understandable to want to pick up your small dog if a situation starts to escalate. It's so innate in us, it's nearly impossible to fight that instinct. But fight it you MUST. All dogs much be treated like dogs. If you truly fear for your small dog’s safety then by all means recall it to you and walk away together.
7. Bringing in a dog that lacks recall skills.
Speaking of recall, it is about more than having Fido come when called. It's also about having a dog that is constantly attuned to you and ready to obey no matter what, even in the midst of a game of chase. Recall is about being able to disengage Fido from an activity that is escalating and having her return to you until tempers calm down. Recall skills are important not just for your dog's safety, but for the safety of every dog she is interacting with. No recall skills, no dog park.
8. Allowing dogs to bully other dogs.
You might think it's cute when Fido is bouncing all over another dog, but it's not. Learn when play gestures are cute and engaging — and socially appropriate to dogs — and when they're just flat out obnoxious and rude. A play bow from a little distance away is cute. A tag-and-run request for play is cute. But constantly nipping at another dog's neck and pouncing him to try to get a game of wrestle going is obnoxious. Especially when the dog on the receiving end isn't comfortable with it. If Fido is getting too rough or rude with a dog that is not liking it, it's time to call Fido over and have her leave that dog alone. If you don't, you're asking for a fight between the dogs. And if Fido is the one being bullied by all means intervene. Calmly claim Fido and tell the other dog to leave your dog alone. (Don’t know how to claim Fido come talk to us at Not Just 4 Fido and we will teach you!)
9. Letting the dogs 'work it out.'
Yeah, that just doesn't work. So many people at dog parks think that if they leave the dogs alone, they'll get through whatever social drama is happening. Dogs can be good at working things out, but dogs meeting for the first time in a stimulating environment are not on the best path to being able to work out differences. If a dog is being picked on, or there are signs of dislike between two dogs, it's up to the humans to intervene and keep everyone mellow and happy. A perfect example of this is when a dog tries to mount another dog in a dominance display and it is passed off as "they're figuring out the chain of command." Nope, that dog is just being plain old rude — by both human and dog standards. If Fido needs to mount other dogs to figure out where she sits on the totem pole, then dog parks are not the best place for Fido at this time and more training is in order. If there's another dog at the park doing this to Fido, separate the dogs and leave the park. Being around a dog like that is not worth the potential trouble. Being around owners who think dogs should be left alone to "work it out" is also not worth it.
10. Bringing dogs that have resource-guarding problems.
Dogs who don't like to share toys, or who like to steal toys and hoard them, are not going to have fun in a dog park. Not only that, but that kind of dog is also a potential danger to other dogs that want to play with toys and don't take her cues to back off. This goes beyond toys, too. Dog treats are common in dog parks and a resource-guarding dog who picks up the scent will guard that food resource against other dogs with varying levels of aggressiveness (even if the treats are still in the human's pocket!) Some dogs take resource guarding to a new level by guarding the dog they're playing with, or even their own human. If Fido has any issues with resource guarding, then more training is required and the dog park is yet not a safe place to play.
12. Don’t bring dog treats and toys to the dog park.
Did you read the above point? There will be dogs with resource guarding issues, so don’t bring any resources with you. And if you NEED treats to recall your dog then your dog is not ready to be off leash.
13. Chatting with other humans rather than supervising the dogs.
A person's number one priority at a dog park is a dog, not conversation with other humans. Think of it like taking children to a playground, putting them on the jungle gym with other kids, and then turning your back on them to chat with other parents. That's frowned upon, right? You have no idea if arguing is breaking out, if someone is throwing sand, or if a kid is about to take a 10-foot plunge from the monkey bars. Same with dogs. Too many people feel they can let loose their dog in a fenced park and then just have a nice chat with other dog owners. But if you're busy chatting, you're not watching. Dog parks are for dogs; coffee shops are for chit chat.
14. Spending more time looking at a smartphone screen than at the dogs.
In the same way that chatting with other humans should not take priority over supervising dogs, a smartphone should not become a distraction either. Sadly, I've seen people enter the dog park and stare at their phones the whole time while their dog is wreaking havoc in the park or, even sadder, the dog just stands there staring at the phone-absorbed human, wondering if they're ever going to play. Dogs know when you're mentally disengaged and they can often take advantage of that — breaking rules because they know they can. Don't make other dog owners have to manage your dog for you because you're texting or tweeting or posting a picture of your cute dog to Instagram. Think of it like texting and driving: it can wait.
15. Not having the skills to keep your dog safe
In a nutshell, if YOU don’t have the following skills YOU are not ready to take Fido to the dog park.
a. YOU must be able to read and understand dog behaviour.
b. YOU must be able to recall Fido from any distraction or situation by compulsion (this means by command WITHOUT using treats.) I can tell this ability saved the life of Bella our canine assistant when she was still a young boisterous pup. I’m happy to tell the amazing story if you want to hear it!
c. YOU must make sure Fido stays under your control the entire time (this is true whenever you have Fido off leash).
d. YOU must be certain Fido enters the dog park politely. A big part of this is EXERCISING Fido BEFORE you go to the dog park.
