Dog parks sound like a great idea - a place for dogs to play and hang out, off leash, with their kin. For many dogs, they can be a great outlet for their energy and a place to make friends. Some dogs even start out shy, but blossom over time.
However things don’t always go smoothly. Sometimes what starts out as play - such as taking a fast lap around with one play partner - can turn scary if multiple dogs join in and end up chasing or piling onto a single dog. Sometimes a dog who is playful but doesn’t know when to back off will bully another dog into hiding under a table or chair and not let it escape. Fights can break out if someone gets bitten too hard or is guarding their owner or toy. Play that is too high in intensity can “tip” into aggression (when dogs get too worked up, one party is no longer having fun, and suddenly teeth are flashing). These things can lead to a dog becoming less comfortable with other dogs, and therefore overly defensive or even aggressive. In worst case scenarios, dogs end up needing stitches or even dying. (A quick Google search for “dog park” plus words like “horror,” “trauma,” “tragedy,” “death,” etc will bring up plenty of examples.) (By the way, I’ve also heard anecdotes in which the dogs were fine, but it’s the other owners who are aggressive!)
So how can you protect your dog and help him practice good social skills at the dog park?
First, know your own dog, especially rescues
Taking a brand-new rescue dog into a dog park and letting it off leash can be a dangerous proposition. You should first have an idea of your dog’s social skills and interest level in socializing.
Ask for as much history of your dog’s previous social experiences as you can get. Was the dog fostered or kenneled with other dogs? Did the shelter or rescue group do any socializing?
Take your dog for several walks and watch how he reacts to the sight of other walkers. If everyone looks calm and interested, you can ask the other owners if it’s okay to do a quick meet and greet.
Ask neighbors, friends, and family with calm, well-behaved dogs if they can meet. (Article on introducing dogs safely is in the queue.)
Some trainers (including myself) can provide an assessment by doing careful introductions to pre-selected dogs.
Many daycares and boarding businesses will do a free assessment of your dog’s social skills as a requirement for services.
If you’ve raised your dog since puppyhood or you’ve already taken the above steps for your rescue dog, then next consider the following:
Does your dog actually want to hang out with other dogs, beyond the initial butt sniffing?
Is your dog intimidated by larger dogs, or overly pushy with smaller or younger ones?
Is your dog easily riled up if there’s a lot of activity?
Does your dog get very upset if he’s humped, sniffed intently, someone barks in his face, or nips his legs or flanks?
Would you be able to keep your dog away from another that’s looking scared or unfriendly?
What type of play does your dog like - running, jumping up and climbing all over other dogs, biting faces/necks, hip checks, rolling over and playing “submissive”?
Going into the park
Watch the other dogs before you go in. The answers to these questions will guide you in deciding whether you should actually take your dog inside. Sometimes, you may see things that concern you or you know your dog won’t respond well to. If that’s the case, turn around and take your dog for a leash walk instead, or drive to a different park.
How many other dogs are there? More dogs = more likely to have ganging up.
What’s the energy level of the group? Are they riled up? Are they all looking bored and likely to jump up and come mob your dog? Or is there already polite mingling happening, that your dog could easily slip into?
What type of play is happening (if any), and is it a type that your dog enjoys, tolerates, or takes offense to?
Is there one dog that’s circling the other players, then jumping in to take potshots?
Is there a dog who is acting unfriendly or very scared?
Is there a dog who is obsessively humping others?
Are there toys out that your dog is going to guard aggressively?
Big vs small dogs
Some parks have separate areas for big vs small dogs, which is generally safer. Be careful bringing your small dog into a mixed size park - it’s much easier for them to get bullied, knocked over, or even treated as prey.
If you have a big dog, be respectful of the small dog area - those little guys might be genuinely scared of yours.
Extreme caution should be taken if you have a dog with predatory drive. As a personal anecdote, I once had my Irish Wolfhound (a large sighthound, who are bred to chase and catch prey) stretching her legs at a dog park during travel, and someone started to approach with a smaller dog who was squealing in a high pitch on their way in. My hound perked her ears and tensed, and I immediately put her on leash and turned to leave the park. She has never shown any predatory behavior toward other dogs, even toy-sized breeds, but why take the chances when the consequences could be dire? (Fortunately once the other dog was let off leash and stopped squealing, plus Terra had walked past and saw that it was actually a dog and not a prey animal, she relaxed again. Good girl.)
Walk around the park perimeter first
This is especially useful if your dog is nervous about greetings, and to avoid mobbing at the gate.
Let the dogs sniff through the fence. Just redirect to a calmer behavior if your dog starts to get over-excited and is barking or jumping on the fence. Encourage him to move along.
At the gate
As above, let the dogs get some initial sniffs done at the gate before you open, to reduce mobbing.
Once inside the park
Walk around instead of sitting in one spot. This keeps the dogs moving, which helps reduce the intensity of play (and therefore incidents of play “tipping” into aggression). It also encourages the dogs to pay more attention to their owners.
Practice calling your dog to you, leashing him up, throwing him a party, then letting him loose to play again. By making this a regular part of the dog park routine, your dog won’t play “keep away” when it’s time to really leave.
Monitor your dog’s body language and play behavior - see more info below.
Treats or no?
Some people frown on taking any treats into the park. It’s true that you might get unwanted attention from dogs that are very “foody,” and some dogs will guard food intensely. On the other hand, it’s an extremely useful tool for training your dog to respond to “come” and other cues around distractions - especially if you bring high value treats that your dog loves. Here’s how to decrease the likelihood of any problems:
Make sure your treats are in a secure pouch or bag, with no chances of spilling out if a dog tries to stick their nose inside or jumps on you.
When you are feeding your dog, do it away from everyone else. That may mean that you praise your dog for something good (like coming to you), then lead them away for several steps before slipping them a treat.
Be careful not to drop your food on the ground. If you have butterfingers or your dog gets “sharky” when excited, try using a Bark Pouch or other food in a tube.
If the other dogs are taking notice of your food, hold the pouch up high and out of their reach, such as under your armpit, or by your neck. (I don’t recommend holding it up and out in the air, as many dogs see this as an invitation to jump, as if for a toy.)
Keep moving around the park, which will make other dogs lose interested in you more quickly, as well as decrease congregating - which makes guarding more likely.
Don’t feed anyone else’s dog without permission. Besides encouraging begging behavior, this may be dangerous if that dog has severe allergies or digestive issues.
Monitoring dog play
Here are the basics you should know to keep everyone safe and happy.
Dogs should be taking breaks, even if they are just brief pauses - such as the more assertive dog pausing for a second, and seeing his play partner happily re-engage by jumping back in. Play without any breaks is prone to escalating in intensity, which can lead to a dog biting too hard, feeling overwhelmed and defensive, or “tipping” into aggression.
If they’re not taking breaks, call your dog to you. You may have to ask the other owner to also call their own dog, to make it easier to interrupt play.
Walking around the park will also help lower intensity, as your dog takes pauses to check in on your location (hopefully!).
Watch out for dogs getting cornered or trying to hide under tables/chairs and not being able to come out. This often happens when a dog wants a break, but their playmate(s) are not backing off. It’s also more likely when you have more than 2 dogs playing with each other.
Many dogs like a good game of chase, but this game is likely to result in cornering, mobbing, or escalating intensity, so be ready to interrupt and give breaks as needed. It’s a good sign if you see the dogs take a break, and then the one who was being chased reinitiates the game themselves.
Wrestling and pinning is a popular dog game but again, you want to monitor and be ready to give breaks. Look for the dog on the bottom to be intentionally rolling onto their side/back and inviting the play, rather than being slammed down. If the dog on top is not letting them up, biting without letting go, or pinning again as soon as the other dog tries to get up, then institute a break.
Mismatches in play style will happen. Sometimes they are clearly based in genetics (for example, many herding and sighthound breeds like to play chase, while retrievers like to wrestle, and bully breeds tend to body slam). Other times, it’s due to individual quirks and preferences, or a positive or negative history with that play style. If it’s causing repeated conflict, the mismatched dogs should be kept apart, even leaving the dog park if necessary.
Watch out for over-arousal during play, as this is often a precursor to “tipping,” as well as other unwanted behaviors. Signs of over-arousal include:
Play without breaks
Changes in pitch of vocalizations (either getting higher or lower than usual)
More frenzied movement
Not responding to cues as well as usual
Not stopping when the other dog wants a break
Humping - humping is a commonly misunderstood behavior. The most common cause for it in dog parks is that a dog wants to interact with another, is worked up, and has a dearth of prosocial skills - leading to things like incessant barking in the other dog’s face, jumping on top of them even when told off, or humping.
Breaking up a dog fight
It’s scary, but it’s bound to happen that sometimes dogs get pissed off at each other. The first thing to do is take a breath and assess: is this just a noisy scuffle with a lot of posturing and teeth bared, but the dogs aren’t really trying to hurt each other? This is much, much more common than a real fight in which the dogs are trying to take each other down. And if it’s just a noisy scuffle - an argument - then you don’t need to step in. It will be over within a few seconds. Help the dogs move away from each other and calm down as needed.
If your dog is repeatedly getting into scuffles, you should bring in a professional trainer to assess what is happening and whether he should be going to dog parks. (See below for alternatives.) Or if he’s getting into repeated scuffles with one specific dog, they should be kept separate from each other.
If your dog gets into a “real” fight, and injures another dog, you should carefully separate the dogs, exchange contact info with the other owner, then leave the park. Contact a professional trainer to discuss what happened and appropriate future socialization for your dog.
Here’s how to step in when needed:
Keep your hands away from the bitey parts. I know this sounds obvious, but often the first instinct we have is to reach for dogs’ collars to gain control over them. This is a good way to get bitten on the hand. (Ask me how I know!)
Try to interrupt the fight by placing a physical object between the dogs, if available.
A blast from a hose will interrupt most fights.
Otherwise, grab the dog from behind, by putting your hands where the rear legs meet the abdomen and pulling back and up.
Beware of redirected bites - when a dog feels someone grab them and reacts without pausing to consider who/what that was. If you keep moving the dog backwards with their butt in the air - like a wheelbarrow - they cannot plant their front feet down and whip around to bite. Don’t let go until both dogs have been secured and seem aware of their surroundings rather than just reacting.
Alternatives to dog parks
What if you read the above information and realize that your dog is not a “dog park dog?” That’s okay! It’s normal for dogs to be selective about who they want to hang out with, rather than wanting to go into the mosh pit - especially as they mature out of puppyhood and adolescence. This is common among many species, including humans - as kids, we’ll often play with any other kids around, but later we become more choosy about who we want to spend time with.
Here are other options to explore:
Smaller gatherings at unofficial off leash areas, especially if there’s a consistent group showing up rather than “strangers” every time.
Going to the regular dog park during off peak hours, when there are only a few other dogs, at most, with plenty of space for each dog to do their own thing.
One on one play dates with pre-selected dogs. These may be dogs that your dog liked when he did go to the dog park, or compatible dogs belonging to friends, family, or neighbors.
Not socializing with other dogs, but giving your dog plenty of other forms of enrichment, exercise, and social time with humans. This can still be a fulfilling life.