In the News: Tails of Marin
Dog Parks Are A Great Place To Learn Bad Behavior
By Trish King
Dog parks can be great places for people to exercise their pets and socialize them to other dogs. Most of the time, dogs find other dogs with compatible play styles and all is well. Occasionally, fights occur. Very occasionally, a dog gets seriously injured or even killed. It’s up to us to keep a close eye on the dogs, and to make sure that our pets are safe and happy when interacting with other dogs.
While puppies and adolescents are likely to play with strange dogs, the older a dog gets, the more likely the dog is to become pickier about playmates. Some adult dogs don’t like to play with any other dogs except those they live with. So, be aware that many dogs will outgrow dog parks as they mature.
Dog parks can also be great places for dogs to learn bad things. Here are some examples:
- Dogs can learn that they have a right to meet and greet all other dogs. While this doesn’t sound like a problem, it can lead to “leash aggression,” which is really a canine tantrum. Dogs pull madly on their leashes to meet other dogs, the owners pull back angrily, the dogs pull harder and often bark, and oncoming dogs see their posture and believe they are being aggressive. Owners of these dogs get confused because their dogs are so good off leash but holy terrors on leash.
- Dogs can learn that they don’t have to obey their owners, and that their owners can’t make them. When the owner calls, the dog doesn’t respond. When the owner chases, the dog runs away. In just minutes, dogs learn they are smarter and faster than their owners. We don’t want our dogs to know that!
- Different dogs have different play styles. Some are very physical and love to body slam each other. Some like to chase or to be chased. And some are cautious and sensitive. If a dog learns that shy dogs are fun to bully, that dog has learned a bad behavior … and the shy dog has learned that a dog park is not a safe place.
- Some dogs learn that they have to protect themselves and use aggression to do so, growling and snapping to drive away other dogs.
- Many dogs develop possession or guarding problems in parks. They’ll guard their own balls or toys — or they’ll find those of another dog and guard them!
- Some dogs form impromptu packs and might gang up on a new dog coming into the park.
- And some dogs can’t seem to calm down once they’ve become excited. They’re the ones who will get into two or three scuffles in a row — not because they’re aggressive, but because they have too much energy and no place to put it.
People contribute to dog park problems by not recognizing problem behavior or chastising a dog for behaving improperly when the dog really didn’t. More often, they just tell the owner of a frightened dog that the dogs will “work it out.” They might, but it might not be the way you wanted them to. Dogs that are traumatized in a dog park at a young age may develop lasting behavioral issues.
Some dogs just shouldn’t go to dog parks, period. They might be too shy, too bold, too defensive or too possessive. Often, I suggest that people consider passing on dog parks and concentrating on walks or runs instead, and I’m occasionally surprised by the relief they feel when they find out that dog park play is not mandatory — they thought they had to do it!
Trish King is the director of behavior and training at the Marin Humane Society.
Tails of Marin appears every Saturday in the Home & Garden section of the Marin Independent Journal
