In the last two posts I wrote about breaking up fights and recognizing the signs that one was about to break out. Now let me share a few hard lessons I’ve learned by watching my own dog, reading and talking with animal behavior experts, and spending countless hours at the dog park.
Training and socialization
Begin broadly socializing your dog from day one. Older dogs as well as pups benefit from positive exposure to new experiences. 
Introduce him to other dogs, cats, wildlife, people (adults and children), places, sounds… anything you think he might find new and therefore spooky. Make these new experiences positive through the use of praise, treats, and fun. Enlist friends, family, the mailman, groomer, and those annoying solicitors that knock on your door, to help.
Teach your dog a few simple behaviors you can count on when needed. If your dog is sitting, he can’t be mounting another dog. Learn to substitute and reward a desirable behavior (sit) for an undesirable one.
Work hard on recall. If you intend to unleash your dog in a public area – whether a designated and fenced off-leash area or not – you need to have established voice recall. That is, you must be able to get the dog to stop what he is doing and come to you when called.
Plan your visit
If your dog is possessive about treats or food, don’t take any with you and ask others not to offer them.
If you have more than one dog, don’t go alone. Though many dog parks allow handlers to bring up to three dogs, you need to be realistic about how you would handle more than one if there is a problem.
Leave female dogs in heat at home. Likewise, if you own an unaltered male, be prepared for some fireworks, especially if there is another unaltered male present.
At the dog park
Unleash your dog as soon as you arrive. Otherwise, your dog is handicapped in his ability to interact naturally with new dogs and to defend himself.
Stay calm, no matter what happens or you think is about to happen. Your dog can read the tension in your body language and it will cause him to become nervous too.
Don’t allow humping. Typically, a dog will test the waters by laying his head or a paw on the back of a dog it intends to mount. Discourage your dog from such behaviors as well. Though some believe this is a playful act, if you look at the expression of the dog being mounted, you will see that he is not having fun.
Keep moving. If a handler stays in one place the whole time, their dog could become territorial about that patch of grass.
Discourage clustering. You may find that too many dogs are congregating around yours (perhaps all trying to sniff at once), know that this can be intimidating and help your dog to extricate himself. Get close to your dog and then encourage him to walk away with you.
Finally, if another dog seems overly aroused or prone to starting fights, and the owner is unwilling or unable to control the dog, then stay away. You may feel righteous about your right to use the dog park, but the safety of you and your dog needs to trump those feelings.
Think of it as your job to know what your dog is doing (and what is being done to him) at all times, especially when around people and dogs you don’t know. You take your dog to a park for his enjoyment and enrichment. Though it is tempting to loose yourself in conversations with other dog owners, or to catch up with your cell phone, it is not fair to your dog or others if you are inattentive to what is happening. Your goal is to prevent fights before they break out.
Do you have pointers you would like to share? I’d love to hear your experiences and thoughts. Leave me a comment. Hate the blog? You can tell me that too!
Dog and Cat photo © photographer: Eriklam Agency: Dreamstime.com
Dogs at Park photo © Photographer: Cammeraydave Agency: Dreamstime.com
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