The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2020 | Page 47

FEATURE | SAFER AT THE DOG PARK Between September 2019 and February 2020 I circulated an informal survey through Facebook to dog park groups across USA and Canada. In this survey, 272 dog park users answered questions about one conflict their dog experienced at a dog park. Certainly, more extensive studies are needed, but this informal survey illuminates areas of interest. According to the data collected from this survey, if a dog is involved in an interdog conflict at a dog park there is a 46 percent chance the dog will sustain physical injuries. As to the severity of injuries resulting from a conflict, it can be expected that about 40 percent of the injuries will require 3-to-10 days to heal and about 20 percent will require more than 10 days to heal. For conflicts between dogs significantly different in size, the survey suggests that larger dogs are at a slightly higher risk of receiving a bite from a smaller dog, and smaller dogs have a greater risk of serious injury from a larger dog. Physical injuries are not the only risks when it comes to dog conflicts. The experiences of the respondents suggest there is about a 60 percent chance that a dog will develop behavioral changes (fear, aggression, and/or reactivity towards other dogs). Behavioral changes range in duration with a 25 percent chance the behaviors will last less than a week and a 48 percent chance they will last longer than six months. What can park users do to reduce the risk? “I feel I have to stay guarded especially when there are a bunch if dogs that are all in a cluster. I think entrance can be an issue. The dog park we go to has a small area for when they come in but dogs all gather in around the newcomer. It can be intimidating for even the most experienced park pups.” ~ survey respondent #206 “There were 20 dogs swarming my dog as soon as we walked in. We immediately left.” ~ survey respondent #180 By far, the riskiest zone for dog conflicts is the entrance/exit area. Dog behavior professionals and formal studies assert this to be the case, and the results from the survey confirms it. According to the survey, 68 percent of the dog conflicts occurred inside the dog park within 100 feet of the entrance/exit (with nearly half of those within 20 feet of the entrance/exit). This area is a “perfect storm” of amped-up dogs in crowded conditions. People tend to loiter near the entrance area while their dogs race around nearby and rush the gate to meet newly arriving dogs. If park exits and entrances are in close proximity, traffic is funneled to the same area, creating additional congestion and forced encounters between tired dogs and excited new arrivals. Dogs need sufficient space to avoid conflicts. Some dog professionals recommend at least 1,000 square-feet per dog for playgroups with ideal conditions (a private area, fewer than five dogs, all dogs prescreened for sociability and behavior). In the context of a dog park, some dog professionals recommend 8,000 square-foot per dog (five dogs per acre). Caregivers can help dogs avoid conflicts by waiting for congestion to clear before entering, using an alternate entrance/ exit, immediately moving out of the entrance area and farther into the park, and calling their dogs away from newly arriving dogs. Additionally, when their dogs are near the entrance area, park users could avoid high risk behaviors such as throwing a toy, using cell phones, or having involved conversations with other park users. “The First Rule of Dog Parks is: Keep Moving!” ~ survey respondent #268 Many dog behavior professionals experienced in managing groups of off-leash dogs believe that dog conflicts occur less frequently when the dogs are kept moving along, and that conflicts are more likely to happen when dogs are hanging around in the same area. The data from the survey seems to support this belief — 68 percent of the dog conflicts happened while the caregiver was sitting or standing but only 32 percent while walking — but more research is needed to investigate and test the accuracy of this claim. “The aggressor didn’t want to enter park but was carried in by owners.” ~ survey respondent #191 “I don’t hesitate to holler at other dog owners if they’re not supervising their dogs appropriately.” ~ survey respondent #254 “My dog was tired and was laying down beside me and the other dog kept bugging her. She warned him three times and then snapped on him.” ~ survey respondent #38 Many park users believe dog conflicts are largely due to the behaviors of other caregivers, particularly their inability to recognize canine stress signals and interrupt inappropriate behaviors. This is echoed by Louise Ginman PCT-A in her book The Art of Introducing Dogs (2013). Ginman, who has used dog parks for many years, asserts that she frequently witnesses dog behaviors that humans misinterpret as dogs playing, and that dog caregivers are always surprised when the interactions result in aggression. Mounting is a behavior that caregivers commonly misinterpret and mishandle. Park users tend to view this behavior as sexual and will often react with embarrassment, laughter, and even sex jokes; but mounting behavior, unless it is a male dog mounting a female dog in heat, has nothing to do with one dog trying to copulate with another. Mounting is what dogs often do when they are stressed and don’t know what else to do, or when they are trying to initiate play and they don’t have the social skills. Caregivers should calmly interrupt it because letting it continue can trigger serious interdog aggression. Caregivers who are unsure about dog body language and what constitutes appropriate play can perform a simple consent test by interrupting the dogs briefly and then letting the dogs re-engage. The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Summer 2020 45