Introduction to Dog Parks

[jpsmith5]

I would love to take my dog to the local dog park. 10 acres, fenced, has a pool, water and plenty of tennis balls. She need a good run everyday. Rescued from animal Services, we think she is around 2 years old. How do I introduce her to other dogs? On the leash, off leash, on a long rope so I can call her back? She does not like other dogs on a walk and I am working on distance training. Zoey has been trained to sit, stay, come, lie down and roll over. She plays hide and seek and we are practicing other mind games.Hard to believe no one claimed her. No Chip or color when found.

We do have a barking issue, everything that passes our door and meeting other dogs on walks. lunges out but tail is wagging.

Any advice will be very much appreciated. Oh, by the way she is a catahula hound dog.

Edited August 3, 2019 by jpsmith5
Added text

[Adrienne Farricelli]

I would suggest skipping the dog park until your dog has proven to have exceptional social skills. This means being capable of effectively reading other dogs, negotiating, displaying affiliative body language and just overall staying out of trouble. On top of that, we want a very solid recall to call the dog at a moment's notice when the need arises (calling a dog in the home and yard is fairly easy, while calling a dog around other hyper dogs playing left and right is definitely not unless the dog has been trained around such strong distractions).

 

In general, leashes are not allowed in dogs park due to the risk of dogs getting tangled and panicking (which may lead to aggression) and the fact that leashes prevent dogs from retreating as needed and interfere with the display of proper body language. The use of tennis balls/toys is also not allowed in many dog parks due to the potential risks of dogs resource guarding (but of course, all parks have different rules).

 

If the dog is still a work in progress, the risks at stake in a dog park may be too high. Dog parks are frowned upon by many dog trainers/behavior consultants due to the fact that they can set up the stage for altercations and even fights. Even if no fights occur, bullying and emotional damage can scar dogs for life. Now, of course, there are exceptions and several dogs do just fine at the dog park, but these are usually dogs who have been heavily socialized with other dogs, know how to diffuse situations and avoid confrontations, display proper body language when needed, are resilient (bounce back from situations without any impact) and have overall strong social skills.

 

On top of the risks for altercations, something to consider is that dog owners aren't always monitoring play as they should (they check their phones or chit-chat with other dog owners) and some may fail to recognize the early warning signs of play escalating into a potential fight. Interestingly, a study conducted by Tami and Gallagher in 2009, found that, when individuals were shown video recordings of interactions among dogs, they had a hard time distinguishing aggression from play fighting.

 

Now, an important consideration is whether your dog doesn't "like" other dogs on walks because she feels threatened by them or she is displaying barrier frustration. There is a big difference between the two: in the first case, the dog is likely to display defensive aggression and emotional upset if anther dog comes too close, in the latter case, the dog is eager to interact with dogs, but puts on a display of barking and lunging when on leash because she wants to badly meet and mingle with other dogs, but since the leash restrains her, she gets frustrated and exhibits a sort of "tantrum."

You can read about barrier frustration here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/

 

Differentiating one with the other may not be always easy. For instance, tail wagging can be seen as well in nervous dogs, and a compounding circumstance is the phenomenon of some dogs displaying conflicting body language when seeing other dogs. Some dogs will wag, even do a play bow with dogs only to display aggressive behaviors once the dog is closer.

 

You are on the right path on doing distance training. You want to work with your dog under threshold:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ but also work on changing the emotional response if there is some level of stress going on. This is best done with the help of a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification. If the barking at other dogs is due to not being comfortable, then this may involve counterconditioning techniques such as "look at that" (which by the way, can come handy if she barks at things passing by) or "open bar/closed bar".

 

You can read about these here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/

 

One of my favorite uses of dog parks, is training dogs to remain calm when walking around the perimeter of the dog park. This usually is done once the dog has proven over and over for some time the ability to remain calm in distance work and well under threshold. I start with walking the dog at a distance from the perimeter when there are just a couple of dogs playing, and then, if all goes well, progress to walking when there are more dogs playing and progress to ask the dog to perform behaviors in proximity as well (sits/ downs/ stays and recalls with a slightly longer leash).

 

Now, we need to thread with caution in your situation and really know what we are dealing with (does your dog want dogs to stay away? or does your dog want dogs to come closer, or is your dog displaying conflicting emotions?), so once the dog has been evaluated by a professional and the issues have been worked on, then we can consider perhaps starting with organizing some play dates with dogs we know have the potential for being good play mates (often, dog behavior professionals have 'teacher dogs' who are great for these initial introductions). These introductions are likely safer than putting a dog with an unknown history, with a bunch of stranger dogs who may poor social skills.

 

Alternatively, for dogs who may not have developed yet great social skills, there are always several options to provide great outlets for pent-up energy in a structured, more productive manner such enrolling the dog in agility, flyball and dock diving events. These offer a win-win because dogs must learn to stay calm (and perform despite the distraction of other dogs around) while also releasing off some steam in a structured manner.

 

Hope this helps!

Best,

Adrienne

Edited August 5, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[JMFS]

To illustrate some of what Adrienne's said about dog parks, I'll share my story.

 

Momo and I went to a dog park and we usually had a fantastic time. There were always little fights here and there but I never witnessed anything serious. Ours was one that allowed balls because it had a pond and a dock for jumping.

 

You have a plethora of personalities amongst dogs And their owners. You have the owners who coddle and hide their dogs. You have people who act as though their dog is being accosted any time another dog comes anywhere near. I've seen people snatch their 30-lb dogs up when a Great Dane comes flopping over to say hi. There are people who have no idea where their dog has gone because they're too busy on their phones to notice. There are perfectly behaved dogs and people. There are people who encourage their dogs to beat up your dog when play fighting. There are know-it-alls who know nothing. There are wise people who can help you with your dog. It can be a confusing and harrowing time; however, it can also be a great time and a valuable asset in training socialization.

 

We had one gal who was of the latter variety, kind of. She didn't encourage her dog's behavior, but she also didn't Discourage it. She thought it was funny. Momo isn't the strongest swimmer and he's had water trauma in the past. We joke that it's not Thanksgiving unless Mo has fallen into a pool because it happened 2 years in a row on that holiday. At the park I kept him in the shallow end of the pond where he delighted in digging up rocks I'd thrown in to the pond for him, and where he could keep his feet on the bottom. He liked to fetch the balls at short distances, but other dogs were usually faster than him and most owners didn't know how to get their dogs to wait their turn. This lady's dog would jump on top of Momo Every time I threw the ball for him. Poor Mo would be pushed under the water and come back up sputtering. This lady thought her dog's behavior was Hilarious and Cute. It was not. It was clear that Momo was Not enjoying the game. I let her know about his fear and that I had Finally gotten him to go in the water again and she just poo-pooed at my concern. We tried moving further down the way, but her dog always followed. I tried throwing a ball for her and Mo but she'd just get both balls. Usually we'd simply leave because it was downright annoying and the dog park was supposed to be a fun bonding time.

 

For the following, this information is important: the park is small and contained by a well-maintained 8 foot fence and you can see the entire area, minus a copse of trees. You can see into the trees if you know what you're looking for.

 

The third time at the park with this gal I decided I'd had enough. I swear she stalked the park just to see if we were there so she and her dog (who was really sweet, just untrained) could harass Momo. She also fell into that "too busy on her phone" category. One day after her dog had dunked Mo a few times I took a walk with Mo and her dog followed us. We walked off to that copse of trees so Momo could get entertainment from sniffing around. The lady didn't even notice her dog was following us. Her dog got to sniffing something in the trees and Momo and I left her there. We went back to playing fetch and it was So very nice to be able to do it without her dog jumping onto Momo. The lady Finally looked up from her phone - it took her the entire walk to the trees and back before she bothered to check on her dog. When she noticed her dog wasn't there she started panicking. Did I say a word? Nope. I knew her dog was safe because I could see the little yellow body amongst the trees. It may have been a little mean, but I would absolutely do it again. The dog was safe and the woman needed to learn the value of paying attention to her dog.

 

We stopped going altogether because Momo is one of those dogs other dogs Love to pick on. He wants to be a leader but he's not equipped for the role and the other dogs seem to sense his uncertainty, making him a target. Once Momo started showing signs of not being able to handle situations (he'd huddle around my legs) I called a halt to the dog park trips. He's fine with other dogs one-on-one, but at the dog park it's usually a pack of 3 or more who kind of run around everywhere checking everything out and that's a bit much for him. Gertie, on the other hand, is likely to be one of the dogs in that pack. She's a little social butterfly who's never met a stranger so I have dogs on both sides of the spectrum.

 

If you follow Adrienne's suggestion of walking the perimeter of the dog park you may meet a person or more who have well-adjusted dogs that can help socialize Zoey, and who may be willing to help you by working under Zoey's threshold. You may even be able to arrange a play date so she still gets socialization, but in a more controlled setting with less stimuli. A lot of us have been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and are happy to help.

[billprispark]

I enjoyed reading your thread. I have a dog that is aggressive on the leash, We went to the dog park once and he did okay off leash but I am just to nervous to not have control . I do worry that he does not have a chance to socialize with other dogs because he is always on the leash. Unfortunately there are no dog trainers to help me not to be nervous around other dogs . I know it isn't Finn that's the problem its me. I love Finn and I love being alone with him but I worry that I am not being fair.

[JMFS]

Aw, it's good that you're thinking of Finn's wellness. If the dog park is too much, what about scouting out a playmate or two? I used to "borrow" my best friend's dog for play dates since I had a yard and she didn't. It worked out well for both pups. Or, hey, here's an idea (lol, I type exactly what my head says sometimes)! :D Do you have a friend with a dog who's not reactive? Maybe you could train yourself with their dog. Once you're used to walking a calmer dog you might have more confidence and be calmer yourself with Finn. Or you could walk their dog while they walk Finn. Sometimes experiencing another dog's personality is enough to help. Also, before each walk, put yourself in the right headspace. Take a few moments to breathe and tell yourself today's going to be even better than yesterday's walk. That attitude will rub off on Finn, which will help him help you remain calm. If we were nearby I'd sure let you take Gertie for a spin. She's not 100% but man-oh-man is she ever 100x better than walking Momo, lol, and she's never met a stranger so there's zero aggression, only love of life.

[billprispark]

thanks for the advice I like the idea of my walking a calm dog and letting another person walk mine

[billprispark]

I Haven't chatted for a while . Finn is doing better with his aggression issues. Thanks to your advice we have done baby steps . I did get a shock collar for as there are too many loose dogs around for him and me to be safe. As it is I have only used the vibration part and it seems to be working . We have walked by several dogs and Finn has just looked quietly instead of going crazy I will not go to the dog park yet and probably won't ever go there. There is a park where dogs are supposed to be walked on a leash . A lot of people disregard this but at least it is a quiet place . We will see how it goes. I don't know what I would have done without your advice.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thanks for posting your update, it is greatly appreciated. Glad to hear you have limited the use of the shock collar to the vibration function. Vibration collars are often used in deaf dogs to come when called. Vibration collars can still be used in a force-free manner if the vibration function is used in a timely manner to inform the dog that a treat is coming in the same way a dog is trained with clicker training. The vibration collar can be 'charged" and used to create positive associations and to reinforce desired behaviors.

 

So for instance, the dog sees an approaching dog, the vibration button is pushed, the dog turns around looking for a treat (as a result of a conditioned emotional response rather than a startling effect) and ignores the approaching dog. At the same time, the approaching dog (if it keeps advancing) can be distracted by tossing a handful of kibble/treats in its direction to keep the dog busy enough to walk away. Training an emergency u-turn may also be helpful:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/

 

 

Ideally, we would work in areas where leash laws are in place and there aren't loose dogs so that dog park where dogs are walked on the leash may be ideal as long as you do distance work where your dog is under threshold. This is very important considering that an off leash dog can easily undo lots of progress. I even know of service dogs who were perfectly trained get ruined by an off leash dog and require lots of rehabilitation. So you need to really protect your hard work.

 

The problem with using the shock function of the collar is that yes, the shock can be used to correct a dog who is acting reactive towards other dogs, but there are "side effects" and risks that the dog starts associating the shock with the approaching dog, which can lead to more stress and nothing is done to change the dog's emotional response. It's attains the total opposite effect and there have been several studies on this.

 

For sake of an example, imagine somebody who has a phobia of cats. This person doesn't want cats coming near. When he sees a cat approach, he stomps his feet loudly and makes a hissing sound (the equivalent of a dog barking and lunging). The behavior works, so the person keeps doing this distance-increasing behavior. Then one day a therapist offers to help he says ''I know of a way to stop your from reacting this way and fix your phobia." So every time a cat approaches and the person starts to stomp feet/hiss, the therapist slaps him. Now, the cat hater not only has the phobia of cats, but is worried about the therapist slapping him on top of all that. He might stop stomping and hissing but the fear is still there, if not, even worse than before.

 

Now, imagine a totally different therapist. Every time the cat approaches, this therapist doles out a 1 dollar bill at the sight of that. The cat comes comes closer? The therapist gives $5. As the cat approaches more, the therapist gives $10. The cat hater now starts liking the sight of the cat. Upon seeing the cat, he naturally looks at his therapist waiting for the $$$. Will he ever totally love cats to want to fill his house with them? Maybe not, but he certainly has come a long way. This is what we try to accomplish with dogs when we work on behavior modification using baby steps and counterconditioning exercises such as "Look at That."

 

The fact your dog is doing better is a great sign! Give yourself a pat on the back for all the effort you have put in!

Keep up the great work,

Best, Adrienne

Edited September 21, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[billprispark]

Thanks I needed that advice about using the shock function. So far I have used the vibration function and given treats when I use it. I thought I might have to use the shock function when there is a unleashed dog approaching but now I won't I will use the u turn. I think I am ready to take Finn to the park where dogs are suppose to be on leash. I think I will have time to u turn there if an unleashed dog approaches. I plan to take Finn off to the side of the path and make him sit using the vibration function and treats as a leashed dog goes by. I keep reminding myself baby steps baby steps!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Yes, the baby steps is fundamental, and a major reason why behavior modification fails or there are too many setbacks is rushing through the process. Finn might not be ready to respond to the "sit" cue with dogs walking by as often dogs in the initial stages of behavior modification are too over threshold to cognitively function (in other words, they are so overwhelmed by their emotions that they find it difficult to think.)

 

Imagine being scared of heights and being asked to solve a math problem on a sky scraper or being so angry it is very difficult to be able to think rationally, this is how dogs may feel when over threshold and being asked to sit. So it may be satisfactory if for now Finn can just watch the dogs walk by without reacting and giving him treats upon seeing the dogs walk by to create positive associations. Once the dog has passed, no more treats.

 

I know it may seem odd to give treats when a dog is not doing "anything" but behavior modification is more about changing emotions than rewarding behaviors. Let me clarify this a bit.

 

Behavior modification (fixing behavior issues caused by emotions such as fear, anxiety, aggression, etc.) falls more into changing emotional responses through the use of classical conditioning. In other words, we focus on creating positive associations. Behavior modification requires the aid of dog behavior professionals (dog behavior consultants, veterinary behaviorists, certified applied animal behaviorists).

 

Dog training instead falls under operant conditionioning, which focuses on rewarding behaviors so that the behavior strengthen and repeat (asking dogs to sit, lie down, stay, come etc). Dog training requires the aid of a dog trainer.

 

Sure, both operant and classical can be combined (and they tend to combine naturally in some cases) so we can therefore add sits, downs and stays into a behavior modification plan, but usually this is later on, once we have changed a dog's emotional response. The great thing is that once the emotions change, dogs becomes calmer and their brains are more adept to responding to cues such as sit or attention heel. So back to the fear of heights example, once you are calmer and more confident on the sky scraper through the use of baby steps, you will notice that you'll be able to start solving math problems.

 

Now, some dogs may respond to sits when watching other dogs, but the expressions on their faces are tense, and they are still in fight or flight mode with cortisol rushing through their bodies and they are ready to spring into action and lunge. This is not what we want.

Edited September 22, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[billprispark]

We have been doing better on walks and Finn is able to pass by dogs that are fenced in without going crazy.. I use the vibration and give him rewards when he acts calm. However today was a disaster. We just came home from a walk and were going into our apartment when the little female dog was going towards her apartment. She was not on a leash but the owners were with her. I thought that finn did okay with female dogs.. However he immediately attacked her, I don't see how I am going to be able to cope with this behavior and there is not trainer here in Salmon What should I do. I have a line outside the apartment in the back . MAybe he is not a dog that I should walk.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you for taking your time to post your update!

I am very, very glad that you have been able to walk Finn by the fence area without going crazy. You are evidently doing things right and this is big progress for a dog like yours!

 

But in regards to the latest episode, sigh...If can put a coin for every case of an off leash dog ruining progress, I would have one big, heavy piggy bank account. I probably already told you of the stories of service dogs gone bad because of off leash dogs, so I better not get started there. It is extremely frustrating and you can ask many dog trainers and they have hundreds of stories of off leash dogs wrecking havoc to the most systematic plans.

 

I hear you and can't blame you for being upset. I would be too. Actually, I must confess that at times I broke down into tears when I was working on dog-dog reactivity cases and the quintessential off leash dog (or leashed dog with dog owner being dragged along) came to put a dent in the progress. However, as much as I was upset, fortunately, it took a couple of more reps of behavior modification done right with dogs at a distance to get us to the point where we were before.

 

Here are some things I had to do though for a case I worked on a while back when I lived in a difficult area. For safety of the dog I was working on and the off leash dog, I had to swing by my neighbor and ask at what times it was safe for me to work on the dog's reactivity without encountering hers. We found a compromise. On top of this, I made sure my dog was muzzled just in case and I made sure to scan the environment carefully and do emergency u-turns as the sight of any off leash dogs. I also was equipped with a special spray to keep dogs away carried on my belt and on the other side I had some bully sticks/miscellaneous high value treats (like hot dog slices) to toss to any dog before making an approach in hopes the food would interject the dog's plans to come closer. It also may help to have a harness that says ''caution" or "nervous" to remind people about having a dog that needs space (although a muzzle should suffix, but it doesn't hurt to have more).

 

 

Short of becoming a midnight walker, (that's what owners of reactive dogs often do to avoid other dogs on walks), I think the option of talking to your neighbor in the apartment should help at least manage this part of your dog's walk so that you can continue working in areas where there are leash laws in place. Relegating a dog in the yard is done for some severe cases when it's too stressful for a dog to walk, (exercise is provided through training, play and brain games, some dog owners also use treadmills), but usually this is temporary, long-term, there may be risks for other behavior issues to pop up.

 

Have you tried to contact any of the dog professionals that Jennifer posted in one of your posts a while back? It looks like some are far, but there are chances they know somebody else closer or they may be willing to find a compromise. Of course, make sure they are force-free professionals using positive-based behavior modification. I can ask too on a dog training group I am part of and will let you know if any names pop up.

Edited October 3, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[JMFS]

You could ask local Veterinarians for a referral as well, or boarding facilities, or even groomers. Groomers may actually be a good start - their job causes reaction in dogs so they may be in touch with trainers who could help. We have a place here where they do lure coursing and dock jumping and they were associated with the trainer I used for Momo so there's another idea. Pretty much any dog-related business is worth a try.