“How can I leave each interaction at a Dog Park feeling good about it and have the other person feel good about it?”

Begin by Displaying Good Etiquette;

- There are general social etiquette rules that should be easy enough to follow. Always say “please” or “thank you.” No one likes a demanding person. When pointing out a rule, making a suggestion or demand always say, “please,” and never bark out a rude order.
- When making someone’s acquaintance, it’s always proper to shake the other person’s hand and say, “nice to meet you” or offer a similar pleasantry.
- Never interrupt when someone is speaking. Wait until you’re sure they finished before adding your own thoughts.
- Always strive to be fair but firm.

Dog Owners/Visitors and their dogs – Identifying barking and growling techniques to determine if dog is friendly enough to socialize with other dogs and dog owners.

Focus Areas; Owner Responsibility, How to be a better pet owner, How to recognize aggressive and non-aggressive canine behaviors, How to ensure children’s safety around dogs, How to make sure your house/outdoor space is safe for dogs, Understanding dog park environment and “how to” stay calm and show respect to park visitors and receive the same courtesy;

1. Owner Responsibility – Control Dog’s actions from; Molesting pedestrians – chasing vehicles – Damaging property of someone other than the owner of the animal – Without provocation, chases or approaches a person in an attitude of attack – Attacks or bites a person – Kills or inflicts severe injury to a domestic animal – Follow park rules and regulations – Stress supervision of the dog by the owner, most problems occur when the owner isn’t paying attention.

2. How to be a better pet owner; Dogs like to be dogs. Provide pets clearly defined structure in their lives and they will have freedom to enjoy their life. – Feed quality food, provide plenty of water and exercise for your pet. – Exercise, dogs need regular exercise to ensure continuing good health. – Groom your dog, All dogs should be groomed regularly for health and best appearance. – Protect form poisons, make sure your home and yard are free from poisonous substances. – I.D. your dog, your dog sure wear an identification tag with your name, address and phone number at all times. – Provide shelter, your dog needs a sheltered area for the time he spends outside. – Travel safely, keep your dog safe in the car by using a crate or by attaching the dog to a seat belt with a harness. – Watch the heat, dogs can succumb to heat stress in a matter of minutes.

3. How to recognize aggressive and non-aggressive canine behaviors; Aggression in dogs is the most serious behavior that pet owners must deal with and it is largely preventable if the owner understands how to control and direct their dogs’ energy. – Genetic and hereditary factors play a major role in aggression. Breeds that are bred for protection will display a higher percentage of aggression naturally but every breed is capable of biting under the right circumstances. – Dog approach with its tail held high is a dominance posture, this can provoke a confrontation. – Dog holds its tail between its legs equals a stressed or submissive dog. – Wagging tail does not necessarily mean a happy friendly dog (a dog that is confident and loves to be aggressive will wag its tail when fighting or biting) – There are several types of aggression; Defensive (induced by fear, pain or punishment, known as fear biter.) – Dominance (confident, macho, stand tall up on their toes, tail high, mounting, staring, stiff gait, posturing, lunging, low pitched bark/no bark at all) – Possessive – Territorial – Predatory/Prey (“pack” attitude that can take hold of a cluster of dogs) – Parental – A dog may exhibit more than one type of aggression.

4. How to ensure children’s safety around dogs; The primary goal is simple – never allow any dog to achieve dominant status over any child, do not let them walk stiffly with tail high, place a paw/mount on them or push them aside as they walk by. Do not allow the dog to demand excessive attention from the child and create fear in the child, which can make the child become prey. – Choose a dog that is a good fit. – Supervise play with children. – Teach your children to ; respect all animals, ask all owners before petting a dog, how to say hello to dogs (children should never hug a dog that is not their own and should present a closed fist for the dog to sniff when permitted to greet a strange dog, this protects the fingers in case the dog becomes frightened and tries to nip.) – remain quiet and calm around dogs (screaming, high-pitched laughter, running, in general being noisy and high energy can cause a dog to label the child as prey and trigger the chase response in their brain. Once triggered, the response is almost impossible to interrupt in a dog that is not trained. The dog is reacting to chemical stimulus, not rational thought and is extremely difficult to sidetrack.) – Children should never hit dogs with their hands or an object, to lower their voices when interacting and do not impose themselves on any dog that shies away.

5. How to make sure your house/outdoor space is safe for dogs; Until the dog learns good manners, confine him in a dog-safe room, kennel/crate, x-pen, inside the house when you’re not there to supervise. Baby gates as well as doors can be used to control access to various parts of your house. – Avoid leaving food, garbage and debris in areas that your dog can access. Clear off counters and put trash and garbage cans in closets or use cans with tight-fitting lids. – Train dog to understand how to follow rules by pleasing you and allow as much freedom as they earn by exhibiting the correct behavior without prompting. – If you must keep your dog outside, provide a secure, high fence or and enclosed dog run, with a top for those fence jumpers or climbers. Provide a top with shade, items to chew on and plenty of water. – Fix your fences. – Bored dogs left in yards outside free to roam, often bark at ever sound or movement to occupy themselves… dig holes… fence-fight with neighborhood dogs and other animals… dog under fencing… climb or jump over fences…

6. Understanding dog park environment and “how to” stay calm and show respect to park visitors and receive the same courtesy; Exercise proper etiquette. – Do not get angry, stay calm and speak with a level voice. Count to ten and take a deep breath. Be fair but firm. – Be aware of any dominance behavior and interrupt , do not allow dominance behavior to escalate into a confrontation by dog or inidividual. – Be aware of submissive dogs’ becoming prey. – Be alert for any individual that encourages their dog to be aggressive.