Dog Park Socialization: A Pet Solutions Post

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

(c) k.c.
Meet Benny

Hi!

I am a proud "pet parent" of a 2-year-old rescue pup, Benny. I really have no idea about his history before his life with me. He has successfully completed a few training classes (puppy, obedience, and tricks) and has even gained the reputation around our local pet store of being a very smart dog. When he was a puppy I tried to socialize him to other dogs as much as possible, but he has always seemed to me more interested in being by my side than hanging out with other dogs.

We have recently been so fortunate to have a brand new dog park open in our city and it has been a wonderful thing for our whole community. Now this brings me to my issue with Benny. Although I know he loves being able to get out of the house and go to the dog park four or five times a week, when we get inside the dog park all he seems to care about is what I am doing. 

Many of the other dogs will explore their environments and check out other dogs and people, but Benny rarely even walks more that 5 feet away from me (unless he is chasing the frisbee). He is not a fan of me giving attention to other dogs and tends to get a bit snippy if he thinks another dog gets too close to me. Are there any training tips you might know of that could help in this situation? I just want him to be able to relax and enjoy the other dogs. 

Any advice would be great! Thank you!

-Karly

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Dear Karly:  My favorite topic! I just love dog parks and am fascinated by the art of socializing different dogs. It has been my experience that dogs, just like people, have different needs when it comes to their social lives. Your Blue Heeler mix is definitely one of these, requiring much interaction and mental work, along with a physical job to do. Your Frisbee games are ideal for this high-energy breed.

You'll want to continue to bring Benny to the park to maintain his comfort with being around other dogs, even though he is somewhat aloof in their presence. He is, nevertheless, getting a sense of group comfort that is important if you want to be able to take him with you whenever you're out and about, without worry of unsocial behavior.

With regard to Benny's concern over your attentions to other dogs, this may need addressing. You can acclimate him to accepting your attention to other dogs by associating it with pleasurable responses from you. No treats in the dog park for safety reasons, but offer praise and affection when he allows you to interact with other dogs. Start with brief interactions and work up.

If you feel you need more of this than he is comfortable with, make a date with yourself to visit the park without Benny and get your fill. Don't worry; he'll know where you've been when you arrive home, and will likely give you a good sniff up and down to learn all about the new dogs you met. Then you can bring him along and focus on him next time. You'll always want Benny to know you are his biggest fan and that you've got his back. I borrowed this statement from our Ask the Trainer columnist, Michael Baugh. It's perfect for this situation :)

Happy tails,

Dog Park Behavior: How Tanner's Maturity Plays Out at the Dog Park

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© Carrie Boyko
Tanner Fetches As Oliver Cheers Him On

As a youngster, arriving at the dog park was always a similar episode for Tanner--3 victory laps around the perimeter of the 5-acre park was about his usual celebratory action. 


Walking to the park from the parking lot was similarly an exercise in high-energy as I repeatedly gave the message, "We'll get there when you stop pulling." Tanner always led the threesome to the park with extra vigor, excited to run with off leash abandon.


With maturity, Tanner no longer needs to run laps, yet he is still quite competitive about the race, although in shorter spurts. Rarely does another dog beat him to the ball if I bring the "chucker" along. When running with a pack of invigorated dogs, Tanner still keeps up or leads, at least until he feels the need to check in with me--an affectionate behavior that i find endearing.


At this point he is generally ready to spend his park time following me around as I check on Oliver and visit with our acquaintances that are also regulars at this local park.


This past weekend, though, Tanner showed me the Greyhound in him once again. A hound arrived to play--lithe and fast. When he engaged Tanner in a tag game, his owner started throwing a tennis ball for them. Tanner took off from behind like a Corvette on steroids, overtaking the hound in order to bring home the prize. Behind me I heard a "D@*#! That Golden is fast!" I laughed to myself, knowing that this is merely a hint of what he once could do.


"That's okay, Tanner I rather enjoy having you tag along with me as we visit around the park." The new blood, Oliver, is now the one who is tough to keep up with, yet his goal is much different:

"Which human shall I meet next?"

© Carrie Boyko
Oliver Kisses as He Finds Affection
 All Over the Park

Join us again as we participate in the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop. Readers will enjoy finding new blogs and articles from all sorts of pet bloggers. The rules beneath this badge are for bloggers, and have been copied from the site of Life with Dogs on June 21st, just to make sure I have all my ducks in a row. Readers can move on to the listings below. Enjoy!

Link up your pet blog name and URL using the Linky Tool below. You only need to add your link once to be seen on all the Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop Linky Tools for that week. Note that if your blog is not pet related your link will be removed. Also note that only one post per blog is acceptable, and links promoting giveaways that are unrelated to the pet blogger hop will be removed. This is a community building exercise and not a promotional vehicle – please treat it as such.

• Grab the “Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop” button above and include it in your Saturday Blog hop post so that your readers will know what is going on. *Note – posting is optional. Feel free to just link and follow.
• Follow your co-hosts listed in the first 3 slots of the Linky Tool.
• Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you’d like.
• Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from the blog hop.
• Follow back when you get a new follower through the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop.
• Make friends and grow. ♥

I love that last rule!