What do you do when your dog shows aggression towards another dog at the dog park? While some people say that a single instance of ‘unprovoked’ aggression is grounds for keeping your dog away from the dog park, we don’t think that this is necessarily the solution. A measured approach to your dog’s behaviour and comfort is a better way of both enjoying the dog park and ensuring that your dog does not decrease others’ enjoyment.
Sometimes, things just don't go well.
Before entering the dog park, think: is your dog in the right frame of mind and body to be comfortable? Bitches in heat, dogs recovering from injuries or illness, dogs newly adopted, dogs that have been recently seriously attacked by another dog should be kept away from off-leash areas until they are fully recovered, have a strong bond with their owners and are not nervous or threatened by other dogs.
When your dog is in the dog park, be active in ascertaining their situation. What is the dog’s body language like? Are there things that could provoke an aggressive incident at the dog park, like toys/balls/food? Are there children in the dog park and is your dog okay with that? Are there dogs ganging up on your dog? Is your dog ganging up on another dog? Is your dog or another dog being rude?
Just because your dog has come into the dog park hundreds of times before does not mean that there is no potential for aggression. We don’t always know what is going to piss a dog off. With dozens of dogs coming in and out of an off-leash area, personality conflicts are bound to happen. Even if your dog doesn’t start something, they might get involved in something.
Most aggression in the dog park is mild. A snarl or a snap is a dog’s way of saying, “Dude, get the hell out of my space; you’re bothering me.” Most dogs will express aggression just enough to get another dog out of their face. Some dogs might take it further, chasing the other dog or pinning it to the ground.
It takes two dogs to make a fight, so knowing how your dog reacts to another dog telling them to piss off is important. With some dogs, ‘trash talk’ (snarling, growling, snapping) can escalate into an actual damaging fight if people don’t intervene before the fight starts. If your dog is involved in a potential conflict, don’t stand there if you can get your dog away without being bitten. (This post is not going to go into if a fight actually develops; that’s for another post.)
Sometimes just calling each dog over and taking them to other parts of the park to cool off is enough for them to forget all about their conflict. Putting your dog in a down-stay can be effective if they aren’t mobbed by other dogs. Sometimes, if your dog seems excessively stressed or defensive, taking them completely out of the dog park is the best thing for all concerned. Let them have some time away from other dogs and then you can try again.
HOWEVER:
If you notice that your dog is starting to escalate aggression – going from a snap or growl to full-on physical aggression mode in response to minor conflicts, for example – it may be time to take them out of the dog park altogether. You might decide to do this after one serious incident that you don’t want repeated. You might decide to do this after several minor incidents that show a pattern.
Your dog doesn’t have to cause actual damage to be a stressor in the dog park. If they are bullying other dogs with excessive dominance displays or attacking other dogs over who gets to use the water bucket first, they are not contributing positively to the dog park atmosphere. This is why you need to keep an eye on your dog, so that you know what happened, what dogs it happened with and whether your dog was the aggressor.
If your dog causes serious damage to another person or dog, think before allowing him or her back into the park, even if your dog didn’t start the conflict. Many dogs can become excessively defensive after a serious fight. Make sure that your dog is calm and happy about meeting other dogs before allowing them back into the park.
While some people might view a dog’s behaviour as a reflection on its owner’s, don’t allow ego to get in the way of making the dog park a better place. Some dogs just don’t get along with other dogs. Some dogs are just not sociable. Some dogs may not start a fight, but will end it very badly if provoked.
If your dog is causing a problem by being aggressive, it’s better to hang outside of the park so your dog can enjoy the company of other dogs without being involved in unpleasant incidents. There are also a number of on-lead walks in Nanaimo and area that you can enjoy with your dog.
Nanaimo Dog Parks 
I think you need to define “aggression”. It’s an amorphous creature that is open to interpretation. In fact, one study cites anything short of doing actual damage as a ‘threat display’ with inhibited bites. Aggression, according to this author is ‘intent to harm’ (usually a history of injuring other dogs is required to be labeled as such). On the other end of the scale are people who think that a growl at another dog is aggression. This is a simple warning-and be thankful you get that warning -as so many people suppress the warning, then create dogs who start at a much higher intensity like lunging at another dog.
Reactivity is another related term loosely defined. This can include a dog that gets over-excited when seeing another dog (ie is happy, just over-excited) or ones that shows fearful behaviors and use threat displays.
this post coldn’t have come at a better time. We had a horrible day at the dogpark today. My dog was friendly chasing other dogs and having other dogs chase him but 3 times a dog would could up and he’d turn and snap and the two of them would make awful sounds snarling and trying to bite each other. The dog park was very full and I was embarassed that my dog was acting like that. I worry that people think hes dangerous or rude. Also he was having an awful time listening to me. He would go play and not want to come when called. Several times I stopped him and made him lay down till his mood changed. He’s never acted like that before hes always played nice. Needless to say we cut our time at the dog park short. What’s the best was to combat this? When the dogs are running around playing and an altercation takes place sometimes they are fairly far away from me being able to scold him right away.
I think the best thing is to practice your recall. I’m doing that with my dog, Tierce, and it is a challenge because he’s a Shiba Inu and they are definitely their own dogs. One of the tips that Kathy Reilly of Miss Behavior’s Family Dog Training gave me was to practice with Tierce on a long leash – one of those 20-30 foot long leashes. Find something your dog loves and keep working on the recall, starting in a place where there are no distractions and working up to parks and other public places. You can practice it off-leash as well, but be prepared to snap on the long leash if your dog breaks the recall at any point.
A good recall can get your dog out of sticky situations before they start becoming serious situations. You will definitely want to keep tabs on your dog’s behaviour, but keep in mind that most dogs are just like people; they have good days and bad days.