Keeping the park fun for your dog

In a perfect world, all dogs would get along and all owners would act responsibly. Experiencing aggressive behaviour from a dog at the local park it’s actually VERY rare but unfortunately, the reality is dogs can be triggered for all sorts of reasons and you don't have any control over how other dogs act.

What you can control is your own behaviour and be aware of what's happening around you.

Dog aggression often occurs when there is a lack of supervision, warning signs are ignored, or when other owners are too slow to react.

Usually, dogs will show signs of aggression before they attack, if you notice any of the below behaviours from other dogs then simply move away:

●       Becoming still/rigid

●       Deep Growling

●       Snarling

●       Snapping

●       Baring teeth

●       Lunging with no contact

1.      Relax: Dogs feed off our energy, if you have a dog with you it may sense you are stressed and want to ‘protect’ you by becoming aggressive.

2.      Assess: Why is the other dog aggressive? Domestic dogs are rarely just angry, it’s usually that they are scared, territorial, or it could even be redirected aggression (something else is bothering the dog and it just acts out at the first person or dog they see).

3.      BACK AWAY: the best solution is to calmly back away and take your pet with you, as soon as you are 10 or 20m away the situation will normally resolve itself.

If your dog has a really bad experience at the park, PTSD is actually quite common for them - particularly with loving/sensitive breeds like Greyhounds.  It's important that you help build your dog's confidence back up and manage negative emotional responses.

Keep a routine to show them all is still good in the world and there are no new surprises, socialise them with some friendly dogs you know and extend play sessions to keep the positive vibe going. If your dog is not themselves chat with your vet before ‘new’ behaviour becomes the norm.