This is the fourth in a series of columns on dog park etiquette.
Holes. They’re everywhere. Ankle-busting, ball-hiding interruptions on the Earth’s surface. No, these are not sinkholes that swallow entire towns. These are holes dug by the dogs at the local dog park.
They dig them to get cool in the heat of the summer. They dig them to provide a place to protect their back when they’re wrestling with the other dogs and, above all, they dig them to protect a ball or favourite toy.
My dog, Hunter the HellHound, is a champion hole digger. HtHH has figured out that if he digs a hole large enough to lie in, he can undercut the soil in front of him so the other dogs can’t even see the ball he’s hiding. It’s protected by his large body and hidden under the soil. Only he can reach it. Then he barks incessantly to let the others know he has a treasure worth protecting, and dares them to get past him and steal the prize.
Problem is this hole is directly under the bench the people sit on, and it’s getting a little larger every day. Sometime next week, the bench will collapse into it, just like that town swallowed by a sinkhole, never to be seen again. Heaven help the HellHound if he’s there when it happens.
And holes are not the only problem with balls. Another, more immediate issue is other dogs. Games with Frisbees, sticks and balls are great exercise until somebody gets possessive. Some dogs can get downright nasty when they get hold of a ball. It’s called resource guarding, and they’ll fight to keep it from the others. When Hunter hides one, he’s challenging others to take it. For him, it’s a game, but another dog might interpret such provocation as a life-and-death issue worthy of bloodshed.
So, the solution lies with the dogs’ owners. It’s simple. Don’t bring toys to the dog park. Your own dog may be the friendliest of pups, but some are not, and if one of them is a resource guarder, things could get ugly, fast. Dogs may be jealous if someone steals ‘their’ toy, the one with their own scent on it, so unless you know every dog in the park and their ball-hoarding preferences, better to wait to play with toys until you and your dog are the only ones there. Besides, those balls get downright disgusting, covered with slobber and sand. Yuck!
Another resource-guarding problem is treats. We like being the human every dog loves, so we bribe them, ’cause it works every time. We offer them treats, because we love how they crowd around, even (occasionally) obeying like good dogs who’ve been taught to sit for a treat. And in every dog park in the land, there’s usually a human conversation going on about which treats are the best and where to get them.
But some dogs are not particularly polite when it comes to treats. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been bitten — not badly, but enough to bruise or draw blood — because the dog tried to snap at a treat before another could get it. It’s normal behaviour, but it can cause fights if one of them decides he didn’t get his fair share. And just to complicate things, some dogs are allergic to some treats, but we’ve no way of knowing which dogs, or which treats. Better not to bring them at all and forego all that canine ‘cupboard love.’
Resource guarding can also involve pack members, both human and canine. Jealousy and possessiveness are just as prevalent in dogs as they are in people, and dogs will often step in when they think their pack members are threatened. I once had a German shepherd who regarded our house-trained rabbits as family. One afternoon, he brought home a girlfriend, and when she went after the bunnies, he knocked her sideways and prevented her from attacking them. He kept shouldering between her and the rabbits until she figured out they were off limits.
A dog will often take on this role of protector. This usually happens when his human is physically weak, shy, or unassertive. The dog then becomes the leader, keeping others away, even attacking if an unfamiliar dog comes too close to one he considers a lower-status pack member.
This also holds true when a group of dogs meet regularly at the park or daycare, live together or are otherwise good friends. If someone new is a little too enthusiastic before being properly introduced and accepted, the others can take offence. It can be hard for the ‘new guy’ until the dynamics of the group shift enough for him to be accepted by the rest.
Once again, it’s up to us humans to read the situation before it gets out of control. When a dog shoves another aside, we need to stop that behaviour and let him know it’s OK for another dog to come near for a scratch or a pat, indicating to our self-appointed protector that we’re able to take care of ourselves. If for no other reason than the possibility of incurring outrageous vet bills, we need to recognize when our dog’s being a bully, and keep him under control before another dog does it for us, with disastrous consequences.
We’re not going to socialize a shy, timid dog by dragging her into a boisterous romp of unleashed adolescent puppies, especially if she’s the only one on leash and can’t escape. And we’re not going to help a traumatized dog by exposing him to an integrated group of dogs who think of themselves as a unit or pack and him as a stranger.
Proper socializing takes time, patience, and a willingness to listen to what our dogs are trying to tell us. The more we know about how dogs communicate, the better our relationship with our canine companions. With so much information available online these days, we owe it to them to learn as much about them as we can.
Part 5 of this series will appear next week.
Bev Hanna is a writer and published author. A recovering portrait artist, she now teaches senior writers how to craft compelling stories and memoirs through workshops and online courses. Learn more at ScribblersGuild.com.
