- Lead by example. Enter the dog park happy and confident. Your dog will pick up on whatever energy you are putting out there.
- Create some distance. Please make sure your pet is off-leash, not “attached” to you, and/or constantly at your feet as these are protective behaviors. Some distance between you and your dog is a good idea if you see this happening.
- Children at the dog park. New Braunfels Puppy Playland is a dog park, the children have many other parks in town that they can freely attend. We are concerned for the safety of your child. While your children may be fine around dogs, some dogs are not fine around kids. We have all seen grown men get mowed down by playing dogs, just think what this would do to a small child. We love your children; this is why children under 10 are not allowed inside the off-leash area.
- Fights happen. We wish we could avoid this topic, but unfortunately fights will happen. We also can’t take them as the only sign of a ferocious dog. Most of the time fights can be avoided by the readable cues by their owners and others around. Being nervous or uncomfortable (dogs and humans alike), are the main reason for fights.
- Look for: muscle tension, eye contact, exposed teeth, tucked-back ears, tucked tails, hair standing up, and low growls. Please don’t ignore these signs! Command your dog to come to you, sit, and wait a few minutes for it to pass. This is why it is important to keep a constant eye on your dog.
- Immediately afterwards: If a fight does happen call your dog in a commanding voice. If no response, then grab your dog by his hind legs and pull them back. Once all dogs are separated and accounted for, keep your dog close, discipline them, and make sure they break eye-contact with the other dogs involved in the fight. No owner wants their dog fighting, so be understanding and make sure all dogs are ok. Give both dogs a time-out for at least 10 – 15 minutes, while keeping the distance between them. We don’t want either party to feel like they need to “leave-and-never-come-back”. If the same dog is involved in another fight, that dog needs to not come back until it has had some aggression training and some smaller group interaction.
- After the dust settles: If problems between all parties involved (canine and human) are not resolved, the dogs they may never get the socialization needed. If a fight does happen, be considerate and ask if the other dog is okay. Say "sorry" if it was your dog’s fault, and recognize that something took place and mention you hope it does not happen again. The previously mentioned actions are a good way to keep everyone’s experience at the dog park happy and safe.
- Noises happen, too. The canine world is not silent. While dog fights do happen, sometimes dogs are just wrestling and being noisy. Pay attention to non-verbal, as well as verbal signs to determine if a dog "fight" is really just a wrestling match.
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