We all love traveling with our loyal fur companions but with other people doing the same, there is the chance of them not getting along. While many people think their dogs are "not the type" to show aggression towards others dogs, many ARE the type, especially younger dogs that have not yet developed good behavior around unknown people and animals.
When walking your dog or bringing them to a park with others you usually can tell when a dog is not
happy with the surroundings or other animals. You can look for the obvious things like growling, showing teeth, tail erect, snarling or deeper than usual barking.
A highly controversial topic is whether your dogs should be on leash or off when greeting other dogs. While no two dogs are the same,professionals agree that leashes tend to complicate dog greetings. Dog teacher Laurie Luck wrote a great article on the topic of on vs off leash greetings and the most plausible reasons seemed to be that the leashes can get in the way when a dog wants to greet a fellow and also gives them a feeling of being trapped with no escape if they fear another dogs advances.
happy with the surroundings or other animals. You can look for the obvious things like growling, showing teeth, tail erect, snarling or deeper than usual barking.
A highly controversial topic is whether your dogs should be on leash or off when greeting other dogs. While no two dogs are the same,professionals agree that leashes tend to complicate dog greetings. Dog teacher Laurie Luck wrote a great article on the topic of on vs off leash greetings and the most plausible reasons seemed to be that the leashes can get in the way when a dog wants to greet a fellow and also gives them a feeling of being trapped with no escape if they fear another dogs advances.
If you notice stress in your dog or the dogs in the group, call your dog to you and give an obedience reward. Know your dogs triggers.
If you aren't able to catch a fight in time there are a few things you can do to stop it without making the dogs more aggressive.
- Throw water at the dog - use a hose if possible. Hidden Valley's K-9 Corral has a short hose for this purpose (or to fill the water bucket for refreshment.)
- Find something to put between the dogs like a board, blanket or branch
- Use something to startle the dogs like opening an umbrella. Some carry a whistle or bicycle horn
All that being said, most dogs get along better than us humans so know your dog and help them to make friends but don't force them if their personality or mood isn't up to it. While you visit Hidden Valley RV Park don't miss bringing your fur babies to the K-9 Corral for a play date or just a few minutes of playing with the toys there.
By Rachel Blaschke
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