This piece appeared in the February 5, 2024 issue of our newsletter.
Despite the warm fuzzies people get when they think of dogs frolicking in a field, not all dogs enjoy full contact engagement with other dogs. For some dogs, the mere thought of another dog touching them elicits feelings of fear, dread, or loathing. That’s okay!
Choice is a core value of Shelter Playgroup Alliance philosophy and a foundational pillar of enrichment. There are plenty of other activities that we can offer the dog instead.
When given a hard “no” to other dogs, moving immediately into a cool down activity can be beneficial for their arousal and their relationship with the handler. Cool down activities should include leaving the space (or the other dog leaving the space) and focus on lowering arousal. Moving to an enrichment yard with snuffle mats, food puzzle toys, lickimats, egg cartons with food, etc is always a great cool down activity. Chewing a long-lasting chew or destroying a cardboard box with food inside is a great option.
A Sniffari (a walk focused on sniffing the environment) can also help the dog decrease in arousal and come out of fight or flight. If your dog is struggling to engage with the environment, a quieter area may be needed or scattering food into foliage to create a natural snuffle mat can help.
Some dogs aren’t a hard “no thanks” to existing around other dogs, but still don’t want to be within touching distance. Parallel enrichment yards can be a fantastic alternative. A parallel enrichment yard can look like various enrichment stations set up across a yard or room, with two or more dogs cycling through the space. In some set-ups, a fence or x-pen can create a barrier to prevent accidental contact between dogs. Experienced handlers can also add clicker training stations within their enrichment yard to work on eye contact, LAT, hand targets, and stationing skills. For intermediate dogs who don’t want the full contact but maybe more than separate stations, a parallel walk at the park or around campus may be beneficial, especially for dogs whose “maybe” might turn into a “yes” with enough slow introductions.
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