Are Bully Breeds The Right Dogs for Playgroups?

One of the most often asked question about off-leash play includes the question of whether or not certain breeds should be excluded from playgroups.  Often this comes up as a discussion about pitbulls, but The Dog Gurus tend to classify this as a discussion about bully breeds. Keep reading to see how we respond to this discussion.

Bully breeds include any of the breeds that trace their heritage to bull-baiting.  This can include the commonly named American Staffordshire Terrier, as well as the dogs referred to as Pitbulls. But it also includes boxers, French bulldogs, Boston terriers, and many others.

Naturally, safety is a top concern for operators and some centers decide their playgroups are safer if they don’t allow bully breeds (the discussion of whether or not this is true we will leave to another time!). Others receive feedback from customers that they don’t want their dogs to play with bully breeds. Pet care facility owners are then faced with keeping current clients happy or educating them on the safety measures in place that would keep the play safe.  Depending on the make up of your clients, this may be a battle you don’t want to fight.

As a general breed tendency these dogs are strong, powerful and can be independent thinkers.  However, should that cause you to screen them out of your playgroup?  As with so many questions in this industry, our answer is “It depends.” 

The Dog Gurus believe everyone who operates an off-leash playgroup needs to establish their own policy for dealing with bully breeds. 

What works for one facility may not work for another.  There is no “one-size fits all” to this discussion because you have to factor in the geographic location, training and ability of the staff, laws in your community, size of the play area, make-up of your playgroups and many other issues.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you assess your policy:

• Is your staff well-trained in understanding canine body language? This is, of course, true for watching any dogs and not just the bully breeds.
• Does your staff desire to work with larger, more powerful breeds? Some facilities choose to work with small dogs only.
• Do you have the proper set up?  Bully breeds like to body slam and run.  Larger rooms and play areas often work best for these breeds.
• Are there laws in your state that prohibit you from accepting any bully breeds?  As a business owner, you should abide by any legal constraints.

Based on your answers to the questions above, here are a few options for dealing with bully breeds.

• All dogs are accepted based on evaluation.  This option would allow anyone to bring their dog based on passing the normal evaluation process. Bully breeds would be no different.
• Bully breeds accepted if they pass the evaluation and have a high degree of obedience skill.  There is a link between more easily managed dogs and dogs that have good obedience skills.  Some facilities will demand a higher degree of obedience skill in the bully breeds before accepting them into play.
• Limit the number of bully breeds that are playing together.  Some centers like to limit the number of bully breeds in a playgroup at any given time. This can be especially useful if your play area is smaller and you want to reduce the high-energy activities that go on in the center.
• Don’t accept bully breeds.  This is an option for centers who desire to cater to a different group of dogs or possibly for centers that don’t have many bully breeds in their community.

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to allowing bully breeds to play. So long as the overall policy is established, the staff is well-trained, and the dogs are properly assessed, any of these options is viable to a business owner.

Regardless of your policy, The Dog Gurus would recommend moving the discussion of acceptance to one of behavior versus breed.  Document the appropriate behaviors you want to see in your center along with the inappropriate behaviors. Then, whenever this controversial topic comes up, move from talking about breeds to talking about the good or bad behaviors you see in any dog that will cause them to be a poor fit for your off-leash play environment.