Avoiding Fights & Bites in Your Off-leash Dog Playgroups

Let’s talk about avoiding fights and bites in your pet care facility. Did you know that you should have less than 2 fights/ bites requiring medical attention each year? How did we arrive at that figure? And how do you keep that number so low? Keep reading to find out that and other actions you can take to reduce the risk of fights and bites!

A few years ago we conducted a survey of our followers on the frequency and severity of fights and bites in their dog playgroups. The results confirmed that setting a high standard of 2 fights/bites that require medical attention per year was realistic for professional pet care providers. There were several businesses that experienced zero so we set out to share key steps for keeping the dogs and your staff safe during off-leash dog play.

We know the baseline for keeping group play safe are to focus on the following two areas:

1. Train staff to understand canine body language
2. Conduct formal dog evaluations – know the dogs that are the best fit for your facility & put them in the right groups

We also recommend that you create a list of the appropriate versus inappropriate behaviors for dogs that participate in your playgroups. Keep in mind your goal is for each dog to enjoy versus tolerate or hate the environment. As you create your list consider the following:

• Aggressive displays are obvious for the list
• Dogs that just sit, drool, pace, and do not engage are just tolerating or hating it so these would be inappropriate behaviors
• Consider the subtle signals that indicate tolerance versus enjoyment for the inappropriate list too

Be sure to watch our video for tips on creating an environment where the dogs feel safe and ideas for other services you can offer to dogs that exhibit inappropriate behaviors in your playgroups. We also share ideas on how to do ongoing evaluation of dogs in your playgroups and refresher training in a fun way for your team.

The Dog Gurus got our start providing professional resources for training staff on canine body language through our book Off-Leash Dog Play: A Complete Guide to Safety and Fun and our Knowing Dogs training program.  You’re invited to check out these done-for-you tools to reduce the number of fights and bites incidents in your pet business.