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Interesting, thanks for taking the time to respond! We've only spent a few mornings with this particular circle group, but def don't recognise the suggestion that they're reactive with other dogs - Owen was that other dog very recently and everyone greeted him very nicely and they all play well. As seemingly happens every time a 'new' dog walked past. I can get that if someone has a reactive dog a big circle of playing dogs probably isn't a great place to be but I'm not sure I see (yet) any detriment to the dogs who are enjoying it. I certainly prefer these dogs being encouraged to engage with other dogs vs the ones who are so ball-focused they will refuse any canine interaction and eyes unmovingly fixed on the ball in the hope of another throw.
As the owner of a silly sweet goofy dog I love to see him play with other dogs (he loves it more than anything else) and the idea of calling him away every time he went up to say hello doesn't seem like it would be in his interests but maybe I'm unknowingly sabotaging his future happiness?
owl-
calling him away every time he went up to say hello
Like every sodding thing with dogs it's the timing! These owners are not saying come here as their dog comes towards me or other dogs they simply call them back (or sometimes don't even need to do that) to keep them moving. What's very apparent is the bond between dog and owner, the dog is playful and friendly yet finds it's owner more appealing. My dog walker (very annoyingly) has this with my dog.
No doubt a lot of what i've learned is through the optics of having a reactive/powerful dog and i'm sure what i'm being told is tailored to our needs however it's far from an uncommon view.
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Can see that maybe discouraging dogs from only interacting with one specific group of dogs that play in a specific way might possibly be worthwhile advice, but the idea (if I correctly understand what the behaviourists said) that you should always keep moving and not stop to let dogs play seems absolutely terrible.
I mean there's good dog play and bad dog play - I find 3 dogs playing often doesn't work that well, but bigger groups are fine if all the dogs are happy and if they're not, it's usually pretty clear. I guess it cuts down on risk/complication so can see why a behaviourist might suggest it, but I still think that's bad advice.
Am a bit dubious about behaviourists though. I talked to some guy who said his dog's whole personality had changed, was really stressed about it, they'd got a behaviourist in, etc. Discussing it a bit more, it seemed pretty clear the dog was around 10 months and was just a teenager. Ada's whole personality changed for a month or so around that age and she stopped listening, went and sat on her own in evenings and didn't want anything to do with us. She grew out of it shortly after. Was a bit horrified the behaviourist had agreed to take their money.
jono84
ad441
Broadly speaking engagement/disengagement skills and the ability to interact with dogs outside of that circle/environment. My local park has a regular group that does exactly what you describe with one another but are reactive with dogs that don't engage in the same way. Other dog walkers i know in the area give them a wide birth and quite often don't feel like they can be in the same space as them. Of course it's normal to let dogs play and blow off steam but the reality is too many people don't mix it up with the walking, playing etc. Sadly i've seen quite a few puppies develop behaviour problems as they go through teens into adult dogs because of this.
There are at least a half dozen dogs i regularly come across that are the sweetest, goofiest most playful characters i've met. However i've barely had a nod from their owners as they rarely stop and simply call there dog away once its said hello. At no point does the dog look like it's being robbed of a good time. Nori gets lots of praise and a treat for a sniff and leave and almost always looks thrilled by the interaction!