"Bark Parks"-A Study on Interdog Aggression in a Limited-Control Environment

• Published in: Journal of applied animal welfare science 2003, Vol.6 (1), p.25-32
• Main Authors: Shyan, Melissa R., Fortune, Kristina A., King, Christine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aggression; Animal Husbandry; Animal Welfare; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Bites and Stings - epidemiology; Bites and Stings - etiology; Dogs; Female; Humans; Indiana - epidemiology; Male; Ownership; Recreation; Restraint, Physical - veterinary
• ISSN: 1088-8705; 1532-7604
• DOI: 10.1207/S15327604JAWS0601_02

As limited-control dog parks become more popular, concerns arise about whether these parks encourage interdog aggression. Systematic observations made at 1 park over 72 hr across 8 months found that 28 conflicts or potential conflicts occurred (< 0.5%). Of these, 14 were clear aggressive episodes. Each lasted less than 1 min (< 0.33% of total observation time). There were 14 other incidents of possible aggression that were ambiguous in nature. Each lasted less than 30 sec (< 0.17%). None of these incidents led to serious injury. Of the 177 dogs observed, only 9 were aggressive toward other dogs (5%): 6 aggressors, once each; 2 aggressors, twice each; 1 aggressor, 3 times. Results indicate that aggression in limited-control dog parks may be relatively rare and probably presents only a limited risk to dogs and their caregivers (owners). In part, this may be because owners who frequent dog parks are self-selecting, self-monitoring, and self-limiting in regard to dog aggression.