Shelter Dog Playgroups - More than just play
What goes through my mind....
Here’s a bit of what goes through my mind when I do play groups. I really observe how the dogs interact when they approach me and when I get down low. Many fights start over the human and some type of resource. I look at how the dog handle the other dog in their personal space, do they freeze, give whale eye, take treats harder and faster, push or block other dogs from getting to me. In a way, the play part is a small part of what we look for during playgroups. I can more of a dogs triggers, behavior during arousal, reaction to reprimands and what happens with fear. Often I will pick-up handle all the dogs in the playgroup and also get down low with a group of dogs. It's everything our adopters might do. I don't push these interactions if I think it's dangerous.
Remember, I comment on what I observed and some of this is just my opinion based on what I see. All we see with playgroups is a small window into the personality of the dogs.
On this day we alternated between Roscoe- high energy, pain in the ass dog and Abel, goofy low intensity, laid back dog as are playgroup starters.
Kenya (Pit) (small brown pittie with white nose snip) - hard mouth, very focused on other dogs, stiff, heavy body language, hard mouth, not a playgroup candidate.
Appeared to be interested in dogs on a leash from a distance and along a fence. Extremely hard mouth with toys and little bite inhibition on the hand. Extremely toy, driven but hard eyes
during play. She did not turn to look at the handler when we entered the play yard. She strained forward on lead with a closed mouth and hard stare. During the meeting she chased (restrained by leash/handler) the other dog attempting to grab the neck. It was a combination play and stalking. The other dog was oblivious of the intent, harder dog would have responded. With her hard mouth, lack of focus on the humans and hard attention to the other dog we did not continue the play. I think if a fight broke out with her she would clamp down quickly and with a lot of force. Need a medium energy well seasoned dog to try her with to evaluate her dog skills and safety.
Duke (chow/lab), Roscoe (GSDX), Abel (ret/lab/?) -
Overall good play group. Roscoe annoyed Duke until he had to reprimand. No altercation and it was very appropriate. Roscoe went over to Able and they played chase me games. I could have multiple toys out with the group, provide treats and handling to all three dogs at once without issues.
Duke likes calm dogs and reprimands well
Duke is a well mannered dog, low to medium energy and did attempt play. A gruff dog, but tolerant of goofy Able. Gave Roscoe an appropriate reprimand for being rude. He could live with a high energy dog, but would do better with a medium to low energy dog. Did not see any resource guarding of items, treats or humans. Enjoyed handling and was attentive to the people. Did not jump on anyone and was a polite portly dog. Probably would do fine in a home with a smaller dog too, or large.
Abel likes all dogs, not very good at reading body language/intention
Able is an easy going dog, but somewhat dog stupid. He is unaware of the signals of a dog, until they get more obvious. As a result, his high energy can get him into trouble with high energy dog where he gets the other dog aroused, but does not know how to control the situation. Loves attention, handling and pretty much just hanging out. Able does have play drive, but not excessive and had a soft mouth with treats and toys. I think Able would be good around kids and would fit into a home with most dogs, even a semi-grouchy one. Avoid very hard or bossy dogs with Able, I think he’d let another dog bully him. Soft personality. Able could probably live with any size dog, but may not know his own size with smaller dogs
Starbuck (Pit), Abel (Lab/ret/?), Roscoe (GSDX) -
Nice playgroup, but Starbuck quickly ramps with his play intensity. He overwhelmed Abel, but his bite inhibition is wonderful even in full chase mode. We had to break he and Roscoe several times to initiate a play break between them. I think Starbucks could be in any home with dog, I would suggest a medium energy home. If you stuck him with a Roscoe like dog, the play would get out of hand. After about 4-5 forced breaks with the dog shield (low energy breaks) they began to stop play when we approached. While a high intensity dog Starbuck is sensitive and somewhat inhibited. His leash meeting (human and canine) are rude and he may start of his D2D meeting with too much energy. Unknown how he would do with smaller dogs. I was able to handle, feed and get down low with the dogs without any issues (except getting jumped on). No human/treat resource guarding noticed.
Starbuck more appropriate than Spence, would do best in a home with a lower energy dog
Starbuck and Roscoe needed frequent breaks, otherwise played well together
Abel, William Mason (Shar pei X) -
Will was fine with other dogs, didn't mind anything, humps a lot
William Mason was great. More playful than you might think due to his age and size. Probably would play more as he became relaxed. Mr Mason does want to hump and this would probably subside with time. Until then, a younger dog or a tolerant dog would be a good home for him. Able did not reprimand him for humping, but Mr Mason was easy to swoosh off with the dog shield. He did not freeze or respond when we pulled him off Able. Some dogs will take this better than others. I was able to pet and handle both dogs together and feed. No resource guarding over toys, or treats were noticed. Matter of fact Able and Mason ate treats off the dog shield at the same time. Neither dog tighted up or showed any whale eye towards each other.
Dr Clarkson (Pit/heavy stoclky), Abel(ret/lab/?)
Good match, not too much energy, could be because of kennel cough
Looks can be deceiving. The Dr approached like a standard stocky bully breed. While he chased Abel and overwhelmed the poor guy, it was all play. As he pursued he was careful to never lay teeth on Able as they played. Dr C is very sensitive and responded quickly to verbal or dog shield breaks. Heavy handed training would really be a poor choice for this dog. I was able to pick him up ease. I was able to handle and feed both dogs at the same time without issue. I would not match him up with a high energy dog. His strength and energy would be a lot to handle with another equally sized dog. A medium energy sturdy dog would be a good match for him. Did not test with a smaller dog, but I think he could acclimate into a home with a smaller dog.
Dr Clarkson (PIT), Roscoe(GSDX)
Good intro, Dr Clarkson reprimanded Roscoe for being pushy, didn't do much biting, just chased, Dr C has a soft mouth.
Nice intro with two high energy dogs. Dr C did reprimand Roscoe for being pushy, but responded to a verbal and the interaction stopped on its own. Nice play between them, rough, but on a single call back both would return to one of the handlers for a treat. Both dogs gave great attention.
Abel(ret/lab/?), Cora Crawley(ret/??), Roscoe(GSDx)
Cora didn't care, was cool with everything, may be good in a home with an active dog because she is so laid back
Cora didn’t care about much. Probably more focused on the humans and treats than the other dogs. Started to play a bit, but her portly size probably did not help. A home with a low to medium energy dog of any size would be good for her. I could treat, handle and get low with all three dogs with no issues at all. Cora would be a nice dog for a family with kids. She’s play motivated, but not extreme.
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