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On Monday, I posted my response to a reader asking what to do if an unfriendly dog approaches her dog while at the park. You can read my response here: What to do if an unfriendly dog approaches ...

With my own pooch not fit for the dog park, though, its not an area I have a whole of experience with. So, I reached out to my favorite local dog trainer, Nicole Herr. She and her husband, Brian, run Herr Pet Training. They have the right knowledge about dog behavior — not all trainers do — and are capable of tackling the toughest of behavior problems. Its all about credibility for me and these two have it.

Without further ado, here is Nicoles response:

The question
“What to do if you are at the dog park with your dog and a “not friendly” dog approaches. I would love to say this never happens when we are out, but there have been a few times that I have been out with my dog and another dog comes up that is a little too aggressive (starts to show aggressive dominance behaviors like mounting). If you had any tips about how to handle while minimizing getting hurt that would be great!”

Great blog post Karen! (Gee, thanks Nicole!!) Youve written sound advice on a very tricky subject and Im going to build on that...

This is the trickiest part of a trip to the dog park ... the other dogs. Its an element you cant control for, so you need to be very alert and aware to your own dogs body language and cues of stress. If your dog begins to look stressed, it is our job as pet parents to step in and manage or remove them from the situation. Many dogs do not handle the dog park environment well. Having even a basic knowledge of canine body language will help you identify what dog-dog communications are occurring, and if your dog will fit well into the environment. 

An important note to start: While you are at the park with your dog, dont sit back and read a book.  Keep a watchful eye on your dog and stay reasonably close. Seconds matter if an altercation occurs and being a football field away is simply irresponsible. 

If I am in the dog park, I am always carrying VERY tasty treats, a loud whistle and a small air horn.  The treats can help redirect your dog if necessary and can be used as a lure for others if the need arises. The whistle and air horn are there to serve as an interrupter.  They can startle the dogs just long enough for you to step in and diffuse the situation. You should ALWAYS have your leash immediately at-hand as well. Your leash can be used a loop to quickly gain control of your dog when there isnt time to clip onto the collar. 

To go back to the original question, I am assuming that you are in the immediate vicinity of your dog when this happens and that your dog is off-leash.  If the dog approaches in an offensive and charging manner, take a step between them and give a "HEY!" to startle them. Often, something this simple will stop them or slow them down. At this point a "Please come get your dog" in a nice, loud voice will have the owner coming in for assistance.  If the dog continues to approach, use your whistle or air horn if you feel threatened (this will definitely get everyones attention). We are looking to startle them just long enough to intervene and avoid a dog fight.

"He may stand there, looking at you, confused, not quite ready to give up more of his space. Tell him to get lost. Wave him off. If it doesn’t work, stand there and hold your ground until he decides to trot away in a different direction.
If he tries to go around you, body block him. If he takes a step to his left, you take the same step to match him. Claim your space. Claim your dog. "
This is great advice from Karen.  (Thanks, Nicole!!)

A few other notes on this subject:
*Stay calm--  Your dog feeds off of your emotions, so remain calm and confident.  If you panic, so will they. 

*Dont grab for the collar — A dog in a heightened state wont know your hand from the touch of another dog. They may turn and snap at or bite you if you grab at their collar. Use your leash to loop your dog and regain control. If you need to physically remove your dog from another, do not use your hands. At that point, use your legs/shins to shove them, then loop them to regain control. 

*Avoid busy times at the park — Simply put, go when its less busy. Or visit during times when the less-than-friendly dogs are not there. 

*Report it!  — If you see a dog that is a problem, report them to park authorities. If there is no one on-site, make a report to the governing offices. Keeping the park safe is everyones responsibility. 

While I enjoy a day at the park with my dog, I highly advocate for trying a good doggie daycare, too.  The daycare is a controlled environment, where the dogs have been evaluated for temperament and personality. This keeps the "not so friendly" dogs out, as they generally dont make it past the initial screening process. 

Please keep in mind that these are general tips to keep the "not so friendly" dogs at bay. Avoiding them is the first step. If you find yourself encountering them at a park too often, let the authorities know and find a new park. Before I take my dog to a new park I will go by myself to observe and meet some people. Ask questions. Are there times to avoid? Dogs to stay away from? Take the time to find the right place for you and your dog to enjoy. 

My dog’s reaction to his first sighting of a male turkey provides valuable insight into how a dog’s brain works.
Every morning between 8 and 10 a.m., a flock of about 15 wild turkey hens travel through my backyard. In the deep snow, they traveled strictly in a single file line across a path worn down the resident deer, who take the same journey through our yard twice a day.
With the snow gone, they spread out quite a bit more — some come up close to the house to peck at the gravel, others wade through moist swampy area also pecking at the ground, but I haven’t the slightest clue as to whether they’re drinking or eating.
I like watching the turkeys. I hadn’t seen them in the wild since I was a child up north at my grandparents’ cabin. Now, I get a great view of their large, awkward selves — the heads bobbing forward with each step and that giant body of theirs teetering on top of tiny little legs and feet.
All throughout the winter, it was the hens and hens alone who traveled the route. At one point, several flocks seemed to merge together and their single file line seemed to go on forever as more than 50 birds would walk through my yard.
Needless to say, Sensi is quite accustomed by now to seeing these birds. He seems to understand they are no threat to him and quite the opposite, he watches them with what I’d call a predatory gaze.
All this time, we had not seen a single Tom (a male turkey).
While driving home one day last week, a Tom crossed the road in front of me. I laughed at the red thing that hangs under its beak, called a Wattle (I think) because it was swinging violently from side to side as the turkey ran its heart out to race across the road.
It was my first sighting of a Tom.
On Monday, I watched the flock of hens cross in my yard and to my surprise, spotted a small Tom in their midst. And then, bringing up the rear of the flock were three other Toms, but these were the big guys. I was shocked at how much larger they were than the hens, their wattles looking nearly as long as my arm.
Sensi and I watched the birds intently, as we always do, and when they reached the top of the hill, one of the Toms spread out its feathers in that historic fashion we all know turkeys for.
Sensi’s eyes went wide, his hackles raised and immediately, he began barking with all the ferocity he could muster.
This, of course, was a reaction caused by the intense fear he experienced when he watched a bird transform from something he was used to seeing to a much larger, alien life form.
He didn’t know what to think.
He had no prior experiences to tell him this is simply something male turkeys do and as a dog, does not have the analytical capacity to assume, "It was a turkey a few seconds ago. Even though it looks completely different now, it must still be a turkey."
What can we gather from this about dogs? A lesson in generalization.
A dog will not know that a turkey can suddenly appear to double in size unless it is exposed to Toms who exhibit this behavior.
Why? Dogs don’t generalize.
What is new and novel is oftentimes alarming until the dog understands it is no threat.
The situation with the turkey can be similar to a variety of situations with humans.
A human dressed in jeans and t-shirt who walks into a room is one thing; the dog has seen this before, knows this person and is not alarmed.
If the same human walks into the room dressed up in a bulky snowsuit with a funky hat and a mask that covers 90 percent of their face, it is not a human at all to the dog who sees him for the first time — nope, it’s an alien life form, new and novel and the dog will tend to be fearful until it becomes clear that this strange, bulky life-form is non-threatening. Even though the human underneath it all is the same, the scent is the same and the voice is the same, the visual is not.
And this is generalization.
It takes a lot for us humans to really grasp what it means to not generalize, because it is something we do so naturally.
Lucky for all my readers, I’ll just keep pounding it into your heads.
Thanks for reading!!

To "make a Champion," or, more correctly, become a Champion of Record, a dog must win a total of fifteen points. These fifteen points must include two major shows and be won under at least three different judges. A major show is a three, four, or five-point show, and since the maximum number that can be won is five, it must take even a top winning dog at least three shows to finish his championship.

Insisting that a dog win two major shows convinces us that the dog is capable of winning at shows where, because enough dogs are entered, you can reasonably expect to find an entry representative of the breed. Points are awarded to the dog who goes Winners Dog and to the bitch who goes Winners Bitch - and to these two only.

There are five regular classes in each sex in each breed: Puppy, Novice, Bred by Exhibitor, American Bred, and Open. The winner of each of these classes competes for Winners Dog or Winners Bitch. For example: the winner of the Puppy Dog Class, the winner of the Novice Dog Class, the Bred by Exhibitor Class, the American Bred Class, and the winner of the Open Dog Class will, immediately after the judging of the Open Dog Class, come into the ring to compete for Winners Dog and Reserve Winners Dog. Then the classes for bitches will begin. The winners of the Puppy Bitch Class, Novice Bitch Class, Bred by Exhibitor Bitch, American Bred, and the winner of the Open Bitch Class will, immediately after the judging of the Open Bitch Class, compete for Winners Bitch and Reserve Winners Bitch.

The judge, immediately after judging winners, also names a Reserve Winners Dog and a Reserve Winners Bitch, and this dog, the Reserve Winner, will receive the points if for any reason, usually infraction of certain rules of eligibility, the points are taken away from the winner. The Winners Dog and the Winners Bitch, immediately after the judging of Reserve Winners Bitch automatically go into the Best of Breed Class, the class in which Champions are entered, and will then compete for Best of Breed together with any champions of that breed that may be entered in the show.

Immediately after choosing Best of Breed, the judge will choose his Best of Winners from the aforementioned Winners Dog and Winners Bitch in the event that neither of these two was placed Best of Breed. After selecting Best of Winners, the judge will choose a Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed.

What happens if your dog consumed a extremely large amount of chocolate. Could this hurt her? If so, what should or could be done when this happens?

Chocolate can be very dangerous to dogs. It can also be harmless. It's unpredictable. Here is how it works: Chocolate contains a chemical called methylxanthine that is eliminated by the dog's liver. Some can handle it; others can't. If your dog's liver is not built for chocolate, she can have convulsions and die due to severe liver damage. A dog suspected of having eaten chocolate should have vomiting induced. This is best followed by rinsing of the stomach by a veterinarian.

What if your dog has had chocolate in small amounts from time to time without a problem? Can you assume that she'll always do fine with it? Again, we can't predict, but we can say that if your dog has a known liver problem, you are taking a major risk by letting her have chocolate.

Remember that most (if not all) dogs are chow hounds. They are eating machines. No matter how well trained, they are not to be trusted with food. Protect their health by providing only excellent dog food in measured meals. If goodies like chocolate may be accessible, remember Murphy's law: Any chocolate that can go wrong, will.