Social behaviour of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) in a public off-leash dog park

• Published in: Behavioural processes Vol. 157; pp. 691 - 701
• Main Authors: Howse, Melissa S., Anderson, Rita E., Walsh, Carolyn J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.12.2018; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Animal behavior; Animals; Animals, Domestic - physiology; Animals, Inbred Strains - physiology; Dog park; Dogs; Dogs - psychology; Domestic dog (Canis familiaris); Ethology; Female; Male; Mimicry; Motivationally-neutral descriptors; Social Behavior; Social behaviour; Social interaction; Social interactions; Studies; Visual perception; Dog park; Ethology; Domestic dog (Canis familiaris); Social behaviour; Motivationally-neutral descriptors
• ISSN: 0376-6357; 1872-8308
• DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.03.016

•Dog social behaviours and activity budgets were examined in an off-leash dog park.•Time spent with other dogs decreased rapidly 1 min following park entry.•Behaviour frequency ranged from ubiquitous (snout-muzzle contact) to rare (mount).•Correlations between some behaviours support communication function (e.g., mimicry).•Focal dog age, sex, and number of dogs present in the park influenced few behaviours. This study examines the activity budgets and social behaviours initiated and received by 69 focal dogs in an off-leash dog park for 400 s after entry, a time of high activity about which little is known. Using motivationally-neutral labels for social behaviour categories, we describe the frequency of behaviours, and correlations among them. We then examine these relationships in the context of proposed functions for some behaviours in dogs, in terms of information gathering and communication, including visual and tactile signalling. Time spent with other dogs decreased rapidly over the visit, and much of this early interaction involved greeting the park newcomer. Snout-muzzle contact behaviours were ubiquitous, while other behaviours were rarely observed, including aggressive behaviours. Correlations among certain non-contact behaviours initiated and received by focal dogs are consistent with their function as visual signals that may influence the continuation and form of social interactions, and their possible role in social mimicry (i.e., play bow and pull-rear away). Age, sex, and number of dogs present in the park influenced specific aspects of dogs’ activity budgets, and a few behaviours. This ethological study provides fundamental data on dog social behaviour in dog parks, about which surprisingly little has been published.