The best thing we can do to manage incidents, is to prevent them from happening. The information on our website provides detail about our evaluation/intake process, training, staff to dog ratio, and play group supervision. All of these efforts allow our team to get to know each dog – their temperament, what they like and don’t like, and when they might be getting agitated. We communicate as a team and move dogs to less stimulated areas, give them breaks, and, if necessary, separate them from play mates who might evoke a negative reaction. On the rare occasion that dogs become aggressive, we go into action immediately. This is where our training kicks in and we work together to take four distinct steps: Act. Block. Separate. Remove.

Act: Move quickly and with purpose to address the situation. Every team member has a role to ensure that all dogs – including those not involved – are and remain safe. Ongoing communication is essential.

Block: Body Blocking is an established dog-handling technique where the team uses their body, mostly their legs, to move between dogs to create a physical barrier and move them apart.

Separate: The quicker dogs are separated during an incident, the quicker they – and all dogs in the surrounding area – can reset. Our team works together to take control of any dogs directly involved in an incident while others ensure no others engage.

Remove: With our play area divided by gates into 11 sections, we can immediately relocate dogs to an adjacent area, where we assess the situation and determine the appropriate next steps for each dog.