Behaviors of domestic dogs and their keepers in an off-leash dog park

Abstract

We observed the behaviors of domestic dogs and their keepers in an off-leash dog park, and elucidated the relationships between them as well as with other humans and dogs who visited the park. The dogs and their keepers spent half of their time in proximity. The keepers employed physically stable behaviors such as talking and touching as tools to interact with their dogs. On the other hand, the dogs employed proximity regulations as tools to interact with their keepers. The keepers and their dogs tended to engage in intra-species more frequently than inter-species interactions. The keepers interacted with their dogs more actively on weekdays than on weekends and holidays. The women interacted with their dogs and other humans more actively than the men did.