Many cities are becoming more dog friendly and adding dog parks and other opportunities for your four-legged kids to play with others. Pet resorts, too, often offer doggie daycare programs which provide the opportunity for your dogs to engage in group play in a more controlled and supervised setting. Not all dogs, however, are good candidates for group play. Here are a few tips to give you some guidance as to whether your fur-kid will "play well with the other kids"...and will enjoy the experience!

Is your dog spayed or neutered? This is highly recommended for social play situations, as it removes any potential for hormone-based behavior problems, either from your dog or from one who is attracted to him or her. Most doggie daycare programs will require this; dog parks generally do not have this requirement but it is still a good idea. If your female dog is in heat, please keep her at home for the safety of everyone!

How is your dog's basic obedience training? Does he respond to his name and come when called? Does he know the "off" or "leave it" command? All of these can be vitally important in a social play setting...whether you need to call him out of a potentially dangerous situation at the dog park or a doggie daycare counselor needs to do the same at daycare.

Observe your dog when you are out on a walk and he spots another dog. How does he react? Does he go directly towards the other dog with teeth bared and tail erect? Or does he approach the dog more softly? Good doggie introduction manners include behaviors such as your dog and the dog he is meeting approaching each other in a circular fashion rather than head on. You may notice a lot of tentative sniffing (generally rear end first, if they are being polite!), head turning away from the other dog, sometimes even turning their backs on each other. All of these are good signs that your dog can introduce himself nicely to a social group. Lunging at another dog with hackles raised, on the other hand, is a good indication that a group play situation may not be the best choice for your dog.

The ultimate invitation to play is the "play bow." If your dog puts his front legs down, hind legs in the air, in a "bowing" position, he is definitely interested in playing, and is probably a good candidate for group play. Once he and another dog begin to play, watch for fluid movement, with both dogs changing position and moving around often. If, on the other hand, one dog is repeatedly in the dominant position (behaviors such as "humping", draping his head over the other dog's neck or head, standing or lying over the other dog or otherwise trying to always maintain the "upper paw") this may not be a good dog for a social play setting.

Some dogs are intimidated by other dogs and even though they are not acting aggressively, you can read their body language to tell you that they are very uncomfortable. Dogs that cower low to the ground, tuck their tail as far as possible between their legs and/or roll over on their backs at the sight of another dog are being extremely submissive. In this situation, your dog is feeling very insecure and runs the risk of being bullied in a group play setting. For his sake, don't force it!

Like us, dogs have their individual personalities, backgrounds and attitudes and there isn't one breed that makes a better social play dog than another. As a general rule, more easy-going breeds such as labs, golden retrievers and "doodles" may have better inherent traits for group play than very intense and focused working breeds such as shepherds or rottweilers. But, I have known labs that have failed temperament evaluations and shepherds and rottweilers that have passed with flying colors! The breed that seems to fail more than any other is the Jack Russell Terrier (or Jack Russell Terrorist, as fondly nicknamed). I love the breed for its personality, activity level and tenacity, but a lot of its traits are not suitable for playing well with others. It has a big dog personality in a small dog body, which can make it difficult to find a suitable size and temperament play group.

There are many other body language signals that your dog gives out to let you know whether or not he is interested in (and has the appropriate manners for) group play. There is a short book by Norwegian trainer Turid Rugaas called "On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals" that offers some basic information on reading dog body language...I highly recommend it!

Dog parks can be wonderful places for you and your best friend to socialize with others. But, because they are not controlled except by the participants, you need to be very careful of any bullies (human or canine) that might cause both physical and mental damage to your pet. If there is a "bully" at the park, and his owner is not aware or taking any steps to remedy his dog's behavior, leave the park and return at another time. No one likes a bully!