We give each dog a chance to prove friendliness by giving the FREE VISIT.  Many dogs when away from their owners are quite friendly, and sometimes the owners have not seen this side of the pooch. We encourage you to give your dog a chance and don't worry. 

Let us be the judge of whether your dog is friendly....Here are a few traits and behaviors that are classic "friendly" dogs. Some more timid dogs may be deemed friendly by our staff after we have the opportunity to meet them and introduce them to the other dogs, our routines,  our staff caretakers will know how to treat your dog.   We look for:

-- Tails wagging

-- An openness to our greeter dogs that live here at the ranch

-- Eagerness to explore the area

-- Minimum apprehension after they have made their way down the path from the car

-- General excitement to be here

Some dogs are a little shy at first but we are very careful to give them the attention they need to become relaxed in the Doggie Dude Ranch free play environment. Any dogs that are aggressive to dogs or staff will not be invited back, food aggression is the only exception since all dogs have a private bunk for eating and sleeping where they can chill out in their own private space. 

LOOK A NEW FRIEND COMING DOWN THE PATH.....

Almost all dogs enjoy being part of a dog group since canines are pack animals.  So it is natural for dogs to get close and smell each other.  This is the way a dog understands the identity of another animal, or human. 

Most dogs will explore back, getting to know the other dog by coming close along side and smelling all over the other dog.  Any overbearing behavior, like mounting or growling is not tolerated, and the dogs learn quickly what will get them a "time out" from the group.   

We find that once a dog has satisfied his/her curiosity about the other dogs then they can go about becoming playmates or at least yard dogs that will enjoy the ranch experience together.   

We  group dogs together by similar size and temperment,  and level of playfulness.   Dogs may teach other dogs what is acceptable behavior and what is not; we allow these normal, gentle interactions between dogs. 

The FREE VISIT helps your dog understand that he or she is just here temporarily and you will come back to pick them up.  It is an easy association for the dog to think of the ranch as a fun place to play with other dogs, and owners come back to bring them home. 
We will take extra care with each dog to get them used to our low stress routine; our care is dog-centered:  attention and trust is paramount so each dog feels at home while at the ranch.