1. Normative Tolerances and Standards for Off Leash Dogs Jerry J. Vaske Maureen P. Donnelly Colorado State University

2. Study Context In response, OSMP implemented a Voice & Sight Tag program The presence of off leash dogs at OSMP created potential conflict situations This study applied an indicator / standards (norms) model to understand conflicts with off leash dogs

3. What is an Indicator? l Definition – Any measure that describes an experience l Examples  Dogs off trail  Dogs play chasing another dog  Owners repeatedly calling a dog  Owners not picking up after their dogs  Dogs flushing birds or causing wildlife to flee Indirect human-dog interactions  Dogs approaching a visitor uninvited  Dogs jumping on or sniffing or licking a visitor Direct human-dog interactions

4. The Role of Standards l Standards identify the conditions:  Desirable (e.g., Picking up after your dog)  Should not be exceeded (e.g., zero-tolerance for dogs chasing wildlife) l Objective  Link management objectives (type of experience to be provided)  To the indicators in quantitative terms

5. Linking Objectives to Indicators to Standards Mgmt Objective – Provide quality visitor experiences Indicator 1Dog flushes or causes wildlife to flee Standard 10% tolerance Indicator 2Owner repeatedly calls the dog Standard 2< 10% of visitors experience situation Indicator 3Dog makes physical contact with a visitor Standard 3< 5% of visitors experience situation Indicator 4Owners not picking up after their dog Standard 4< 10% of visitors experience situation

6. Structural Characteristics of Norms 103579152025100 Number of Encounters 0 1 2 3 4 -2 -3 -4 Acceptability Intensity Acceptable range Concensus Norm curve Standard Deviation or Potential Conflict Index (PCI 2 )

7. Methods On-site Survey at Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks (OSMP) 951 completed surveys Response rate = 93%

8. Survey Questions Perceived problems with dog/owner behaviors Normative tolerances –Frequency of observing specific dog/owner behaviors –Acceptability of dog/owner behaviors –Maximum tolerances for dog/owner behaviors Dog ownership No:n = 431, 46% Yes:n = 509, 54%

9. Dogs sniffing visitor -2 0 1 2 Social Norm curves: Direct human-dog interactions Very Acceptable Neither Very Unacceptable Acceptability 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Times Observed Dogs pawing visitor Dogs jumping on visitor Dogs licking visitor Dogs approaching uninvited

10. Social norm curves: Indirect human-dog interactions Very Acceptable Neither Very Unacceptable Acceptability 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Times Observed Dogs flushing birds Dogs causing wildlife to flee Owners repeatedly calling Owners not picking up Dogs off trail Dogs play chasing -2 0 1 2

11. Social Norm Consensus Direct Human-Dog Interaction Very Acceptable Neither Very Unacceptable Acceptability Dogs Dogs Dogs Dogs Dogs Jumping Pawing Licking Approach Sniffing Visitor Visitor Visitor Uninvited Visitor Non-owners 0.18 0.27 0.38 0.33 0.5 0.39 0.3 0.18 0.23 -2 0 1 2 Dog owners 0.07

12. Social Norm Consensus Indirect Human-Dog Interaction Very Acceptable Neither Very Unacceptable Acceptability Owners Dogs Dogs Owners Dogs Dogs Not Causing Flushing Repeatedly Off Play Picking Wildlife Birds Calling Trail Chasing Up to Flee Non-owners Dog-owners

13. Personal Norm Tolerances Indirect human-dog interaction Owners not picking up50 Owners repeatedly calling28 Dogs off trail28 Dogs play chasing18 Dogs causing wildlife to flee17 Dogs flushing birds13 Direct human-dog interaction Dogs approaching uninvited35 Dogs sniffing visitor27 Dogs jumping on visitor27 Dogs licking visitor19 Dogs pawing visitor17 % of Time Personal Norm Exceeded

14. Summary of Key Findings l 9 of 11 indicators reflected “no tolerance” norms (i.e., should never occur) l A “single tolerance” norm was observed for: – dogs play chasing (exceeded 28%) – dogs off trail (exceeded 18%) l Statistical differences between: dog owners and non-owners were minimal l Most serious norm violations: – owners not picking up (exceeded 50%) – dogs approaching uninvited (exceeded 35%)

15. Recommendations l Given visitors’ “no tolerance” norms, management std. of: “no more than 0% of visitors should have their norms exceeded” could be recommended l BUT this mgmt std. not realistic given current conditions l Consistent with other OSMP standards, recommend: “no more than 10% of visitors should have their norms exceeded” l 10% mgmt. std. currently always exceeded BUT Voice & Sight Dog Tag Program is new

16. Questions