Should you let your dog greet other dogs?
Vida Marks
2025-05-23 17:53:17
Count answers: 4
You will exchange hellos and chats with people you know but not perfect strangers. So why do some dogs feel the need to do this, mine does for sure, he thinks it’s perfectly acceptable that he should meet every dog and get the opportunity to play with them - or does he? I look back and I imagine a world where I’d put all my effort into teaching Elvis that if we meet another dog then we just walk on by calmly, or at the very most, if it’s unavoidable, we meet have a quick bum sniff and move on. Would he have then forgotten how to be a dog and just stood staring at them hopelessly if he had been taught to mostly pass other dogs calmly instead, I don’t think so. It’s if buts and maybes but what dogs that struggle with dog to dog interactions lack is usually the ability to disengage and ‘socialising’ them with every dog they see won’t help that it will make it worse. So that’s why I’d prefer it if on lead greetings just weren’t a thing amongst dog owners, unless it’s an arranged meet between pals. When dogs meet on lead they are contained by us, mostly unable to behave how they would naturally, we break their behaviour chains for them.
Elisha Stiedemann
2025-05-23 17:32:47
Count answers: 3
I have an almost 6 month old pup who I've been told by trainers has poor impulse control when it comes to other dogs. I do my absolute best to only allow him to meet other dogs on very controlled ways, and I attend socialization classes. Anytime I see a dog ahead I bring him to the side and do training, and this works well. But of course when out of for walks you can't avoid other dogs, some leashed some not, surprising you and running up. Do I avoid pulling on the leash? Do I lure away with food. I don't know much about protocol and what the dos/donts are.