Why no on leash greetings?

Dogs Feel Vulnerable on a Leash. When dogs are on a leash, their ability to avoid or escape is limited. They can’t just walk away if they’re uncomfortable like they could if they were off-leash. This often triggers a whole range of behaviours meant to create space or fend off what they see as a potential threat. Leashes simply restrict their natural communication and movement. You Don’t Know the Other Dog, you don’t know their history or what kind of experiences they’ve had. Maybe they’ve had bad encounters before, or maybe they’re just not comfortable meeting other dogs up close. It's risky, and it's just not worth the gamble. You Can Avoid Unnecessary Stress, we won’t know how the interaction will go until it’s too late. Why put yourself, your dog, and the other dog at risk? It’s easier to just avoid the scenario altogether. Play it safe and give other dogs space when you’re out and about on a leash, whether your dog is friendly or not. The leash changes things, and not in a good way.

There are about a hundred reasons that I could list that about why your dog should not say hi to other dogs on leash, I could even advise you to never allow this. Even if your dog is friendly, saying hi to every dog is a big red flag to an impolite greeter. A calm, confident, respectful dog will not be approaching copious amounts of random dogs for no reason. If your dog is insisting on saying hi to every dog they see then they might be friendly, but they are not being polite. Not every dog wants to say hi and they need to respect that. It is a scenario I see far too often, friendly Fluffy stares at and then processed to runs right up to a dog who does not want to say hi, we’ll call him Ben. Ben then barks and lunges at Fluffy, Fluffy’s owner is appalled and offended that dear Fluffy not only doesn’t get to say hi, but also got barked at. It was incredibly rude of Fluffy to stare at him, run over to say hi, invade his space, all without even checking to see if Ben wanted to interact. Ben was simply making himself very clear that he did not want to say hi. Ben had to do this because Fluffy and his owner were not respectful of Ben’s space and feelings in the first place.

There are many reasons to avoid on-leash greetings between dogs. Leashes Don’t Allow Dogs to Greet One Another Properly When dogs are on leash walking with us, they are forced to greet head-on, not how dogs naturally greet each other. Dogs won’t usually choose a face-to-face greeting. In dog language, this can be rude and even downright threatening. Tension On The Leash Can Lead To Reactivity, leashes take away the dog’s right to choose, if they want to get to the other dog, they can’t, more importantly, if they are uncomfortable and want to leave the situation, they cannot get away. Being forced into close proximity on a leash can raise your dog’s anxieties and make them highly uncomfortable, creating a fight or flight situation. The leash prevents this natural introduction from occurring. You Don’t Know The Other Dog Or The Dog’s Owner, you don’t know if the approaching dog is well trained or what motives their owner may have for wanting them to greet other dogs. Many owners want their dogs to be social even if their dog has insecurities, overly excitable behavior, or reactive tendencies. The Leash Is A Conduit That Transfers The Handlers Emotions Into The Dog, suppose the dog owner becomes nervous or unsure of a situation, their anxious energy will travel down the leash, triggering the dog to react, especially if you have a sensitive, insecure or anxious dog already.