Should dogs meet while on leash?
Ressie Lind
2025-06-21 14:00:07
Count answers: 8
It’s a widespread belief that having dogs interact on leash is the safest way to introduce dogs. However, on-leash greetings are not the best way to socialize your dog. 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. 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.