Staci Lemke 00:00:00 As our society increasingly includes dogs in its daily activities, we are starting to see more and more dogs in public places, which means more dog to dog encounters. I know that I see other dogs almost every time I walk my dogs, and many times the other dog owners want our dogs to meet and say hi. This raises the question should you let your dog greet other dogs while on leash? Hello and welcome to The Well-Mannered Mutt Podcast. I’m your host, certified professional dog trainer, and registered veterinary technician, Staci Lemke. Join me as I discuss all things dog, from canine wellbeing to basic training to modifying problem behaviors. Whether you’re a first time puppy parent or have had dogs your whole life. This podcast will help you have a better relationship with your best friend. My passion is to help you have the well-mannered mutt you’ve always dreamed of. Now let’s dive into today’s episode. Should you let your dog greet other dogs while on leash? For me and my dogs, I just say no. I know my dogs.
Staci Lemke 00:01:13 They’re not dog park dogs. They’re not daycare dogs. They’re just not interested in meeting strange dogs. In my experience, this is true for most dogs. Oh sure, there are those. Super friendly. I love everyone dogs, but most dogs, like most humans, don’t want to say hi to everyone they see on a walk. But for me, the only on leash greetings I do are with dogs that my dogs already know and have a relationship with. Many dog owners encourage their dogs to meet other dogs on leash because they believe it’s important for socialization and overall well-being. Dog owners often think that regular interaction with other dogs is essential for their pets social development, and since many owners are required by law to walk their dogs on leash in public places, on leash greetings seem like a convenient way to introduce dogs to one another. Many dog owners also assume their dogs are friendly and enjoy meeting other dogs. They want to give their dogs opportunities to engage in social interactions, believing it will make them more well-rounded and less likely to develop aggressive or fearful behaviors.
Staci Lemke 00:02:21 Owners of shy or anxious dogs may believe that more exposure, including on these greetings, will help their dog become more confident. They hope that frequent, controlled encounters will gradually make their dog more comfortable. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about socialization, which leads dog owners to believe that socialization means their dog should meet every other dog they see on a walk, not understanding that quality and positive experiences matter more than quantity. They don’t realize that forced or frequent on leash greetings can cause stress or tension in many dogs. And if you ask most dog trainers, they will tell you to avoid on leash greetings unless the dogs already have a previous positive relationship, and I’m going to be honest here, I’m not a huge proponent of on leash greetings. It can go wrong very quickly. Here’s a typical scenario super friendly Fido spots another dog coming down the street and we’ll just call that dog Max friendly. Fido stares at and then proceeds to run right up to Max, who would prefer to just mind his own business.
Staci Lemke 00:03:29 When Friendly Fido doesn’t heed Max’s subtle attempts to ignore him. Max then barks and lunges at Friendly Fido. Fido’s owner is shocked and insulted. Now Friendly Fido not only doesn’t get to say hi, but also got barked at by Max. Fido’s owner silently thinks Max is an unfriendly bad dog that needs training, when in reality Max was just trying to tell friendly Fido he wasn’t interested in saying hi. So let’s explore why on leash greetings may not be the best idea. First, being on a leash is very restrictive to most dogs. They are stuck within a 4 to 6 foot radius of you with no escape, and they know it. This puts them in a position to rely on their flight or fight response to stay safe. Being on a leash can create physical and emotional tension leading to frustration or anxiety. Since they cannot flee, we see them find alternative ways to deal with the stress. And you’ll see this in two major forms. The first and most common is leash reactivity. Your dog will quickly begin to realize that barking, growling, or lunging makes other dogs go away long before they have the chance to approach.
Staci Lemke 00:04:43 Second, leashes limit a dog’s ability to communicate through body language. If you ever see two off leash dogs meet correctly, and I’m not talking about those rude adolescent dogs with no boundaries, it’s never nose to nose. They never rush up to another dog. Dogs start to communicate as soon as they see each other, so they’ll take time to assess the situation. They’ll come together in a slight arc, circling each other nose to tail. They’ll sniff each other’s face and rear ends. They’ll have loose body language and won’t follow if the other dog moves away. If one dog doesn’t want to interact, the other dog will simply walk away. Something I do that I feel helps my dogs is I walk them on ten foot leashes. This gives them a little bit more freedom and helps them feel less trapped. If we do have an unexpected chance encounter with a strange dog, the longer leashes allow them to move away more easily. Longer leashes also allow for more freedom of movement and allow better communication through body language.
Staci Lemke 00:05:46 Unfortunately, ten foot leashes are harder to find than 4 to 6 foot leashes. I got my leashes from a company called High Tail Hikes, and I love this company because you can custom order leashes in any length you want, and they also come in a wide variety of colors. For those of you like me who like the shiny things, I’ll add a link in the show notes for you along with the discount code so you can check out these leashes for yourself. So you just got a new puppy. You’re excited to take them on their first adventures and start socializing, but maybe you’ve heard some conflicting information about vaccinations and you’re not sure what’s correct. It’s a common misconception that you have to wait until your puppy is fully vaccinated to start socializing. Unfortunately, that’s just not true. If you’d like to learn more about how to safely socialize your puppy before vaccines are finished without risking your puppy’s health, then check out my online course. But my puppy is not fully vaccinated. Head over to manor’s for mutts.com backslash socialization to learn more.
Staci Lemke 00:06:57 So do we never allow our dogs to meet while on leash? Not necessarily. Here are a few situations where on leash greetings can go well. The dogs already know each other and enjoy spending time together in this situation. The tight leashes and the more direct approach are usually less of a concern because the dogs are already comfortable with each other, or the dogs in question have already been hanging out near each other for a period of time, such as on a parallel walk or being in a group class together. In these instances, the dogs have often already acclimated to each other from a distance. At this point, you may be asking if it’s possible to teach low stress on leash. Greetings. Well, yes, but only for dogs that don’t have dog to dog issues to begin with. This is where you have to know your dog. You may find that your dog is genuinely, consistently relaxed and happy about greeting certain types of dogs, but is inconsistent in their responses to others, so you might choose to have them greet only those safe bets and avoid the rest.
Staci Lemke 00:08:02 Like I said earlier, I know my dogs just aren’t interested in meeting other strange dogs. So if you’re going to work on training low stress on leash greetings, you want to start training using a familiar calm dog. Practicing with familiar dog friends helps teach your dog how to greet and just as importantly, how to move away from on leash greetings calmly and confidently reducing the risk of potential issues with unfamiliar dogs down the road. It may also help to do this after both dogs have had a chance to hang out with each other with the dogs on leash, walk towards each other, reward your dog for walking next to you and checking in. Stop about 8 to 10ft apart and cue your dog to go. Say hi and allow the dogs to meet and greet. Keep it short 3 to 5 seconds. Then cue your dog to refocus on you and walk away while you generously reward your dog while the dogs are greeting each other. Do your best to keep the leashes relaxed, and this again can be easier to do if you have a longer leash.
Staci Lemke 00:09:04 Repeat this until your dog is anticipating that you’re going to call them away from the interaction within a few seconds. For dogs who’ve already grown accustomed to greeting every single dog they see on a walk. Stopping on leash. Greetings. Cold turkey can be frustrating for them and lead to frustration based reactivity. If this is your dog, here are a few things that can help. Spend some time dog watching. Allow your dog to calmly observe other dogs walking past them at a distance. You may find you need to give your dog anywhere from 15 to 30ft from passing dogs, depending on your dog and their excitement level. Reward your dog with a favorite treat as the other dog passes by. Placing the treats on the ground instead of feeding from your hand, can encourage your dog to start sniffing around on the ground. A wonderfully natural displacement behavior dogs often use to avoid direct engagement with something stressful. Some dogs do better while moving instead of sitting still, in this case, walking past other dogs in an arc pattern can help position yourself between your dog and the oncoming dog as you begin to pass, arc away from the other dog, putting a larger space between you and make sure that you generously reward your dog with high value treats for focusing on you and ignoring the other dog.
Staci Lemke 00:10:24 Whether you choose to allow on leash greetings with your dog or not, understanding the risks of these greetings and how to help keep these meetings as low stress and low risk as possible can go a long way towards keeping walks peaceful and happy for both you and your dog. Thank you for taking the time to help your dog become a more well-mannered mutt. If you have questions about today’s episode, or if there’s a topic you’d like to learn more about, come connect with me on Facebook and Instagram at Manners for Mutts. You can also find any links and resources mentioned in the show over at mannersformutts.com if you enjoyed this podcast, head over to iTunes and leave us a review. I’d love to hear what’s been helpful for you and your canine friends. See you next time!
