Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT
You’re out on a relaxing walk with your dog when you see another owner walking towards you with their dog. The owner says to you, “can our dogs say hello”? How do you decide whether allowing your dog to greet a strange dog on leash is a good idea? After all, some of these greetings go beautifully with both dogs and owners parting company with a smile. Other greetings with dogs on leash go horribly wrong with both dogs and owners leaving the scene upset with pulses racing. What went wrong?
If you’re not sure how your dog will react to an unfamiliar dog on leash, my advice is simply don’t do it. You owe it to your dog to be their advocate and enough scary encounters with other dogs can result in your dog developing negative associations with other dogs. That’s something none of us wants to happen.
But what if your dog loves other dogs? How do you decide if that unknown dog will enjoy meeting your dog? After all, how many times have we said “yes” to the “can our dogs meet?” question and had the encounter go wrong? Here are some tips for making this dog/dog greeting decision and some tips on keeping the encounter a pleasant one.
How is the other dog looking at your dog? Is the other dog staring at your dog silently without looking away? Just say “no”. Polite dogs look and then look away, look and look away, they don’t stare. Is the other dog avoiding looking at your dog completely? Just 
say “no.” Some dogs won’t look away from your dog because they are anxious or fearful and there could be other reasons they can’t look away. Regardless, it’s still a “just say no” response to a dog/dog greeting.
Do you feel comfortable reading the other dog’s body language? I won’t go into a full blown description of dog body language here, but if the other dog seems uncertain (tail tucked, ears back, won’t look at your dog) then that other dog is afraid and regardless of whether that owner is trying to “socialize” their dog on leash, for your dog’s and the other dog’s sake, just say “no.”
Is your dog, the other dog, or both dogs dragging their humans toward one another? Some owners think this is a sign that their dogs will love meeting
one another. This is a circumstance in which I always say “no.” Dogs are sensitive to barrier frustration (seeing another dog but not being able to get to them) and that combined with their oxygen supply being choked off if they’re on neck collars can cause the initial contact between the dogs to be too heated. Even if both dogs love other dogs, the level of excitement when they first meet can cause a scuffle between the dogs.
So, you see a dog on a loose leash coming towards you with relaxed body language, looking at your dog and looking away, ears up and rotated out. You decide to go for it and let your dog meet another dog on leash, now what?
Keep it brief. All most dogs want by way of a greeting is a a quick butt sniff. (Isn’t talking about dog behavior fun?) If both dogs go 
nose to nose (how rude!) one should veer off for the butt sniff. If one dog’s head goes above the other dog’s head, either play will break out or a scuffle will break out. If you’re lucky and play breaks out, drop the dogs’ leashes (if it’s safe to do so.) When dogs get tangled up and feel their escape route cut off, they can get afraid and play can tip to a scuffle. Again, keep it brief, thank your playmate’s owner and enjoy the remainder of your walk! If you want to talk with the owner of the other dog, separate the dogs after their initial greeting and put them on a sit next to you.
Do you have other tips for successful on leash greetings? Please take the time to share your knowledge and experience!
The onleash lessons I learned in your Reactive Rover classes were phenomenal, and made the entire difference for us having an enjoyable walk!
I’m so glad to hear that your walks with Rambi continue to be enjoyable. You two were fantastic in class. It was so much fun to watch the improvement from week to week. Rambi got less reactive because of your excellent skills.
I’ve always found it helpful to make a point to introduce myself to the person on the leash. I think it reduces *my* anxiety and that seems to travel down-lead.
Great Article, Christine!
Thanks for this article! I needed this reminder, esp. since the giant breeds usually get one of two responses from other people: fear or a running full tilt “I must meet your dog!” I still have “advocate, advocate, advocate,” circulating in my head from our very first meeting a year ago. I now feel ok with saying “I’m sorry, but not today.” One leash issue I have come across (based on my breed) and it follows something one of my fellow giant breed friends planted in my head: sometimes it is not the dog-dog greeting that is the issue, but rather the people who are not paying attention to their dog or will not let you leave. I now size up the owners as much as the dog(s).
Thanks again.
Christine,
I’ve read some of your other articles and the thread that seems to run through them is “use common sense”. I consider myself fairly good at observing dog psychology. However, I never come away from one of your posts without picking up something new. I hadn’t considered dropping the leash for a few moments, to avoid tangling or frustration. My dog Zac loves everybody and all other dogs, but he can get pretty excited if he’s restrained from butt sniffing, especially if the other dog is allowed to.
Thanks for the tips on greeting other dogs. It sounds like you’re saying: “when in doubt…leave it out.”
Steve Benedict
@Steve Benedict I guess I am saying “when in doubt leave it out”. *laugh* I love it! Thanks for taking the time to write Steve and thanks also for reading Behind the Behavior!
My dog, Max is overfriendly and ever eager to approach a dog – whether the other dog is hostile or otherwise. He will definitely be bitten by a dog who is startled by his gusto approach.
Hi Christine:
First timer to your blog and I am thrilled to have found it! I came to it because I want to understand why my wonderful dog who is totally socialized has such a visceral reaction to a certain dog in my building. Gordy is a Yorkie but a BIG Yorkie. He’s 25 lbs – if you put 2 standard yorkies side by side – thats how big Gordy is width wise – likewise if you put 2 stardard yorkies head to toe – that how long Gordy is. While his birth certificate says Yorkie – I suspect he’s probably an Australian Silky from the photos I ‘ve seen. Anyway.. there is one dog, BIG almost the size of a sheepdog but he’s totally black. Actually he looks like big black sheepdog. He’s so gentle and sweet but he brings out the beast in Gordy. The 2 Paragraphs I’ve quoted below seem to answer the question as to why Gordy who NEVER reacts like this to any other dog suddenly freaks out when he sees Matty. I mean HYSTERICAL barking, and mildly aggessive.
Is the other dog staring at your dog silently without looking away? YES!!
Matty just stares at Gordy dead on. He never turns away. The stare is intense – even I feel its intense so perhaps thats what triggers Gordy. You go on to say that “Some dogs won’t look away from your dog because they are anxious or fearful and there could be other reasons they can’t look away” YES! That describes Matty. Matty’s owner also steps in front of Matty when he sees Gordy because he knows Matty is fearful and he sees Gordy’s reaction which is to bark aggressively, and to want to get close to Matty. He would never hurt Matty, its not in his nature but I sense that Gordy was frustrated because he just can’t get close to Matty. It’s very strange for me because I never witness this behavior from Gordy under any other circumstances. My most Gordy/Matty encounter happened in our apt elevator. Matty’s owner came in with Matty who was on a leash and Gordy ( also on a leash) and I were already in the elevator… well Gordy got excited in a friendly way but this seemed to scare both Matty and Matty’s owner. So the owner stepped in front of Matty to put distance between Matty & GOrdy, but Matty’s face was clearly visible and my lord the dog would NOT stop staring but I could tell Matty was fearful also, especially since Gordy started barking I guess the Stare just scared Gordy. Out of instinct I pulled tighter on Gordy’s leash and eventually kneeled down and held Gordy’s collar and tried to calm him abit but he got more excited started jumping and pulling away from me so I grabbed his collar which as I know realize from what you wrote, this only added to the barrier frustration that Gordy was feeling. I have never heard of Barrier Frustration but when I read” “Dogs are sensitive to barrier frustration (seeing another dog but not being able to get to them) and that combined with their oxygen supply being choked off if they’re on neck collars can cause the initial contact between the dogs to be too heated” WELL DING DING DING! I knew what had happened. Between the staring and the barrier frustration Gordy went crazy! One Lesson Learned: Never let Gordy and Matty ride in an elevator together EVER. Matty’s owner will have to take the next elevator when I m on in with Gordy. But I have to wonder even if Gordy had not been on the leash, how much that might have minimized some of Gordy’s reaction?
Is your dog, the other dog, or both dogs dragging their humans toward one another?
GORDY always drags me to other dogs. He LOVES to sniff them and wants to play with them. But unless we are in an area that is enclosed like a real Off Leash park I can’t let Gordy off leash. He will simply chase after a leaf across a street if he sees another dog. That is partially his character and partially the lack of training he had when he was first bought by nephew –who lived in another city while attending university. When my nephew took the summer off to travel Gordy came to stay with my sister – and she invested in a dog trainer. But even she said he cannot be taken off leash during walks in the city.
Sorry for the LONG post but thank you for being accessible online. This has been most helpful. I will have to keep Gordy away from Matty because the dynamics won’t change between them –but at least I now understand whats caused Gordy’s behavior.
I think?? *smiles*
Thank you for taking time to leave your comment Tara. The highest compliment anyone can pay me is to say they learned something from what I’ve written. Gordy is lucky to have you!!
Thanks Christine, that’s very sweet of you.
I do have to admit I am abit confused about this statement ” Is your dog, the other dog, or both dogs dragging their humans toward one another? Some owners think this is a sign that their dogs will love meeting one another. This is a circumstance in which I always say “no.” Please help me to understand why.
As a background: Gordy loves being around other dogs but because he’s on a leash most times, he will try to drag me or perhaps its better to say he will tug me towards another dog and once he’s engaged in butt sniffing he moves on. If I say NO, and don’t move towards the other dog especially if its across the street or not organically crossing Gordy’s path — then Gordy will move on..he doesn’t put up a fight 9 out of 10 times, but sometimes he get stubborn & just SITS himself down and won’t budge until the other dog has crossed this path and then he gets up to butt sniff. He just loves being around other dogs and he walks once a day with a dogwalker in a fabulous park off leash with other dogs – so he’s socialized. I always figured If he was not on a leash he would just walk up to the dog and sniff and only tugs/drags because he’s on a leash.
Clearly.. my thinking seems a bit off in light of what you’ve said.
Thanks in advance for
“Please help me to understand why.” The reason why is that most dogs aren’t as polite as Gordy when they get to the other dog. Usually, once a dog has gotten so aroused/excited that it’s dragging the human towards the other dog, a scuffle ensues. Clearly, Gordy is a gentleman, despite being worked up on leash. Perhaps your Gordy is the exception to the rule?
I like to think Gordy’s exceptional but that’s just me!..LOL! But I must admit I am fascinated by the realization that a scuffle could ensue or that leash frustration exists. I never thought of it! I can manage his leash so it doesn’t restrict the free flowingness of a non leash encounter…esp if the other dog is off leash so maybe that mitigates some of the leash frustration he could otherwise feel… and even if both dogs are on leash I can still manage the leash so its not restrictive. If I don’t resist Gordy’s desire to greet the other dog and walk Gordy towards the other dog he approaches the dog in a calm and friendly dog like manner and sometimes even with a bit cautious trepidation – his frustration level is non existent if I m not resisting his desire to butt sniff
I do notice that at times he wants to play and if he’s on leash THAT becomes difficult. I am at the point now where if I m in my park and away from the street – I may try dropping his retractable leash and let him play freely with the other dog. But I have to admit I never would have thought twice about leash to leash encounter. They have all been so positive except for his fear of Matty which results in CRAZY Gordy.
I think it’s going to be hard to stop all leash to leash encounters, but I will minimize moving forward. But I always feel like I m a b*tch (excuse the pun ) if I deny him his butt sniffing pleasure. I’ll have to work on that.
Again thanks for your insight and your online presence!
I have a different problem with walking my year old english lab. She gets overly excited when meeting dogs, jumping and pulling, so I walk right on by with her. We used to try to greet them, but she gets too excited and disobedient. When we walk by, she then starts pulling and biting and jumping at the leash and at me. I continue to walk holding the leash firmly and not paying attention to her, and it takes her a little bit to settle down. She has even nipped at my jacket and hands trying to nip the leash. Her eyes are not focusing. I am not sure if she is playing or being aggressive. I would really like some help.
You have a leash reactive dog Kathryn. This article might help you understand your dog’s leash reactivity: . Many trainers hold classes. They are usually titled Growly Dog, Feisty Fido or Reactive Rover. You can always contact us privately via email: info at companionanimalsolutions.com (using the word “at” instead of the @ symbol to discourage spammers) with your location and we can try to refer you to someone in your area. Thanks for reading Behind the Behavior!
Our daughter has recently moved back home and she has a 1 yr old pit bull names Sayde. Sayde is a wonderful dog! She is sweet and loving and full of energy. The problem we are having (and our daughter has noticed) is that when she goes to meet dogs whether off leash or on she full on barrels over to them tail wagging and ready to play. She has never been aggressive towards another dog but has been growled at because she is overly excited and doesn’t know the proper etiquette for greeting another dog. She was rescued so we aren’t sure of her background other than there were 8 other dogs with her.
How do we teach her to greet properly? On leash we have made her sit or stand and let the other dog approach her and sniff etc. She will do this for about 1/2 a second and then will spin around to play.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, we have a Dane puppy coming soon and we don’t want her to pick up Sayde’s bad habits lol
Thanks in advance!
The bully breeds are called “bullies” for a reason. The most important thing to address now is the new puppy. Do not give the puppy and dog continuous access to one another. Their interactions should be supervised heavily so that the puppy doesn’t learn a bullying play style. Make sure that you find a good Puppy Kindergarten in your area that includes off leash play with other puppies his/her own age. Puppies that play continuously with adult dogs during their socialization window (the window is closing when their puppy teeth start falling out at 16 to 18 weeks) tend to learn to play too roughly.
Thank you Christine! We have let them have very little time together so far, sniffing and that’s about it. I hold Sayde (the pit) and tell her settle and let the puppy come to her but no play so far as Sayde is just too hyper lol NEVER unsupervised anything so we are safe there!
I will look for classes soon, once she has all her shots and get her in. Zarry (Dane puppy) is a smart, sweet girl and want to keep her that way
Again thanks for the info and advice
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends that puppies start Puppy Kindergarten beginning at eight weeks old: http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/images/stories/Position_Statements/puppy%20socialization.pdf. If you wait until the dog has had ALL shots, the socialization window is closed and it’s too late. Here’s our article on finding a good Puppy Kindergarten, good luck! http://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/what-to-look-for-in-a-puppy-class/
Hi, my dog is new to me (she is a 2yr old Black Lab/Pointer) and has had no training on a leash, we seem to have mastered walking without pulling and we are both more relaxed when walking now, for awhile I was concerned I was going to end up with my arm pulled out of its socket! The only problem we still have and I have not managed yet to cure is she is leash reactive when she sees other dogs and cant get to them immediately.
She pulls on the lead and if I hold her back she lunges and shows aggressive behavior, hackles up and barking. She is socialized, friendly and loves other dogs and people. She is no longer distracted by other people or noises on the street, its only dogs that are still a problem.
I live in New Zealand so cannot attend one of your classes, any tips for me on how to help Gem (and myself) behave better when we see other dogs out walking on leashes around the city?
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Karen
Congratulations on all the progress you’ve made with your new rescue dog! She’s lucky to have been adopted by you. I recommend this short, easy to read book that includes a DVD of the trainer demonstrating exercises. It’s by Kim Moeller and is called Reactive Rover: http://astore.amazon.com/compaanimasol-20/detail/0578033798. Thanks for reading Behind the Behavior and keep us posted on your progress!
Hi there! My dog does some things you mention in the article, but I’m still not sure his behavior is addressed exactly, so I thought I’d ask.
He’s a rescue mutt (shepherd, pit, hound mix we think?) – we got him two years ago when he was one year old. He LOVES other dogs- so much that when he sees another dog (whether it be across the street, down the block) he stops, sits, and waits. He’s almost 80 pounds and super strong so I can’t just tug him along. I try to get his attention, but he just stares at the dog. He will sometimes lay down as the other dog approaches. I’ve heard this is friendly behavior – trying to look less intimidating/smaller than the other dog, but most owners find it worrisome and walk their dog around mine. When/if the dog comes close he’ll sometimes stand up in a natural way and sniff, but other times he’s do what I call the “happy lunge” at the dog – excitable and ready to play and sniff. Any ideas on how to get him to pay attention to me and follow my lead when he decides to get stubborn and try to meet his new dog friends? Thanks!