Have you ever greeted a stranger with a full-on bear hug and maybe a knuckle rub to the head? I hope not!! What would you do if this happened to you?

If your dog’s personality cannot cope with this type of greeting you need to help them. After all if someone greeted your child by hugging them I’m sure they would receive a hostile response from you. Your dog doesn’t need to say hello to everyone.

Meeting face to face is not a natural behavior for dogs, this is the way humans meet each other. Meetings between dogs should be side on with each other.

Never allow your dog to run up to a dog unless the owner has said it’s ok, and even then remember that things can quickly change between dogs.

The Three-Second Rule:

Three seconds is the maximum amount of time the first meeting should last between dogs. This is more than enough time for the dog’s nose to have taken in and processed an immense amount of information. Never pull your dog away as we don’t want either dog thinking there is anything negative about the meeting. A simple ‘this way’ or ‘come on’ maybe showing their ball if they have one.

Many owners make the mistake of waiting that bit longer to see if they ‘get on’ or misreading a ‘freeze’ or other subtle body gestures that mean “I don’t like you furball, leave me alone”!

If you want the dogs to get on. Maybe a walk with friends etc. Wait until they are ignoring each other and then bring them back together for a few more seconds. then repeat again. Watch out for body language when they approach each other to guide you on how your dog is feeling.
Body language equivalent

DOG                                                                            HUMAN EQUIVALENT

Play Bow                              –                    Hello would you like to join me for a cup of tea?

Fluid movement     –                    Your pretty I like you

Stiff tails                               –                    Have I seen you on crime watch?

Wagging tail                        –                     This could go either way. I’m really not sure

Head or paw on the shoulder  –         Epic Wedgie                      

Snarl                                     –                     I want to punch you in the face!

Tail between legs               –                     That bloke scares the bejeezus out of me

Roll onto back                     –                    OMG its Fred West

Showing of teeth                 –                    Take one step closer and I rain hell on you

Tail wagging can indicate both happy and aggravated, think of an angry cat. A dog can do the same sometimes, you need to look for the rhythm and position of the tail

There are many more body language signals these are just a few, Sign up for one of our courses and we will help you on your journey to speak dog.