To start 2016 off right we thought it would be fun to take a closer look at one aspect of what we do every day during our Doggy Business LLC play groups – help dogs greet each other appropriately and comfortably. One of our main goals when we’re introducing new dogs to each other is to make the greeting as stress-free as possible so both dogs come through the greeting feeling comfortable.
Many dogs, even dogs who love every dog they meet, can experience stress when meeting a new dog, especially if they are greeting each other face-to-face. You’ve all seen it, two dogs approaching each other and meeting – their bodies may be loose as they approach, but when they get face-to-face they both stand very still with their hackles up, their weight forward and muscles tight. Suddenly, they are baring their teeth, snarling, and snapping at each other. Could this have been prevented? Possibly!
The first step to preventing a greeting like this is to figure out why it happens. What’s going on? Well, part of a normal greeting for dogs is to smell each other’s anus, genitals, and mouth. They get a lot of demographic information right away from this sniffing, learning about the other dog’s gender and whether or not they’re intact, as well as information about their health, diet, and even their emotional state. Generally, it’s a very important part of every greeting and many dogs really want to get over there and start that sniffing when they meet a new dog. Dogs want to be able to sniff their new friends and get that information, but unfortunately a direct approach to getting access to the new friend’s smelly bits can make a lot of dogs uncomfortable.
One strategy that we use daily at Doggy Business to let dogs get this information in a safe way while avoiding face-to-face greetings is to feed one of the dogs while the second dog gets a chance to sniff. So, if Fido and Bowzer are greeting for the first time, we’ll feed Fido kibble while Bowzer comes over to sniff. We use the food to lure Fido around so that Bowzer can sniff Fido’s bottom and also to keep Fido’s attention focused on us and his head away from Bowzer. Then we’ll call Bowzer away, and feed him while Fido gets a chance to sniff. This strategy can give each dog a chance to sniff each other and learn all that demographic information, while keeping them both safe and comfortable.
Happy New Year and Happy Training in 2016!
