Greetings Gone Bad –

Dog greetings Gone Bad

I work as a dog trainer in Sydney and as such encounter many issues with dogs. The most common one is the issues caused by forced meetings with people or dogs.

People seem to not know how to greet a dog. We tend to bend over them to greet them even if they are trying to move away from us. And give attention to dogs that are so over-exciteded that they bark, jump, bite and urinate. What is up with this? I want to talk about this, not only from a practical point of view, but also from the dog’s point of view.

Dogs have become the centres of attention.

When a person appears with a dog, it is almost mandatory for others to fawn all over it, especially if it’s a small puppy. This is wrong. Even though we should socialise our puppies with strangers, the truth is that most dogs are not body-wagging staffies in love with every stranger they see. Most dogs are family-centric pack animals who are almost always initially reserved around strangers.

Some dogs are more reserved than others.

There are many reason for this such as breed, history, personality, or a combination of all these. Poor socialization, lack of training and low confidence can also be a factor. But most dogs need some time to evaluate the situation when a stranger approaches them.

But most people never let this initial evaluation occur. Instead, they dive right into the dog, crouching, pointing, kneeling, reaching, talking, staring… Everything that could get a dog. When did this become the status quo?

For the record, you should never kneel down or bend over and offer your outstretched hand to a strange dog.

I often see this scenario played out in front of supermarkets and cafes with tethered dogs whose owners are inside shopping. People going seem to feel obligated to greet the dog, or, worse yet, have their kids greet the dog.

The right way to greet a strange dog is not at all.

That’s right; ignore the dog completely. Plenty of dogs give mixed signals with tails, ears, and body posture, and if you don’t know how to read them you might end up bitten. Believe me, I very often hear people describe a nervous dog as ‘smiley’. Dogs don’t smile. Period. This is a common mistake made when we confuse human body language with animals.

Yes, there are dogs whose intent is clear, and they seem happy to greet us. But as a general rule, just ignore the dog, and greet the owner first. Don’t even look at the dog. Just strike up a conversation with the owner and let the dog sniff your leg and watch the proceedings.

If you see a lone, tethered dog, just leave it be.

More importantly, teach your children to do the same.