Greeting with body and smell. This could be said to be the way dogs communicate with each other or with humans. In no case in the… world of dogs could we talk about acquaintance at first sight! Crossing the gaze of dogs poses at least a threat or, possibly, a defense.

A necessary condition is that these ways of communication are known to the respective guardian but also to be able to understand and interpret correctly the signals emitted by his dog.

It is very important, in addition, to know that in every walk it is not necessary to record new acquaintances, especially when both parties enjoy their outing wearing a leash. Do you know why;

VSA-CDT graduate positive dog trainer, Angelika Herra, has the answer.

“In our society it is acceptable, polite and desirable to greet friends and acquaintances with words / phrases and gestures, showing at the same time our feelings. And we always look them in the eyes. Like when we know a stranger. The necessary recommendations are made and we have visual contact with him.

On the contrary, in the world of dogs, such an approach would be offensive or even threatening, but also a cause of defense and / or entanglement between them. Especially when there is no escape option. That is, when a dog is tied to a guide / leash.

Dogs use their bodies to communicate with each other or with humans.

It is an obligation, but also a necessity, for every guardian to know the interpretation of the signals emitted by his dog.

Personally, when I go for a walk with my dogs I choose to avoid meetings, but also any interaction with unknown dogs and guardians. Even if they seem to express a friendly mood.

I will explain the reasons why it is not worth the risk for our dog to greet other passing dogs. Especially when they are on a leash. Even when one of them wears his leash.

And I will focus on the following:

● To be able to understand the intentions of two or more dogs in a meeting, we need to know the ritual of a polite “dog” greeting.

Two dogs, when they know their bodies form an arch.

At first, they may smell, very soon, the nose and mouth of another and then “explore” his genitals.

Each dog has its own unique smell, through which information about their age, sex, health, sexual mood and emotional state is extracted.

This information is transmitted through the secretion of pheromones and urine from the glands of the genital area.

This way a dog gathers as much information as it needs to decide whether to stay or leave the meeting.

●Recently a research was done by Dr. Camille Ward, who studied 58 dogs that were in a park and did not know each other. And the findings were significant.

–The percentage of dogs that played with each other reached only 12%

– No serious episode of aggressive behavior was detected.

–The maximum detection / greeting time was approximately six seconds.

This gives us the indication that dogs, when they meet, detect in a short time and then choose a different direction.

It is worth noting that the study was conducted in guideless dogs, ie free. Which means that the dogs had the choice to leave at any time they felt threatened or uncomfortable.

●However, the situation becomes more complex, and possibly dangerous, when the dogs encountered are on a leash. That is, limited / trapped.

How should a dog guardian behave when he can not avoid an unexpected encounter?

1. Recognize in time, any signs of anxiety, fear or other discomfort in his dog – tail that moves nervously and slowly to its end, ears stretched back to the head, tail under limbs, raised hair on the back, strong eye contact, closed and tight mouth, grunt.

2.Recognize signs of relaxed mood – relaxed tail movement, relaxed mouth with tongue out, loose ears down – depending on race -, invitation to play (play bow).

3.Hold the strap in a U position (curve), as during the walk.

4.Choose to greet with the leash on the ground, provided the meeting takes place in a safe place.

5. Do not let the two dogs smell for more than six seconds.

6.Do not create tension by correcting / pulling the leash, because it will surprise the dog (yanking – jerking on lead) and will add extra stress.

7. If the other dog is free to ask the guardian to tie him – it is his duty.

8. In case of a large physical difference and strength between the two dogs, I would suggest a change of direction and avoid any contact.

Also, a guardian can teach his dog an alternative behavior. That is, for example, to teach him “look – look for a treat or a toy”, so that the dog relaxes and distracts from the other dog.

Like, it can teach him “hello” behavior. That is, to quickly smell the other dog and immediately continue his walk with an encouraging “let’s go!” and reward him.

Meetings of dogs on a leash usually result in unwanted behaviors because:

1.The dog is in a state of overstimulation and his personal limits are exhausted.

2. For dogs, short-range eye contact is threatening.

3. The dog may react to the leash, try to free itself, start barking, air snapping and / or the leash, and even the other dog. Also, during their meeting we must be careful not to confuse their straps because it is dangerous and behaviors such as riding can occur.

It is easy to realize that such unfortunate encounters do not add anything significant to our dog’s social contacts.

On the contrary, both the dog and the guardian acquire unpleasant experiences and phobias, negatively recording future contacts.

In addition, the physical integrity of the dog – sometimes, and guardians – is compromised.

The guide leash is a key factor in our dog’s emotional state.

Therefore, we must remember that a dog on a leash is trapped and at a disadvantage, especially towards a free dog.

In addition, our emotional state is transmitted through the guide to our dog.

Let us not forget that the role of the leash is, exclusively, to protect and provide safety to the dog. I parallel it with the car seat belt.

Therefore, we must remember that a dog on a leash is trapped and at a disadvantage, especially towards a free dog.

Remember that, according to the law, the dog’s walk is always done with a companion, who holds him by his leash.

The best we can offer our dog are walks with a guide and responsibility. We also organize walks in specially fenced areas or special parks, so that he has his freedom. Με we use a guide with a length of 10 – 20 meters, which allows our dog to move. Always with active supervision. And we make sure our dog comes in contact with dogs of similar energy and temperament.

It would be ideal to know the guardians of the dogs as well.

Finally, I share with you “secrets” for successful dog walks:

●Our dog to be socialized with modern-positive education

●We have the right bra and the guide in U position

●We have with us delicious delicacies (enhancers) of high value for our dog●We have a good psychological mood / team spirit and we enjoy the walk with our dog. We communicate with him verbally and we never lose eye contact.

● We never make a “correction” by pulling on the leash. It destroys the relationship of trust with our dog

● We go for a walk with a tolerable temperature – depending on the season

●We are constantly monitoring the environment for unexpected external stimuli

● We always have bags for our dog feces with us and ….. we do not greet strangers!

The walk with our dog is done, primarily, for his own pleasure and relaxation. Therefore, it is not worth charging him with any unpleasant situations “.

▪Ms. Angelika Herra is a VSA-CDT Positive Trainer, a Certified Member of the Doggone Safe (Dog Bite safety Educator) and the head of the ACG Alumni Stray Action Committee. He also participates voluntarily in animal welfare activities.

Sources:

● The Secret Language of Dogs, Victoria Stilwell

● 100 Ways to Train the Perfect Dog, Sarah Fisher & Marie Miller

● Greeting Behavior between dogs in a Dog Park, Camille Ward PhD

● www.petBehaviour.Science.com, 2020/Vol.10/1-14

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