Are you setting your dog up for comfortable thoughtful greetings?

The expectations we put on our dogs when it comes to greeting (and usually enjoying) every being we come across is mind boggling when we really think about it. I have yet to come across another human who is expected to be excited (but not too excited), friendly (but not the pushy kind of friendly) towards every other human being that they come across throughout their lives. At best the expectations we put on each other is general tolerance; and though I believe some human beings are a bit better at this than others. Overall, I think our expectations of our canine partners should be very similar.

Dog to dog or Dog to people interactions can be broken down into three sections. Each section is important on its own; and make up a very nice complete start to finish behaviour. Greetings isn’t something many people think about when it comes to their dog. It is, however; a very important piece of keeping your dog feeling comfortable, and safe throughout their lives.

The Pre-greeting
Being able to calmly observe / engage & disengage strangers at a distance is a major skill all on its own. For puppies, this can be a tricky behaviour to teach because other people LOVE puppies. It is important to start this from the very beginning if possible. It is harder to teach your dog this after they have had loads of practice running straight up to people. By having the Pre & Post greeting solid at a distance the most exciting part (the actual greeting) tends to be easier to facilitate. For the pre-greeting I practice two different ways at first. Neither of these I tend to use food unless needed.

1. Observing from a distance. Can your dog meander at a distance while people and dogs pass by on a sidewalk or pathway? By practicing this in various locations the goal is having a dog who can take in the new being and disengage to continue doing ‘dog things’. The goal isn’t your dog checking in with you, though I do like to know they can calmly listen to cues while at a distance before decreasing it. For this exercise, the handler is stationary but the dog is not ‘stuck’ in a position or needing to do a behaviour. The goal is them engaging and disengaging on their own, without becoming more aroused.
   *While practicing this the handler also has a chance to note their dogs body language when they are interested in engaging with the trigger verses uninterested.*
2. Observing from a distance – while moving. Can your dog play the same game as above, while on the move? Practice walking parallel to a new being, or crossing paths (at a manageable distance). Can your dog do those same skills listed above, while keeping a loose leash?

The Greeting
Level headed greetings that involve thoughtfulness and clear communication skills. Before even committing to a greeting, I want to know my dog can calmly approach a person or other dog. For me pulling, driving straight towards the being or looking unsure to meet someone are all reasons to abort the mission. My goal is a dog who looks interested in the interaction, whom can calmly approach and utilize their build in systems (mainly sniffing) to politely decrease distance. If they are approaching another dog, I also want to afford both parties the ability to signal they do not want this arrangement. If I need to run with my dog towards the beings to uphold a loose leash all of those pre- practices are of no use. Driving straight towards a being is not only rude in the dog world, it also increases arousal. This practice decreases your dogs ability to assess the situation first and increases the likelihood of an improper interaction.

For the greeting itself – I personally prefer to teach dogs to stand side on to people for greetings. For dogs who are not super comfortable with strangers this promotes a ‘way out’ rather than having a human body literally blocking their path. Holding a sit can also feel more restricting, and promotes the stranger leaning over or patting the dog on top of the head – instead of stroking them down their body. Until I am sure my dog can leave an interaction before they get over aroused (either due to slight concern or excitement) I keep the greeting short. Three – five seconds seem to be a good time for interacting with strangers. If my dog’s arousal seems to be increasing faster than normal – or if the other dog/person seems to be getting more aroused – I will cut the greeting even shorter.

The Post-greeting
Ability to calmly leave a situation without over reacting. I like to practice this behaviour at the same time as the pre-greeting. When your dog disengages during the exercises above this is when they are practicing the post-greeting. The goal with this behaviour is having the ability to end the interaction if they become overwhelmed or over-aroused. An over-aroused dog is the one who will forget all those polite greeting behaviours and will jump up or be “rude” when interacting with someone (human or canine).

By breaking down our dog’s interactions into three manageable parts we are able to really focus on creating the perfect greeting. For the perfect greeting there is no set position or length of time, but there is the need to ensure ALL parties involved welcome the interaction. During adolescents many dogs struggle with some form of over arousal or discomfort near strangers. By promoting good greeting habits to begin with you can really curve this behavior; especially if you promote good habits from the beginning with your puppy. This at times is easier said than done, but will pay off overtime.