Secret to having two dogs meet

Alright its not really a secret but here are some good tips to keep on hand when you are having your dog meet another.

Not too long ago I took Junior along to the park with me, there really isn't all too many dogs there since it isn't a dog park but it is dog friendly. On this occasion Junior had to socialized with two different dogs.

One important thing to do is to know your dog, always look at him/her to make sure that you aren't stressing them out more than you should and to make sure that they aren't going to start going crazy.

Next important thing is to be calm. Honestly, we tend to tense up so much because we don't know whats going to happen. It happened to me in the park as well, the other dog in this case was a friends of mine and it was smaller so I didn't want anything to happen to her. But I noticed that I was too tense, I had the leash held tight and I was hardly controling my breathing (I was holding it in). So I shook that feeling off, I let the tension out of the leash and I took a deep breath all at the same time. Junior stop pulling, stopped that little throat growl of his and went up my friend's dog and did the typical k9 greeting ceremony. After that they were both just fine. Junior was now more interested on continuing his walk!

In this case I also had some treats. Depending on your situation these can be a good thing or a bad thing to have. The main point is to make the event positive in the dog's mind. I knew that for Junior the walk and food were his highest motivators so I used them to my advantage. Every now and then I'd let Junior take a little tidbit and continue his examination of the other dog. If your dog has problems with resource gaurding this may not be the best approach and instead continue your walk.

I knew that exploring together was also a good icebreaker between two dogs, so I asked my friend to come along on a walk with Junior and I. They both did great, no more growling, just simply exploring.

Later on in that same day, there was someone else with a Staffie puppy walking around, the pup didn't have a leash and walked up to Junior. Instinctively I froze up, Junior wanted to see the pup and so I let the tension out of the leash and allowed him to do so. In this case I knew that the pup didn't pose a threat and that the only problem 'could' be Junior, if I didn't react correctly. So by relaxing and allowing him to sniff the pup, he did just fine. After a little sniffing the pup went back to his owner.

Always know your circumstances. In both the cases above, I knew I had control of my dog and the other owner would have control of their dog or that the other dog wouldn't pose a threat. However there are some cases where its best you just walk away or avoid the situation all together.

An example of the above is what happened yesterday. I was walking with Junior and we met an adult Blue Staffordshire Terrier on the road. Instead of just letting them work it out and hope for the best where I was the only one that would have to stop a possible fight, I chose to put Junior to the side of me, away from the dog. I stood straight and without hesitation told the dog to go home. I made no threatening gestures just told her to go home in a neutral tone. Suprisingly she did, and I walked with Junior around her.

The reason why its best to avoid situations where a fight is possible is because negative associations can leave a lasting impression on your dog, making it much more harder to get your dog to meet others peacefully.

So in review, you can say that the key to having two dogs meet succesfully are the following:

A. Know your dog.
B. Relax, control your breathing and don't hold the leash tight.
C. Assess your situation.

And of course what always helps to be in a neutral environment (place where neither dog have been to before) and treats if your dog won't be aggressive because of them. See if that works, also here are some other tips by Virginia Wind about other ways to get two dog's to meet.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to voice them either here on the comments or at my forums at K9Academy Dog Message Board.