Meet and Greet

Socializing is an important aspect for any dog.  Socialization consists of continually introducing your dog to new places, people, objects, and of course, other dogs.  Many dogs love to 'say hello' to any dog they meet.  Other dogs can be more shy. There are a few pooches who are dog aggressive and prefer that no other canine comes within 5 feet of their personal space.  Because of this variance in dog personality, it's important to follow a few simple rules when you and your dog are meeting another dog and his or her handler.

Meet and Greet Guidelines:
1.  Always ask FIRST before you let you dog within a few feet of another dog's space if you dog can say hello.

2.a.  Be prepared for a 'no.'  A lot of people ask, and then before waiting for an answer, they simply let their dogs pull them over .  Kind of defeats the purpose of asking, doesn't it? (I try to avoid blog ranting-but if I didn't, here would be a perfect place for me complain away.)
  b.  Likewise, if you are the one being asked, feel free to say, "Not right now, Fluffy is learning to behave and needs to calm down," or (this is my line), "Cheri is actually a service dog in training and is working right now."  I always recommend giving a brief explanation so that people understand you are just being a jerk.

3.  If the other owner does say yes, make the visit short and sweet, three to five seconds.  Any longer than this and you'll have two different scenarios.  Scenario A:  The dogs decide they are now friends and pretty soon they are jumping all over each other, the leashes are tangled, and you've got a wild, furry mess on your hands.  Next time they see a dog-what are they going to do since the last time was so rewarding?  Scenario B: One or both dogs will decide to get snarly-this can quickly escalate into a bad situation.

4.  Keep your dog nearby, sniffing only the other dog's front half.  There is no need for your dogs to smell each other's nether regions while on leash.  Believe me when I say that this is a socially reinforced trait and isn't necessary.   Out of the five service dogs I've raised so far, NONE of them have ever had the inclination to smell another dogs private areas unless the other dog did it first and shoved their own tail end in my dog's face.

5.  If you are still talking to the other handler, have your dog come back to your side and encourage them to sit or do a down.  This a great time to teach them self control and that you are more important than that other dog/human.

Being social with other dogs is great-just make sure that you are polite and consider other dogs and humans before you give into your dog's inappropriate behavior.