National Dog Bite Prevention week is May 15-22, so to help prevent you from being bitten, here are some tips on how to meet a new dog for the first time so that the experience is pleasant for both you and the dog.
Proper Introduction
Dogs are often portrayed as approachable, friendly and loving, and most of the time this is true, but there are some dogs that do not like to be touched by strangers, and it’s these dogs that are most likely to bite.
Eugenia Vogel, i Love Dogs’ Ask a Trainer, and a training and behavior consultant, recommends you take the following three steps when meeting a dog for the first time.
Step 1: Careful and Critical Observation
Just like people, dogs give out major clues as to how they are feeling. Vogel strongly encourages you to pay careful attention to what the dog is trying to tell you.
“The very first thing you should do is observe the dog’s body language and overall look. If it’s looking at you, wagging its tail happily and loosely, not stiffly and high-up, that’s a good sign,” Vogel said. “When you get close enough, ask the owner if the dog is friendly, and continue to look for overt signs of friendliness such as lots of wiggling and play-bowing, and no tenseness in movement as you approach. Sometimes people have a slightly rose-colored hue of their dog’s temperament, so don’t take their, ‘Oh, my dog loves everyone!’ at full value.” Listen to what the dog parent has to say – if she doesn’t want you to meet her dog, then most likely there is a good reason.
Step 2: Crouching Person, Sniffing Dog
You’ve determined that the dog is a friendly pooch and he has given you all signs that it is okay to approach him. Great! Begin by crouching down a few feet away from the end of the leash, turn your face and body away at a bit of an angle, and hold your hand out low, with your face turned away. If the dog is licking your hand and seems really interested in saying Hi, make some eye contact with the dog.
“If they are going nuts and want to kiss your face, then sure, let them do it, but if they are aloof at all – disengage. No eye contact. If their body starts to stiffen, or if you hear a low growl – look away,” Vogel said. “You want to keep your body as loose as possible. A stiff body is a sign of tension in humans and dogs, and dogs read body language more than you can imagine.”
Step 3: Dogs Can Tell A lot About You by Your Smile
Besides keeping a relaxed stance and reading the dog’s body language, don’t wear a huge, silly smile.
“You don’t want a big grin, because if it’s a dog that isn’t used to being around people – you could really freak him out,” she said. “You don’t want to stare, either, because that can be a sign of aggression.”
These same techniques can be applied when out on a walk with your own dog, and a stranger and his dog approach and want to meet.
Vogel said, “It’s basically the same thing. If you are not certain your dog is 100-percent lovey-dovey all the time, then don’t allow them to meet. But don’t avoid social contact. Contact a professional dog trainer and get a socialization program going. You don’t want to write it off because the problem will get worse.”
Another tip is to allow some slack in your leash – if it’s clear the dogs really want to meet. Tight leashes keep the dogs from doing, well, what a dog does when they meet another pooch.
“Two dogs straining at a leash are much more likely to fight. It throws off their body posture, and they can’t do all of the calming behaviors that they normally would do in a social situation,” Vogel said.
It’s a Dog’s World
In conclusion, let the dog tell you if he wants you to pet him or not, and he will. Do your best to remain calm and relaxed when meeting a new dog for the first time. Dogs will pick up on the energy you put out – if you’re nervous or anxious, the dog will get this and your meeting will probably not go well. And if the dog tells you to back off – back off, but more likely than not, most dogs will let you approach them and you will both enjoy a friendly exchange and lots of puppy kisses.
But, Vogel adds, “Please keep in mind there are a lot of poorly socialized dogs out there who will see your approach as a threat. If you are at all uncertain, no greeting should take place.”
PHOTO: Lightguard
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