# ...accept not meeting other dogs onleash?



## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

Hi!
First-time dog owner with a shepherd/husky mix rescue. As we have gotten to know him, we find that his personality is more shepherd. 

I'm confused about meeting other dogs onleash! I've seen that friendly smiley owners like their dogs to meet other dogs, and their dogs are friendly and smiley. They think it's weird when you're steering your dog away. Then there are the in-training owners and their dogs trot by in Heel. They don't look up and are instead issuing quiet commands to their dog (meanwhile, your dog is panting and straining to get to theirs...  I don't know what kind of owner I want to be! I think I'm making him confused. 

In the first weeks we got him, neighbors (especially dog-owners) wanted to meet him and they introduced their dogs ... So now he has some neighborhood "dog-friends" whom he greets peacefully on leash, and we know their names and their owners' names.

Then in obedience class, the teacher said, "It's not a good idea to let your dog meet other dogs on leash." In class, he was never allowed to "Say Hi" to any other dog- we practiced sit, stay, leashwalking, near the other dogs while ignoring them. 

So I thought it's best to train him to not meet other dogs on leash... like in class. But it's not going well! 
He is OK if they're going by on the other side of the street, but in the real world we get surprised going around corners, or walking on a narrow trail, and when I hold him back, he lunges and whines and howls and rears up in the air! With a 70 lb dog, that gets pretty frightening for people and their dogs. Also I think he might be confused because when we're in our own neighborhood, I do let him greet the neighbor dogs...I think neighbors would think it was odd if I dragged him by on the other side of the street! 


What did you train your dogs to do? 

Do you lean towards easygoing friendly (just let them say Hi!) or trained (never meet other dogs onleash) or something in-between (meet some dogs, if I say it is OK - but I think that is confusing for the dog?)

Thanks for any thoughts.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

Here ya go - seven reasons why meeting on leash is a BAD idea!

https://medium.com/@armandomorales_24718/7-reasons-why-dogs-meeting-on-leash-can-be-a-horrible-idea-33616c8c17de

And here is something else to think about - In some European countries, dogs are allowed just about everywhere in public, yet they remain well-behaved, primarly because they are discouraged from rushing up to every dog they meet to greet it:

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2017/07/13/are-european-dogs-born-well-behaved.aspx


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

I dislike on leash meetings. Causes frustration. I don't care if my dogs don't have friends. To me that's dumb. That doggies need friends. 
My male could care less. He wants to be with me. Even with my other dog.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

I want my dog to walk nicely by my side and ignore other people. If I am constantly allowing him to meet and greet other dogs or people, he is going to expect this every time another dog or person passes. NOT a good idea - what if the person is afraid of dogs? What if the other dog is dog-aggressive? Even dog-aggressive dogs need to get out for a walk, you know!


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## Solamar (Jan 25, 2017)

I went through a very similar thought process (my trainer is 100% no greeting at class). I like being social and meeting/greeting people on the trail and many have their dogs with them. 

When my pup was very young (3-5 months) I was busy working on loose leash walking and would not let her go up to other people/dogs. At about 7 months we started walking with a prong collar and rapidly her leash behavior became excellent. After that we started "proofing" at places like Home Depot and she was doing so awesome that I started letting her great other people and other dogs (if asked). I found that 8 out of 10 "greets" went great, but 2 out of 10 a dog would growl or snap and my girl would bark back or some idiot would think slap fighting an unknown pup was a good idea. I decided not to risk it anymore except on VERY rare occasions. I'm a firm believer that my number one job with my pup is to protect her from bad situations, that means I need control of the situation.



GSDchoice said:


> He is OK if they're going by on the other side of the street, but in the real world we get surprised going around corners, or walking on a narrow trail, and when I hold him back, he lunges and whines and howls and rears up in the air! With a 70 lb dog, that gets pretty frightening for people and their dogs.


I think everyone goes through this, but it needs to be put to an end quickly. If you do not have complete control of your dog, "greets" would be a definite NO. Plenty of ways to train out this behavior, I worked with a trainer and a good/quality prong collar and quickly ended leash antics. Age of the dog, maturity, seams to help quite a bit too.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Hmm. I walk a lot on narrow city sidewalks in an area with a TON of dogs (many of whom are reactive). Mine is very dog-friendly, but plenty of other dogs are not.

I slow up when I'm approaching a corner and make a wider turn if i can, so I can get a read on if someone is approaching.

If I'm on a narrow sidewalk or trail and another dog is approaching, I pull my dog over to the side, put her in a sit in heel position, and tell her "wait." We let the other dog (or wide stroller, or pair of humans, or whatever it is) pass, then release and praise. This took time to build, but it is helpful. It also puts me in a position to body block if the other owner has poor control or lets their dog approach without my permission.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Sunsilver said:


> I want my dog to walk nicely by my side and ignore other people. If I am constantly allowing him to meet and greet other dogs or people, he is going to expect this every time another dog or person passes. NOT a good idea - what if the person is afraid of dogs? What if the other dog is dog-aggressive?* Even dog-aggressive dogs need to get out for a walk, you know![/*QUOTE]
> 
> THANK YOU!
> 
> I control my dog, by whatever means necessary. I have a reasonable expectation that others will do the same.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

> Then in obedience class, the teacher said, "It's not a good idea to let your dog meet other dogs on leash." In class, he was never allowed to "Say Hi" to any other dog- we practiced sit, stay, leashwalking, near the other dogs while ignoring them.


If this is how you're training him there, I'd stick to it outside of class too, to be consistent. Ask the trainer how to apply what you're doing there to your casual walks, and at least for now, plan on being aware enough to keep yourself at a little distance. Calmly move away, don't be abrupt and nervous about it.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Sunsilver said:


> I want my dog to walk nicely by my side and ignore other people. If I am constantly allowing him to meet and greet other dogs or people, he is going to expect this every time another dog or person passes. NOT a good idea - what if the person is afraid of dogs? What if the other dog is dog-aggressive? Even dog-aggressive dogs need to get out for a walk, you know!


They do, but from the other side of this, I really appreciate when the owner of a dog-reactive or dog-aggressive dog is watching and controlling their dog and crossing the street if necessary. I put the onus on myself to pull over and give them the sidewalk if I don't want a meeting (which I don't) or if the group/stroller/what have you is too wide for us to pass each other, but I put the onus on them to discern if their dog can handle that, to cross the street if it's going to be too stressful (rather than glare at me for not having done it), and to control their dog as they pass. That's just courteous on both sides. (And I'm not directing that at anyone here but speaking to my own experience in a dog-dense neighborhood.)


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

I've had a dog (ridgie mix) that I let greet other dogs. I hadn't really dealt with dog aggression and I never gave it much thought. She was a great dog and I never had trouble with her and other dogs. 

I had a little mix of something (maybe beagle / whippet ) and she was hit or miss. Some dogs she liked, some she didn't. We used a 3 second sniff. I allowed a dog she was interested in to greet for 3 seconds and then we moved on. Oddly, other dog owners seemed more accepting of no meet and greet than when I say that about my GSDs. 

My guys don't meet and greet at all out on the street. I nearly always cross to the other side or move off of the walk. Or we just bring our dogs up close and walk on by. We did do play-dates with dogs we knew, but those were far and few between. My two dogs mostly play with each other. I do have an old gal GSD on the other side of the fence that my boy meets and greets. My gal-dog wants to talk smack with her. Most annoying. 

So I side with the "no greetings on the street" group. If you make friends in your neighborhood, you could go for walks together. I find that is more productive.


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## Bentwings1 (May 29, 2017)

I don't ever let my dog meet other dogs on the street. It just asking for trouble. Very few people train their dogs at all let alone in meet and greet situations. We also cross the street when possible and detour other times. It takes quite a while to train this avoidance but by carefully working from a distance and with proper rewards the dog begins to associate approaching dogs with good times and rewards from you. I use a watch me command and reward. I especially reward for her looking to me without command.

In classes with trained dogs there is very rarely any dog problems. I think the dogs recognized that there is no threat or problems so they relax. We have an exercise called traffic jam. All teams heel in a circle around the room then when the instructor calls traffic jam we all turn toward the center and cross over to the opposite side. Dogs bump into each other and meet and walk next to each other or pass by even brushing against each other. It's a fun exercise and even dogs a bit rough around the edges get along fine. I really like to do this more often in each class as a starting exercise. It transfers over to everyday encounters in that your dog is more calm when others approach. Unfortunately untrained dogs abound and it doesn't work nor is advised to even try. It was key to getting my Aussie to accept other dogs nearby but we still never meet street dogs. 

Our appt group is full of messed up dogs and people. Most really avoid us and that's fine. I'm rather outspoken about dog problems and behavior so probably not well liked. I did finally convince one couple to get to training classes and they are doing ok. Still refuse to meet their dog with mine however.


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## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

OK, it sounds like the general consensus is: No Meetings on Leash!

I have made up my mind, and we'll keep working on it.

This morning we were able to pass/walk ahead/behind of 3 dogs by keeping a distance and using my "clicker word Yes" from class, and treats. Rumo pulled a bit, but no major meltdowns.
Last dog, we were passing by (Rumo pulled excitedly, but no tantrum) and I thought we were ok, when suddenly they came up to us! 
"He really wanted to meet your dog!" she said.
Little white puppy with brown spots....they sniffed, and the puppy did play bows, and the owner said No no, and we went on our separate ways.
Alas, this is the real world!! 

But we will keep working on it. 
Rumo is like Mr. Obedience Champion in our house and yard, then on walks, he goes selectively deaf...I blame the streak of Husky!

PS - 
The other morning, a bird got into our house and flew upstairs. It took us a long time to shoo him out of one of the bedroom windows. Every morning since then, Rumo goes upstairs and checks the bedrooms! He has put himself on "bird patrol".


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## egwinjr (Oct 30, 2017)

you have to make sure youre also comfortable with telling people a head of time, NO when they want to just let their dog wander over to yours. I do this and have defiantly seen people get up in arms over it and give me a line like they are just dogs but I'm quick to shoot that down. My gsd mix is a sweet heart and very passive even when on leash but ive been attacked by a dog that over powered the owner and my girl does not take kindly to other dogs showing any aggression towards me and that's when her drive flips like a light switch. I just sooner try not to put her in that situation as its not fair to her to get involved in a potential fight just to let some random persons dog sniff her or me.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

Well said, egwinjr!


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## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

Yea, I figured she has been told that her puppy needs to "socialize" and meet other dogs...
Luckily Rumo is pretty friendly so it was positive for her puppy...
but I know there are other situations where it could go badly if she did that!

Anyway, we will keep working on this - at least my objective is clear now, thanks.
I don't expect Perfection, due to the crazy world out there, but will aim for Progress in his behavior. 
My plan is to "create distance", use clicker "Yes" word + treats and get him to pay attention to me & eventually even do a Sit, 
and as he gets better, gradually decrease the amount of distance needed. He is an older rescue**, so if we can just get calm behavior passing other dogs, I'll be satisfied!

** Yesterday I was struggling with my jacket and I stuck my arm into the sleeve harder than usual, waving it a bit above Rumo. He flinched away. At that moment, I had the sad realization that my dog has been hit in his past.


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## VickyNero (Nov 8, 2017)

Cause my dog is very dog friendly we do not great other dogs while he is on the lead because he pulls.
Saying that we do pass a lot of dogs on the path and there is no way to not walk past I want him to be able to have a 'polite hello' so has a quick sniff while walking past.
Also we can pass quite a lot of off lead dogs so again I want Nero to have a polite Hello and be able to walk past, which we are working on.
I never let my dog run up to another dog but I do also fully trust him with other dogs as I agree it is intimidating and you never know who that dogs feels.

I do know quite a few dogs, were the owners have kept there dogs from greeting other dogs and they have become dog reactive because the dog believes that their owner wants the dog kept away from them and the best way to do that is tell the other dog off.

I just want a polite dog friendly dog.


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## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

Just wanted to post a quick update ...

A big improvement came when I reminded myself to NOT tense up, shorten the leash and pull him away from the other dog. 
I remind myself to keep the usual loose leash, relaxed attitude, use normal happy voice ... 
I do create distance but in a subtle way, by adjusting our path gradually or pausing at a bush - not by suddenly pulling him over to the other side of the path.
Rumo stays significantly calmer...he may pull a bit, but no rearing up and no howling/whining.
It seems that the more anxious I acted, the worse he was...

I thought it was all about treats and training, 
but apparently it's more about my own behavior/mental attitude than I realized!


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