Dog to Dog Meeting and Greeting
In today’s world our dogs are put in a position that dogs from my childhood never had to face. When I was a kid, we had one dog. The few people that had dogs only had one dog. We didn’t take her to day-care, dog parks or even boarding. People that owned dogs didn’t really have much need to socialize their dogs with other dogs. There just weren’t that many dogs around.
Now our dogs are put into multiple dog households, go to dog parks, etc. Many times, we don’t understand the affect this has on the dog being introduced. The common theory is to just put dogs together and let them work it out. Sometimes that works and sometimes, it doesn’t. Imagine yourself being thrown into a situation with lots of people you don’t know. Many people like to take their time getting to know others. Some people don’t like large groups. Dogs are very much the same way. Some dogs really enjoy the company of other dogs. They can even be obsessed with other dogs. Other dogs are not as interested and may actually be more inclined to want to spend time with people instead. Forcing new encounters with a dog that is more reserved can be detrimental and VERY uncomfortable. It can force her to feel overwhelmed, and then become reactive or even aggressive towards other dogs.
Take your time. Let a new dog coming into your home with one or more existing dogs, build a relationship of trust. Give the new dog a safe space away from the other dogs until she shows interest in being with the other dogs.
It’s the same thing with taking a new dog to a dog park. Some dogs need to just go and watch from outside the fence for several days until she shows interest to go play with the other dogs. Day care is a bit more difficult to make a slow introduction. Starting with a young puppy is usually easier. Trusting your day care supervisors to make a slow introduction for a shy, adult dog is really important. Initially, a short visit might work best.
Get to know your new dog. If you have a reserved or shy dog around other dogs, let her take her time to develop relationships with other dogs. Give her options to walk away from other dogs if she is nervous. Don’t force interactions. If you are unsure about how to introduce your dog slowly, call a professional.
