Every canine owner wants his dog to socialize and make friends, but nervousness and aggressiveness both shatter the dream. If you wish the same, read this guide on how to teach dog to greet other dogs calmly.
I was tired of my pet dog's behavior and felt embarrassed and frustrated when my canine friend went wild and jumped over other dogs while we were out for a walk. In that situation, some questions came to my mind, and I wished I had gotten a detailed answer. How could I teach my furry friend to greet other dogs calmly and politely?
So I asked pooch owners and researched to write a guide for pet owners like me to explore effective techniques for teaching dogs how to greet other dogs without getting overexcited or aggressive.
If you follow the steps mentioned below, you will be able to improve your dog social skills and make them stay calm, and you will be able to enjoy your daily walk in a more relaxed and enjoyable way with your four-legged companions. We BeingVets, exclusively get in touch with some fellow pup parents and collect information to answer your questions about this query.
How To Teach Dog To Greet Other Dogs Calmly
Teaching your dog to greet other dogs calmly is an essential skill that dog owners should know to save them from embarrassment. The dog belongs to the social family of animals. That's why there is always a need to make your pup learn how to interact with other dogs without getting into fights or creating chaos. Let's discuss some important steps to teach dogs to remain calm and exhibit good behavior.
Basic Commands
Before you start your dog training sessions, your dog must know the basic commands such as sit, stay, come, leave it, and heel. Basic training helps you control your dog in any uncontrollable situation. It will make it easier for pet owners to learn how to teach dog to greet other dogs calmly.
The basic command is highly beneficial in a dog's greeting session because if your pup doesn't grasp these commands, it becomes quickly aggressive or overwhelmed in the situation, creating a dog fight or any other havoc.
My thoughts are seconded by Lazhar Ichir, founder of Breeding Business, as he says:
"The dog needs to have a solid grasp of basic commands such as "Leave it," "sit," and "heel" which can all be highly beneficial during dog greeting sessions. Obviously, perfect recall is going to be needed too".
Don't Punish: Embrace Good Behavior With Rewards.
Never ever punish your dog because your pup may build a negative association with other dogs around. It can cause a negative emotional response that compels them to behave aggressively and defensively toward other dogs.
Instead, use a positive reinforcement method to praise and reward them with their favorite food treats, petting, and favorite toys or games. It motivates the dog to remain calm and behave well with other dogs.
These treats are irresistible to your canine friend. Remember to experiment with different treats to wish the best works for them. However, never use this method excessively because your dog may become addicted, and always try the behavior only to get these treats.
If it is a food treat, then never overfeed them to stay calm because that turns out to be a health condition. If your dog shows good behavior and the other dog around is also sociable, then allow them to meet naturally.
Sarah from Dog Training Boss guided me as a dog owner with this incredible dog training techniques and options.
"You can practice by taking your dog on a walk where you're likely to pass other dogs. If your dog needs to refocus, give them the sit command to help interrupt their high-energy behavior. Bring treats along to praise and reward calm behavior. Dog parks can also be good environments to practice your dog's new calm behavior skills."
She further adds, "If your canine companion shows signs of aggression or stress, talking to your vet is a good idea. This is especially true if you are not sure of your dog's prior experience with other dogs."
A Step-By-Step Guide To Train Your Dog
Here I discuss a step-by-step guide to training your dog through three different methods that are as follows:
Passing Approach Method
- In this approach, you are walking your dog at a heel beside you without any other dog around. Give your furry friend a toy as a treat to pay attention to you and stay by your side. It is the way to warm up your dog.
- Once your dog focuses on you, ask another dog owner to get his dog near your dog but with enough distance between the two dogs so that they remain calm.
- Give a reward to your dog for paying attention to your gestures. Walk beside you, and your dog stays calmly by another dog beside you.
- Check if your dog remains calm, then decrease the distance by a couple of feet between both pooches.
- Slowly decrease the distance and check whether it still remains calm towards the other dog and attentive towards you. If you still see distraction, work again on the distance point.
- Once both the person and the other dog come near your dog in such a way that the dogs almost touch each other, then give a command of saying "hi" if the dogs have learned already.
- It's a time of dog sniffing. Leave both dogs to sniff shortly and give the dog a command to heel again. Leave the place, and it will help your dog to greet other dogs and behaves well without any dog fight.
- Practice this methodology with different types of dogs at various places, pet stores, and parks.
Walking Approach Method
In this method, all steps of warm-up, reward, decrease the distance and repeat are the same except the passing by step. In this dog training session, once your dog is focused and starts heeling, take your dog and the other dog across the street for a parallel walk instead of just passing by. This is a walking approach method.
Slow Approach Method
The slow approach is the same method except for the introduction from a distance to keep it slow and short.
- In this method, introduce your dog and other volunteers' dog when they are a hundred feet away and can only see each other.
- If in case your dog begins to bark and start pulling the leash or gets too excited towards the other dogs friend, then take one step away from the other dog and wait until it calms down, then slowly take another step.
- Keep the process short so the dog doesn't panic or get irritated with your training session. Keeping things brief may calm your dog, and it does not pull the leash and get over-excited.
Body Language
Dogs communicate with their body language, so every pet owner should keep an eye on canine body language when they greet other dogs. Having hackles, growling, and stiff posture shows that your dog is not now in a play style and mood, and it's time to leave the place immediately.
Controlled Environment
A controlled environment is a better place for the meet and greet of dogs in a park or a friend's backyard. You should slowly increase the number of dogs around your pup to make it more comfortable.
According to Aleksandar Mishkov, the owner of The Daily Tail
"One mistake the dog owners do is taking their dog to the dog park to meet and greet other dogs. You should never do that, because you cannot anticipate every other dog that is in the park. The big myth is that the dog park is the best place for socialization."
He further says, "Another mistake is to allow your dog to meet an overly excited dog. Do not allow this meeting when you see a dog from a distance that is pulling to get to your dog. No matter how much that dog is wagging its tail, or your dog is wagging its tail when one of the dogs is overly excited, it can spell trouble. Why? Because the overly excited dog will begin jumping, and the other dog might not be interested in such a meeting.
If one of the dogs is overly excited, the two dogs do not meet at the same level of calmness, which can sometimes result in aggressive and reactive behavior. Think of it this way, do you want someone poking you while you sleep and rest? Of course, you do not."
In this regard, you can choose a quiet park to do dog training sessions where there are fewer dogs, and the dog learns quickly, or if you want it to socialize with a specific dog like your friend's pet, then your friend's place works best.
Let's see how you teach your dog to ignore other dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVw6n1MPQ_0
Leash Training
When you are training dog to stay calm around other furry friends, then use a short leash to keep your dog under control. With a short leash, you will be more controlled over your dog to prevent them from running off or getting into a fight.
Avoid pulling on the leash when your dog greets another dog. This gesture will make it aggressive and anxious instead, keep a loose leash in leash training and give verbal cues to encourage calmness in your pup.
Pet Owner's Responsibility
- As dogs are sensitive to owners' emotions, it is a pet owner's responsibility to remain calm when your dog is meeting with another dog. In case you are feeling anxious, then in response, your furry friend will pick up your emotions and also be aggressive and anxious.
- Training sessions should be short and focused. It will be ten to fifteen minutes per session, and these short sessions help your dog to be more focused and prevent them from becoming bored and overwhelmed.
- While teaching your dog to remain calm around other dogs, pet parents should be patient. Don't try to rush the process; take small and easy steps, and prepare yourself to step back if your dog becomes anxious and aggressive. With patience and consistency, your dog will better learn to greet other dogs calmly.
Conclusion
How to teach dog to greet other dogs calmly and dog training needs patience and consistency, and by following these simple and easy basic points, you can help your dog learn how to interact with other pups in a calm and friendly manner.