Ernie returned from a walk last night excited about meeting a Giant Schnauzer named Gladstone at Riverbend Park. I’ve seen the dog before, and he’s a pretty big guy. He made a video of his meeting, so I was really curious to watch Ernie’s video, and see him in action. After looking at the video, I was quite pleased with Ernie’s performance. Ernie is barely 9 months old and doesn’t have a lot of experience with dealing with big dogs on his own. Considering the huge difference, he did a pretty good job.
I have some pretty particular views on how dogs should meet each other. I am glad that before I let Ernie go out alone on walks, I sat him down and talked about this very topic. I shared with him that it’s less stressful to meet a new dog at a neutral spot, like the dog park or while on a walk. But dogs are everywhere, so you don’t get to pick the perfect spot. Meeting a dog on its home turf can be a little tricky, so if he is going to do this then I’d have to go along for his own protection. The introduction is an important part of climbing the social dog ladder. Following these guidelines is even more critical when you are meeting a large dog that can seriously hurt you if you mess up.
I stressed with Ernie to always be calm when meeting a new dog. Having nervous energy only leads to trouble and you’ll make few friends. Ernie pushed me to give him one set approach to meeting someone new but I stressed there really isn’t one approach because every dog is different. I recommended putting greater emphasis on reading the signals that a new dog is giving off, and taking it from there. I told Ernie if you sense the other dog is stressed, then don’t force saying “hi.” Especially avoid being too hyper in this situation. If Ernie senses the other dog is nervous it’s also not a good idea to try the eye-to-eye and nose-to-nose introduction. Some dogs might feel threatened in this situation and might lash out.
I tried to help him better understand by relating my own personal experience. I shared with him that I would often lie on the ground and not even look at the other dog when I sensed nervous energy. This would let the other dog know that I am not a threat and reduce the tension. I am not suggesting being a doormat. There are some bad dogs out there, and sometimes it’s best to just keep walking. I think for a newbie Ernie handled this well.
What do you think?
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