When we were kids, most of us learned that when meeting a new furry friend, we should bend down and stick our hand out for the dog to sniff. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s not quite right. Let’s break it down:
Bending down
When we bend down, we usually end up standing over the dog. At the very least, we are on his level. In dog-dog communication, standing over someone is saying, “I’m in charge, you had better not test me”. How intimidating for a first meeting! Even if we aren’t standing over the dog, we are likely getting right in front of him on his level, which might be more than he’s ready for.
Do this instead:
Stand up and face sideways from the dog. This tells the dog that you do not intend to be a threat. This allows the dog to take more space away from you if he wants to. Also, for dogs that get overly excited to meet people, this helps facilitate a more calm greeting.
Extending your hand for the dog to sniff
As you probably know, dogs have very powerful noses! If you’re anywhere within 10 feet of the dog, he can already smell what you had for lunch! He doesn’t need to smell your hand unless he chooses to.
Do this instead:
This one’s easy – keep your hands to yourself! Pay attention to the dog’s body language and adjust accordingly.
Fun fact:
Sniffing does not mean, “pet me”. Sniffing is purely gathering information. Wait to pet the dog until you see the following signs:
Licking or nuzzling your hand, leaning on you, turning around, and giving you his rear end for scratches.
But the dog is clearly so excited to see me!
That’s great, but maybe his owner is working on calm greetings. It’s very hard to train your dog not to jump when someone rewards him with attention for jumping! If you’ve ever trained a dog not to jump on people, you already know what I’m talking about! Always ask the handler before engaging with the dog.
Is your best friend struggling with greeting new people? Contact our Behavior Specialist, JoAnna, at [email protected]
Written by JoAnna Rogowski, MS, KPA CTP