How long for a proper greet?

[jordansmom]

The actual question is how long is an adequate face to face greet for dogs? Usually I'll allow a few seconds for a dog to greet Jordan, sometimes he'll even lie down for a smaller dog. Most dogs tend to just stay at the nose, but every once in a while the other dog lingers and as they move in closer to Jordan's muzzle, he growls. This is where I get tied up because I want to move Jordan away after the few seconds of greet but am concerned that if I tug/pull on the leash I'd be sending the wrong message to Jordan. I know dogs perceive the closer muzzle approach to be aggressive and in those rare occasions I know that's what Jordan is thinking. So how do I end the meet and greet without being rude to the other person?

 

[Garden_girl]

Tara, I think Jordan needs to know that you are protecting his space. Don't wait for the other dog to have a chance to get closer and don't give Jordan the chance to growl. Work with Jordan so that anytime you say his name, he'll focus his attention on you and not the other dog. This, in and of itself, creates space between the other dog and Jordan (he's looking at YOU now). Have a yummy treat ready for Jordan, creating even more space between the other dog and Jordan. Then it's time to walk away. I don't expect my dogs to like every dog they meet, and I don't expect other dogs to like my dogs, either. You are right, when there's a growl and a pop on the leash that *could* make things escalate- don't wait for the growl to act. It could also make Jordan stop the warning growl and you don't want that to happen. Sounds gross, but I prefer the butt greeting whenever possible, there is more time to watch body language.

 

[jordansmom]

Yes, it is a timing issue. I appreciate the comments. How do I let the other dog owner know that the meet and greet is over? Its always the other handler asking if my dog is friendly and can they say hello. Usually I say yes, because Jordan is usually willing to say hello. But there are those odd moments when I'm in a gray area. Jordan knows the "leave it" command, and on our walks when we see another dog coming I'm watching Jordan's body language and I'll give that command if I think Jordan is going to react. So in some respects that could be my signal that its over without being rude? I know with Jordan, that because of his size, as his handler I have to be constantly aware. I want to be a responsible dog owner, particularly with a dog of this size. Its just those gray areas....

Jordan loves the butt greetings, he just comes on so strong...particularly with females. And he's neutered!

 

[Garden_girl]

I'm afraid I didn't explain that very well. If you ever watch dogs off leash, they will always choose a greeting they are comfortable with. For instance, Nellie is comfortable with another dog approaching and circling her and perhaps a butt sniff. Never approach her muzzle-she doesn't like it. Murphy is a muzzle greeter, he's okay with that. Tucker does everything and anything. He's still got a puppy brain and he's figuring out what works, I suppose, with most dogs. He's leaning toward the butt greeting. :clown: I think it's great that you're working with Jordan and helping other dogs learn to socialize, as well. And to top it off, you are in a controlled situation which is often ideal for socializing.

I can't give you a timeframe that's polite. I can tell you when someone asks if their dog can meet your dog, you can tell them... sure, if you don't mind, Jordan is a butt greeter. Does anyone have a better word for that, lol? Some sniffing and you're on your way. I wouldn't worry about being rude, I'd worry more about making every greeting a positive one for Jordan AND the other dog. Some dogs consider a muzzle greeting rude and it sounds as if Jordan isn't fond of it. I can tell you, too, there are many dog owners that think their dog is friendly and it turns out, (for whatever reason) the two dogs dislike each other upon greeting. Are you asking what cues to look for as far as body language goes? Keep in mind, you not only have to watch Jordan, but the other dogs, too.

I use different commands for different things. For my dogs, leave it means we aren't going to go near it or touch it-ever (this works for everything but a body of water :shrug . When I say look or the dogs name, that means all eyes on me. Some people use watch me, here, choose a word that only means look at you. This takes their focus off whatever they are looking at and puts it on you.

You said Jordan will sometimes get in a down position. Sometimes a down is a submissive posture to other dogs. When that happens, is it an invitation for the dogs to move closer to his muzzle?

Here is a link to a Word document that illustrates some different postures and what they mean-it's very basic. This site no longer exists, but you can open it and read it and you can save it to your computer, as well.

http://www.petalk.org/Part 1 with pix.doc

Really, the bottom line is that you are controlling the situation, if you want to have positive greetings between Jordan and other dogs, you have to keep them positive. They could get lengthier as time goes on and Jordan knows you've got his back.