Here are some possible dog responses. You’re looking for a dog that says “yes” as opposed to a dog that says “no”. A “no” would be the dog that sniffs and moves away quickly. This is a clear indication that’s a dog that doesn’t want to interact or doesn’t want to approach you at all.
What we typically consider a “yes” response is a dog that becomes loose and wiggly and more importantly, the dog stays with you for two seconds or more of soft interaction. That means if they sniff and move away quickly…and you couldn’t count to two) it doesn’t count as a social interaction. If a dog doesn’t want to approach, that’s obviously not staying for two seconds or more.
If a dog jumps up and gets more excited, he might be asking for attention, but if he doesn’t stay with you for two seconds or longer, then that would be a “no” response as well. Freezing is another obvious “no” response. Coming to you with loose and wiggly body language and staying for two seconds or more of soft interaction is really the best response, but we’re not going to see it from every dog.
If the dog is barking at you, I would stand still and wait to see if he will approach. He may be excited or he may be telling you to stay away. If there are signs that the dog is not totally comfortable with you, you’re going to ignore them or help them to become more comfortable by using treats.
Possible No Responses
- Sniffs and moves away quickly
- Doesn’t want to approach
- Jumps up and gets more excited
- Freezes
- Barks at you
Possible Yes Responses
- Becomes loose and wiggly
- Sniffs and stays for 2 seconds or more of soft interaction
In this video you’re going to see some dog responses to greetings. Here you are going to see come possible reactions to human greeting behaviors. Only the first few are going to show “yes” responses from the dog. The others are going to show “no” responses.
Safe Human Responses
In the video you just watched you saws some of the ways the dog might react when you first greet them. In terms of how you should be respond, it’s going to depend on what the dog is saying…if they’re safe to approach, if they’re loose and wiggly, or if they stay for two seconds or more of soft interaction.
A dog that you want to approach and handle with caution is going to be a dog that is more on the “no” side, meaning he’s not staying with you or he’s not loose and relaxed. If he get more excited or doesn’t approach or if he barks at you, then you want to really be careful about approaching that dog.
For those dogs, I would try tossing them treats to see if you can change their emotional state to become more relaxed. For the dog that freezes, you would stop your approach all together. That’s a dog that isn’t comfortable at all with you. It is important to realize that a “no” response from the dog doesn’t necessarily mean the dog is going to bite. What it means is that the dog is uncomfortable and these is a lot you can do to adjust your approach to make the dog relax.
Dog Responses to Greeting Chart
Traffic Signal Management | Possible Canine Responses | Safe Human Responses |
---|---|---|
Loose and Wiggly Stays for 2 seconds or more of soft interaction | Safe to approach and handle | |
Sniffs and moves away quickly Dog jumps up and becomes more excited Dog does not want to approach Dog barks at you | Approach and handle with caution. -Use slow movements -Use calming signals -Remain calm and confident |
|
Dog freezes | Stop approach! Divert eye contact and back away slow. |