Personal Space Requirements
Be aware of each dog’s personal space requirements. The will vary by each individual dog. Remember that the dog sets the pace for the greeting. The goal for interactions is enjoyment, not tolerance.
Common Greeting Mistakes
Here are some common “dont’s”. Be aware that our normal human body language when greeting a human is actually quite rude in dog language. When we greet each other, we smile, reach out our hand and make direct eye contact when we say hello. This body language is very threatening and scary in dog language. We need to learn to “speak dog” with our bodies and avoid these common greeting mistakes:
Greeting Approach
- Big friendly smile
- Each out hand
- Lean toward dog
- Direct eye contact
- Lean over the dog
- Hugging and kissing the dog
- Head pats
Dog Friendly Greetings
Here are some “do’s”. Dogs prefer not to be zeroed in on by strangers. Have you ever noticed how well-mannered dogs meeting for the first time turn their heads away from each other? Dogs have their own language and protocols for meeting strange dogs and people. It’s important that you learn and recognize what they are. So what’s the best way to greet a strange dog?
Greeting Approach
- Turn sideways (always squat down with small dogs)
- Keep arms near body
- Look away (non-threatening)
- Wait for dog to approach you for a sniff
- USE TREATS!
- Totally ignore a fearful dog until they are more comfortable with the environment
Three Steps to Greeting a Dog
In dog safety, we teach a three-step process when approaching a dog you don’t know.
- Ask the pet parent
- Ask the dog
- Pet the dog
There will be times at our facility when we won’t always have the pet parent present, but you can always ask the dog before you greet him / her by allowing him / her to sniff your hand. A dog says “yes” by approaching you to sniff and by soliciting attention. A dog says “no” with their body language by backing away or hiding. If the dog says “no”, that’s okay. Ignore him, acknowledging that you understand his language…or you can give him treats and try to encourage him to become more comfortable with you.
As the dogs arrive at K9 Club, you’ll need to read their body language. If the pet parent is with them, you will definitely want to acknowledge the dog to the pet parent and tell them what a wonderful pet they have. If you read the dog’s body language and see that he is cautious and unsure, you don’t want to pet him. You want to explain to the owner what you’re seeing in the body language, that you know their dog is a little uncomfortable and nervous, so you’re just going to give them time to adjust.
Using Treats
It may be a good time to also toss treats to the dog to let them know you have good things for them and will be fun to be around when they are at K9 Club with you. This also shows the owner that you are interacting with their dog and that you like them. Pet parents many not understand why you are not reaching out and petting their dog, so it does help to provide them a little bit of education when you read that their dog needs a little more time in greeting. Always ask for permission from the pet parent before administering any treats.
Using treats is a proven tool that we really like when working with dogs. It is important to know and follow the policy for treats at K9 Club. It is also important to be aware of food allergies as it can be very dangerous to a dog’s health if they have allergies and get the wrong kind of treat.