As humans we are taught, when meeting someone new, to look them in the eye when we first greet them. This sends a signal that we are sincere in our greeting. When coming across a dog you’ve not met before, the very last thing you want to be doing is look them in the eye because, in the canine world, this is considered to be aggressive behaviour. The likely outcome would be that the dog will become aggressive back to you or will look away, deflecting the aggression. Only when you know a dog well would I suggest looking it directly in the eye when meeting up.
It is always a good, and respectful, thing to ask the owner of the dog if it’s OK to pet their dog. By doing this you are telling the owner that you are friendly and giving them the option of saying “yes” or, in the case of an aggressive or fearful dog that doesn’t like other people, of saying “no” for their own protection.
I cringe when I see people, often young children, run up to a dog they don’t know and throw their arms around the dog. This can be dangerous on a number of levels: you have no idea if the dog is friendly, fearful or having aches and pains that day. It’s a complete crap shoot! This situation can be made worse if the dog is approached from the rear and is caught off guard. Even the friendliest dog can become reactive if surprised. Furthermore, by hugging the dog you are restricting it’s ability to move or get out of an uncomfortable situation which could lead to the dog reacting in a negative way. Parents, under no circumstances, should you let your young children put their face close up to the face of a strange dog or start pulling it’s tail or ears: you are asking for trouble if you don’t intervene and lead the child away from the dog.
So what should you do when you meet a strange dog?
•Make sure the dog has seen you to avoid surprises.
•Ask the owner if it’s OK to pet their dog.
•Approach from the side to avoid direct eye contact.
•Offer the back of your hand to the dog to sniff. I prefer letting the dog come to me rather than pushing myself on the dog. If the dog is interested in meeting you, it will sniff you. If it doesn’t come, don’t push it.
•Pet the dog’s chest or back: these are the most comfortable areas for the dog. Petting a dog on the head is a bit like having someone come up to you and rubbing your head. Dogs tolerate it generally but prefer the chest area or back.
In the same way that we don’t know what’s happening in a stranger’s life, we don’t know what’s going through the mind of a strange dog. Caution is always the best option when coming across a strange dog: it only takes a minute to check the basics and it could avoid a meeting turning ugly.
