Whether you set a New Year’s resolution to like everyone or not, with the best will in the world it is extremely unlikely that you will in fact like everyone you come across. So it is for dogs. If you’re like me, I’ve often wondered what it is that makes one dog attractive to another dog and yet on meeting a different dog they are completely indifferent towards it.
As discussed in previous weeks, dogs do a lot of their communication through body language and through the nose. And it doesn’t have to be up close and personal: dogs can observe another dog’s body language and detect the body odour from quite a significant distance. As an example, you may see two dogs both crouching down 20-30 (or more) yards apart, eyeing each other, almost daring the other dog to blink first. Is this the canine equivalent of the stand-off at the OK Corral? No! In fact, it’s the complete opposite. By both dogs crouching low, this indicates they are reducing their size in the eyes of the other dog and indicating that they are friendly and want to play. Pretty soon both dogs are bounding towards each other eagerly looking forward to a game of chase.
A lot of dogs just simply prefer to be with humans rather than other dogs. There is a belief that the more dogs have become domesticated, the more this trend has evolved. Of course, it may also be that humans feed them treats and other dogs don’t!
For dogs that are afraid of other dogs or are aggressive towards other dogs, this may have arisen because of a negative experience they have had in the past or because the dog they dislike looks or smells similar to a dog that has been aggressive to them previously. Aggression towards other dogs may also come about if a dog is excessively protective of its owner. Another dog approaches and the protective instinct kicks in.
Another twist on how dogs react/greet each other is whether dogs are on leash or not. Dogs that would be sociable to other dogs when off leash can become aggressive to the SAME dogs if on leash. So, when meeting another dog, there are several combinations to consider: 1) both dogs off leash, 2) one dog on leash, the other off leash and 3) both dogs on leash. Some dogs feel too restricted when on leash and, through frustration at not being able to have the freedom that being off leash brings, will become aggressive to other dogs.
Finally, the ritual of dogs sniffing each other. They do this to learn, amongst other things, the state of the other dog’s health, whether they are “in season” and their time of life. What makes me smile is that, having gone through what can be quite an extensive sniffing exercise when they first meet, is then repeated sometimes only minutes later, as if, in that brief interlude, the dog has changed its entire personality. I’m sure there’s a good reason for it but it’s lost on me!
