I don't know, but I wouldn't want to introduce two dogs in my house or someone else's since dogs are protective of their territory. I personally think a dog would feel more threatened by a meeting in his/her territory than some random public place

 

I didn't mention being in someone's home.

The scenario would be taking place in a Petco, Petsmart, or other public place.

 

Not straight on face to face but loose lead so a head on approach is not forced and so they can't feel any tension on your part. They will naturally small genital region. If one puts head over the others shoulders distract and do obedience instead of meet and greet.

Better yet, practice obedience have them sit and ignore each other.

 

I have noticed Rusty on the rare occasion when he has met a dog he didn't know has held his head high over the other dog....not a gesture that is received well. Of course I notice that now as rude & would not allow it to even happen.

Anthony, I personally ask for a sit & wait if I see someone I know out & about with their dog but prefer not to let the dogs greet esp. on leash where some dogs feel restrained & on the defense.

 

I think face to face can be dangerous and its important to be able to read a dog's body language(yours and the other dog)...I can't tell you how many times I avoided a fight because I could see it in the dogs face(always the other dog). I think that the proper way for them to meet is to sniff the butts...I don't know why, but I have noticed that if it goes good there, then everything else falls into place. I want to say that puppies that get in adult dogs faces almost get a pass because its like a known thing amongst dogs. Once the dog is about a year(I noticed this with mine) they tend to go for the butts instead of the face. This is just my experience. I tend to try to ignore the other dogs, but the small ones are very curious about the GSD and she is great with small dogs, I trust the small dogs better then the bigger dogs. Although a couple weeks ago she made friends with a beautiful male black/red GSD, they immediately liked each other

 

I agree reading body language is important on both dogs. I know not to let Rusty lock in on a stare...also when his mouth is tight..not open with tongue hanging out & relaxed that he's going to lunge. For whatever reason there was a Doberman in class that he would want to remove from the planet...the feeling was mutual with the Doberman. Me & the owner would obviously keep our distance from each other in class & also coming and going.

 

People always approach me and ask if Kira's friendly. She is, and in most cases will allow an adult to get close. However, there have been times where people have let their leash out to meet Kira. I always tell people not to let their dog get close, because Kira's unpredictable.

In my case, it can be tricky.
Kira has a tendency to attract negative attention from older, larger dogs. They must sense her fear, or (as I've mentioned in another post) she would snarl, raise her lip or whatever she does, to tick off the other dog.
However, with smaller dogs, she can be sneaky.
I've seen her lay down to greet a small dog. Her tail would be wagging, and all indications would be that it's a friendly encounter. THEN, in a flash, she would scare the bejesus out of the little guy by lunging or snapping at it.

She has zero tolerance for small dogs, a little weird with larger dogs.

 

I've seen her lay down to greet a small dog. Her tail would be wagging, and all indications would be that it's a friendly encounter. THEN, in a flash, she would scare the bejesus out of the little guy by lunging or snapping at it.

Is this in a mean way or playing? Are you 100% sure that you aren't confusing play/aggression? GSD's play rough. Mine is known to paw and pounce on the small dogs in a playful manner...I freak out, but not one of the people with the small dogs even blinked. Most of the time I hear that the small dog is used to it because they are good buddies with a bigger dog somewhere. Of course this is in a pet store setting...people with small dogs on the street go the other way when they see my GSD

 

No incident to report, just wondering....

Let's say you're in a Petco, and you bump into a friend. The friend has a dog, and the dogs seem interested in each other.

I've witnessed these encounters numerous times, and I see people let out some leash, and allow the dogs to sniff each other's faces. I haven't seen any problems, but in my limited experience, I believe this is something that shouldn't be done.

If someone were to bump into a friend, and that friend has a dog, and the owners want their dogs to meet (for whatever reason), what is the best way to introduce both dogs in a public environment?

VERY good question!

And a most relevant one with my dog (5yo male GSD with a VERY dominant personality!). I am never sure of how to introduce him - most of the time he seems very friendly and outgoing to other dogs. Sometimes a little DA.

And when one lets a dog greet - I know i have to be very aware of a tight leash as he does seem to tend to be more reactive if I am holding the leash tight as if i am holding him back!

A few times when we greet other dogs (adults) he not only seems dominant but a favorite move is to try to put his paw on the shoulders of the other dog (Not a tactic designed in doggy language to be friendly!)!

Now with small puppies - not a problem. Very friendly and very tolerant. Even to letting some of the babies to grab hold of him and hang on!

 

VERY good question!



A few times when we greet other dogs (adults) he not only seems dominant but a favorite move is to try to put his paw on the shoulders of the other dog (Not a tactic designed in doggy language to be friendly!)!

Do you think the paw on the shoulder is a sign of dominance? Mine does this(mostly with small dogs), but in a playful manner. Is there more behind it then I'm thinking? I don't believe she is trying to be dominant, its the way she plays. I don't think I've ever seen her do it with a medium to bigger size dog.

 

If someone were to bump into a friend, and that friend has a dog, and the owners want their dogs to meet (for whatever reason), what is the best way to introduce both dogs in a public environment?

I prefer to do it in a large area (not the aisles at a store) so the dogs don't feel confined.

 

Good question Anthony. Rocket has always been friendly and I've seen him be extremely polite. He is very good at ignoring or diffusing rude and aggressive behavior by another dog. If we agree to meet, or another dog is suddenly so close and in his face (if I don't have a chance to get between or get away) I let the leash out and be loose. I never freak out because I trust Rocket's response to be a good one, really, and I don't want to transmit anything down the leash. I remain on guard and watchful though for any signs of something going south.

However, he does have a fondness for putting his head over the withers of other dogs, even after a polite introduction. I suspect this is a play gesture, since he is still so interested in playing with other dogs. I usually correct, and he's not had a dog freak out over it, but still....I wish he would stop. He also loves loves loves to do this to the cat.

 

I never let them meet on leash, no exceptions. I use these opportunities to practice focus on me and the stays.