Ask a Trainer: “When do you allow dogs to meet on leash?”

I wrote a previous article entitled, “Why do you say not to let our dogs meet on leash?” In short, on-leash greetings are one of the fastest ways to create unwanted behaviors.

That said, I am a realist, and I know that people will always be introducing dogs to each other on leash, regardless the advice of trainers.  I also recognize that there are times when it may be entirely appropriate to allow the on-leash dog greeting.  So the new question is, “When do you allow dogs to meet each other on leash?”

Do you let your dog meet other dogs on leash? In most cases we want to wait for dogs to meet on leash until you have this level of focus from your dog. Many times dogs that greet on leash with out any manners can become unruly, reactive or overwhelmed. . . #dogtraining #dogschool #doglover #dogsofinstagram #chorkie #morkie #losangeles #rescuedog #traineddog #practice #greetings @rover_dog @its.just.jeezus.ginger

A post shared by “I Said Sit!” School for Dogs (@isaidsit) on Jun 11, 2018 at 3:17pm PDT

Below is my simple checklist of when I will, and when I won’t, allow on-leash dog greetings. This checklist is the result of working successfully with thousands of difficult cases that came to us at “I Said Sit!” School for Dogs.

You’ll see that some of what I write might sound difficult to achieve. The steps to reach your goals are actually simple, if you practice patiently and persistently with a plan developed by a professional.

I will allow on-leash greetings when:

• My dog is able to walk loosely without pulling toward the other dog.
• My dog is able to immediately stop moving forward when I cue, “Wait”, the first time I cue it.
• My dog continues to wait even if I step forward to talk to the other person.
• My dog is trained to immediately disengage and walk away with me, the moment I cue, “Let’s go.”
• My dog keeps his four feet on the ground the entire duration of the greeting. This is easiest to achieve when the greetings are very brief.
• My dog goes in for a nose to rear end, proper greeting.
• My dog has not previously greeted another dog on that walk, or the walk before. I don’t want an overeager dog assuming that the sight of a dog means she or he gets to say hello. For many shy or conflicted dogs, I don’t want the sight of another dog to mean that he or she has to go say hello.

I will not allow on-leash greetings when:

• The other person’s dog is pulling on leash at any time.
• The other person’s dog appears unruly (bouncing around and jumping on leash).
• The other person’s dog does not wait loosely on leash leading up to the greeting.
• The other dog begins to initiate a face-to-face greeting.
• The other dog is off leash. (Highly inappropriate).
• The other dog is on a flexi-leash. (The long extension leashes made of a plastic handle and cable wire).
• The other person is on a cell phone.
• The other person has more than one dog.

Now that you’ve read “when” to allow on leash greetings, your next question must be, “How do I train all the baby steps to prepare my dog for on leash greetings?” Every dog is unique. To know the answer specific to your dog, I suggest you contact a qualified positive reinforcement trainer and schedule a consultation.