Controlling Early Meet and Greets for Puppies

Meet and Greet Code of Conduct.

Dogs don’t automatically know how to interact with other dogs just because they have 4 legs and a wagging tail. They learn their code of conduct through interactions with other dogs, with the most influential of these interactions occurring when they are young.

During the early days, generally 3-12 weeks, they learn which animals and species are their friends; if they have enough positive experiences with unfamiliar dogs, they learn that dogs in general are friendly. If they miss out on this socialisation period, many dogs resort to the default position of most mammals, which is err on the side of caution towards the things you are uncertain of. During this critical period they also learn the basics of being in groups. They practise different behaviours with their littermates as well as some older dogs. They learn that a bow and bounce, when mirrored, means play time but this playtime is suddenly ended if they get too rough or someone is hurt, i.e., they start to learn boundaries and control.

Unfortunately, some pups miss out on this early learning by leaving the litter too early (generally before 7 weeks); are born into very small litters where interaction and learning opportunities are limited; or it can just simply be a case of an over cautious owner restricting access to any other dog (more prevalent with some of the smaller, fragile looking breeds).

Effective Socialisation

Good socialisation classes which are well supervised and allow appropriate play only, can be very useful in setting your pup off on the right paw! Pups can learn that a yelp, a stare or a lift of the lip all mean the same thing, ‘go away, I don’t wish to play’. Many dogs learn these messages very quickly but others just behave like bullies or ignore another dogs protestations.  Some puppies are clearly very friendly, but still create trouble because they think that all dogs want to play. A shy dog or one not used to such outward displays, may see this as a threat and hence we have the start of fearful association with other dogs which later in can manifest with absconding or aggression.

A good social interaction at a young age will require vigilance from all owners. I am not an advocate of placing all the dogs in one room and allowing them to ‘just get on with it’. Their mother wouldn’t allow them to when they were young pups, so it’s now our role to continue this supervision and learning. By all means allow your puppy to play with another dog but insert interruptions every few minutes i.e. call your pup away and have them carry out a quick sit and focus on you, wait for a second of calm and then release them again. Try to ensure all interactions even in a organised setting or during a walk, are carried out on a loose lead (try to refrain from placing any tension on the lead) and that greetings are side to side, not head on. If they get over excited or tense, separate them before trouble ensues, call your dog and initiate a game of chase or similar, make it fun to come away from another dog.

Owners should also realise that they may need some one-on-one training in addition to puppy classes or may need practice with play partners who are appropriate for their puppy’s, size, energy and social etiquette. For instance, some overly energetic pups may need to interact with larger, confident relaxed adult dogs, who can make it clear to the puppy that pushy behaviours are not tolerated and that warning singles need to be heeded. These types of adult dogs can do so without hurting the puppy or becoming over irritated themselves.

Roy Young BCCSDip.AdvCanBhv

Excerpts taken from: How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves: Dr S Yin: 2010 TFH Publications