This is something that quite often can go wrong, despite our best intentions. Whenever you are meeting a new dog, it is imperative to do this in a neutral territory – not in your dog’s home or garden, where they are likely to bark, or feel protective over their resources. In the same way you would not go up to a stranger and hug them we need to remember that different dogs have different social skills. Allow them to see each other from a safe comfortable distance on lead to begin with (not a narrow path).

Remember that a dog’s body language is different to ours and they communicate with each other via this. We do not want to lead them to each other head on – this can overwhelm and worry them. Also think about the dog’s age (puppy or senior – very likely to have different play styles – and remember puppy teeth – even in play can hurt ears A LOT!), temperament and style. Also can they easily be read or is it harder for dogs to read them (for example do they have a flat face and no tail? It can be harder to read these dogs).

Location

As mentioned, no narrow spaces, and behind a barrier can be really sensible to start off with.

Body language

Make sure they are sniffing and reward them when they look at the dog – give them a treat. If they are lunging, barking or freezing then gather some distance to help them regulate.

Lead

Keep the lead loose as possible and if both dogs want to say hello – do it with a curved approach. Tension down the lead can cause frustration.

Next steps 

Walking along side each other on the lead can be a good way to reduce frustration and still manage the interaction. Reward for calm behaviour and always look at their body language and gather distance.

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