Dog Greetings

(Notice the dogs' tail position in the picture. The dominant dog will always have a higher tail)

One thing I do a lot in my job is dog greetings. There is a right way for dogs to greet and a wrong way. The wrong way is something you'll see at the dog park all the time. Two dogs at the end of a tight leash nose to nose. This is a recipe for disaster. To start with, dogs should NEVER meet face to face. And, you should never keep any tension on the leash when two dogs are greeting (this will cause aggression).

When dogs meet it should be nose to butt. If the dogs don't do it on their own you can turn one dog so that the other can sniff its backside, then switch. Before I ever let dogs sniff I like to walk them next to each other first. The walk gives them a chance to be close, pick up on the others smell, but have a focus too. Once the dogs are walking calmly near each other than I do the nose to rear introductions. When dogs great via the backside there will not be a fight. Only face to face introductions cause fighting.

*Remember, when introducing dogs stay calm. Dogs will sense if you are nervous and assume that the other dog is the cause and there for a threat. Keep the leash loose so as not to send signals to your dog that you are stressed. Walk dogs next to each other before allowing them close enough to sniff. When it's time to sniff make sure it is nose to butt not nose to nose.