On-Leash Greetings with Other Dogs: Yes or No?

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Should You Let Your Dog Greet Other Dogs On-Leash?

It’s a common scenario: you’re out for a walk with your dog when another dog approaches, eager to say hello. What do you do?

Most folks assume it’s just part and parcel of having a dog to allow—or actively encourage—on-leash greetings with nearly every other dog that passes by. But, should you?

Why Trainers Often Advise Against On-Leash Greetings

On-leash greetings might seem like the most natural thing in the world, but they’re actually really challenging for a lot of dogs. And, they can lead to some less than positive behavior outcomes.

Here’s why so many dog trainers generally recommend walking past instead of stopping to say hi to unfamiliar dogs on-leash:

• Higher levels of emotional & physiological arousal: Before greeting on-leash, dogs often experience a quick build-up of frustration and anxious anticipation as they pull against their leash, eager to gain access to the other dog and gather more information about them. This heightened state of emotional arousal can increase the likelihood that a dog will perceive the other dog’s greeting behaviors as threatening or offensive.  On-leash, dogs also tend to approach one another head-on and with more eye contact than is typical in off-leash settings. These factors together can trigger heightened stress levels, reactivity, and aggressive behavior—even in dogs who typically enjoy the company of other dogs off-leash.
  
  
• Head-on approach: When greeting an unfamiliar dog off-leash, many dogs will approach the other dog indirectly, curving away slightly and meeting up at a bit of an angle, while also avoiding direct eye contact. This reduces the likelihood of conflict with an unknown dog. When restrained by the leash, however, dogs often end up approaching each other head on, making direct eye contact as they get close to one another. This more intimidating and confrontational approach style increases the likelihood of conflict during a greeting.

• Restricted movement: The leash limits your dog’s ability to move freely. If they start to feel nervous or uncomfortable during the greeting, they can’t retreat effectively, which may cause frustration or anxiety.
  
  
• Tangled leashes: Playful dogs can quickly become tangled in leashes. Tangled leashes may lead to panicked dogs, a quick escalation into a fight or scuffle, or even a dropped leash and a runaway pup.

These factors together can trigger heightened stress levels, reactivity, and aggressive behavior—even in dogs who typically enjoy the company of other dogs off-leash.

And, while dogs can experience some single, traumatic on-leash greeting event that leads to these types of negative responses, more often what happens is a gradual build-up of dozens upon dozens of mildly-to-moderately stressful, frustrating, or scary interactions occurring over time that cause formerly friendly dogs to instead experience a conflicted mix of excitement, fear, anxiety, and/or frustration as they head into on-leash greetings with other dogs.

Does It Have to Be All or Nothing?

Not necessarily! While it’s usually best to make “Walk on By” your default when encountering unfamiliar dogs, there are select situations in which on-leash greetings can be a positive, low-stress experience for our dogs.

Two of our most common Green Light situations for on-leash greetings are:

• The dogs already know each other and enjoy spending time together. In this situation, the higher levels of arousal and excitement, the tight leashes, the more direct approach, etc., are usually less of a concern, as they are not coupled with the uncertainty of meeting an unfamiliar pup.
  
• The dogs in question have already been hanging out in close proximity for a period of time (perhaps on a parallel walk, participating in a group class together, or hanging out at a coffee shop at tables nearby one another). In these instances, the dogs have often already investigated and acclimated to each other from a distance, and arousal levels are low. Assuming both dogs are generally social, an on-leash greeting is usually a pretty relaxed and pleasant affair.

Prepare for Unplanned Greetings

While you might actively choose to have your dog greet other dogs on-leash only in the Green Light scenarios outlined above, you can also expect there will likely be other situations that arise in which “saying hi”—at least for a couple of seconds—is pretty much unavoidable.

For this reason, it can be a great idea to take the time to teach your dog how to navigate on-leash greetings in general. (Skip this if your dog is currently working through reactivity issues or if they have a bite history with other dogs—or at least, only do it under the guidance/supervision of your trainer or behavior consultant).

How To Teach Low-Stress On-Leash Greetings

1. Start by practicing with a familiar dog in a calm, low-arousal environment. It’s even better if you can practice after your dogs have already had a chance to play/hang out off-leash for a bit.

2. Walk toward each other while rewarding your dog for looking at you.

3. Stop 6-8 feet apart, then cheerfully say, “Go say hi!” while releasing the slack on your leash and pointing toward the other dog. Note: it is not recommended that you ask your dog to Sit before they approach. Folks will often do this in a well-intentioned effort to help their dog calm/slow down before approaching, but asking for a Sit often has the opposite effect—it burns through the dog’s limited reserves of self control and puts them in a position to launch excitedly out of the sit and toward the other dog when given the okay. Conversely, it can make them feel trapped and vulnerable if they are asked to maintain that position while the other dog approaches them.

4. Allow your dog to approach and greet the other dog for about 3-5 seconds. While your dog is greeting, do your best to keep the leash relaxed (but still short enough that you reduce the likelihood of leashes getting tangled up under the dogs’ feet). And, remember to breathe and relax your body—it’s SO easy to unconsciously hold your breath and stand stock-still as you watch your dog greet, but this body language can convey tension and uncertainty to your dog.

5. Call out, “Let’s go!” and start moving calmly and confidently away from the other dog, rewarding your dog generously with a favorite treat as they disengage and follow you.

Repeat, repeat, repeat, until your dog is happily anticipating your call-away after a few seconds of saying hello.

Practicing with familiar dog friends first helps teach your dog how to greet (and, just as importantly, how to move away from greeting) on-leash calmly and confidently, reducing the risk of potential issues with unfamiliar dogs down the road.

Got a Die-Hard Greeter?

For dogs who’ve grown accustomed to greeting every single dog they see on a walk, stopping on-leash greetings cold turkey can feel frustrating for them—and can lead to frustration-based reactivity. If this sounds like your dog, here are a couple of exercises that can help:

• Dog Watching: Spend some time “dog watching”, allowing your dog to calmly observe other dogs walking past at a distance. You may find you need to give your dog anywhere from 15-30 feet from the passing dogs, depending on your dog and their excitement level.
  • If your dog struggles at first with not being able to approach, create a bit more space and try rewarding your dog calmly with a favorite treat as the other dog is approaching, and as they are passing by.
  • Trainer Tip: Try placing the treats on the ground instead of feeding from your hand. This can encourage your dog to start sniffing around on the ground, a wonderfully calming, natural displacement behavior dogs often use when avoiding direct engagement with a nearby stimulus.
• The Arc By: When first starting to walk by other dogs, use defensive handling techniques—most especially, the Arc By (video tutorial here)—and reward generously with high value treats as your dog learns the new routine.

Know Your Dog, Know the Risks

On-leash greetings don’t have to be an all-or-nothing choice. For example, you may find that your dog is genuinely, consistently relaxed and happy about greeting certain types of dogs, but is inconsistent in their responses to others—and so, you might opt to have them greet only those “safe bets” and avoid the rest.

You might also find that your dog handles on-leash greetings differently depending on their environment (urban vs. rural, familiar vs. unfamiliar, etc.), their health status (Are they currently experiencing any pain or discomfort?), and other individual factors (Do they have a bunch of pent-up energy? Did they have a stressful day?).

Wherever you land, understanding the risks of on-leash greetings, as well a how to set up these encounters to make them as low-stress and low-risk as possible, can go a long way in keeping walks peaceful and happy for both ends of the leash.

Share Your Thoughts
Do you have strong feelings about on-leash greetings, good or bad? Tell us about it!
Send us an email at [email protected]

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