Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 4-year-old male Sibe named Bandit. Ban's a great dog -- very well-behaved and cooperative, with a lovely personality. He is very confident -- neither dominant nor submissive. In our family (there's just the two of us), I am definitely the "alpha" and he's my trusty sidekick.

I have noticed that greeting other dogs while on-leash is a dicey thing. If the other dog has a personality similar to Bandit's, or if the dog is submissive, then everything is fine. But if the other dog displays aggression or posturing, things may not go so well. Bandit is not aggressive himself, but he's also not going to allow himself to be pushed around. He always wants to greet other dogs because he's very sociable and views everyone as a potential playmate.

Any tips for ensuring the meet-and-greets go well?

A lot of that is up to the dogs. Dogs can get really defensive on leash. They do better meeting at a neutral location, like a dog park.

However, on leash, the only thing I can suggest is not to rush the dogs together. Give them a chance to check each other out for a minute at a short distance. I know this can be hard when meeting a stranger.

You're just going to have to realize that some greets go great and some don't. When they don't, you just leave politely. No big whoop. People understand.

Walt