dog attacked on meet and greet?
Has anyone had there dog attacked at the meet-n-greet?
5 Answers
Hi Julie- I usually keep a M&G dog separated from my dog and any other guest dogs during the M&G. I let them see each other through the patio glass door. My terrier mix is very excited with new dogs and wants to play. That has caused a nervous Pet Parent decide they want their dog with a sitter that doesn't have pets and will only take one dog at a time. If the pet parent is very confident in their dog and wants to do the introduction during the M&G, I will introduce only my dog and the new dog starting with leashes on and then time to romp around the backyard with leashes off. If it looks like a great fit and the owner does schedule with me, when their dog comes, I do a very slow "get acquainted" to make sure everything goes smoothly. I also like to walk all guest dogs together to calm any nervousness and by the time we get home everyone is doing great. -Kathleen
Speaking for my dog: No. There have been times when the dogs let us know one or more of them did not care for one other, and so we respected their early warnings, gave space, and did not force them to become friends, It's really important to watch their body language, listen for signals, and react accordingly.
By the way, all my meet & greets start with us meeting outside, each with our leashed dogs and allowing them to walk together before going inside.
Thankfully I haven't had any dangerous interactions between dogs at the meet and greet. I've got a dog who can be leash reactive, so I'm extra careful about introductions and pay very close attention to body language throughout. They are all leashed until the dogs are comfortable together, and contact is absolutely minimal while the dogs are excited/frustrated. My younger dog is very savvy and puts nearly any dog at ease. She gives and reads body language cues better than any dog I've ever known, so she's easy and is a great test case before introducing my older, more complicated, dog. My older dog, even when she has been well exercised, can be intense and hyper-focused when she encounters a new dog. With calm, tolerant dogs, she settles quickly, but there's the potential for conflict if the other dog is also intense, excitable, fearful or reactive.
For this reason, all of my dog introductions start with a walk. They may get a couple seconds to sniff first if they're both acting appropriately, but at the first sign of anxiety from either dog, I ask them to disengage and we start walking parallel, not allowing the dogs to contact each other until they are relaxed. This continues until both dogs are comfortable in each other's presence and aren't showing any signs of stress or anxiety. Even a 10 minute walk is plenty to reach this state with the vast majority of dogs. After that, I invite the owner and their dog inside, where the dog can investigate and we can see how the dogs interact together off leash. A change of scenery (as well as putting my dogs on their home turf) can change the dynamic between the dogs, so again I'm breaking off any tense/anxious interactions as they arise and watching for signs that all the dogs are becoming more relaxed and comfortable.
The one time there has been any kind of injury to a dog during a meet and greet, a very small scratch from a tooth or claw, it was when an owner pressured me to allow an interaction I was uncomfortable with. She didn't want to do a leashed walk (knowing her dog was leash reactive). I saw that her dog wanted nothing to do with mine (though she wanted everything to do with her toys), and I saw that my dog was not comfortable with the new dog in her space or touching her things. I should have stood my ground, and I learned my lesson. I had correctly assessed the situation: if the dogs were allowed to interact freely, there would be a scuffle, though neither dog was serious about causing harm. I should have listened to myself and declined the stay right there rather than try to accommodate the client.
Comments
Lord knows I've done my share of mistakes and learned from it. These are things we have to go through in order not do it next time.
Thank you for sharing that story Laura. I've met leash reactive dogs, but I've always insisted on meeting outside quite a walking distance from my home. After reading your learning lesson, I realize I need to continue this practice. Those leashed parallel walks are good indicators of compatibility.
WOW! This was SO helpful! I am going to try it today for my new meet and greet. I have a very hyper dog myself, maybe this will help calm him around potential clients. Thanks for taking the time to share this. =)
Nope. I really try to suss out the owner and their dog's personality before even arranging one. If the dog has had issues with other dogs in the past I generally won't want to risk it and meet up with them.
I give a meet and greet dog plenty of time on their own to sniff around before introducing my dog. Always give dogs plenty of room to meet. I keep the meet and greet dog leashed for initial sniffing. I had one little dog that lunged and tried to bite with 1 sec warning-and there is always warning, growl, hackles up, hard stare-I pulled him back and walked him out and ended the meet and greet. Sometimes it doesn't work out.