Join Club

Local Woof: On Leash (Holiday) Greetings

Local Woof logo

The Local Woof is a column that’s sponsored and written by the staff of Woofs! Dog Training Center. Woofs! has full-service dog training, boarding, and daycare facilities, near Shirlington and Ballston.

Editor’s Note: With Christmas just a few days away, the staff of Woofs! is very busy with holiday boardings. To help them serve their clients, we’re republishing the following column from earlier this summer.

Urban living can be tough on our dogs, and one of the toughest situations our dogs encounter is meeting other dogs on leash.

Dogs meeting on leash is a completely artificial situation for them. The leash and the resulting close quarters means that dogs can not greet each other in a natural way. Compare the way unleashed dogs greet each other at a dog park with how they meet when on leash.

At a dog park, friendly dogs will approach each other in an arc. After a brief sniff near the shoulders, they will lower their heads and arrange themselves in the nose-to-butt-to-nose-to-butt circle. This is how friendly dogs great each other. Head down, in a circle. It’s the dog world’s equivalent of a friendly handshake. A straight line, head up greeting is generally considered rude and confrontational.

When dogs greet on leash, they are forced into the straight line, head up position. The taut leash prevents them from being able to circle each other, and the pulling on the collar raises their heads into the air. Despite the inability to arrange themselves in a natural greeting posture, most friendly dogs learn to greet each other on leash without incident.

However, sometimes there are problems. Shy or cautious dogs are particularly put off by the straight line, close quarters greeting. Dogs who find urban living particularly arousing can also encounter problems. Here are some things you can do to help.

First, please ASK before you allow your friendly dog to rush up and greet another dog. Owners of friendly dogs have the greatest gift, an easy-going dog. For those of us with unfriendly or fearful dogs, every uncontrolled greeting is a potential disaster. Please remember that it does not matter that your dog is friendly if the other dog is not.

Second, if possible loosen up on the leash so that the dogs can lower their heads and assume the nose-butt circle. This may require a little bit of a dance while the owners untangle the leashes, but it is totally worth it to give your dogs the chance to communicate naturally.

Third, pay attention to your dog’s body language. If your dog does not look like they want to meet another dog, do not force them! Most humans do not want to stop and greet every person they pass on the street, and neither do our dogs. If either dog looks uncomfortable, simply keep moving.

Questions? Please ask! This is just a the basics about dog-dog greetings. To continue this conversation please visit our website.

The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com. 

Recent Stories

Good Monday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 16319 times… so far. 📈 Top stories The following are the most-read articles for today —…

Arlington County police are investigating a pair of early morning incidents involving guns over the weekend. The first happened shortly after midnight on Saturday, when a pickup truck driver allegedly…

With Arlington getting some warmer weather, George Mason University is opening up the plaza of its Arlington campus to a series of free activities and events. The weekly programs are…

A new vision for replacing the Pentagon Centre shopping center, including the Costco, is coming into focus. Kimco Realty Corporation revised its plans envisioning the long-term redevelopment of the 16.8-acre…

Art House 7‘s spring session will begin on April 10th! We’re offering classes, workshops, and open studios in a wide range of art mediums for all ages, from 4 year olds to adults. We cater to different skill levels in ceramics, embroidery, drawing, and of course, painting – including watercolor, oil, and acrylics. Our Spring 2023 offerings include a Portfolio Development class for high schoolers who are considering a career in the fine arts. This class provides an opportunity to create and develop a strong portfolio for college applications.

We also have some excellent classes for younger students. The “Art and the Pre-K Reader” class is designed for 4-5 year olds, and we offer “Arts and Crafts” classes taught by teens for 2nd-4th and 3rd-5th grade students.

To view our complete class schedule, Spring workshops, open studios, and 3-week classes, please visit our website. Join us this spring to learn, create, and explore with us!

Submit your own Announcement here.

The March NAACP Arlington Branch General Membership Meeting

The March NAACP Arlington Branch General Membership Meeting is focused on Public Safety & Justice. We will hear from Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Chief Public Defender Brad Haywood, Chief of Police Andy Penn, and Deputy Chief Wayne Vincent. We encourage you to come to this community conversation prepared with questions for our speakers. Registration Required www.arlingtonnaacp.com

Guest Speakers

Read More

Submit your own Announcement here.

Singin’ in the Rain

The “Greatest Movie Musical of All Time” is faithfully and lovingly adapted for the stage by Broadway legends, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, from their original award-winning screenplay. Each unforgettable scene, song and dance is accounted for, including the show-stopping

5 Tips for Buying Your Dream Home – A Free…

Are you planning to move in the next 12 months but feeling overwhelmed by the current real estate market’s low inventory and high mortgage rates? Join us for a short seminar where we’ll provide 5 tips to help you find

×

Subscribe to our mailing list