Dog Training, Health and Products By Zoey Dog!!

Greeting Other Dogs

Zoey Dog

I am glad you can’t see me right now.   I have a red spot on my face, and I am missing a little hair.   I hate to think about how it happened, but I think if I share my story, more owners and dogs will understand how to avoid a problem.

             Those of you who know Labs like me know that we love everybody.  I have never met anyone I didn’t like, that is until I met that one dog down the street.  You see, I know everyone in the neighborhood, and we do regular hellos and smell checks.  We’ve known each other a long time, and I love to pass my friends, like Maggie the poodle, on my walks.  One day Maggie told me during our usual greeting and smell check that I should watch out for the new black dog a few blocks down.  I yipped at her and told her she didn’t know what she was talking about.  I mean, I’m a Lab, and we know how all the other dogs are.  Sometimes those poodles are a little high-strung and diva-ish, or maybe it’s just Maggie, but I know I’ve never met a dog that didn’t like me.
              I’ve heard other dog owners mention to my owner that she shouldn’t let me rush up to meet new dogs.  I’ve heard her laugh back at them.  “Dogs all get along; I don’t need to worry, “ she said.  I agreed with her until I met that big black dog.

             It was early one morning, and dew was still fresh on the grass.   My owner wanted to take an early morning walk because of the expected high temperature later on.   Neither one of us do well in the summer heat.   It was just the two of us until we turned the corner of the street.   There he was! He was a hulking, large dog, just like Maggie had described.   I thrust my nose up the hair and took in deep breaths.   I caught wind of his scent, and it was powerful, male.   He stared back and slowly wagged his tail.   See, Maggie was wrong; he did want to greet me.   I jumped excitably up on my back legs.   “Oh, okay Zoey,” my owner said, and she approached the man walking this dog to introduce ourselves to the new neighbors.  

             I almost walked on my hind legs all the way to them, and I could tell he felt my excitement too.   His tail swished back and forth, but he did not come out to greet me.   He must be shy, I thought, and so I boldly approached him and put a paw out to greet him.   He glared at my foot and barked at me sharply.   What was wrong with this new dog? I jumped at him to show I was playful and wanted to be friends, but he lunged at me and grabbed my face with his mouth.   I heard our owners yell something out, and we were pulled apart from one another.   My pride was hurt more than my face.   I didn’t know what had happened or why he didn’t like me.

             The black dog’s owner told my owner he was sorry, but he said she shouldn’t let me greet other dogs like that.   After all, not all dogs like to be greeted by others, and I could meet the wrong dog and get hurt.   Boy, was he right!

             Since that day, my owner learned that how I greeted that dog had been very disrespectful in doggie language.   I really didn’t know since I am an only dog.   I guess that my display of excitement (barking, pulling to see, pawing at, and jumping towards) had really been threatening to him, and he didn’t know I only wanted to play.   My owner also told me that we would not ever approach a dog staring at me like that again.   I learned that focused staring can be a bad thing.   Plus, not every wagging tail means a happy dog! Who knew?

             Now, whenever there is a new dog in the neighborhood, my owner does not allow me to run up and greet them. Instead, we walk by nicely and I smell from a distance. If the other dog wants to play too and the owner says he is friendly, then she allows me to visit sometimes. Soon my face will be all healed up, and I’ll have new hair. I learned that I may love everybody, but not everybody is going to love me.