Kate's Pawsitive Pups
The article below was originally published on Facebook
Article written by Kate below;
Working in veterinary medicine is where I single handedly see the most dog to dog mishaps with the general public due to simply lacking knowledge on dog behavior, and lack of respect for both their own dog and other dog’s space.
Let me play it out for you, of what I see, all too often. Owner has their dog in the waiting room on a loose, long leash. The Dog is free to roam within a 6 ft radius. Another dog and it’s owner attempt to come in the doors, only to be blocked and greeted nose to nose by the uncontrolled dog, now tense on his leash, pulling and eager to meet.
It’s owner speaks out, “Oh its okay! I’ve got him, and he’s friendly” Here is where I step in to politely ask the owner to keep her dog close to her, only to get a response of “He’s fine, he’s wagging his tail!” 🤦🏼♀️
Little do they know, I see something else, way more complex, far beyond their assumptions.
Education and knowledge is power. Especially when you are dealing with an animal that you are supposed to mentor and guide for its lifetime, to ensure stability, confidence, and respect. In my professional and outright personal opinion, never is it okay to:
Allow your dog to greet another dog nose to nose on a tense leash
Assume that a wagging tail is a happy dog wanting to interact
Assume the other dog is just as “friendly” as yours
Allow your dog to interact with other dogs in a veterinary office waiting room
We all go to the vet with our dogs. Please make your next visit pleasurable for everyone!
Working in veterinary medicine is where I single handedly see the most dog to dog mishaps with the general public due to simply lacking knowledge on dog behavior, and lack of respect for both their own dog and other dog’s space.
Let me play it out for you, of what I see, all too often. Owner has their dog in the waiting room on a loose, long leash. The Dog is free to roam within a 6 ft radius. Another dog and it’s owner attempt to come in the doors, only to be blocked and greeted nose to nose by the uncontrolled dog, now tense on his leash, pulling and eager to meet.
It’s owner speaks out, “Oh its okay! I’ve got him, and he’s friendly” Here is where I step in to politely ask the owner to keep her dog close to her, only to get a response of “He’s fine, he’s wagging his tail!” 🤦🏼♀️
Little do they know, I see something else, way more complex, far beyond their assumptions.
Education and knowledge is power. Especially when you are dealing with an animal that you are supposed to mentor and guide for its lifetime, to ensure stability, confidence, and respect. In my professional and outright personal opinion, never is it okay to:
Allow your dog to greet another dog nose to nose on a tense leash
- A dog greeted head on is generally very rude, intrusive, and unnatural in the dog world, and can create conflict right from the get go. Any dog can take this posture as threatening, and begin defensive aggressive behavior. To make matters worse, a tense leash can build the energy in a dog to produce reactive behavior due to space constraints. If you must introduce dogs on leash, it is better to allow them to greet side by side on a LOOSE leash, and relax!
Assume that a wagging tail is a happy dog wanting to interact
- A dog will wag it’s tail for a multitude of emotions. It is VITAL to understand what your dog is saying by its tail wag. Based on tail position and speed will indicate how the dog is feeling. For example, a low, fast wag can generally indicate nervous energy, or insecurity, which has potential to cause a fear aggressive response. A high, stiff wag can mean over-arousal/over-stimulation or intent of ready to spring into action. The dog will make lousy choices in this state of mind and make it more difficult to control should they “rev-up” more. A medial, soft & loose wag is generally universal for a happy dog. Get to know your wags!
Assume the other dog is just as “friendly” as yours
- Not all dogs are dog friendly. This should be obvious knowledge. Just because your dog is friendly does not mean the other is to. They could be undersocialized, have social insecurities, or just be dog aggressive. Give other dogs space, please.
Allow your dog to interact with other dogs in a veterinary office waiting room
- Dogs often come into the vet office already stressed. It is generally not a place of pleasure as the dog is usually being shuffled into a tight room, being held by strangers only to be poked and prodded at. The smell of other ill dogs or even death is in the air which makes a dog uneasy. Most owners are often nervous for their dog during a vet visit so their energy does not help the dog either. There may be the the smell of cats in the room, stress pheremones, and urine markings from other dogs. Dogs come in not feeling well, or maybe have arthritis, or painful from an injury. They may be recovering from a surgery. Or coming in to be put down due to old age or chronic illness.
We all go to the vet with our dogs. Please make your next visit pleasurable for everyone!
|
|
This link is provided for informational purposes only; it does not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Chimney Farm International Dog Rescue (CFI)of any of the products, services or opinions of the company, organisation or individual. CFI bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
