What is ideal behavior when meeting people or a dog on a leash?

[traveler]

What should meeting another dog on a walking trail on leash look like and how do I get there?

[Sharon]

I always ask the owner, "May I pat your dog?" Good thing to teach children too. Then better to pat under the jaw , then on the head at first.

[traveler]

I mean what should it look like when 2 leashed dogs pass on a trail?

What should my dog do if we stop to chat?

Currently neither one of these scenarios are enjoyable for me.

[Sharon]

2 scenarios??? You mean your dog is doing something you don't like when you stop to chat with someone on a trail.

I let the dogs chat. and if growling etc starts I move on.

PS Oregon Woodsmoke's post is a much better idea though.

[slistoe]

No way to say really - too varied of a spectrum of opinion on "ideal". But I'm pretty sure that there would be almost unanimous agreement that a dog which you do not have control over would not be ideal.

[oregon woodsmoke]

My dog stays at my side at a close heel. If I stop to talk, my dog sits quietly by my side. I expect my dog to ignore the other dog and to ignore the other person unless that person asks to pet and I give my dog permission to go to them.

Then my dog is to sit quietly in front of them and accept the attention.

[oregon woodsmoke]

Unfortunately, it is much more likely that I am having to kick the other dog off of my dog after it attacks my dog because the other dog is loose and completely out of control. All the while that their dog is snarly and biting, it's owner will be shouting that it "just wants to play".

[Sharon]

LOL

[traveler]

My dog stays at my side at a close heel. If I stop to talk, my dog sits quietly by my side. I expect my dog to ignore the other dog and to ignore the other person unless that person asks to pet and I give my dog permission to go to them.

Then my dog is to sit quietly in front of them and accept the attention.

I think this sounds like a pretty ideal scenario. Can you go over the steps you would take to get to this point? Do you put your dog in a heel or does this happen without your input? What about when they go to greet the person do they sit or do you tell them to sit?

[bonasa]

If we stop to talk to the others, I like them to sit. If we are coming through on the trail, they are at heel.

[oregon woodsmoke]

I think this sounds like a pretty ideal scenario. Can you go over the steps you would take to get to this point? Do you put your dog in a heel or does this happen without your input? What about when they go to greet the person do they sit or do you tell them to sit?

This is all trained at home. We drill these exercises every day. A few minutes here, a few minutes there. Then, out on the trail, we always do it the same way. Repetition makes for routine and the dogs will do it automatically.

Very rarely are the dogs off leash when out for a hike. But if the area is safe and there is no one else and no wildlife around, the dogs run loose. If I see anyone else, I call the dogs and they do a "come fore", and sit facing me in front of me. A hand signal or a word sends them to sit by my side and they wait there until they are released. The dogs have a couple of different "come" commands that they understand, depending upon how formal we want to be, and when there are other hikers and other dogs, I want mine to obey in a precise manner.

When they are allowed to a approach strangers, I tell them to sit. It gets to be a habit. That habit is reinforced by a couple of things. When they are wild puppies, jumping and climbing and clawing everywhere, they must sit to be petted (or at least try to sit long enough to be petted). Then it helps that they will "sit" for a cookie and the greeter at he Home Depot hands out cookies, so the dogs are very keen to be allowed to approach the greeter and sit because they will get a cookie for that, which doesn't hurt their trail manners.

Usually when we are passing another hiker with dogs, I step off the trails and have my dogs sit by my side until the other party passes. I also do that for anyone who looks apprehensive about the dogs.

Bad dogs are getting dogs banned all over the place, so I consider it important for my dogs to be on their very best behavior when out in public places. I want the trails and parks to remain open to well behaved dogs.

[traveler]

I think this sounds like a pretty ideal scenario. Can you go over the steps you would take to get to this point? Do you put your dog in a heel or does this happen without your input? What about when they go to greet the person do they sit or do you tell them to sit?

This is all trained at home. We drill these exercises every day. A few minutes here, a few minutes there. Then, out on the trail, we always do it the same way. Repetition makes for routine and the dogs will do it automatically.

Very rarely are the dogs off leash when out for a hike. But if the area is safe and there is no one else and no wildlife around, the dogs run loose. If I see anyone else, I call the dogs and they do a "come fore", and sit facing me in front of me. A hand signal or a word sends them to sit by my side and they wait there until they are released. The dogs have a couple of different "come" commands that they understand, depending upon how formal we want to be, and when there are other hikers and other dogs, I want mine to obey in a precise manner.

When they are allowed to a approach strangers, I tell them to sit. It gets to be a habit. That habit is reinforced by a couple of things. When they are wild puppies, jumping and climbing and clawing everywhere, they must sit to be petted (or at least try to sit long enough to be petted). Then it helps that they will "sit" for a cookie and the greeter at he Home Depot hands out cookies, so the dogs are very keen to be allowed to approach the greeter and sit because they will get a cookie for that, which doesn't hurt their trail manners.

Usually when we are passing another hiker with dogs, I step off the trails and have my dogs sit by my side until the other party passes. I also do that for anyone who looks apprehensive about the dogs.

Bad dogs are getting dogs banned all over the place, so I consider it important for my dogs to be on their very best behavior when out in public places. I want the trails and parks to remain open to well behaved dogs.

Around here we have plenty of hiking trails. Even on weekends it is easy to find trails and not see another person all day. We do hikes exactly like you. I have very solid trail recalls. We step off in a tight heel. For people the leash can stay off. If there is another dog the leash goes on. She can maintain a stay for a bit in this situation but she will always break it. I get this opportunity maybe once a week or two. We just don't pass many other dogs.

My dog knows all of these components well. The excitement is my dogs challenge and I guess my challenge is knowing how to consistently give her the exact same series of commands when we meet people or dogs. If we stop to talk I often put here in a sitting heel.

I guess the next step needs to be me allowing her to approach a person and then sit in front of them?

Sitting when approaching another dog would be weird and not really a natural response so I am not sure how to handle that that does not involve a tight leash.

[slistoe]

In order for training to be effective you must be in control of the situation - find someone with a dog that is willing to assist you in training your dog. Set the dog up to meet in a familiar training place where your dog is quite familiar with obeying commands - with a staged situation and an accomplice trainer you will not feel the pressure to have your dog perform nor will you feel at all apprehensive about taking any necessary steps to correct the dog when they get tired of obeying the sit or stay or whatever you have them doing. Repeat the training, extending the time and level of excitement gradually till your dog is doing what you want 100%. Then it is time for you and your training partner to move to the unfamiliar ground of the hiking trail. Be prepared for the dog to "forget" some of the training and you having to re-establish your control. When that is working 100% you are ready to move on to working your dog in the presence of unknown dogs.

[oregon woodsmoke]

I solve the problem of approaching a strange dog by not allowing it. My dogs don't meet and greet strange dogs.

If the dog belongs to a friend and and we are going hiking together, the dogs start out on leashes and travel parallel to each other. If both dogs are super friendly and reliable off leash, they might possibly be off leash together after a good long solid introduction. But it probably won't be on the first walk. It is much more likely to have first off leash interactions inside a securely fenced yard. I want to be able to catch them if there is problem.

The problem is that I know my dogs and I can control my dogs, but you never really know what someone else's dog is going to do, how they are going to mind while off leash, or how wound up they might get. Too many people are oblivious to what their dog is doing or thinking and they are just convinced the dog will behave the way they want it to behave, but they won't do the training to make it so.

As for hunting with multiple dogs, our dog assisted hunts are with our own dogs, so multiple dogs, but they know each other well.

Occasionally running into another hunter with dogs, so far (touch wood) the dogs are in hunt mode and not too interested in doggy wrestling or play days. But, I have no experience with bringing together dogs who have never been introduced and hunting them together. Someone else will have to answer that question.

My family has several times had problems with other dogs when fishing. Apparently, fishermen think dogs should run free and out of control.

[cjhills]

in most all pointing dog competitions the dogs run in braces. The dog needs to ignore the brace mate. we hunt multiple dogs most of the time. They learn quickly to respect the other dogs.
On a trail with other people and dogs around I would generally have the dog in the heel position and probably on a leash when we meet another dog. all of my training at home is done off leash. If they see each other from a distance the dogs will have each other sized up long before they get close together and will generally ignore each other.........Cj