Callie, now almost five months old, has the “friendly” gene. She is eager to meet people, other dogs, and cats. So eager that she tugs on her leash and tries to race to visit with every person, dog, or cat she sees. I want to encourage her friendliness, but without letting her become a nuisance. It’s a delicate balance. Unrestrained, she would jump all over people, which is bad. But if she’s over-restrained, she could lose some of her friendly behavior. It’s hard work to find the right mix.
In the case of Jamie (My Doggie Says…: Messages from Jamie) we were probably too cautious with her around strange dogs. Especially when the other dog was not on a leash. Out of fear, we restrained Jamie, and she learned to share our fear. So she became aggressive when strange dogs approached. Any other time — and especially around people–she was the relaxed, mellow dog that a Golden Retriever is supposed to be. And she did have some good doggie friends, with which she would play for hours at a time.
Callie’s instincts are to be very outgoing and friendly. Here she is playing with my friend Tom. Callie started this play by running to Tom and frolicking with him.
Here’s Callie reaching out to Okie-Dokie, the family cat. It took Okie-Dokie a few days to show Callie who’s boss, but nowthey are best of friends.
Dogs react to people and other dogs in different ways. Here’s an article about dogs’ body language and how they behave when they are being friendly and how they behave when they are being aggressive.
When Callie approaches other dogs, we’re giving her a loose leash, so she and the other dog can get to know each other. Usually it works just fine. When she approaches other people, we don’t let her jump on them, but we let her get close enough to be friendly. Callie is telling us that she likes dogs and people, and we’re trying to reinforce her good instincts.
