MEETING DOGS

Pictured right is Maverick Brandi and Nancy in Brugge, Belgium in May 2025. I had so many people asking to touch the dogs.  But most people asked first and did not just reach out and touch.  This is the sensible thing to do as you do not know strange dogs. 

For years I noticed how people who came to meet dogs get it wrong.  But then the more I learnt about dog behaviour it really showed me how people do not understand dogs or the relationship between people and dogs. I want to provide information to help you meet and greet dogs so it's all a positive outcome.   There are no legal requirements that you have to meet all the breeders dogs. But you are supposed to meet mummy dog.  So how I look at it is that if the breeder shows you the whole family thats just a bonus. But we should not expect it.  We have no rights to see every dog the breeder has either.  When ever I have brought a new puppy from a breeder I put very little demands on the breeder. 

You see there are so many misconceptions in peoples minds on what dogs should be.  We get some who come in thinking that the whole family should be pleased to see them.  Dogs have indivdiual characteristics.  How my Behavioural tutor put it to me one day is this.  " If you went to Tesco's and saw someone, you would not walk up to them and put your hand through there hair and touch them"!!!?  When you put it like that no of course not.  So why do we think that we should have the right to put our hands all over someone else's dog!    Because it's no different.  When you start to register those thoughts it may help you.  

It is probably an easier meeting and greeting off the breeders home than on it. Because dogs see their property as a place to protect.  But not many of us have the opportunity to do this.   Dogs see that the owners are to be protected and in some guarding breeds you could in fact see that behaviour.  So those breeders of guarding breeds will have their dogs up and out the way.  Because they know they may bite you.  At the end of the day you are the one thats chosen a guarding breed.  The gun dog breed are little bit more sociable but they can still guard owners and property and look at you suspiciously.  But they should not have the aggression to bite you as a guarding breed could do.  The protection instinct is in dogs we have to remember this. 

I find my Frenchies are hugely sociable and love meeting and greeting people. 

Also you will smell very different to what is familiar.  When we judge dogs one of the things the kennel club tells us is dont wear strong perfume.  Do not wear dangling jewellery.  Because this spooks dogs. Dogs can detect Cancers for example, infections or just illness. So a dog maybe hesitant with you and you do not know why, but it can detect something. 

​  I will never forget years ago I had someone come to mine, took her shoes off and whilst I was holding the door for her family she shot across my lounge, into the dog room and had opened up the crate and was two inches off the nose of one of my dogs by the time I got there.  I pointed out to her that she had done something that was extremely dangerous.  Luckily for her my dogs never reacted. But in all honestly they could have done and should have done. ​

So let us remember what my behavioural tutor said to me about we would go up to perfect strangers and suddenly start touching them.  Well you could but Im sure you would call the police ha ha.  

Now my dogs rely on me to protect them.  This is what a good relationship is about a trainer/owner should do.  The dog relies upon us to make a safe environment for it. 
So with this in mind here are some things you should never ever do when meeting dogs for the first time. 

1. Squat down to their level and put your hand out. 
2. Squat down and look direct into the dogs eyes. 
3. Wear strong smelling perfumes.  Or dangling jewellery. 
4. Do not just go straight in to touch the dog.  Or get too close to the dog. 
5. Go into the dogs home as if you own it.. 
6. Not giving a dog time to accept your there. 
7. Walk in and ignore the dog, and just pick up their offspring. 
8. Keep staring into a strange dogs eyes in the room. 
9. Think the dog is a fur baby. In other words a human with fur. 
10. Stand too close to the dogs owner. 

Here are some things you can do when meeting strange dogs. 

1. Stand tall and do not squat.  Talk to the owner first. Let the dog get used to your voice. 
2. Have a treat and ask if you can give the dog a treat. 
3. Give the dog ten minutes before you go into touch. But only touch if you ask first. 
4. Ask if it's okay to touch the puppies now or should owner put the mother up so it does not stress her.  It is also worth noting that in some breeds of dogs the fathers play a bigger role in caring for the pups as they get older.  If this is the case in the breed you're going to see, make sure dad is up out of the way before you start handling puppies. 
5. Ask if you could play with a ball with the dog or interact in play. 
6. Always keep your voice at an even tone. 
7. Allow puppies to come to you in their own good time. 
8. If a dog seems reserved it does not mean it's a bad dog. It's a dog which is intelligent and can work life out. They may not like you. 
9. Sit and ignore the dog and let the dog come to you. Do not encourage the dog to come to you. 
10. Children should not handle puppies unless the breeder says it's okay.  Sit down and let the breeder hand you a puppy. But do not run around with pups in hand.  If your children are OTT with dogs it can be better to leave them at home because they could stress the mother out.  Remember you wouldn't run up to a mother with a baby in a pram and yank it out.  Use common sense.