Hi, l have a 2.5yr old nurtured male, most of the time very good with other dogs. This morning on a nice long lead walk being really good and saying hello to other dogs met a young lab on lead as he was and we agreed for them to say hello. For the first couple of mins he suddenly turns and lots of bluster (barking)and nips the pup. No harm done but l felt so embarrassd, help
I think dogs always feel compromised when on lead , they cant escape something that maybe makes them feel uncomfortable , and so they can react . Like humans , they can at times take exception to another dog and decide that they don't like it at all ! If this is an isolated occasion , then I would not be too worried about it , just keep him well socialised .
Thank you for that, we had had lovely walk and it just made me feel awkward with the other person, onwards and upwards.
One really interesting thing a trainer once told me that "saying hello" should be as quick as a handshake is for humans. I know that it's human nature to dally a bit and get chatting to the other owner, but a "handshake" sniff keeps things polite and reduces the risk of irritated snaps. Maybe give that a shot next time, "oh we're just saying a quick hello" and then off you go
