As of: February 7, 2024, 11:01 a.m
By: Anne Hund
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Especially if you don't know a dog very well, you should approach it very carefully.
This allows the animal to calmly get used to the new situation.
Dogs have their own body language.
Anyone who knows their dog well and has a lot of experience with four-legged friends already knows how to interpret certain signals.
However, it can happen that the dog behaves differently than you might expect.
There are a few classic misunderstandings in communication, not least when people and dogs meet for the first time.
Here are a few typical examples - and how mistakes can be avoided when dealing with four-legged friends.
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1. Do not touch the dog's head from above
Dogs can feel taken aback when strangers try to pet them while walking.
It's better to leave it alone because you don't know how the dog will take it or ask the owner first.
A common mistake when dealing with four-legged friends is that you want to pet them from above.
“Grabbing the head from above” is unpleasant for dogs, emphasized dog trainer Anja Petrick in an interview with
BR
.
The four-legged friends avoid such situations, for example by looking away or trying to avoid them.
Or the four-legged friend licks his snout with his tongue.
According to the dog expert, these are “appeasement signals” that the dog uses to show that something is unpleasant to him.
2. Don't stare at your four-legged friend
A situation that dogs typically don't like: when someone walks straight up to them and stares in their eyes.
“This is incredibly rude to dogs,” said the dog trainer.
The four-legged friends may misunderstand something like this as a threatening gesture and they avoid the situation or bark.
You should therefore avoid looking the dog directly in the eyes and it is better to approach the four-legged friend in a slight arc - as a signal that you do not want to harm him.
This means that people and dogs can greet each other carefully if you approach them carefully from the side.
Dogs need enough time to get used to the new situation - you should give them enough rest.
(Symbolic image) © Pond5 Images/Imago
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3. Don't overwhelm the dog
When communicating with your four-legged friend, it is also important not to overwhelm the animal.
This applies both to dealing with your own dog and, for example, when you go for a walk with friends who have a dog with them.
Your four-legged friend may be happy if you want to play with him as a stranger.
However, you should make sure that you don't stress the dog unnecessarily, but rather give him enough rest and remember what his routines are when going for a walk.
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A tip for the owners so that the animal can relax despite the new situation with strangers visiting: take a break from the walk often and let the dog sniff in peace.
Search games are a great way to keep your four-legged friends busy during a walk in a quiet spot.
And then reward them with a treat.
As soon as the dog and companion are more familiar with each other, most four-legged friends are happy to be gently petted.