First off, on a walk... you need to act very calm and act like it's no big deal. When Munchie starts to bark and carry on, stop that behavior. That kind of behavior could hurt him in the long run. If he goes up into a mean dogs face doing that, he's going to get eaten. So teach him early on how to approach dogs. Let him know he can not approach a dog in a hyper state (Still working w/ Jackson on the hyper thing! He just gets so excited with other dogs. About 98% of the time now, he's very good about just smelling, etc) The proper way for dogs to greet is to smell each other and check each other out calmly. Look at their body language to make sure a fight won't errupt.
Also, I find leashes create more tension, usually because of the handler/owner, even without you knowing you are transmitting your energy to them. So many dogs are GREAT off leash with other dogs but when they are on a leash, they feel the need to lunge and attack! Just let them do their thing. |