Mary Allen
In everyday life, it happens again and again that our dog gets into unpleasant situations for him. There is often a feeling of discomfort when meeting other dogs. If a conflict arises here, the question arises for many dog owners: Should I get my dog out of the situation? Or do they regulate it among themselves?
Despite important research findings supporting the importance of the human-canine bond, this blanket statement still seems to be common.
In the following article, we will explain why it is important that we actively intervene in conflict situations and clarify situations for our dog when it needs our help.
How do you feel when you have to deal with a stressful situation alone? Stressed and left alone? Overburdened? Our dogs often feel the same way. When we observe our dogs in a stressful situation, we see that they start to de-escalate the situation right from the start. They exhibit various appeasement signals and natural stress responses, such as sniffing the ground, which is a leap forward action. In most cases, our dogs find a solution on their own and master unpleasant situations on their own. From time to time, however, it happens that the dog has no option and is completely overwhelmed with the situation. If such a situation occurs, we as owners should intervene and not let the dogs regulate this situation among themselves. Dogs need the support of their human. Especially in situations that overwhelm them.
You Can Actively Do This to Give Your Dog Security in Stressful Situations:
At the latest when you see that your dog no longer knows what to do and is looking for help, you as the owner should intervene. When meeting other dogs, you can stand protectively in front of your dog. You can build distance by walking your dog away from the other human-dog team. You can also block the other dog with your body language. Of course, only do this if you trust yourself, if you feel comfortable in the situation, and can assess the situation. To do this, hold out your hand and say “stop” in a calm but firm tone. You can leash your dog or ask the other dog owner to leash their dog to create distance between the two.
Through our measures, the dog learns that he can rely on us. As a reference person, we offer him security and at the same time strengthen our bond. Because if a dog repeatedly has the experience of losing out in a conflict situation and having to stand up for itself because we don’t help it, it can happen that it tries to keep other dogs at a distance by defending itself over the long term. He capitalizes on his strategy of barking and baring his teeth. He hopes that he won’t have any more unpleasant experiences. The walk and dog encounters themselves become more and more uncomfortable. Stand up for your dog and be like a rock in the surf for him. Show him that he can turn to you if he doesn’t have a solution on his own and help him de-escalate stressful situations.
Also, make your dog understand which behavior is desirable and which is undesirable. Some dogs need to learn to approach other dogs calmly and not run straight at them. We may see this as normal behavior, but some dogs need to be taught how to approach the oncoming human-canine team with respect and calmly.
Act with Foresight
Of course, it is even better than we, as owners, act with foresight and, if possible, do not allow conflicts to arise in the first place. Of course, not every stressful situation can be avoided. We shouldn’t either, because our dogs learn from conflicts and unpleasant situations and develop new solution strategies for themselves, which they can use at other times.
Nevertheless, it is possible to prevent dogs from approaching each other by keeping a sufficient distance between them before a serious argument arises. So you can approach the oncoming human-dog team in a small arc during the next walk. If you’ve ever observed a relaxed encounter between dogs, you may have noticed that the dogs always walk around each other first, i.e. approach in an arc. Running into each other head-on could be misunderstood by the other dog and perceived as a threat. So watch out for small signs as soon as you approach, such as calming signals – lick your nose or sniff the ground. With the right timing, we as owners can intervene early and defuse or even prevent conflict situations.
But Do Dogs Settle the Conflict Among Themselves or Not?
Of course, dogs resolve conflicts in their own way. But is that what we want? And the even more important question: does our dog want that? Probably not. If we offer our dog protection right from the start when he needs it, he will remember this and will also seek our help in other situations that are stressful for him, instead of trying it out on his own and looking for a solution strategy.
Nevertheless, it is important that dogs gain experience themselves in order to get to know their limits. A good example of getting to know one’s own limits is bite inhibition, which dogs learn when they are puppies. Puppies can use their teeth and bite right from the start. But they first have to acquire the right intensity of biting. However, if they feel overwhelmed and can no longer help themselves, the dog may bite to get out of the situation. If he is successful in doing so, he allows this behavior to become his strategy and will therefore show it more frequently in the future. In our view, this is undesirable behavior. If we do not make our dog understand which behavior we consider desirable and which undesirable, the dog cannot know how to behave and will react at its own discretion and solve the situation.