Helping your dog stay comfortable around other dogs
A gradual plan for noticing other dogs, returning attention to the handler and walking away, with clear limits for barking, lunging or fear.
Practise noticing another dog and returning to an easy activity with you, without requiring a greeting or a close pass.
Being comfortable around dogs is different from wanting to play with them. An assistance-dog prospect needs opportunities to leave other dogs alone, while still having an appropriate social life outside training. An on-lead greeting is not the reward you must offer at the end of every encounter.
The exercise below is for a dog who can observe another dog from a comfortable distance. Repeated barking, lunging, snapping or panic calls for an individual plan from a qualified reward-based behaviour professional. A vet can also check whether discomfort or illness is contributing to a change in behaviour.
Before you start
- A well-fitting harness and ordinary lead
- Rewards your dog readily accepts
- A cooperative helper with a calm dog
- A wide, dog-permitted area with an unobstructed exit
Make distance easy to change
Use a quiet, open location rather than the entrance to an off-lead park. The helper should agree not to approach unexpectedly. Start far enough apart that your dog can notice the other dog without becoming fixed on them. There is no correct number of metres: the two dogs, movement and surroundings all change the difficulty.
Identify a route away before beginning. Avoid narrow footpaths, fences that trap the dogs alongside each other, and places where unfamiliar dogs are likely to run over. Practise only where both dogs are permitted or where you have permission to use the space.
Reward a brief look and an easy return
Keep the first set deliberately uneventful. Your helper can stand still or walk slowly across the far side of the space.
- Allow your dog to notice the other dog. Keep the lead comfortable; do not pull their head towards you or demand sustained eye contact.
- When your dog turns back towards you, use your familiar marker and deliver a reward beside your leg. If a previously learnt name response is easy here, you can use it once to help.
- Walk a few steps away together. Reward following, then give a short sniffing break. Moving away is part of the exercise, not a failure to complete it.
- After a few comfortable repetitions, finish. On another day, try the same distance with gentle parallel movement in the same direction rather than a direct approach.
When another dog appears unexpectedly
If your dog starts staring, stiffening or pulling, increase space promptly. Use a familiar turning cue if it helps and move along the planned exit. Do not wait for a bark to decide that the set-up is difficult, and do not jerk the lead or scold a growl.
If a dog approaches, ask the other handler to give you room and keep moving towards a safe exit when possible. Do not scatter food between unfamiliar dogs. After the encounter, assess whether your dog can relax; another repetition is optional. One short, manageable session is enough.
Judge progress by recovery and choice
Keep a note of the starting distance, whether the other dog moved, and how easily yours returned to sniffing or walking. “Passed a seated dog on the other side of a wide oval” is a useful description. “Good with dogs” hides the conditions that made success possible.
Reduce distance only after several easy sessions in the current arrangement. Then return to an easier distance when trying a different helper dog or location. These are practice decisions, not an assessment of public-access readiness. A dog who is quiet but tense needs a simpler task, not a closer encounter.
Before you make it harder
Check your progress
- Both handlers can leave without passing close together.
- Your dog can look away and resume ordinary sniffing or walking.
- You can repeat the current set-up comfortably before changing it.
Sources & further reading
These references informed the guidance above. Practice examples are suggestions from AU Service Dogs; the linked organisations have not reviewed or endorsed this article.
- Understanding reactive dogs Dogs Trust
- Why dogs get scared or frustrated and how to help them Dogs Trust
- How to introduce dogs to each other Best Friends Animal Society
- Avoiding guide dog distractions — Don’t dive on the dog! Guide Dogs UK
General education for Australian dog-handler teams. Training progress, disability-related tasks and access requirements need individual assessment. Read about owner-training and Australian requirements.