The right way to let your stranger interact with your dog
Again, you should only be letting these interactions happen if your pup’s body language indicates that he wants to engage (by wagging his tail or keeping his body loose and wiggly).
And if your dog seems to be giving you the go-ahead — and, of course, the stranger is down as well — you need to make sure it’s playing out the right way.
That means there are certain things you can and can’t let happen.
“Do not allow the consenting stranger to just stick his [or] her hand out and touch the dog,” Dr. Spano explained. “Instead, have the stranger praise your dog, toss him a treat or even toss him a toy.”
Possible problems with letting strangers pet your dog
“Unfortunately, there are no benefits,” Dr. Spano said.
Now, that doesn’t mean you should never ever introduce your dog to another person — socialization is still such an important part of your dog’s life.
“Some people in this scenario may twist this advice to the extreme and interpret this as recommending the dog just stay in a bubble for the rest of his life, not experiencing any socialization. That is so untrue,” Dr. Spano explained. “Especially as puppies when the world around them is so influential, socializing with people is very important, but it must be done carefully and positively.”
In order to do this carefully, it’s important to understand what your dog’s body language means.
“If your puppy is showing signs [of] actively wanting to solicit attention from a stranger, such as by walking up to the person with a very loose body [and] wagging his tail, go ahead and let your puppy ask the stranger for attention (of course with the consent of the stranger),” Dr. Spano said.
But make sure you’re paying extra close attention, in case that body language shifts to signs of fear or anxiety, like:
If your pup starts showing those signs, never force the interaction to continue, because that might lead to fear-based aggression.
And if your dog struggles with anxiety, or is afraid more often than not, letting a random person pet your dog could just make that worse.
“Allowing a stranger to pet a dog that is fearful will only make the dogs underlying fear and anxiety about strangers more intense over time and is risky in terms of liability,” Dr. Spano explained.
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Should You Let People Pet Your Dog? | Proper Dog Socialization
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