I have a neighbor who's backyard is kinda catty-corner from mine. They have an australian shepherd that's about 2 or 3 months older than Suzzie; a neutered male. He's a little heavier than Suzzie, but not by much.

I see them out on walks all the time and we stop to talk while the dogs sniff. These on the walk encounters have always been brief (< 5 minutes), closely supervised, and generally speaking positive experiences. Suzzie usually acts a little more reserved around their dog, but they seem fairly evenly matched (meaning size, temperament, and training levels).

Suzzie can stand in the back of our yard and see Waldo in his backyard a few doors down. She always looks interested in seeing him and on walks she gets a little more excited when we walk by his house.

So last night I saw their dog was out in their back yard and thought I'd go down for a visit. Their yard has an invisible fence and Waldo, their dog, is well trained with it. Both the dog and my neighbor were out in their yard and we went in to say hi. Suzzie was on her 20' cotton line and Waldo had his invisible fence collar on. I let them greet each other. Waldo was very well behaved. Came up and layed down in front of Suzzie to let her sniff him. Both dogs were excited, but acting pretty calm. Once the formalities were over, I let Suzzie run while dragging her leash. She and Waldo played chase mainly. Lots of running and circling. Suzzie clearly didn't know what was going on, but she kept running in and out of their yard. So Waldo would chase her for a while but stayed well clear of the fence line. My neighbor says their cat does the same thing with Waldo. Anyway, I let them play for about 10 minutes or so. There were no cranky voices from dogs, no growling at all; just running and panting.

I've read the article on dog parks several times. Generally speaking, I don't let Suzzie associate with other dogs. I don't let her even play with our own other dog that often. The size difference between them freaks my Shi Tzu out, so I keep them apart. But Suzzie and Waldo seem so well matched together. They played quite nicely with nothing that I could see as aggression. Both of us were there to supervise. Ironically, it was Waldo that answered my calls to come better than Suzzie did. I guess that's the only thing that really bothered me. My recall with Suzzie isn't good enough to break her away from something that really has her attention.

Thoughts? Is this an OK interaction? I know I need to work on her recall and I'm actively doing that in different situations. What danger signs should I look for in interactions like this?

The only things to watch for are what you did.

That she would blow your recalls is a biggie to me. She is a young pup. It is to be expected. I would periodically call her back as well, but only after I had grabbed the long line. Better yet, bring a longer one and attach the two so that she is always on leash (I think of her running in joy and accidently running into the street&hellip Make sure you are loaded with yummy treats and give her a huge treat party when you get her to you.

If possible I would do these meet and greets in a back yard and still leashed until she came to me while playing.

As for things to look for with the other dog, just make sure there is no bullying and everyone is having fun. Like you said, they are well matched in temperament (what I would look for,) and that is very important. If one or the other begins bullying, then I would stop the playtime for the day and if it begins to happen regularly, I would rethink the whole thing. With two pups, things should be OK but as everyone matures, just be aware. Pick up all toys and treats so as not to create anything to be possessive over. Also if someone becomes tired and wants to lie down, make the other leave them alone.

Always practice random recalls to reinforce them when you do. Treat and love on her to associate it in as positive a manner as you can. Even more so than the other dog if possible.

I am big on the no doggie contact thing and hugely against the dog park social club, but I do allow my PUPPY to have supervised social time with my older dog and a friend’s quiet older dog. I want to set him up to have positive experiences and let him learn about proper doggie behavior as he grows. He had a few club pups as playmates as a pup, and now just the two mentioned. Always supervised and always with approved, known dogs.

Don't call the dog to you when you can't make them come. You are only reinforcing that "come" is a suggestion and not a command.

 Quote: jessicakromer

Make sure you are loaded with yummy treats and give her a huge treat party when you get her to you.

.............

Pick up all toys and treats so as not to create anything to be possessive over.

Jessica, how would you deal with combining these two issues so that your dog doesn't develop resource guarding "snappiness" if the OTHER dog regularly tags along on a recall and ends up in the "treat giving space"? The other dog obviously shouldn't be treated for responding to YOUR dog's recall command, but for the same reason you should pick up all treats and toys from the play space, having a person selectively handing out food could trigger jealousy/possessiveness...

~Natalya

 Quote: jenni williams

Don't call the dog to you when you can't make them come. You are only reinforcing that "come" is a suggestion and not a command.

Probably the most important and most broken rule of teaching the recall.

How many thousands of times have we all seen/heard people calling their dogs while the dogs show them their butts and calmly do whatever they were doing before they were so rudely interrupted. Those dogs were taught (over and over and over) that the recall was optional.

 Quote: natalya zahn

 Quote: jessicakromer

Make sure you are loaded with yummy treats and give her a huge treat party when you get her to you.

.............

Pick up all toys and treats so as not to create anything to be possessive over.

Jessica, how would you deal with combining these two issues so that your dog doesn't develop resource guarding "snappiness" if the OTHER dog regularly tags along on a recall and ends up in the "treat giving space"? The other dog obviously shouldn't be treated for responding to YOUR dog's recall command, but for the same reason you should pick up all treats and toys from the play space, having a person selectively handing out food could trigger jealousy/possessiveness...

~Natalya

It could be a very big issue, but for pups I would worry a little bit less. It is why I would keep a long line on the dogs and the other owner could either hold theirs back or recall their dog as well. But if both were as easy going as Doug has described, I would (pending the other owners permission) treat both dogs in the situation, one from each hand and simultaneously to preempt one being fed and the other not.

I know some would not want their dog rewarded for coming to another person when called, but at a young age, I want my pup rewarded for EVERY time he comes when called. He is still learning... As they get older, I would fade out others calling him and eventually proof him from breaking a down or stay when someone else calls his name, but for now, I want it to be a habit when he hears "Come!"

I do compete with my dogs, so it is even more important to me that they are proofed later, but most owners, and ask first, just want their dog to come when called.

Further, I don't think I want my puppy playing with a dog or pup that tends to be snappy (and would not subject others' dogs to mine if he were). A pup that tends to be snappy for food can also be snappy when playing and that to me is bully-ish behavior. If this is the case, then I would stop the playing. This is how Quinn is to outside dogs. He is not allowed to play with any other dogs, period. He and Hav do great and if that changes, they will not be allowed to interact anymore.

All just personal preferences.

Can you guys give a list of what you would describe as "bully-ish behavior"? I feel like I have a good idea, but I'm not sure I'd really recognize all signs of aggression and/or dominance.

Doug, that's a tall order. While we could certainly make a list, it's more the sum of the parts than just one thing. Know what I mean? Putting paws up on backs can be dominant...it can escalate into a fight, or it can be turned around by the other party, and lead to nothing bad whatsoever. Dominance and aggression don't always go hand in hand, either. My bet is that your overall opinion that they both had a good time is correct. I think you would know if your dog was bullying/being bullied. I guess I'd say to keep an eye out for behaviors that seem overly one-sided. If one dog consistently is doing one thing that is dominant and the other never does, or seems bothered by it, put an end to it. If it's an equal volley, trust your gut; they are probably having a good time.

 Quote: jessicakromer

It could be a very big issue, but for pups I would worry a little bit less. It is why I would keep a long line on the dogs and the other owner could either hold theirs back or recall their dog as well. But if both were as easy going as Doug has described, I would (pending the other owners permission) treat both dogs in the situation, one from each hand and simultaneously to preempt one being fed and the other not.

Thanks Jessica!
Good protocol, I guess it really needs to be tailored to the dog(s) in question. This particular scenario (Suzzie and Waldo) does seem super chill - I asked more from my own experience, and for my own edification. We followed the same general rules you outlined when Oscar was little (and had lots of "play buddies"), but when he went through adolescence his attitude about me handing out food became entirely selfish. A mix of correction, changes to handling, and general avoidance of strange dogs has returned the peace, but I was wondering if there was a better way I could have been dealing with the issue from the start... my next dog will learn so much from my mistakes with Oscar!

~Natalya

Like you saw with Oscar, some change with adolescence. Based on Havok’s personality today, I don’t ever see it being a problem with him.

With Quinn, although he was fine until about six months playing with known but outside dogs, there were other warning signs that told me it would not always be so. He tended towards very dominant, loud, rough play. He also wanted to be the one to both initiate play with another dog and end it on his terms. Because of his temperament I was really on top of his training, and made sure he was recalled from play and was ALWAYS on a line. By eight months, he was only allowed to play with my other dogs.

Today, when he and Hav play, I make him stay down low (he is very much under control) and keep Hav on a line to make him back off when I ask him to. Quinn listens well to “settle…” and will take a lot from Hav, but it is not fair to him to expect him to be well behaved but let the pup run (literally) all over him.

You are, right, it takes knowing your dog, and making sure the playmate is well matched. I also have found that while two may play nicely, three can screw the whole thing up. Something else to keep in mind…