By way of previous blog posts, you know that teaching Teddy how to appropriately approach and greet dogs is super important to me. This is a life skill on par with crossing the street. It's in both Teddy and the unknowing dog's best interest that the two-foot does not run up and startle the quadruped....ever.
What's the proper approach?
I intend for my son to come to a complete stop before he is within petting range of the dog... And further back if possible. Advancing forward is possible only with permission and in a calm and relaxed approach.
My first step in conditioning Teddy to this... getting the kid to stop. When asking isn't enough... I tackle (kidding... kind of).
What's next? Well, we had the perfect illustration of that on Friday night... en route to a dinner with dog trainers no less!
Teddy is naturally very curious about the dogs that he sees (he is my son, after all), and getting him to stop is one thing, but diverting his attention and with it the forward lunging is another all together. It is imperative for me to satisfy his curiosity, and, unhinge his desire to reach out and touch...therefore conditioning him to do what my mom always told us to do in my grandmother's house... "look with no hands!"
That's a challenge-- especially when the dog shows interest.
More after the jump
As Teddy and I are approaching the crosswalk, a dog on leash approaches us. I tell Teddy to stop, then guide him to the left at the same time, dogs' mom takes her cue and stops a respectable distance from us.
Waiting for the light to change, Teddy, true to form, is fascinated with pup. To refocus his attention from trying to pet, I get down on his level and ask: "What color is the dog?" He has no clue, so I tell him to say black. Then I ask: "What kind of dog is that?" And supply him with the answer which he repeats "Retriever mix." (look at that, dog encounter turned in to lesson in color recognition AND biology).
I didn't expect what happened next-- and it was SO cool!! The dog mom, seeing what was going on, started working her dog, showing off his commands! It was awesome! The dog ignored Teddy, busy working for his mom, and Teddy became interested in the display of dog behaviors.
I refrained from hugging the dog handler and inviting her to dinner with the trainers that night--- but we exchanged friendly smiles, and I mouthed "thank you" as we crossed the street.
My goal is for teddys default response to dogpaassersby to be similar to this. Stand at a distance, no lunging, no activity, just be cute!
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