Ready For A Meet & Greet?

[Guest caelanarcher]

A dual question: How do you know if your dog is a good meet-and-greeter? and How do you make your dog a better meet-and-greeter?

 

I've had Aaron for about.... 7 months now. I think that he'd be a really good meet-and-greet dog (or at least has the potential), but I honestly don't know how crazy M&Gs get, or how other people will let their dogs act around Aaron. So far, he's only had an issue with one dog; former roomie's sister's bulldog who was always "NOW I AM IN YOUR HOUSE HEY IS THAT A CHEW TOY CAN I HAVE IT, WOW YOU'RE REALLY BIG LET ME SNIFF YOUR FACE SLURP SLURP SLURP". His reaction to that was an upset growl, followed by running upstairs and refusing to come down until "The Gremlin" was gone. Also, he's not really cat-safe. But he loves people of all shapes and sizes, greets non-crazy dogs nicely, and we've made good progress with his getting over-enthusiastic about people. I'd love to use his lovable nature for a good cause, but I'm just not sure. I'd be crushed if he had a bad experience at a M&G, or if he made a bad example of greyhounds (growling, whining, lunging, whatever).

 

So how did you know when your hound was ready to be an Ambassadog? How did you prepare him for his new role?

[Guest momofevie]

Evie's foster mom suggested we do Meet & Greets. If you adopted from a group, you can always see what they think. Otherwise, just give it a try; sounds like he'd do well. Usually, there will be at least one other adopter volunteering with his/her dog(s), which means if Aaron was really stressed or showing signs of aggression you could leave. At least you'd know. Hope it works out for you and Aaron!

[2greytgreys]

Have you taken Aaron out to places like PetSmart where he would experience the sights and sounds typical at a meet & greet? That might give you an idea of how he would act seeing other dogs and how he deals with the noises and motion of a busy store. And I agree with Momofevie. If you adopted through a group then talk with them about visiting during one of their regular meet & greets. That way you could see how Aaron does without being obligated to be there the whole time.

[Guest greytmiles]

I brought Miles to a Petco M&G without realizing there'd be cats there for an adoption day. Yeaaaah.... that didn't go so well. He barked and whined at the kitties sitting in their crates and everybody was STARING. I get the feeling nobody believed me when I said 'but he never barks!'

 

I've only had him 3 months, and from the beginning he's been fine with all people, kids, and other dogs. I just need to be sure to only pick events where there are NO CATS. Just a heads up to you and your no-cats grey in case you're considering a pet store M&G.

 

Erin

[moofie]

I knew Hector would be fine as he's just so laid back and likes meeting people, he's fine with little kids and is ok with all dogs. Throp was nervous of strangers when he first came home, but after gradual exposure was more willing to greet people instead of trying to run off. He was scared of children, but we live near a school so passed that frequently and he met my neices/nephew and the kids on the street and as his overall confidence grew he seemed less concerned by them.

 

As Throp had improved so much we took them along to a few busy country shows and he coped with all the people and noise fine so i felt much more confident about trying a meet & greet. Our first M&G was outside a large pet store and had a fair bit of passing trade. I was expecting him to perhaps be a bit reserved as he can be shy in new situations so was fully prepared that i may have to take him home early, but he loved it and was in his element lapping up all the fussing and watching the world go with his doggy friends . He's since done a bigger M&G at a county show, which he loved until the kids performers right by our stand fired a fake gun and then he wanted to go home.

 

If your comfortable he'll be fine meeting people & dogs then i think you just have to see how you get on, the group can probably advise you more & let you know which M&G would be easier for a newbie, non cat friendly dog.

AT the ones we've been to there were main volunteers who set the stand & merchandise up and then other volunteers were just invited to help for whatever time they can manage, so it didn't matter if we stayed 10 mins or the the full 2-4hours.I'd like to do them more often but my local groups don't do very many and seem to already have a regular set of volunteers for them.

[Guest NJgrey]

I don't see the harm in showing up at one that your group is doing. Let the person in charge of it know that you're coming and let them know you may not be there for long. That's all. Most meet and greets seem pretty informal to me.

 

And FWIW I've been at a few where there were non-cat/ small dog safe dogs. The owners just stood away from the doors, kind of towards the back of the pack, and made sure they had a good grip on leashes. No biggie.

[Guest gecko_foot]

A dual question: How do you know if your dog is a good meet-and-greeter? and How do you make your dog a better meet-and-greeter?

 

I've had Aaron for about.... 7 months now. I think that he'd be a really good meet-and-greet dog (or at least has the potential), but I honestly don't know how crazy M&Gs get, or how other people will let their dogs act around Aaron. So far, he's only had an issue with one dog; former roomie's sister's bulldog who was always "NOW I AM IN YOUR HOUSE HEY IS THAT A CHEW TOY CAN I HAVE IT, WOW YOU'RE REALLY BIG LET ME SNIFF YOUR FACE SLURP SLURP SLURP". His reaction to that was an upset growl, followed by running upstairs and refusing to come down until "The Gremlin" was gone. Also, he's not really cat-safe. But he loves people of all shapes and sizes, greets non-crazy dogs nicely, and we've made good progress with his getting over-enthusiastic about people. I'd love to use his lovable nature for a good cause, but I'm just not sure. I'd be crushed if he had a bad experience at a M&G, or if he made a bad example of greyhounds (growling, whining, lunging, whatever).

 

So how did you know when your hound was ready to be an Ambassadog? How did you prepare him for his new role?

 

Tumnus has always been very friendly with most dogs and all people regardless of situation. He's cat safe and generally ignores them the vast majority of the time and is easily distracted when he does show interest. One thing I would suggest - this is my personal preference btw - is to make sure that your dog has a good response to "leave it" and/or "follow me" (or whatever you use) commands. It just makes it easier to regroup or leave when you want to even if there are small animals or other nice distractions in the vicinity. I'm not really worried about the greyhounds at a meet and greet...It's the other dogs that worry me.

[Guest burgerandfrey]

I think greyhounds' generally laid back personalities makes them better ambassadogs than most breeds, but of course every dog is different. We take our dogs on daily walks around the neighborhood and to a park where there are always lots of dogs on-leash. They are now used to being around, and greeting, dogs of all sizes and breeds. We have been lucky though because our two current greys, as well as our previous grey, seemed dog-friendly from the start. Now our boy Zeke was not small dog safe when we adopted him last Summer, and I still would not let him play with a small dog off leash or even give him too much slack... but I can tell he has learned that dogs come in small sizes too. These days he treats them as he does larger dogs... as long as they are on a leash and walking on their own. If someone is holding small dog I think Zeke still thinks that's a toy

 

I would say start with walks in parks with other dogs. Let your grey meet and sniff some other dogs. Keep the interactions brief and relaxed at first. Zeke used to get visibly uncomfortable if he was in the presence of a much larger dog for too long. I remember he once gave some attitude to a Great Dane who gave him attitude right back. I noticed Zeke's posture changing and could tell he was uncomfortable, but he barked before I could get him away. That's all it was though... sort of an assertive bark from both dogs. After that I started to keep interactions very brief for awhile, but would pet and praise Zeke after every positive interaction. After some time he started to be totally relaxed and could hang with a strange dog for as long as their owners wanted to ask us questions about greyhounds Our girl Lola has never been a problem and is almost too trusting of other dogs.

 

So after some successful interactions with other dogs I would say your dog is ready for a meet & greet, and by that I mean a meet and greet where all dogs are kept on leash. I've been to some where dogs were allowed off leash and unmuzzled. I don't like those situations, but some greys will be fine with it as long as the other dogs are friendly. Other greys will feel extremely vulnerable if they are on-leash and the other dogs are not. In fact I think it is best to start with a Greyhound only meet & greet if you can. Our rescue has picnics and other meetups from time to time. We went to one that was indoors because of the rain, and there must have been sixty greyhounds all muzzled but off-leash running around a big room. Not even a single bark or growl. I can't imagine trying that with another breed.

 

Whatever the situation, just watch Aaron to make sure he seems comfortable, and give him frequent breaks from the action by taking him on a short walk away from the group. You never know though... he might have a great time and not want to leave!

 

Sean

[sobesmom]

Try it. If you get the least uncomfortable - just leave. No obligations! I'd suggest hanging at the very edges of the grop until you get comfortable.

 

At a M%G I used to attend, it could get quite crowded and busy - LOTS and LOTS of dogs attended. So - this one guy sat on a bench just outside the doors of the establishment with his dogs. One of them, while super-friendly, outgoing and loving to everybody... didn't like the crowded conditions inside...so he sat outside. No problem! In fact, people that didn't like the mass of people and greys - would stop to talk to him and see his greys instead. It worked out great.

 

He passed away a couple years ago, and his greys were a part of his funeral. At the request of his family, our group-members brought greys and stood in respect outside the church during the service. - Sorry - totally a sidetrack - but the point is - it's OK to stand a bit away from the group if that's what works for you and yours.