WHY DOES MY DOG LIE DOWN WHEN HE SEES ANOTHER DOG?

WHY DOES MY DOG LIE DOWN WHEN HE SEES ANOTHER DOG?

When your dog sees another dog, he lies down, staring at it and waits for it to come closer? What does this behaviour, which is very often observed in dogs, mean?

In this article, I give you the answer to this question and the attitude to adopt when your dog reacts this way.

Why does my dog lie down when he sees another dog?

The action of lying down in the presence of another dog is a calming signal. Having his stomach on the ground is indeed a calming act for the dog. In fact, if your dog lies down when he sees another dog, it may be to let him know that he doesn't want any problems and that he has pacifist intentions.

This behaviour is often seen in dogs playing together. If one of them has had enough or feels that the situation could get out of hand, he will lie down to say that he wants peace! This is the "theory"... Lying down is a signal of appeasement: OK!

On the other hand, in practice, it sometimes happens that a dog lies down at the sight of another dog and ends up jumping on him as soon as he is at his level. This can be to play (in many cases) or to attack him (in the worst case).

Then, lying down can also be an innate reflex. Sheepdogs and hounds, for example, will more easily have the reflex to lie down at the sight of another animal or what they consider to be prey in order to better identify it.

Thus, to the question why does my dog lie down when he sees another dog, we can distinguish several answers:

• He wishes to convey a pacifist message to his interlocutor,
• He wants to camouflage himself to better surprise his potential playmate,
• He has a reflex linked to his instinct (instinct of gathering, instinct of predation),
• He wishes to surprise his "prey".

Finally, your dog may lie down at the sight of another dog because you have simply taught him to do so. For some "reactive" and excited dogs, asking them to lie down can help them return to a stable emotional state, while for others movement and diversion will be more effective aids.

What to do when a dog lies down in front of another dog?

Personally, I have a whole male who sometimes has difficulty communicating respectfully with other dogs of the same sex and not neutered. Thus, I have taught him to systematically lie down in front of another dog so that, even when he is free, I can have time to call him back and/or reattach him (while waiting to ask the owner opposite for some information to find out if the meeting is possible or not).

In my case (and maybe in yours too), the fact that my dog lies down at the sight of another dog is a very good thing, I absolutely do not consider this behaviour as a problem, on the contrary, it is a solution!

Then, as mentioned before, the fact of lying down is a means of communication for the dog. In fact, wanting to suppress it is a way of "restraining" his dog and preventing him from transmitting the right messages to his fellow dogs. This can lead to conflicts if we don't let our dogs communicate with each other.

On the other hand, if you observe that this behaviour systematically generates problems (which normally shouldn't happen if the dogs are all well coded...), there are solutions to get around them:

• Teach your dog the notion of renunciation using the indication "you let go",
• Focus your dog on you by offering him an activity he loves,
• Divert your dog's attention with a treat or toy he loves.

If your dog remains completely frozen, you can also leave him in this position while you wait for the other dog to pass, but place yourself between the two dogs to prevent him from jumping on him at the last moment. By placing yourself in this position, you keep an easier control on your dog and you let him know that you are there to manage the situation.

Finally, because the best solution is prevention, socializing your puppy will often prevent you from having to deal with problems of this nature during encounters with other dogs. If your dog is used to meeting other dogs on a regular basis, he'll consider these times as "non-events" and won't have any particularly difficult reactions to the sight of a fellow dog.