The Adventures of Frankie & Ash

The girls have loved spending breaks on the oval with the students - chasing the ball and getting lots of pats and love!  

Labradors are known for being quite cheeky and mischievous, and ours are no exception.   Frankie tends to be the goofball, party-girl while Ash is the quieter one (who sometimes will get led astray by her sister!).   This week, Frankie has:

*Brought down a bowl of Caesar Salad from the kitchen bench and eaten it all (minus the lettuce)

*Done zoomies in the staffroom, jumping on me in her excitement and spilling my tea everywhere, including on me

*Bumped into me while I was eating a fruit salad, resulting in the fruit salad spilling all over the floor

*Got her lead tangled in my legs out in the yard, causing me to fall and graze my knee (thank you to all the kind students who assisted!)

I'm currently sporting a big bruise on my arm where Frankie accidentally pushed me walking through a doorway, a big scratch on my leg where she tried to cling on when she fell off the bed, and just recovered in time for school from my black eye - caused when she and I bumped heads when I bent over to pick up her ball.  That caused some strange looks out in public!   I also learnt that labradors have concrete heads.

On the calmer side of things, Ash has learnt that running through the sprinkler is lots of fun - and it's even more fun to dig a hole in the garden where the sprinkler has been then zoom in through the dog door and onto the bed with her muddy paws.

Life sure is interesting, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

Approaching the School Support Dogs

Labradors are very friendly and lovable, but they too can be overwhelmed by people crowding around them or being loud around them.  From a dog's perspective, they can only really see your knees at eye level.  You can frighten them if you run at them squealing and waving your arms - even though that might be from excitement at seeing them.  

To make sure they continue to be happy recieving lots of pats and cuddles, please read this:

Mistakes People Make When Greeting A Dog

There are a litany of offenses that well-meaning humans commit against unsuspecting dogs when they meet for the first time. Who can honestly say they’ve never been guilty of one of these infractions?

1. Neglect to ask the dog’s person for permission to meet their dog.

2. Reach over the dog’s head and pat, pat, pat.

3. Put your face up close to the dog’s face and coo, “Oh, you’re soooo cute.”

4. Spot a dog you want to meet, make direct, unblinking eye contact, and quickly approach the dog making high-pitched vocalizations.

5. See an irresistible bundle of fur and walk up behind the dog to enthusiastically rub his or her cute little rump.

6. Approach a dog by looking directly at her and as you near with your arms extended, clap your hands, or click your fingers right at the dog’s face.

7. Notice a sweet dog laying down, crouch over at the waist, and slowly slink toward the dog with your arm outstretched.

8. Believe that because you love dogs, all dogs love you, too, and that you can forego the formalities that ordinary humans should observe.

How Would You Feel?

To understand how these behaviors might be upsetting to a dog, ask a partner to help you. Request that your partner wait until you’ve completely forgotten this conversation, then stare you in the eye while approaching, quickly swish his hand past your eyes, over your forehead, and pat, pat, pat you on the head. (Go on, try it!)

If you have a stealthy partner, you’ll probably duck, twist your face in disgust, and pull away from his reach. If he’s really good he’ll continue to stare, smile, and squeal over how cute you are, and then pat, pat, pat you again.

My guess is that you’ll duck again and backed farther away. You’re likely to experience feelings of annoyance and possibly anger – and you know this person. Imagine if you didn’t!

Respect Canine Customs

Unfortunately, our dogs are often subjected to similarly inappropriate greeting. And then they’re scolded if they respond less than enthusiastically!

Dogs have their own language and protocols for meeting strangers (dogs and people) and, if you’re really a dog person, you’ll respect their preferences. After all, we don’t go to foreign countries and expect the locals to abide by our cultural norms. It’s not fair that the full burden of navigating life with another species should fall entirely on our dogs.

How To Greet A Strange Dog Politely

So, what’s the best way to greet a dog? Start by asking the dog’s person for permission to greet their dog. If they say no, understand that they’re only doing what they believe is best for their pet and don’t take it personally. Assuming they say yes, follow these steps:

1. Don’t approach the dog. Pretend you’re ignoring her and allow the dog to approach you if she’s comfortable and interested.

2. Avert your eyes. Sustained eye contact signals trustworthiness in most Western cultures, but in the dog world it signals aggression.

3. Either stand straight or squat, but do not crouch over the dog.

4. Keep your body loose and relaxed. Putting on an easy smile or slowly blinking your eyelids will signal to the dog that you are not a threat.

5. Turn your body so you are not facing the dog. Again, being face-to-face is considered polite human behavior, but it can signal aggressive intentions to a dog.

6. If you speak, use a calm, reassuring tone.

7. If the dog shows interest by sniffing you with a relaxed posture, easy tail wags (not all wagging is friendly), and perhaps looking at you with soft eyes, then you can slowly offer the dog your hand for investigation.

8.Let the dog sniff your hand, if she wants to, and then gently pet the dog’s shoulder, neck or chest – not on the top of the head.

9. The dog will clearly let you know if she wants more interaction or if she is finished with you. Respect her wishes.

10. If at any time during the interaction the dog backs away, stop what you are doing.

Reproduced from:  https://www.gopetfriendly.com/blog/11-tips-for-greeting-a-strange-dog/