This protocol is designed to give people a framework on how to safely and appropriately introduce two dogs with unknown dog-dog social ability. It emphasizes safety, reading body language, and gradually increasing exposure to prevent over-arousal, conflict, or trauma.
🛠️ PREPARATION: Setting the Stage for Safety
✅ Environment
- Target Neutral Ground: Avoid either dog’s territory (if possible). Use fenced, quiet, outdoor areas when possible.
- Spacious Layout: Allow for easy movement and retreat.
- Ground Surface: Use soft terrain like grass or dirt.
- Escape Routes: Avoid bottlenecks or confined areas. Make access to visual blockers quick and easy.
- Toys, Food, and Water: All toys and food should be cleared out of the area where the dogs will be interacting. Separate water and feeding areas should be designated to avoid any conflict over resources.
✅ Equipment & Tools
- 6-ft Leashes: No retractables. Use flat collars, martingale collars, or slip leads (if necessary). A well-fitted harnesses can be used for parallel walking and non dog-dog interactive activities but collars are ideal for introductions due to added control of the head.
- Drag Lines: For later off-leash work, attach light, trailing lines (10–15 ft).
- Muzzles (if needed): Use well-conditioned basket muzzles for dogs with bite history or poor impulse control.
- Treats: High-value reinforcers for disengagement and calm behavior.
- Barriers: Use gates, fencing, or x-pens for controlled visual and olfactory intros.
🧍 HUMAN POSITIONING & MOVEMENT
- Two Handlers: Each dog has one calm, attentive handler.
- Leash Handling: Keep leashes slack and low. Limit human initiated or maintained leash tension.
- Movement Patterns:
- Begin with parallel walking (or circle walking) in the same direction.
- Use curved approaches—never head-on – when closing the distance.
- Pause and create distance regularly to assess and decompress.
- Interaction Pattern:
- Communicate openly between handlers during approaches.
- Let each other know what they see (in both your dog and in the other person’s dog). Body language can be harder to see on your own dog (since you are typically positioned behind their head)
- Position handlers at 12 and 6 o’clock, staying as perpendicular to the dogs as possible, and move in a circular pattern to maintain this position as the dogs move.
- This avoids leashes getting tangled and provide angles to separate the dogs if needed.
- If leashes get tangled 1 handler should communicate they are going to drop before letting go to untangle the leash.
👀 BODY LANGUAGE GUIDE
✅ Green Flags – Proceed
- Desire to interact
- Loose, wiggly body
- Play bows, relaxed tail and eyes
- Butt sniffing, self-handicapping, role switching in play
- Curved body approaches
- Brief interactions with mutual breaks
⚠️ Yellow Flags – Slow Down
- Head or Paw overs (one dog placing their head or paw over another’s shoulders)
- Nose-to-nose greetings held too long
- Mounting or stiffness
- Lack of play role-switching
- Tension building during prolonged eye contact or hyperfocus
- Overexcitement or frantic energy
- Avoidance or a lack of interest in interacting
❌ Red Flags – Stop Interaction
- Snarling, snapping, lunging
- One dog avoiding repeatedly or freezing
- Disinterest with stiff posture or tracking/stalking
- No role switching or body slamming during play
- Repeated rude behavior despite disengagement cues
- Lack of curiosity paired with guarded stillness
🔄 STEP-BY-STEP INTRODUCTION PROCESS
1. Parallel Walks
Purpose:
Allow the dogs time to acclimate to each other’s presence. Remove the pressure of an immediate interaction.
- Start 10–20 feet apart, walking parallel or in circles.
- Observe body language from a distance.
- Gradually close the distance if both dogs remain soft and interested.
2. Arc Approaches
Purpose:
Closing the distance to gauge the potential interaction. Looking for signs of safety, regulation, and a desire to interact.
- Introduce mild, indirect approaches.
- Let dogs sniff the ground and drift toward each other in a curve.
- Allow brief glances or interest—no contact yet.
3: Barrier Introduction
Purpose:
Allow closer inspection and sniffing with limited risk through a physical divider. Determination if it is safe to interact without a barrier.
How to Set It Up:
- Use a secure gate, x-pen, or fence.
- Let the dogs sniff and observe each other through the barrier.
- Watch for soft engagement or disinterest (both are fine).
- Use the barrier to assess interest and reduce arousal.
Caution:
- Be alert for barrier frustration or barrier aggression: barking, lunging, intense staring. If this happens, increase distance and return to parallel walking.
- Barrier intro should be brief (1–3 minutes) and positive. End before frustration builds.
4. Leashed Greetings (Brief Contact)
Purpose:
Allow closer inspection and sniffing to gauge interaction. Building up appropriate interaction and disengagement behaviors.
- If barrier interactions were positive, allow 1–3 second leashed greetings (prefer butt-to-shoulder, not face-to-face).
- Use curved approaches.
- After 1–2 seconds, call dogs away and reward.
- Repeat 2–3 times if both dogs remain relaxed and willingly reengage.
5. Short Leashed Play Sessions
Purpose:
Establishing and evaluating play behavior and compatibility.
- If mutual interest is high and body language remains loose:
- Allow a few seconds of leashed play or interaction.
- Keep play under control with frequent breaks (every 15–30 seconds).
- Reward successful disengagement and redirection.
- Look for healthy social signs like role switching, chase-and-pause sequences, and bouncy movements.
6. Transition to Drag Line Interaction (Optional)
Purpose:
Remove some of the human guidance to determine communication and arousal control capabilities.
- Only progress to this step if all previous steps were positive and both dogs consistently show relaxed, appropriate engagement.
- In a secure, enclosed space, attach drag lines and drop leashes.
- Allow brief, drag-line play with active supervision.
- Use breaks every 30–60 seconds, regardless of behavior.
- Step in to intervene if play escalates, becomes one-sided, or red flag behaviors emerge.
⏱️ SESSION DURATION
- Keep initial introductions under 30 minutes with 10-15 minutes of dog-dog interaction.
- Stop early if arousal increases or one dog appears overwhelmed.
- Multiple short, structured sessions are far more successful than prolonged exposure.
✅ GO / ❌ NO-GO DECISION CHART
| Behavior Observed | Decision | Notes |
| Relaxed, social greetings, loose body language, mutual engagement | ✅ GO | Proceed with short sessions and build duration |
| Stiffness, awkward social behavior, but able to disengage or reset | ⚠️ MAYBE | Repeat neutral walk/barrier intros; build slowly |
| Avoidance, disinterest with stiffness or hyperfocus | ❌ NO-GO | Dogs are not comfortable or compatible right now |
| Escalation, repeated rude behavior, or barrier aggression | ❌ NO-GO | End session, reassess, consider professional help |
🔚 SESSION WRAP-UP
- Always end before overstimulation or tension arises.
- Reinforce calm disengagement with praise and treats.
- Separate with distance and decompression walks, especially after high arousal play or excitement.
- Reflect: Was body language appropriate? Did dogs respect space and show interest?
- Record the session if possible to watch back. It can be easier to spot body language communication through video then it is live.