It’s really common to feel like our dogs should say hello to every dog they pass. We want them to be friendly, social, and have fun — of course we do!

But something I see often is dogs who are so focused on other dogs that they struggle to pay attention to their person at all. They’re scanning, pulling, bouncing, and fully convinced that every dog is a potential playmate.

And while that enthusiasm is sweet, it can lead to some challenges.

The goal isn’t to stop our dogs enjoying the company of other dogs — it’s simply to help them develop healthy habits and confidence, without relying on constant dog-to-dog interaction.

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🧠 Why Dogs Get So Excited About Other Dogs

Often, dogs learn that:

➡️ see dog
➡️ pull towards dog
➡️ say hello / play

So naturally, they repeat that behaviour — it’s worked before! And the more it happens, the more rehearsed and automatic it becomes.

But this can mean:

• Walks become stressful or chaotic
• Focus on the handler fades completely
• Pulling and frustration increase
• Calm behaviour becomes harder
• Disappointment builds if they can’t greet

It’s not “bad behaviour.” It’s simply learned behaviour.

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🐕 Does My Dog Need Dog Friends?

Dogs do benefit from social contact — but not all social contact is equal.

Quality matters more than quantity.

Not all dogs want or enjoy the same play style, not all situations are safe, and not every greeting is good for confidence or manners.

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✅ Signs of Healthy, Happy Dog Play

Good play usually looks like:

• Loose, wiggly body language
• Play bows and soft movement
• Taking turns
• Pausing naturally
• Ability to disengage and check in with their person
• Calm, positive energy from both dogs

And ideally, this happens with dogs we know and who are well-matched.

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🚩 When Dog Interactions Aren’t Helpful

Even well-meaning play can tip into:

• One dog getting overwhelmed
• Over-arousal and “chaos brain”
• Pushy behaviour being rehearsed
• Frustration or conflict

Just like people, some dogs don’t enjoy socialising with everyone — and that’s completely normal.

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🌟 Why Calm Passing Skills Matter

A truly social dog isn’t one who says hello to every dog.

A truly social dog is one who can:

• Walk past calmly
• Stay relaxed
• Check in with their person
• Choose engagement over over-excitement

This is confidence — not avoidance.

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🧡 Choose Play With Intention

Thoughtful dog-to-dog time is wonderful. But it doesn’t need to happen every walk.

You can support your dog by offering:

• Play with familiar, suitable dogs
• Calm parallel walks
• Time to sniff and explore
• Focused time with you

We don’t expect children to play with every child they see — and dogs deserve that same choice and comfort.

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✨ Final Thoughts

Your dog doesn’t need to play with every dog to be friendly, social or “well-adjusted.”

Prioritising calmness, confidence and connection with you builds skills that last a lifetime — and creates happier walks for everyone 💛🐾

Thoughtful social time > constant interaction
Calm walking > frantic greeting
Confidence > overstimulation

Here’s to balanced, happy dog social lives and peaceful, enjoyable walks together.