Does your dog spot another dog on a walk and suddenly forget you exist?

One minute you’re walking along quite happily.

Then another dog appears and your dog starts staring, speeding up, leaning into the lead, whining, bouncing or dragging you towards them.

If your dog pulls towards every dog they see, it can make walks exhausting.

And because many of these dogs are friendly, owners are often told:

“They just want to say hello.”

That may be true.

But if your dog believes that seeing another dog means they should get to meet them, excitement and frustration can build very quickly.

The good news is that your dog does not need to learn to ignore every dog completely.

They need to learn that they can notice another dog without automatically needing to go over to them.

Why Does My Dog Pull Towards Every Dog?

There can be several reasons a dog pulls towards other dogs.

They might be:

• excited
• highly social
• frustrated
• expecting to greet
• interested in what the other dog is doing
• struggling to disengage once they have noticed them

Often, there is also a history behind it.

If your puppy or dog has regularly been allowed to walk up and say hello whenever they see another dog, they may start to predict:

Dog appears = I get to meet them.

That anticipation alone can make them speed up and pull.

And if pulling gets them closer to the dog — or eventually results in a greeting — pulling has worked.

So naturally, they do it again next time.

This is why the answer isn’t simply teaching better loose lead walking.

We also need to change what seeing another dog means.

Is Your Dog a Frustrated Greeter?

Some dogs who pull, bark, whine or lunge towards other dogs are what we often call frustrated greeters.

These dogs may desperately want to get closer and interact, but the lead prevents them from doing so.

That frustration can create some very big behaviour.

You might see:

• staring
• whining
• bouncing
• pulling
• barking
• lunging
• spinning around
• struggling to move away

It can look dramatic.

But it doesn’t automatically mean your dog is aggressive or frightened of other dogs.

For some dogs, the motivation is simply:

“I need to get over there and say hello.”

The difficulty is that every time the dog becomes highly excited about another dog, that behaviour gets more rehearsed.

Our job is to teach something different:

Seeing another dog does not automatically mean you get access to them.

Distance Is One of the Most Important Parts of Training

One of the biggest mistakes I see is people trying to practise too close to the other dog.

Distance is hugely important.

The closer your dog gets to something exciting, the harder it becomes for them to think clearly and respond to you.

If another dog is 30 metres away, your dog might be able to notice them and then look back at you.

At 15 metres, it might be harder.

At five metres, they may already be leaning into the lead, staring and completely unable to disengage.

That doesn’t mean your dog is choosing to ignore you.

The situation has simply become too difficult.

Creating distance is not avoiding the problem.

Distance creates the space your dog needs in order to learn.

If your dog cannot take food, cannot look away from the other dog or is already dragging you towards them, move further away.

Training should begin at a distance where your dog can actually cope.

“The World Is None of Your Business. I Am Your Business.”

This is something I often teach my clients.

I don’t mean that your dog should walk around ignoring everything in the environment.

I absolutely want dogs to sniff, explore and enjoy their walks.

But I also want them to learn:

“I’ve seen that dog. I don’t need to go over there. I can carry on with my person.”

Your dog is allowed to notice things.

The goal is not to prevent them from looking at another dog.

The goal is to help them learn what to do after they have noticed them.

And that is where a simple marker exercise can be really useful.

Try This When Your Dog Sees Another Dog

This is an exercise you can start practising on your walks.

The important thing is to start at a distance your dog can manage.

When your dog spots another dog:

1. Let them look.
2. As they notice the other dog, say “yes”.
3. Your marker tells them that food is on its way.
4. Scatter around three to five treats on the ground.
5. Let your dog sniff and search for them.
6. Then continue your walk or create a little more distance.

You are not waiting for your dog to become completely fixated before doing something.

You are catching the moment they have noticed the dog but are still able to think.

Over time, seeing another dog can start to predict:

“Something good happens with my person.”

Rather than:

“I need to drag them over there.”

Why Scatter the Food?

The food scatter gives your dog something else to do rather than continuing to stare at the other dog.

But it isn’t simply about distracting them with food.

Searching for food gets their nose involved and encourages a different pattern of behaviour.

Instead of:

See dog → stare → pull → get more excited

we can begin building:

See dog → hear marker → turn towards you → sniff and search → move on

That is much more useful.

Your dog is learning how to disengage rather than simply being physically prevented from reaching the other dog.

And the more often you practise this successfully, the easier that pattern can become.

Don’t Wait Until Your Dog Is Already Pulling

Timing makes a huge difference.

Owners often wait until their dog is already:

• staring intensely
• pulling
• whining
• bouncing
• lunging
• ignoring everything else

And then they try to get their attention back.

At that point, you are trying to work at the hardest possible moment.

Instead, start noticing the earlier signs.

Your dog sees another dog.

You see their ears change.

Their head turns.

Their body becomes a little more alert.

That is your opportunity.

Catch the moment before the excitement takes over.

The earlier you respond, the easier it is for your dog to make a different choice.

Stop Letting Every Dog Become a Greeting Opportunity

If your dog already pulls towards every dog, I would look carefully at how often they are getting to greet other dogs on lead.

If every dog becomes a potential social opportunity, it is very difficult for your dog to learn to walk calmly past them.

That doesn’t mean your dog can never greet another dog.

But greetings should not be automatic.

Most dogs you pass can simply be:

none of your business.

You see them.

You carry on.

This is particularly important with puppies.

Allowing a puppy to rush over and meet every dog can feel like good socialisation.

But socialisation is not about meeting as many dogs as possible.

It is also about learning to be around other dogs without needing to interact with them.

Being able to calmly pass another dog is a really valuable life skill.

Reward Your Dog Before They Get It Wrong

It is very easy to only interact with your dog once they start pulling.

But there are lots of little moments before that where we can reinforce the behaviour we actually want.

Reward your dog when they:

• look at another dog and then look back at you
• choose to stay close
• check in with you
• turn away from another dog
• continue walking
• sniff instead of staring
• respond to their name
• disengage from something exciting

Those moments might feel small.

But they are exactly the choices we want your dog to make more often.

The more we reward them, the more valuable those choices become.

What If My Dog Won’t Take Food Around Other Dogs?

This is useful information.

If your dog normally loves food but suddenly cannot eat when another dog appears, the situation may be too difficult.

You might be:

• too close
• moving towards the dog too quickly
• asking for too much
• working in an environment that is too busy

Don’t keep trying to push through it.

Increase the distance.

Cross the road.

Move behind a parked car.

Turn down a side street.

Give your dog the space they need.

The aim is not to prove that they can cope.

The aim is to put them in a situation where they can actually learn.

Don’t Tighten the Lead and March Straight Past

When we see another dog coming, it is very natural to shorten the lead, brace ourselves and try to get past as quickly as possible.

But that can sometimes make things harder.

The dog feels the lead tighten.

The other dog keeps getting closer.

Their excitement increases.

Then we end up trying to drag them past while they are pulling in the opposite direction.

If possible, give yourself more room.

Move away earlier.

Cross over.

Walk in an arc rather than heading directly towards the other dog.

You do not have to pass another dog at close range just because they are coming towards you.

Using the environment to make things easier is good training.

Does Pulling Towards Dogs Mean My Dog Is Reactive?

Not necessarily.

A friendly, overexcited dog or frustrated greeter can display barking, pulling and lunging because they want to get closer.

Other dogs may display similar behaviour because they are worried, frightened or trying to create distance.

Those motivations are very different, even though the behaviour can sometimes look similar.

This is why it is important to look at the whole dog rather than just deciding:

“My dog barks at dogs, therefore they are aggressive.”

Body language, distance, recovery time and what happens before and after the behaviour can all help us understand what is going on.

If your dog is showing significant barking, lunging, growling, fear or difficulty recovering after seeing another dog, then I would look at the behaviour more closely rather than treating it simply as overexcitement.

What Can You Do on Your Next Walk?

If your dog pulls towards every dog, start with these simple changes:

• create more distance from other dogs
• spot dogs before your dog becomes highly excited
• mark the moment your dog notices them
• scatter three to five treats
• reward your dog for checking back in
• reduce automatic on-lead greetings
• move away before fixation builds
• don’t force close passes
• practise in environments where your dog can succeed

You do not need to fix everything on one walk.

In fact, trying to do too much is often what makes training harder.

Choose quieter walks.

Give yourself space.

Practise repeatedly at a distance your dog can cope with.

Then gradually reduce that distance as your dog gets better at disengaging.

Calm Around Dogs Is a Skill

Some dogs are naturally very good at seeing another dog and simply carrying on.

Others need to learn how to do it.

And that is okay.

Calmness around other dogs isn’t about forcing your dog into a sit while another dog walks past inches away.

It is about teaching them that they can notice another dog, process that information and then move on.

That takes practice.

Especially if your dog has spent months or years believing that every dog they see is the most exciting thing that has ever happened.

Need Help With a Dog Who Pulls Towards Other Dogs?

If your dog is friendly but becomes overexcited around dogs, pulls towards them, struggles to focus or makes walks feel like hard work, this is exactly the sort of thing I help owners with through my 121 Dream Dog Programme.

We can work on:

• loose lead walking
• calmness around other dogs
• focus and engagement
• disengagement
• recall
• impulse control
• helping your dog make better choices around distractions

The aim isn’t to stop your dog enjoying other dogs.

It is to give you a dog who can see another dog without feeling they have to get over there immediately. where I can help you with my Dream Dog Programme

If your dog’s behaviour around other dogs is more intense and includes significant barking, lunging, fear or distress, my Reactive Dog Programme may be more appropriate.

Final Thoughts

If your dog pulls towards every dog on walks, try not to think of it simply as a lead-walking problem.

Look at what your dog is expecting.

Look at how close you are.

Look at whether they can still think and respond.

And start teaching them that seeing another dog does not automatically mean they need to go and meet them.

Your dog can notice the world.

They just don’t need to make everything in it their business.