How should we introduce them?

[mckenzie]

We have a 5 year old well socialised, happy and healthy little fella who has been neutered.

A family in the cul de sac (we are on the road at the top of the cul de sac) have a small female dog.

When they leave their own house, their dog apparently drags them at full force until it’s up level with our enclosed garden fence by which time our dog has usually asked to go out into the garden and they bark/yap at each other through the fence for s few seconds.
Apparently once they’ve got past the fence, their dog calms down and does nice lead walking.

I’d like to introduce the dogs and for them to be friends so that it might be happy, excitable barking and friendly hellos rather than tone that we get now.

My limited dog knowledge would suggest that it needs to be in a neutral park area where neither dog has the upper hand.
Or is it too late for that?
This has been going on for about a year but luckily it’s not daily as I think their dog gets walked at different times of the day.

TIA

bump for the evening crowd

I would parallel walk them on lead with a large space between the dogs. You want them walking sniffing etc without any interaction between them. If you get the odd glance etc I would move them further apart if they are pulling on the lead to get to each other have a even bigger gap.

Each "lap" you can get a bit nearer but do make sure there is no major reaction from either dog. You want them to find each other boring and calm.

However even doing this you may find they revert to the same behaviour of barking etc when back at home as it is the boundary and frustration that is causing the issues not the relationship between the dogs.

They family need to work initially with distraction techniques when passing your house. Do keep your dog in if you see the dog approaching this will also begin to make your house a non event and will help your neighbours dog

Thank you Jouska
I will suggest that to the family.

Because we are on the corner and our garden is securely fenced in we can not see anything on the pavement. So it’s difficult to keep our dog in as they pass by as we don’t know that they are out there.

If I’m aware that our dog is reacting, I always call him in.

They could walk on the opposite pavement I guess. I wonder if that would help.

It might be less territorial if the dogs met off the lead in a nearby park, let them interact then walk on the lead together for a bit, stop on the pavement for a chat and wait for both dogs to lay down on their own and wait for you then walk back to own road together.
Sometimes being on the lead can make a dog more highly strung, more alert, more everything you don’t want when you are looking for a natural first introduction unless they are both well trained or of a placid temperament.
See how it goes.
Then gradually try and visit each other’s houses for a short while on return from the walk so that the dogs enter one house together.
Even if they get on, the barking might still continue for a while.
It’s very considerate of you to try and get the dogs to become friends.

I'd rather do off lead Branster and then any nervousness that I might have won't travel down the lead to my dog.
I'm going to contact them this weekend; they might of course tell me to bog off

I made contact with the family yesterday and the meet up is happening on Tuesday.

Fingers crossed.