Body language is so important when dogs are interacting and figuring each other out, including during play. If you don’t know how to read your dog, you may miss key signals of when play is about to become something more, something more dangerous.
Regional’s adoptable beagle mix Reese came over for a photo shoot and afterward I decided to let him meet Tango. Dogs should never meet face to face and on leash isn’t ideal but it’s safest. If it was lighter out, we would have done this outside to remove a layer of possible tension but these guys did pretty good in the living room. The boys did a good amount of polite sniffing prior to this video.
Tango wasn’t quite feeling it when Reese moved up toward his face and he deflected into a play bow and thankfully Reese reciprocated. The body language on both dogs is a little stiff and they were too quiet but overall, this wasn’t bad for a first meet and ultimately, if Reese was staying, I’d trust these 2 to play together.
Proper play should be curvy and loud. Both dogs should be able to play bow each other and ideally not jump up at the same time. Dogs partaking in good play should also be able to separate on their own before things get out of hand.
If you know anyone interested in adopting little Reese, send them my way
Lady & The Leash K9 Training 