Sitting during dog greeting

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

Does anyone know what it means when a dog sits down during a dog greeting? Noah is friendly towards other dogs but every time another dog starts sniffing him, he sits down. This happens every time, both on leash and off leash and it doesn't matter the size of the dog.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Maybe it's CYA. I leave the translation to you.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

ABCED F. After wasting time trying to figure out your Acronym ---WTD? Translation Please

[F, Calla & Luca]

Cover your A...

[F, Calla & Luca]

What else to do on a rainy day - ha.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

OH Duh ME! m Thank you for explaining the obvious.
Maybe Noah is afraid of matches?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Don't tell me he reads posts too.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

J-Thank you for asking that- I thought it was just me! I tried to figure that one out also - racked my brain and that is tough these days!LOL
F-thanks for clearing that up!!!!!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I actually saw this on an old Dog Whisperer segment...so take it for what it's worth. Smelling of the anal glands is a traditional part of the dog greeting, and it happens after the two dogs have "sized each other up" and don't feel there is any danger. If a dog sits down or turns away, they are telling the other dog they are not comfortable. Some dogs are a little more cautious or timid and are still assessing the situation. I think he said that you can tell if that is the case by the position of the ears...if they are not comfortable that the new dog is no threat their ears will be back. Once he knows the other dog and they are playing together is he okay with the sniffing? He really wouldn't like Guinness...he's a big time sniffer, and I have seen other dogs sit down when he first arrives at Daycare and takes off with a goal of sniffing every dog there.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

It could be just that...he's being cautious. If you decide to try Daycare I think you'll need to be sure there's really good monitoring and control. You want him to have fun and get more comfortable with meeting new "friends", but you don't want him to be overwhelmed. We got Guinness at 10 weeks, so he had some extra time with his the other dogs (Mom and litter mates). They roughhoused a lot judging by the videos the breeder sent me, and that could be why he's so totally outgoing with other dogs. Clearly not all dogs are like that, and judging by what I've seen at Daycare some of them put him right in his place when they don't want to play. He seems to understand when he's pushed a dog too far, and then he moves on to the next "victim". In the right situation, I think Daycare could be really fun for Noah.

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

Now I feel stupid....what is WTD?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Invented by Joanne, it is "What the doodle"? Used to express bewilderment, exasperation, etc. I love it--it always makes me chuckle.

[Azure & Muppet]

My brother's dog does this. Whenever greeting other dogs, she doesn't like them sniffing her butt, so she sits down to prevent them from sniffing her. She'll also do other things to try to stop them from being able to do it, like lowering her tail to cover her bum or moving her back-end away if they try to sniff her in that area. If a dog does this, I think it clearly means they are not comfortable, but I'm not sure why. This dog was not well socialized and has a difficult time meeting new dogs, but I don't think that applies to Noah. The explanation offered by Jane makes sense.