The spectrum of dog sociability

[Natalie]

Monty was definitely full on green until around 3 or even 4 years old. There has now been a perceptible swing towards yellow, with him now ignoring more dogs who are off in the distance, being generally more calm around those he meets, and his interest in them now only lasts a matter of seconds, he has no desire to linger and play most of the time. But the initial interest is still very strong, to the point he just lies down like a lead weight if he sees a dog approaching.

There are exceptions, these tend to be labs, spaniels and other younger playful dogs who are up for a hoolie, that's fine. He's not fantastic, but is much better, at reading other dogs' body language. For his first two years he was a complete liability, he didn't seem to pick up on any warning signals. Although only just before Christmas I had to remove him from young lab Lola who insisted on keep humping him, no way was I having her chunky (34 kilo, clearly overweight) libido bearing down on monty's poor hips. He didn't know how to escape.

I wonder if Labs by definition tend to stay longer in the green area of the chart, just because they are often so sociable and gregarious.

 

[Granca]

Tuppence is largely yellow. She's good with other dogs, on lead or off, but tends to ignore them when off her lead on walks, preferring to continue sniffing around. In the garden, though, she will often instigate play with other dogs.

Wispa is a strange mixture! She’s largely yellow and plays well with other dogs in the garden. However, she can be reactive when out, particularly when she’s on her lead, so then is orange/red. She’s generally better off lead and even walked away yesterday when a jogger with a dog came running towards us in the woods when the dogs were a little way ahead. The dog stopped and sniffed at Wispa for a bit, then growled... and Wispa walked on when I shouted ‘walk on’. Phew!

 

[Aitch]

Amber and Poppy are in the green section all the way although Poppy is much more polite than Amber. Alex is in the green but wavers with some dogs. Bear was very reactive when he was younger but doesn't fall into any category now. He is too old and just likes his quiet, gentle walks.

 

[Naya]

Harley is mainly yellow with bits of orange. If I pop her on lead she is less reactive with new dogs. There are some breeds she doesn’t like the look of and will be reactive in terms of growling, barking and chasing them away if they get in her face.

 

[JES72]

Homer is mostly yellow but a bit of orange. He is selective about who he gets on with. Physical scuffs don’t break out but he’ll give a clear warning growl asserting himself before moving off.

 

[Plum's mum]

Plum is yellow but with a hint of green when on her lead for any length of time.