I wish I could take credit for this but it was an observation made by the brilliant writer Malcom Gladwell. It’s a theory about the importance of symmetry / balance that a dog reacts to. Based in large part on the technique of dancer and choreographer José Limón, the placement of a dog’s eyes negate a straight forward focus as a human being experiences. They see a center, but the center is the split between (if you will) two screens … one to the left of center and one to the right. A cohesive panoramic view is not possible.
That’s a nutshell of what the dog sees. Now how does this impact their environment? According to the well known dog trainer Cesar Millan, symmetry is crucial to establish and develop the dog’s attention and focus. If you approach a dog in a completely symmetrical walk that does not deviate from your center (sternum) and does not follow a curved path, the dog will establish focus easily and be perfectly calm as a result. If someone or something approaches a dog in a flailing motion, it’ll render them completely out of control. They have to move their head to see everything and it makes them spastic. Think about when you visit a friend’s house who has a dog. The greeting you get is usually energized. That’s because you’ve completely destroyed their center. They resort to back and forth, circling, spasms and generally out of control behavior which can either be euphoric or destructive depending on … what the dog sees. If you respond with uncertainty and try to calm the dog (usually by trying to pet and greet it) you’re doing the wrong thing. A hand coming at them is not going to calm them as your hand is traveling to the left and right of their dead spot. Their center.
So don’t do that. I have two Wheaten Terriers and there’s a behavioral pattern of their breed called the “Wheaten Greet’n” which is unavoidable. So what can you do to control the situation? Walk directly through them with no acknowledgment and no energy for them to grab onto. It will calm them down in a few seconds. Anytime someone comes to our house, I tell them walk straight to the kitchen and do not acknowledge them at all. Well the tendency of a human is to gush and greet the dog as to not appear rude. I guess that’s good manners. But beware: your kind gesture can potentially be met with hysteria.
If you come to my house, please ignore them and block them out until later into your visit. I usually restrict them from access to the front door so the encounter never happens. But man, you should see my two dogs lose their sh*t when the mailman comes. He has a sack hanging off center. He walks with compensation for the difference of weight to the left or right.
You thought dogs innately hate mailmen? As a former newspaper delivery boy with a rickety bicycle, believe me it ain’t just mailmen.