Here I give you the answer to this question as well as the attitude to adopt when your dog reacts like this.
Why does my dog lie down when he sees another dog?
The action of lying down in the presence of another dog is a calming signal. Having the belly on the ground is indeed a soothing act for the dog. In fact, if your dog lies down when he sees another dog, it may mean that he doesn't want problems and has peaceful intentions.
We often notice this behavior in dogs that play together. As soon as one of them has had enough or considers that the situation can quickly degenerate, he goes to bed to signify that he wants peace! That's the "theory" Lying down is a calming signal: OK!
On the other hand, in practice, it sometimes happens that a dog lies down at the sight of another dog and ends up jumping on him when he is at his level. It can be to play (in many cases) or to attack him (in the worst case).
Then, lying down can also be an innate reflex. Indeed, sheepdogs and hunting dogs, for example, will more easily have the reflex to lie down at the sight of another animal or what they consider to be prey in order to better identify it.
So, to the question why does my dog lie down when he sees another dog, we can distinguish several answers:
- he wants to send his interlocutor a pacifist message,
- he wants to camouflage himself to better surprise his potential playmate,
- he has a reflex linked to his instinct (grouping instinct, predation instinct),
- he wishes to surprise his “prey”.
Finally, your dog can lie down at the sight of another dog because you have simply taught him to do so. Indeed, for some "reactive" and excited dogs, asking them to lie down can help them regain a stable emotional state, while for others movement and diversion will be more effective aids.
What to do when a dog lies down in front of another dog?
On a personal note, I have an entire male who sometimes has difficulty communicating respectfully with other dogs of the same sex and who are not neutered. Thus, I taught him to lie down systematically at the sight of another dog so that, even when he is free, I can have time to call him back and/or reattach him (while waiting to ask the master opposite some information to know if the meeting is possible or not).
So in my case (and maybe in yours as well) my dog lying down in full view of another dog is a very good thing, I absolutely do not consider this behavior to be being a problem, on the contrary, it is a solution!
Then, as mentioned above, lying down is a means of communication for the dog. In fact, wanting to delete it is a way of “bridging” your dog and preventing it from transmitting the right messages to its fellow dogs. This can also lead to conflicts if we don't let our dogs communicate with each other.
On the other hand, if you observe that this behavior systematically causes problems (which normally should not happen if the dogs are all well coded), there are solutions to work around them:
- teach your dog the notion of renunciation using the indication “you leave”,
- refocus your dog on you by offering him an activity he loves,
- Distract your dog with a treat or toy he loves.
Then, if your dog remains completely frozen, you can also leave him in this position while waiting for the other dog to pass, but placing yourself between the two congeners to prevent him from jumping on him at the last moment.By placing yourself in this way, you maintain easier control over your dog and you let him know that you are there to handle the situation.
Finally, the best solution being prevention, socializing your puppy will often prevent you from being confronted with problems of this order during congener encounters. Indeed, if your dog is used to regularly meeting other dogs, he will consider these moments as "non-events" and will therefore not have particularly difficult reactions to manage at the sight of a fellow dog.