06/12/2026
The 3-Second Rule: Giving Your Dog the Gift of Space 🐾
I love living in dog-friendly Edinburgh, but when you’re out on a walk—especially with a reactive or shy rescue dog—unplanned dog-to-dog meetings can be stress inducing!
I want to share one of the most powerful tips from Turid Rugaas’s amazing book, On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals, 2nd Edition: The 3-Second Rule (often used alongside the 'curve' approach).
What is it? It's a method to help dogs feel less threatened and prevent conflict when approaching another dog or person. When your dog is intrested in another dog who is approaching or being approached:
🐾Stop or Pause: Take a brief 3-second break. This pause gives both dogs a chance to use calming signals—like yawning, lip-licking, or sniffing the ground—to show they have peaceful intentions.
🐾 Observe: Watch your dog and the other dog. Are they looking away? Are they tensing up? A 3-second pause gives you time to read these critical signals. These will let you know whether to continue the metting or move away.
🐾 Move On (in a Curve): After the pause if you continue, approach in a curve rather than directly head-on. The dogs will most likely do this naturally where you see them curve around to go and sniff each others backside! Direct approaches can be seen as confronting!
Why does this matter for my reactive or rescue dog? By pausing and encouraging a non-confrontational approach, you are actively helping them feel safe, building their confidence, and showing them that you understand their language. You become their "reactive wing woman"!
You also praise their calm behaviours, so it is clear they are making good choices.
Then after an initial sniff, gently guide your dog away to allow them a chance to process the interaction. Then see if they want to continue the interaction or move on.
Remember your dog should be calm and relaxed meeting another dog.
Give the 3-second rule a try on your next walk!
