Calming Signals Article .... a must read!!

This article found on Turid Rugaas' website has opened my eyes to how Thorne meets dogs and handles his fear in his own (submission and calming signals) language on walks. 

Very interesting find and I just might have to purchase this book by Turid Rugaas  :) Her website also has a fantastic Q & A page!

Here is an excerpt from the article (the entire article is on the website which is linked above) :

Never force dogs into meeting others Allow the dogs to use their language in meeting situations so that they feel safe. Sometimes they will walk up to each other and get along, other times they feel that it´s safer to stay at a distance - after all, they have already read each other´s signals, they do so even at a several hundred meters distance - there´s no need to meet face to face. In Canada, dog trainers who attended my lecture, came up with a new name of these calming signals: ´The Language of Peace". That´s exactly what it is. It´s a language which is there to make sure that dogs have a way to avoid and solve conflicts and live together in a peaceful manner. And the dogs are experts at it. Start observing and you will see for yourself. Most likely, you will get a much better relationship with your dog and other dogs, too, once you are beginning to realize what the dog is really telling you. It´s likely that you will understand things you earlier were unable to figure out. It is incredibly exciting, as well as educational. Welcome to the world of the dog, and to knowledge of a whole new language!