Staring with hard eye contact: Direct eye contact can also be intimidating.Turn sideways and crouch or kneel on the floor so your height and stance don't seem a challenge. Instead of leaning over the top of the puppy, give the dog space to approach you. They simply fight back what they think of as a challenge. Strange dogs that don’t know you may become aggressive or defensive when you lean over them. They may use appeasement gestures such as submissive wetting to show they’re no threat. But “looming” over the top of a dog is intimidating because, in dog talk, this means “I’m the boss, I’m in control.” That can be upsetting or even frightening to pups that already accept your status as the boss.
Leaning over your puppy: Humans are taller than pups, and it’s natural to lean down to talk or pet them.
