We have guests for a week and they brought their sweet dog.  We also have a sweet dog.  However, our dog has had some negative experiences with aggressive canines – especially when she was a puppy, and consequently, she looks at every canis doggus as a potential threat.  Which means that she approaches with a kill-before-being-killed attitude.

If you introduce her right away, there's lots of snarling, growling, biting and yelping.  

However, if you make her wait until she calms down … as in she's so bored she falls asleep (and the other dog too) – they are in each other's presence, but on leashes and cannot touch – then, if introduced in that calm state, she is friendly, inquisitive and playful.

We are like this too.

When we try to engage while agitated, the outcome is usually poor.  People become aggressive and self-protective.  If we wait until we are calm or better still, if we know how to self-soothe and create calm within ourselves, then the outcome is often very positive.  Generally, people become more others-centered, giving, thoughtful, flexible, creative, and generous.  It's worth the wait.

I'm thinking this is going to be a great four days for the dogs.