No you can’t pat the dog (no, it’s nothing personal)

⭐️ When someone says you can’t pat their dog, it’s about the dogs well-being - not a personal attack on you. ⭐️

Socialising my young pup Halo has reminded me how tough it is to be in public with a dog in this day and age. Somehow with each dog I’ve had over the years, this seems to be an issue that is getting worse.

In the course of a week we’ve navigated people letting their overly excited dogs rush up to us in a carpark, kids sneaking up behind tables to pat the sleeping puppy, people insisting that their dog is friendly and should come say hi, and people who when told no, please ignore the puppy protested before rushing off with a sour look on their face as if it’s been a great personal offence to them. It’s a lot. 🤦🏻‍♀️

If you truly love dogs, you’ll care about their future and their well-being beyond just your immediate wants. They’re not there for your enjoyment.

📚 Behaviourally speaking, if every time a dog or puppy goes in public they say hi to every dog and person they meet, one of two things tends to happen. 📚

🤪 At best, in a bold puppy they tend to get more and more excited each time they see someone until they become frustrated when they have to walk past and cannot go say hi. We’ve all seen those dogs lunging and barking to go say hi because they’re so excited they just can’t control themselves.

😟 Then in a less social puppy, they tend to get more and more worried each time they see someone. Are they going to come invade my space? Shit I better make them back off because my handler isn’t advocating for our space - cue the growling, barking and hackles up until eventually people get the memo.

🙂 My goal with a dog is for them to be neutral with other dogs and people. Their focus should be on us as a team, and they should be able to focus and tune out the environment, relax when asked and generally just be a good stable dog. Part of this is practicing from a young age, training and engaging with me and ignoring most dogs and people we come across. Like hey pup, that’s not for you - come do cool shit with me and chill. And hey thanks for asking, but can you please ignore my puppy - we’re training.

❗️ Because it’s not about you personally and how many dogs you’ve owned.❗️

👎🏻 It’s not about whether you’ve watched the Mark Vette show and now know all about what puppies need.

👎🏻 And it’s not about whether your child really wants to have a cuddle and just can’t help themselves.

👎🏻 And it’s not about how cute the puppy is right now.

✅ It’s about the adult dog we are growing. If we want well adjusted, stable dogs in public we all need to play our parts. Ask before approaching/interacting with a dog or puppy, and respect whatever answer you’re given including the owner advocating for their dogs space.