People Your Dog Doesn't Want to Meet
Original post “All Dogs Love Me” People by Karen B. London, Ph.D. on The Bark
People who refuse to leave a shy or fearful dog alone because they swear that all dogs love them are a real nuisance. It’s frustrating that there are so many individuals out there who refuse to listen to guardians who stated clearly that they do not want anyone to approach or pet their dog. Discussions about how to handle this type of behavior from people are a regular part of my work.
I’m always eager for new ways to communicate useful strategies for managing the challenge of people who won’t listen. This 90-second video from 4Paws University called “Dogs Love Me: Protecting Your Dog From Well-Meaning Dog Lovers,” illustrates how to prevent people from coming up and petting your dog against your wishes.
How To Protect Your Dog From Well-Meaning Strangers
There are two approaches to protecting your dog from strangers.
One: Call your dog to come to turn her around so that her back end is facing the person and she is farther away.
Two: Offer your excuse about why the person shouldn’t approach. Excuses can be any true statement such as, “She’s in training,” or “She’s afraid of strangers” or even an untruth such as “She’s contagious.”
I’ve always been amazed at how mentioning emotions does not deter people. For example, “She’s afraid, and if you approach it will be more than she can handle.” But telling people about a physical issue makes them back off. “She fell while hiking and her back hurts too much to be touched.”
It’s not clear why people understand physical pain but not emotional pain, but an excuse that mentions the physical can sometimes do the trick. I know that not everyone is comfortable telling a lie under any circumstance, but I personally have no problem doing so to protect a dog.
Having people ignore instructions not to approach in the face of clear statements about the dog’s discomfort with strangers is a common experience for anyone with a shy or fearful dog. This video offers a way to protect your dog from that sort of human thoughtlessness. Do you think the strategy demonstrated is useful?