BE YOUR DOG'S ADVOCATE!

The parents should have taught their children to always ask before they pet a stranger's dog. The Lab should have been confined to his yard instead of being allowed to run up on the walker and their dog.

In a perfect world, these things wouldn't happen but they do and we have to be prepared to handle them and advocate for our dogs.

Example A
You take your retriever puppy out for his first REAL field trip. You are so proud of this tiny, adorable, furball and you can't wait to show him off!
As you walk him into Tractor Supply, a family with three small children spots him and they rush up to you and your puppy. You put your hand out and say "woah, woah, this is a baby dog and everything is very overwhelming for him still. If one at a time, you would like to back up just a
little and crouch down on the ground, you can see if he would like to come up to you to say hello." You can instruct them how to gently stroke the puppy under the chin and the importance of letting the puppy come to them on his terms.

It is also completely ok to say that it is not visiting time for the puppy right now. You can say that he is very tired, or "in training." You are not required to let every person pet your puppy or dog, just because they want to. In fact, when I am out and about training a puppy, I usually do
not allow a lot of greetings. I am selective and want to nurture the right kind of interactions. All greetings are not created equal.

Example B
You are walking your collie mix down a street in your neighborhood for your daily walk and all of a sudden, you see the neighbor's lab run out of his yard in your direction. You are pretty sure that he's friendly, but regardless you pull your dog behind you, step forward towards the dog and tell them forcefully to "GO HOME" The dog stops, looking at you curiously and you take one more authoritative step in their direction, telling him again to "GO HOME." The probability that he knows that command is slim but its more your posture, and authoritative energy that will make the difference. 

Is there a chance that the dog will continue his advance? Of course. It is also ok to walk with something such as HALT spray, in the event that a dog does reach you and you have to deal with it. But sometimes, just getting your dog behind you and putting on a good act is enough. The point is, don't hang your dog out to dry and let them get assaulted without even trying to have their back.

We need to be leaders for our dogs. We need to be protectors for our dogs. 

Remember that in a pack, very few of the dogs are natural born leaders. Most are followers and do best playing that role.