It’s ok... He’s friendly!

On a daily basis I work with reactive and anxious dogs... dog’s that can’t cope either in close proximity to other dogs or just at the sight of over dogs. Most of these owners work hard on a daily basis to help their dogs, to help set up their walks so that they aren’t put in situations they can’t cope with and invest a lot of time (and money) to help their dogs feel more comfortable around other dogs.

When we work with dogs who are reactive around other dogs what we need is space, lots and lots of space.  

So if you have a dog who isn’t reactive, and who does enjoy the company of other dogs please, please, PLEASE help these owners and keep your dogs under control (preferably on a lead) around them. 

And how do you know if another dog needs the space or not? Well there is a really simple rule that you can employ... if the other dog is on the lead just pop yours back on the lead.

You don’t know why the other dog is on the lead? Is it because the owner is in a rush... is it that they are ill or in pain? Do they have no recall? Or do they need space? You don’t know until you speak to their owner, and to speak to the owner you need to be pretty close to them... 

Additionally if the other dog has to be on the lead for a long period of time, having dogs run up to them on a regular basis this will lead to a build up in frustration from that dog which in turn can lead to more problematic behaviours in the future. 

I promise, the owners of reactive dogs will thank you!