'No' is a complete sentence

Have you ever been in the situation where somebody asks if they can say hello to your puppy AS they simultaneously reach for your puppy? Basically assuming that the answer is going to be yes...

For some dogs, that's going to be fine. Peak was definitely one of those puppies. Others, like Fish, not so much; he likes to take his time and decide whether he wants to greet someone. He's the same with dogs - he does NOT want to be rushed!

Let's consider the notion being widely discussed at the moment that unless consent is explicitly given, then the answer is 'no'. And 'No' is a complete sentence. This seems perfectly reasonable, and yet some seem unable to transfer this concept to animals. Maybe it comes back to the fact that we've domesticated some animals, and thus feel that they should accept our affection? Who knows 🤷‍♀️ The point is that all too often people don't consider asking for consent from a guardian, let alone from the dog.

What's worse is that people get offended when the answer is 'no' or even 'not right now'. I don't generally allow on lead greetings between my dogs and others, and the looks I get from people when I explain this... Well... 🙄

Being on the lead removes the 'flight' option, meaning you increase the chances of them resorting to 'fight' as a stress response. That's not a situation I want my dogs to be in.

I don't go into detail with my response; a simple, polite 'not today, they prefer their own space' or 'sorry, but I'm trying to teach them to ignore other dogs right now' is sufficient. Occasionally I've got into lengthier discussions with people that want to learn more - this is often a great opportunity for all dogs involved to hang around close to their guardian without interacting with other dogs 😉

Peak's usual default stress response is to 'fawn' - he's a real clown, and can defuse tense situations with his silliness 💕 Fish varies between 'flight' (run away, run away!) and 'freeze' (hide behind my legs). It's important to know this about your dog, so that you can understand why they're doing what they're doing, but that's a topic for another day.

So here's a radical idea - don't give dogs space just because they're wearing a lead or coat that asks you to. Do it because it's the right thing to do in probably the majority of cases! Sure, where you're in an area with multiple off lead dogs then I think it's safe to assume that their guardians expect them to be approached from time to time. Otherwise, assume that the answer is 'No' until you learn different.