By Danielle Basciano, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA, ACDBC
Certified Professional Dog Trainer & Behavior Consultant
President, PAWS of CNY
Growing up we are taught that if something makes us uncomfortable, we have the right to say no. Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt uneasy or even threatened by someone invading your personal space? Likely your first instinct would be to increase distance by backing up. Maintaining personal space is so much the social norm that if a stranger were to run up to you at a park and throw his/her arms around you it wouldn’t be considered unusual if you were to scream out in alarm. More so if that stranger was much larger than you. Taking it up a notch, I can think of countless people who carry instruments of protection for events like these. Violence, to a degree, is considered acceptable by society in the face of a true threat.
So why is it, that when we are out in public with our dogs, we expect them to tolerate the very thing we have been taught to fight against? Not only do we expect our dogs to endure touching and hugging from strangers but we are utterly aghast if the dog tries to pull away or worse yet, growls and/or snaps.
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