05/17/2025
Today in puppy class we were working on our polite greetings and here was an important note to keep in mind:
If you give your puppy the okay to go say hi to someone, and they don't want to, the person isn't allowed to come pet them anyway. The puppy should go to the person, not the person coming to the puppy. (Say that in your head. "The puppy goes to the person) If you say "Go say hi!" and they stay glued to your leg, no hands should be put on the dog. We want your puppy to know that if they politely say no, we listen. Ignoring those polite "no's", especially with a pup that might be worried, could result in them feeling they need to use behaviour like growling, snarling, snapping, and biting to more clearly get their point across. You want your puppy to know that you've got their back, and you will take control of those situations.
You don't work for a petting zoo. You don't have to let people touch your dog if you (and your dog) don't want them to.