#182 Your Dog's Freedom Ends Where Another's Personal Space Begins

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A viral Target confrontation between a woman and a man with his dog highlights a crucial lesson for all dog owners: your pet should never greet strangers without express permission. Proper leash control in public spaces is both a matter of respect and safety, preventing potential negative encounters that could harm your dog or lead to fewer dog-friendly establishments.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
So you might have seen that video going around on
social media.
A woman is shopping in Target.
A man comes in with his dogeven though dogs aren't allowed
in Target, but that's a separateissue and he lets the dog get
close enough to sniff the ladyand she freaks out.
And then they end up in thisshouting match in the middle of

(00:24):
Target.
Eventually she gets sofrustrated she throws an empty
box at the dog.
It's a whole thing.
Now the dog shouldn't have beenthere in the first place, but
that's a whole separate podcast,and I'm not crazy about her
throwing a box at the dog, butalso the man kept his dog right
there in the danger zone insteadof just walking away once he

(00:48):
figured out that she was upset.
But let's focus on somethingbigger.
Even in spaces that aredog-friendly, your dog should
not be greeting strangerswithout permission.
And let me give you a real-lifeexample.
I recently stayed at adog-friendly hotel.
I love dogs, I train them for aliving.

(01:11):
But several times when I washeading to or from the parking
lot, other guests were in thehallway with their dogs and
instead of keeping those dogsclose, they gave them enough
leash so they could wander overto my side of the hallway and
sniff up my leg.
No leash control.

(01:31):
All they did was a smile and ashrug like, oops, you know what
can I do?
I'll tell you what you can do.
Shorten the leash and keep yourdog out of people's space.
And here's why it matters.
Not everyone likes dogs.
Some people are afraid of dogs,allergic, or they just don't

(01:55):
want a surprise sniff in theknee.
And even people who do likedogs hello me don't always want
strange dogs up in theirpersonal space.
And when you let your doginvade someone else's personal
space, you're putting your dogat risk.
What if that person reactspoorly?

(02:16):
What if they panic and kickyour dog?
What if they are so afraid ofdogs that they yell?
Your dog might then panic,thinking people are bad because
of dogs that they yell.
Your dog might then panic,thinking people are bad because
they yell when they get near, orpeople around you might start

(02:37):
to think that your dog bit theperson.
Just remember, when you are in apublic space, it is your job to
control your dog and keep himout of other people's space.
In public indoor spaces ortight outdoor areas like trails
or sidewalks, keep your leash atabout two to three foot.
That gives your dog freedom towalk and sniff the air, but not

(02:59):
enough leash to wander intosomeone else's bubble.
Leash to wander into someoneelse's bubble.
Navigate around people, notbeside them.
Maybe have your dog sit-stay onthe side of the trail or the
shopping aisle until people pass.
If someone wants to say hi toyour dog, they'll ask you, but

(03:22):
until then assume they don'twant to meet your dog.
They don't want to get nearyour dog and you need to
advocate for your dog by keepingthem close and out of other
people's space.
Remember, just because your dogis allowed somewhere doesn't
mean they're allowed everywhere,including in someone else's
personal space.
Respect the leash, respectother people and don't be the

(03:47):
reason that businesses start tosecond guess allowing us to
bring dogs to begin with.