#204 Your Friendly Dog Might Be Someone's Worst Nightmare

Send us a message - we can't reply but we are listening

The joyful sight of a dog that brightens your day might trigger genuine fear in someone else. This fundamental disconnect creates challenges in public spaces that deserve our attention and empathy.

Support the show

🎙️ Have a topic you'd like us to cover?
Submit your suggestion at fiveminutedog.com using the contact form.

📚 Join our online training platform:
Dog training courses from Personable Pets

👩‍💻 Need one-on-one help?
Book a virtual session with a Family Dog expert: personablepets.com/virtual-sessions

📱Follow us for daily tips and updates:
TikTok | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Have you ever been excited to see a dog in public,
only to realize that noteveryone shares that excitement?
For some people, dogs are not asource of joy.
They're a source of fear.
So today I want to talk aboutwhy some people are genuinely

(00:23):
afraid of dogs and why thosefears are valid, and what that
means to us as responsible dogowners when we're out in public.
So I recently read about acollege student whose professor
wanted to bring his dog to classand she liked the idea, except

(00:46):
if the dog looked like the onethat had attacked her in the
past, and that detail matters.
She wasn't against dogs ingeneral, but past trauma had
tied her fear to a certain typeof dog, and that's not uncommon.
A single bad experience, whetherit's a bite or being knocked

(01:10):
down or even just a scaryencounter, can leave someone
with lasting anxiety, andsometimes that anxiety gets tied
to a breed or a size or coloror even just the way the dog
moves.
Past experiences stick.
One frightening moment with adog can feel just as vivid years

(01:35):
later as the day it happened,and phobias are real.
For some people, fear of dogsgoes beyond nervousness and into
a true phobia complete withpanic symptoms.
Not everyone grew up with dogsand if you didn't have a
positive experience as a child,dogs may feel unpredictable or

(02:01):
unsafe and we also tend to makeassumptions.
Dog lovers often think whowouldn't want to pet my dog?
But that assumption ignores thelived experience of others.
So here's what we can do as dogowners.
Keep your dog leashed and atyour side when you're in public.

(02:23):
Keep your dog leashed and atyour side when you're in public.
Even the friendliest dog shouldnot be allowed to walk up to
strangers on their own and neverlet your dog invade someone
else's space unless that personclearly invites it.
The default should always be nocontact unless invited, and if

(02:46):
someone looks uncomfortable,maybe they step aside or cross
the street or avoid eye contact.
Give them even more room that'srespect, not rejection and

(03:09):
practice calm walking skills soyour dog can pass by people
without pulling or lunging ortrying to greet.
Neutral, polite behavior is thegoal.
And think about joggers andbikes and strollers.
These people are often movingquickly and a sudden approach
from a dog can feel threatening,even dangerous.
So step aside, shorten yourleash, create space so they can

(03:33):
pass without worry, and modelgood etiquette yourself.
Show others that responsibledog owners prioritize both the
dog's needs and the comfort ofthe people around them.