Boundaries Matter

I have always been an advocate for Good Dog Manners in shared public spaces and I believe that we can be a big help to rescue dogs by making sure that our own dogs are under control. 

I have spent over 40 years walking my own dogs on city sidewalks, paths in Regional Forests, in neighbourhood parks and many other areas.  I have encountered hikers, bikers, kids on skateboards, horseback riders, teams of sled dogs , other dogs both on and off leash, as well as elderly people, people in wheelchairs, kids playing soccer, moms with baby strollers etc. 

The most constant annoyance that I have encountered over the years is people allowing their dogs to make decisions that should be made by the owners. 

The decision I am talking about is dogs that choose to run up to me if they are off leash, or if they are on leash make the decision to pull their owners to me. 

Whether to allow their dog to interact with me is a decision that the owner should make, preferably after asking if I agree to the interaction!

Like children, a dog with good manners should respect Boundaries of other people & dogs.  We do not allow our children to pull us up to elderly strangers and block their way, or to run up to other children and jump on them and knock them over.  Parents teach their children how to interact with fellow citizens in a safe & respectful manner.   We need to teach our dogs this lesson.  

Many people very kindly adopt rescue dogs, or perhaps have other dogs that have issues while out in public.  While we cannot know what those issues are we can certainly make them feel safer and more secure if we control our dogs when in the vicinity of these dogs.

Training my dog to have Good Dog Manners may take time and will definitely take consistency.  However my dog will be safer by being under control, paying attention to me and waiting for me to give them permission to see other people/dogs.  

This puts ME, the owner,  in control of making decisions - not the dog!