26/09/2026
Looks good? It is truly about adding more richness to their lives not replacing you. Our dogs owners I guarantee do more and walk more than 99% of people with their dogs. Their dogs live the best lives and we are a big part of that. But do you know what you don’t see? The transformation in the dog..I’ve 100s of case studies behind me. See Jerry here? (amazing dog!) he was a reactive dog, through a collaborative approach we have not had a single reaction in literal years, he’s not reactive at all anymore. ( so much so I trust him with my own dogs, of course) Not only this he now enjoys proper social time out with others, he’s calm and he’s confident and deeply fulfilled. The drive in this gorgeous boy to please, his intelligence and his character, as well as the hard work is owners and us have put in but most importantly HIM makes us so super proud of him.
And NO socialisation isn’t about throwing dogs in a field together or on a walk and calling that socialisation. It’s about calm co existence and social intelligence built into each dog. Some want to play with each other. Some don’t, it’s about teaching the dogs social intelligence to know when a dog doesn’t want to play, when to give them space and all of the dogs with us know how to engage, when to engage and when to give space depending on the dog in front of them.
Honest question, can your dog walk past another dog without having to say hello? Because they don’t need to say hello to every dog and aren’t entitled to. It’s humans who think that. In the dog world known as Anthropomorphism (applying human thinking to non-human animals)
My own dogs, I choose when for them to engage but 99% I walk straight past with Brisa for example, she ignores.. it’s just another dog. Whilst the owner gives me ‘the look’ with their dog pent up pulling to say hello. And we wonder why reactions happen?
In parts of Europe such as Spain, dogs co exist better partly because they are private with their person and they choose their engagement carefully and not always. A dog that isn’t arsed by other dogs, socially neutral, socially ignorant, is way easier to live with than one who ‘just wants to say hello’ or Has to say hello to every dog entitled by the humans thinking.
You can and should choose to say hello, but in the right scenarios, to the right dogs and reduce the risk of reactivity towards your dog or from you dog. One attack can make your dog reactive that’s all it takes to be part of the cycle. But two dogs on lead on a tight path with no space that’s never met, is not that time for example. It’s not natural either.
