02/09/2026
As a owner of reactive dogs I really don't want to hear this phrase!
People know this. But it doesn't "apply".
Not to their dog.
I'm more and more convinced this is an "I don't care" problem, rather than a lack of knowledge
Because surely, by now, people know.
There's information everywhere about dogs rushing up to other dogs.
About recall.
Giving dog's space
About what can happen when one dog simply won’t leave another alone.
So maybe lack of information isn’t always the problem.
They know that allowing their dog to charge up to a dog on lead isn’t fair.
They know that repeatedly calling a dog who is completely ignoring them, while reassuring everyone around that “they’re friendly!”, isn’t fair.
They know that when another dog is trying to move away and theirs keeps following, chasing or pushing back into their space, the interaction isn’t friendly.
Maybe I've become more hardened in my view on this.
Because I'm really over it.
So why does it keep happening?
Maybe that’s the question we should be asking.
Is it just complacency?
Is it because calling their dog away would interrupt what their dog is enjoying?
Maybe because nothing bad has happened before, so they assume nothing ever will?
Is it because dealing with it in the moment feels inconvenient?
Or is there still a good old dose of:
“My dog is fine. It’s your dog that has the problem.”
I’m becoming less and less convinced this is a knowledge gap.
What do you think is really behind the “they’re friendly” problem?
