10/17/2026
When a dog doesn’t know who to trust, they’ll often do whatever has worked for them in the past. Even if that means barking, lunging, or snapping.
Meet Charlotte, a 10-pound Shih Tzu, Poodle, and Chihuahua mix who came from the START II shelter in Englewood, New Jersey, and is now being fostered by Victoria and her mom. ❤️
Charlotte has learned that making herself look and sound intimidating can help keep unfamiliar people away.
And here’s something we often overlook with small dogs: when we pick them up during uncomfortable situations, we may unintentionally take away their ability to create distance. When flight isn’t an option, defensive behavior can become more likely.
About three weeks ago, I made a complimentary home visit after helping Victoria over the phone.
We didn’t force Charlotte to interact with me. Instead, we gave her space, worked at a comfortable distance, and taught her that checking in with Victoria was a better option than confronting someone she didn’t trust.
Eventually, Charlotte could walk past me and redirect her attention toward Victoria instead of worrying about what I was doing. She finally began to understand I wasn’t her responsibility even though I was in familiar space.
Dogs repeat what works. Our responsibility is to teach them something better.
Charlotte doesn’t need to love strangers, and she certainly doesn’t need to greet everyone. She needs to learn that she can trust her foster to handle situations without feeling responsible for confronting people herself.
Sometimes progress is as simple as a little dog choosing to look at her human instead of reacting to a stranger; helping her make that choice is benevolent leadership.
