06/02/2026
Training Tip Tuesday
Do you like everyone you see/meet?
“My dog doesn’t like other dogs…”
Let’s talk about something that often worries dog owners unnecessarily. Dogs not liking other dogs or people.
⚠️The reality is that the vast majority of dogs are socially selective.
What does that mean?
It means they don’t automatically like every dog, every person, or every situation they encounter. Instead, they have preferences, just like we do.
In fact, we can roughly think of dogs as falling into three broad groups:
🟢 A small percentage genuinely love everyone and everything
* Every dog is their best friend.
* Every human is exciting.
* They happily greet strangers and unfamiliar dogs.
🟡 The vast majority are socially selective
* They enjoy some dogs but not others.
* They may prefer a small circle of canine friends.
* They may enjoy interactions with familiar people but have little interest in strangers.
* They choose who they want to interact with and when.
🔴 A very small percentage genuinely dislike most social interactions
* They may be uncomfortable around unfamiliar dogs or people.
* They often prefer space and distance.
* Some may have genetic predispositions, poor early experiences, health issues, or simply a naturally reserved temperament.
The problem?
🟢The small green group is highly visible.
They’re the dogs we see at dog parks, outdoor cafés, busy events, pet stores, and social media videos. Because they’re so visible, we start believing that all dogs should be like that.
As a result, many owners develop unrealistic expectations for their own dogs.
💭 “Why doesn’t my dog want to play with every dog?”
💭 “Why doesn’t my dog greet strangers happily?”
💭 “Why doesn’t my dog enjoy busy environments?”
❗️Because being selective is normal.
Let’s compare dogs to humans.
Even the most extroverted people don’t get along with everyone they meet.
Most of us have friends, acquaintances, and people we’d rather avoid altogether.
We don’t expect every person to enjoy every social interaction, so why do we expect it from dogs?
🐾 Being socially selective is not a behavioural problem.
🐾 Wanting personal space is not a behavioural problem.
🐾 Having a small friendship circle is not a behavioural problem.
🐾 Choosing not to interact is not a behavioural problem.
💢In fact, social selectivity is considered completely normal canine behaviour.
Research has repeatedly shown that dogs form individual social preferences and relationships rather than interacting equally with all dogs. Studies examining free-ranging dogs, companion dogs, and social groups consistently demonstrate that dogs establish preferred social partners, avoid certain individuals, and maintain varying levels of social engagement depending on familiarity, previous experiences, genetics, and temperament.
👉What often creates problems is not the selectivity itself, but when we repeatedly place dogs into situations where they are expected to interact with individuals they would rather avoid.
✅A dog does not need 100 friends.
✅A dog does not need to greet every dog.
✅A dog does not need to love every person.
🩵What they need is the freedom to make choices, the confidence to communicate their preferences, and owners who respect those preferences.
Sometimes the happiest dog is not the one playing with twenty dogs at the park.
Sometimes the happiest dog is the one walking peacefully with their trusted human, completely content with their small social circle. ❤️
