Furry Friend Socializing

The dos and don’ts of dog interactions

Walking her dog through the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood. | Julie McCrea 

As a (permanent and foster) mom to many dogs, there were a lot of things that surprised me about the day-to-day reality of having dogs. Most people want to do right by their fuzzy family members and by the people in their communities that they might encounter. Here are some things I have learned over the years that may help you:

Dogs are complex, just like people

Your dog might be an absolute angel with you, your family, and with others they have interacted with so far. However, just because that has been your experience, doesn’t mean they will always be that way. Think about yourself: Do you always like everyone you meet?  I think some of us may be tempted to growl at someone, even if we are the picture of politeness most of the time. Someone could have a triggering tone of voice or smell, or something else you couldn’t predict that your dog could react to. 

Dogs, like people, are complex in their personalities and preferences. It’s considerate to keep your dog away from others unless people indicate that they would like to interact with them.  However, even when someone asks, watch for signs of your furry friend being uncomfortable. If the person is petting them in a way they are not used to or getting closer to their face than they like, stop the interaction and remove them from that situation before anything escalates. It’s our job as pet parents to be vigilant for the benefit of our dogs and the people around us. 

Reactive dogs are not bad dogs

My adopted dog, Valley, passed away last March. She was basically Valium with a fur wrapping and not much phased her. She pretty much ignored most dogs and loved people. My current foster, Jani, came to me after being mauled by a wild boar in southern Alberta. He was scared and tentative around other dogs while he was healing from his multiple injuries. 

Unfortunately, in December of 2023, Jani and I were out walking when we were attacked by two dogs that had escaped from their yard a few blocks away from our house. We actually had to be rescued by some people who chased the dogs off and brought us into their yard. 

It was a very traumatic experience for both of us, and Jani has not been the same since. He is scared of other dogs and tries to scare them off by lunging and jumping at them. After this happens, he drags me away as fast as he can. The big lug loves people, but dogs represent fear and pain. 

Because of this reactivity, I need to make sure I keep him away from other dogs when we are walking. If I see a person walking towards me with their dog, I will make a point to change direction or cross to the other side of the street. 

I would recommend anyone walking their dog to not come up behind someone walking a dog and overtake them. Any dog may be uncomfortable with that situation, but reactive dogs especially can see this as an aggressive move. Keeping distance between dogs is always best practice to avoid stressing them.

It is important to know that reactive dogs are not bad and there is often a reason that they are the way they are. They deserve love just like any other pet. However, those of us with reactive dogs need to take extra care that we also make sure those around us and their dogs feel safe too. 

Not everyone likes dogs!

Personally, I ALWAYS want to meet and pet everyone’s dogs! However, some people just don’t, and that’s OK. One thing I learned working with newcomers to Canada is that people’s experience with dogs can be different in other countries. In some places, there are more feral dogs than there are pet dogs, and the feral ones are often aggressive. In other places, dogs are exclusively used by police and military and may trigger negative emotions from traumatic memories. 

Sometimes, dogs are solely working animals that guard livestock and are not treated like pets. Even people raised around our pet culture in Canada may not like dogs. Anyone’s reasons are valid. When out walking with our dogs, pet parents should always make a point of keeping their dogs from getting close to others. Trust me, if someone wants to engage with your furry friend, they will let you know in their body language or ask you right out if they can pet them.