Personal Space

Recently, I came across a fantastic blog discussing personal space in dogs and why, unfortunately, it is considered aggression, when a dog fairly defends themselves against rude behavior from another dog. Let's face it, we as people want our dogs to behave, yet when we take them places such as a training class, the dog park or the pet store, some of us let them bounce around like a bouncy ball and get into any and every dogs' face. Why is this okay? The simple answer is that it's NOT. Although we should strive to socialize our dogs to their best interest and make sure that interactions among them are positive, we cannot expect our pets to be alright with any and every dog, just as we are not alright with every person we meet. Unless we are saints we cannot expect our dogs to be.

Not only does this go for dog on dog interaction but people and dog interaction as well. Being an owner of a service animal, I often run into the issue of people always wanting to come up and pet my working animal. Of course, if the question is asked and I feel that I have time and want to educate, I may say yes, but some people simply reach out and pet my dog. I see this happen not only when I'm out with my service dog but just about everywhere with ordinary house pets. The main point here is, if the animal does not know you, there is no good reason to swarm them and hug all over them. Imagine you're out shopping at the mall and a strange person comes up and just gives you a big hug and won't let go. They then go on to stroke your hair and go on and on about how cute you are. A little concerned? You should be. It isn't any different for our dogs. While many dogs are well socialized and friendly, many do not enjoy being crowded and a certain amount of space should be given.

"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said." -Peter Drucker

Many dogs communicate how comfortable they are or not by using body language. Vocalizations seem to happen more frequently the closer their space is invaded. An example could be someone you do not know coming closer and you try to subtle let them know you're not comfortable by moving away. If they continue to proceed you avoid eye contact or try to avoid any and all interaction. If they continue to invade eventually you will be forced to speak your mind, often harshly, and say "hey, please, give me some space." A growl used by a dog in that situation is completely fair and often punished. Punishing this behavior is not only unfair but it also teaches the dog that other dogs can be associated with unpleasant reactions from, you, the owner. Another downfall of punishing this normal behavior is that often than not, if their space is invaded a dog will try snapping or biting to voice their opinion instead of using a nicer approach, such as growling, at first. If someone told you that you could not tell someone to get out of your personal space, you would only learn to result to pushing or shoving someone away. Often, dogs will do everything they can before they have to make the trivial choice of snapping or biting. A general order of this may be practicing avoidance, moving away, growling and finally a physical altercation to truly get the point across, which has been previously ignored.

So, the next time your dog growls if another dog is too close, consider how that other dog is acting. Is that a dog your dog knows? Is that strange dog interfering with your dog while he or she is busy going to the bathroom, playing or eating? Is the other dog showing stiff signs or sniffing your dogs' rear end consistently? It is important to understand that although your dog shouldn't be out picking fights or altercations either, they have the right to defend themselves and communicate their discomfort. Not only that, but, please, be sure that your dog is not acting rudely either. Your dog should interact with others in a friendly manner and accept when another dog tells them "enough is enough."

You have a right to communicate how you feel; your dog should be permitted to do the same!