As a pet parent, are you representing yourself to other pet parents with practical petiquette?
Practical WHAT?
Just like using etiquette among our human colleagues, there are some tips for pet owners to keep in mind out of respect for other pet owners!
One perfect example is someone who has a calm and well trained dog that they feel will not present any concern to another pet (or human) when out and about. So they might feel that they can be more relaxed in their dog’s movements. However, any owner of a reactive dog will tell you that a dog that may seem non threatening to another dog could easily become a trigger for their reactive dog. And the owner of a reactive dog could be diligently working hard on their dog’s behavior. So judgement of their dog’s individual struggles should be respected rather than become a point of insult of lack of understanding by a fellow dog owner.
So the first on our list of Respect Space becomes vital in this type of situation. Increased understanding and sensitivity of fellow dog owners should be a given, but that is not always the case. So to all pet owners, take a step back and try to become more sentsititive to what a fellow pet owner may be dealing with and give them some grace not ridicule. For example, if you are taking your dog to an area where it clearly states ON LEASH rules, respect that. Other dog owners may be relying on that action to feel comfortable to bring their reactive dog there knowing a “friendly dog” won’t gleefully enter their safe space.
Take a read below and ask yourself if you’re following some key tips we hope you’ll consider these tips!
