I don’t know if it’s just me, but every time I take my 12 lb small dog out for a walk and we come across another small dog, the other owner discourages the dog from socializing and keeps on walking. I can understand if their dog is intimidating, big, or dangerous. But surely, you can let your chihuahua or pug and my dog sniff each other for 30 seconds just to say hello.

I don’t want to misunderstand anything, so I’m hoping there’s a good reason for this. I do take him to our local dog parks to socialize with other dogs, but there’s something neighborly about letting our dogs say hi, and it makes me sad that it’s not a thing anymore.

Any thoughts on this are welcome. Thanks!

  • whaleross@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    10 days ago

    Other dogs often find my dog scary or intimidating just because of his size. He is a large sighthound so it is understandable. They are tall and slender with long body parts that don’t move like other dogs. I don’t think he’d hurt anyone on purpose but he can get tired of yapping and when he responds it will look very scary for both the other dog and their owner.

    So I keep him close to me when we meet other dogs unless it is somebody we know or the owner asks to introduce them… Aaand they seem like a sensible owner that knows their dog well enough and listens when I explain my dogs dos and donts.

    Otherwise it is not worth it for me to worry about the situation nor to be proxy socializing with somebody that I don’t want to be around.

    Also worth remembering is that all dogs are individuals, and so are their owners. There is no obligation for neither dog or owner to be social with anyone if they dont want to for whatever reason that is nobody else’s business.