I hear over and over…I want my dog to be obedient in public so anyone can approach me to pet them….WHAT? I don't understand the need in society to allow every Tom, Dick and Harry to pet my dog.

Several of my trainer collegues have posted about this very subject just this week.

If someone walks up to you and asks to pet your dog, what is your immediate response? My guess is your response was never with your dogs well being in mind. I don't appreciate people coming up and petting or touching my husband…he is my property and so is my dog.

We as dog owners have an obligation to protect our four legged "property." We continue to teach in our classes, to our day school parents and board/train clients, reading your dog, understanding their state of mind…you will hear me say over and over, watch your dog, read the signs, they are always there.

1. Children (and adults!) no longer wait for an answer because they presume it’s going to be yes.  Waiting for an answer drops out of the sequence and you often get kids who parrot, “May I pet your dog?” and then they’re moving right in before you can say anything.  After all, why not?  They asked, didn’t they?
2. Because people expect a “Yes,” they do not know how to respond to a “No” and take it personally or get annoyed.  This leads to pet owners giving in to social pressure and feeling like they have to say “yes” when they’d rather say “no.”