How Do Dogs View The World?
They view it in very is simple terms. First, to a dog either something is familiar to them and they feel safe, or something is unfamiliar which means the dog will move to a more alert mode to decide if they might be in danger.
Second, just as with people dogs have space requirements. Getting too close to a dog that has a large space bubble will cause the dog to be nervous. Think about a time where you may have been in an elevator and a stranger got in and got very close to you. Did you begin to feel a little nervous? Well, our dogs feel the same way.
So remember, that the dog sets the pace for interacting with people, but we need to understand what to look for in terms of reading the dog to make sure they are comfortable. Our goal is for a dog to enjoy, not just tolerate other dogs as well as the people that he meets.
Just as in Dog Language, we will continue to use the traffic management signal to help understand the concepts you’re learning in Small Group Off-Leash Play.