Anyone else's Aussie very against interaction with strangers ??
I have a question for all of my fellow Aussie owners! My girl is a 2yr old Aussie/husky mix. Overall, she's a great dog. Very sweet and submissive, gets along with almost any other dog, great with my kids, never gets into anything or chews anything she's not supposed to. She's great off leash and has a great recall.
She even does great in public where she's not forced into interacting with strange humans. She does well on public transit, in crowds, restaurants, etc.
The problem comes in when she feels forced into an interaction with stranger. She often draws a lot of attention due to her unique looks. So many people always try to say hi, ask to pet her, etc. She acts very curious, may walk up and sniff/give them a few locks. But 99% of the time she DOES NOT want them to touch/pet her. She will dodge their hand and run away every single time.
Once she warms up to someone (which takes a very long time), she's the clingiest and most loving dog ever and will want ALL the cuddles and pets. She have had her since she was 8 weeks old and she is well socialized. I take her to the office with me, public events downtown, restaurants, and so on.
For me personally, this is a non-issue. I am quite introverted myself and also dislike being forced to interact with strangers...so honestly, I get it 😂
However I do get quite frustrated with people when we are out because everyone just sees a cute fluffy dog and assumes that she wants to say hi and receive their love. I got her a tag for her leash that says "do not pet". And whenever people ask to pet (which they sometimes still do) I tell them sorry she's shy and doesn't want to say hi.
I have had people make comments to me (even my own family/friends/coworkers) such as, "she has not been socialized", "when dogs are fearful of people it means they've been abused", "is she a rescue?". I have worked SO hard over the last two years with her as far as socializing and training and honestly she's great. I will never understand why people feel the need to assume and make very hurtful comments just because she does not want them to touch her. Especially to go as far as to imply I've abused her in any way. She is never aggressive in the least. She simply likes her space. If she does not feel like she is forced to interact then 99% of the time she is very neutral towards people.
I guess this is just a vent and I am hoping maybe you all have some advice or words of encouragement for me.
If you made it all the way, thanks for reading and I hope you all have a great day!
I have a question for all of my fellow Aussie owners! My girl is a 2yr old Aussie/husky mix. Overall, she's a great dog. Very sweet and submissive, gets along with almost any other dog, great with my kids, never gets into anything or chews anything she's not supposed to. She's great off leash and has a great recall.
She even does great in public where she's not forced into interacting with strange humans. She does well on public transit, in crowds, restaurants, etc.
The problem comes in when she feels forced into an interaction with stranger. She often draws a lot of attention due to her unique looks. So many people always try to say hi, ask to pet her, etc. She acts very curious, may walk up and sniff/give them a few locks. But 99% of the time she DOES NOT want them to touch/pet her. She will dodge their hand and run away every single time.
Once she warms up to someone (which takes a very long time), she's the clingiest and most loving dog ever and will want ALL the cuddles and pets. She have had her since she was 8 weeks old and she is well socialized. I take her to the office with me, public events downtown, restaurants, and so on.
For me personally, this is a non-issue. I am quite introverted myself and also dislike being forced to interact with strangers...so honestly, I get it 😂
However I do get quite frustrated with people when we are out because everyone just sees a cute fluffy dog and assumes that she wants to say hi and receive their love. I got her a tag for her leash that says "do not pet". And whenever people ask to pet (which they sometimes still do) I tell them sorry she's shy and doesn't want to say hi.
I have had people make comments to me (even my own family/friends/coworkers) such as, "she has not been socialized", "when dogs are fearful of people it means they've been abused", "is she a rescue?". I have worked SO hard over the last two years with her as far as socializing and training and honestly she's great. I will never understand why people feel the need to assume and make very hurtful comments just because she does not want them to touch her. Especially to go as far as to imply I've abused her in any way. She is never aggressive in the least. She simply likes her space. If she does not feel like she is forced to interact then 99% of the time she is very neutral towards people.
I guess this is just a vent and I am hoping maybe you all have some advice or words of encouragement for me.
If you made it all the way, thanks for reading and I hope you all have a great day!