Are you a "dog lover" or "dog person"?
Are you a "dog lover" or a "dog person"? Dog lovers walk up to a dog and immediately talk to it while looking it in the eyes, bend forward, and reach out their hands to pet them. A dog person would walk up calmly, ignore the dog completely, and give the pup a chance to sniff and explore first. Why does this matter? For timid, nervous, or unsure dogs the forward energy of the dog lover will create more distance and avoidance. The calm and seemingly ignoring behavior of the dog person gives the dog a chance to read the situation and decide if they feel comfortable with someone who is more "polite" in dog terms. Not every dog wants to be pet or coddled, no matter how much you love them. A dog person can do what's best for the dog, while a dog lover struggles to do what's appropriate because of their emotions. Which are you? Let's get more dog people than dog lovers our there and we can have more confident and comfortable dogs in social settings :) (P.S. Dog people love dogs just as much as any Dog Lover does! They just love them appropriately!) :)