I have a five month old Anatolian Shepherd mix (maybe with some Newfoundlander) rescue, and he’s a very pretty puppy. When we go out for walks, people are constantly asking to pet him. Even if we’re just sitting by the river and relaxing, people will come up to him and try to pet him and I have to ask them to not do so. Most don’t even bother asking me or acknowledging me! How do I get people to stop petting him? He’s very good with people and I have met a few people who will have a conversation with me and then ask if they can pet him. I’m wondering what other people’s experiences are in this regard. We’re teaching him how to walk on a leash and except for stopping every 5 minutes to sniff something, he’s been pretty good. I don’t want to ruin him by having people try to pet him without my permission.
@leaderman This is the answer. With my baby pups, I always say “thank you, but we are in training, so we are practicing not interacting with everyone.”
@_lizziee I wish people would listen when I say this. My pup is almost an adult now at 16 months and so many people pet her anyway. I have a Velcro sign that wraps around the leash that says “in training” and have my treat pouch and everything and people still ignore me. I’ve been wanting to practice her not jumping on people and they aren’t helping by ignoring me when I say that. It’s so frustrating!
