18/08/2026
Do you ever think about your dog's personal space?
I remember once being told that a dog's social and personal space was around 2-3 metres, and being so shocked. 🫨
I realised the average pavement is 3 metres in the UK. That means every time a dog is walked on the pavement and something head-on comes towards them, invading their personal space of safety, it must be exhausting and anxiety-producing for some, and frustrating as hell for dogs who need to check everyone out and are restricted by a lead.
I couldn’t find any more information about dogs' personal spaces, but I did find it interesting that for humans, it's around 1 to 2 metres.
From that day on, I always create space for my dog, whether I think he's okay or not. It's such a natural behaviour now that I don’t even think about it; I just do it.
If someone or something is coming towards us on a pathway, I will arc around them and give at least 2-3 metres of space. On a pavement, I will always cross over, and on a narrow built-up path, I will backtrack if I am not able to create distance.
These simple changes in my behaviour, which don’t really cost any extra energy, have made a huge difference to my dog's behaviour and emotional well-being. It's something so simple and effective you could start doing with your dog, too, and that will positively impact their well-being and behaviour. ❤️
