10/20/2026
I don't know who needs to hear this, but you have my full support/permission/encouragement/endorsement to say "no, but thank you anyway", stick to your guns, and walk away (if possible) or become a wall for your dog when...a stranger (or even a familiar human) asks you "can my dog say hi to your dog?"
PLEASE do not feel some arbitrary obligation to be "polite" and say Yes when you are feeling No. Or if you just aren't sure. Or if you are in a hurry/bad headspace/not feeling well/just don't feel like it (or if the same applies to your Fido). This does not make you any less of a wonderful human. It makes you a human who recognizes that it is harder for your Fido to recover from an unnecessary rough experience than it is for your Fido to grow skills through mindfully building his foundation so that he can handle it when life eventually throws unavoidable challenges his/your way.
Sometimes it's obvious that you have 2 Besties in the making. But often, it's not. In fact, two dogs who may become Instant Besties when meeting off leash at home can have a VERY different reaction if meeting on-leash at a busy brewery after a long morning of go-go-go. Remember, not every dog wants to meet every other dog in every situation...and that in no way relates to that dog's awesomeness.
All that body language discussion we've had in your sessions? All those videos and illustrations I've embedded in your assessment summaries? You can never review that info too much! It's our job to continue to work at being fluent in our dogs' language so that we can help them navigate our world.
(Can you tell the weather was gorgeous this past weekend and that I saw A LOT of public dog situations that made me mumble to myself and hide my eyes? I cannot confirm nor deny that I was That Lady who randomly blurted out "well done Sir, excellent choice!" when I saw a Dog Dad in the distance "read" a stranger's dog correctly, backtrack through a crowd, and choose a different restaurant to eat at. 🙃)
