Dinosaurs? No D.I.N.O.S.
It’s a concept founded by Jessica Dolce, author of the blog; Notes From A Dog Walker.
Here’s her description:
What is a DINOS?
DINOS™ are Dogs in Need of Space. 
DINOS are good dogs that need some space while they’re out on walks. They might be DINOS for a variety of reasons, such as:
•service and working dogs
•illness or recovering from surgery
•leash reactivity
•injuries and painful physical conditions, like arthritis
•intolerance of other animals
•fearful of unfamiliar people
•aging and elderly
•learning self control around other dogs
•fearful of unfamiliar or rowdy dogs
•are owned by people who want to be left alone
I LOVE her material! I know there a lot of DINOS out there. 2 of our 5 are! So her concepts really resonate with us.
Check out her site. Support her movement. People out there with DINOS need to know they’re not alone. And they shouldn’t be made to feel bad for their dogs preferences. It is NUTS, the kind if response you get when you ask people not to pet your dog. They get downright angry sometimes. Her site has a ton of resources, and awesome gear to empower you, and educate others.
Our queen DINOS: Mabel
Mabel was really bad with strangers. Even as a young dog. It was weird. I had never had a Bully that was bad with people. I didn’t know what to do. So…. I did everything wrong.
I felt really strange telling people not to mess with her, which happened often because she’s cursed with unbearable cuteness. Because I wouldn’t say anything, they would approach. Of course, they would do it in a way a dog would consider rude. Mabel show a ton of signs of not digging it, that I hoped they wouldn’t see, cause I was embarrassed. Then, when all of this culminated in an unwanted handling, Mabel would “communicate”. Of course, I would correct her. And, that sucks for a number of reasons.
1. Correcting a dog in drive takes bigger corrections to get through. And I hate that.
2. Constantly getting corrected every time someone touches her, gives her MORE reason to dislike/distrust people.
3. Me ignoring the signs of discomfort she was offering on the approach, made her feel like she had to handle it on her own. This makes her lose faith in my ability to protect her, and tells her she needs to protect herself. Which then puts a huge tailspin on pack structure in the house, and leads to all sorts of behavior problems.
It really is ridiculous how easy it is to fix.
“Hey! Don’t touch my dog.” That’s it.
I began to pay attention to my dog. I realized those signals of discomfort were her asking me for help. So I did.
I would have people stop approaching when I realized she was getting uncomfortable. And at the beginning, that was about 20 yards.
But you know what….. After a while she had faith in me. That I would protect her. And, they would have to get a lot closer to shake her faith. I then earned more trust at that distance. And closer and closer.
And now I can put Mabel in a down and people can literally step over her and she doesn’t care.
Why? Cause I have earned her absolute trust.
She KNOWS, beyond all doubt, that I WILL NOT LET THEM TOUCH HER!
She has learned that I will pay attention to her, and I will protect her. So she finally can relax, and not be the Sheriff.
The DINOS gear makes it way easier to get this across to people. And, the cuteness softens the blow a little. So, owning a DINOS myself, I fully recommend their merchandise.
If you have a DINOS….. keep us in mind. We specialize in them! We prefer them! Our services were designed with them (you) in mind!
We will walk/work, sit your DINOS! It’s our pleasure.