This might be an unpopular opinion, but our goal isn’t for dogs to love every person or dog they see.
Being friendly isn’t a bad thing. Most owners love that their dog enjoys people and other dogs. The problem comes when excitement becomes an expectation.
A dog that feels the need to greet every person, play with every dog or investigate every distraction can actually find the world quite difficult to navigate. Walks become frustrating, training becomes harder, and owners often feel like they have less control in everyday situations.
Instead, we aim for neutrality.
Neutrality means your dog can see another dog, person, bike or distraction and think:
“Yep, that’s there.”
…and then move on with their day.
A neutral dog is often easier to take to cafes, parks, group classes, social walks and new environments. They can enjoy the world without feeling the need to interact with everything in it.
So how do you build neutrality?
One of the biggest pieces is engagement.
If your dog sees you as the most rewarding, interesting and valuable thing in the environment, they become less concerned about everything else around them.
This doesn’t mean constantly bribing them with food. It means building a genuine relationship through training, clear communication and, importantly, play.
For many dogs, especially high-energy dogs, play is an incredibly powerful tool. Just 10 to 15 minutes of one-on-one play each day can help strengthen your relationship, provide an outlet for their drive and teach them that interacting with you is fun.
Over time, that relationship starts to influence behaviour in the real world.
When your dog sees another dog or person, instead of feeling the need to rush over and engage, they are more likely to check in with you because that’s where the value is.
The goal isn’t to create a dog that ignores the world.
The goal is to create a dog that can exist comfortably in it.