Hi everyone,
I’m reaching out because I need some advice. My partner and I live in a small block of flats on the second floor and we have a dog, Billie, who is 1 year old and a good 55 lbs. At first glance, she can look quite intimidating because she’s a Labrador cross something (the rescue centre wasn't exactly honest about the breed, so we’re going to get some DNA tests done to find out what she really is). She has very pale brown eyes and she’s very muscular, so I can see why she might be scary to people who don't know her.
What I find hard to manage is that even though she doesn't bark much, it sometimes happens when we leave the flat; if she bumps into someone, she’ll bark a couple of times and then stop. But how do you handle it when you're faced with someone who is genuinely afraid? I should point out that Billie is always on a lead and has never been aggressive. She's very playful and cuddly...
But when I went out this afternoon, I came across a woman who was terrified by my dog's barking. This lady was on our landing when we opened the door. Billie was startled and barked two or three times; my partner told her to be quiet and she did. The problem is that I felt really uncomfortable for this person, and when people judge or criticise, I feel like it's my fault and that I haven't trained my dog well enough because she barks.
I don't know what I can do to avoid these kinds of situations. Especially since when we saw her again later, she told us she was sorry but she's afraid of dogs and that ours "never stops barking" anyway... I was a bit annoyed by that because Billie really rarely barks, even when other dogs nearby are barking; 95% of the time she's perfectly quiet...
Anyway, sorry for the long post, but if you have any tips, I’m all ears so I can improve things...
Thanks in advance.
