Is the US the outlier in pet ownership?

I recently returned from 9-day excursion along the Rhine River. My husband and I had a wonderful time exploring some beautiful cities. But the best part of the adventure was the opportunity to observe the European dog culture I’d often heard about.

I appreciate my husband’s tolerance of my dog obsession. He indulged the turning away from historic buildings or interrupting meals to watch dog-owner interactions. 😅 On past vacations, I was equally distracted when observing stray populations in Caribbean and Mediterranean countries.

In all locations, the overall calmness in canine behavior stood out. In the stray populations, relative calmness was the norm. Conflict in the dog world is generally not a wise choice because the need to back up what you start is understood!

What’s different about the European dog culture?

The difference in Europe, though, was the human component. The dogs were behaving calmly beside their owners in highly distracting environments. Calm behavior in public was the norm rather than the exception.

It was easy to see that the dogs were raised with an expectation of good behavior and appropriate manners. The communication was simple and efficient, with minimal fanfare. There simply was not the indulgence, nuisance, and nonsense so often seen in the States.

We saw dogs EVERYWHERE, of every size, every breed, and all ages. Dogs were in eateries and pubs, on public transportation, and loads of them with their owners as they strolled through the many Christmas markets that spread throughout the cities. All pups were on regular leashes and remained close to their owners. I did not witness a single dog jumping to “say hi” to someone. There was not a single incident of lunging at other dogs that passed by, and precisely zero dogs were standing 15 feet out at the end of a retractable lead imposing on other people.

Essentially, we witnessed loads of dogs calmly observing their surroundings without fuss about the commotion around them. 

How did good canine behavior become the norm?

It was refreshing to witness several owners of young pups quickly and unemotionally enforce basic manners. I saw practical and effective interruptions for leg lifting, barking, and forging out to sniff others.

A quick tug of the leash, a body block, or a verbal reprimand was typical. I couldn’t help but remark to my husband how that behavior was not only acceptable, but it seemed to be the expectation. 🤯

In the States, some would be quick to call such actions “abuse.” Online warriors would lecture about the “science of modern dog training” and how “corrections damage a dog” across their favorite platforms. The insinuation of the lecture would imply that anything other than “positive reinforcement only” harms the dog and the human-canine bond.

That, as many of you already know, is nonsense. 

The truth of any human-canine relationship is easy to see. Sit back and observe a pet owner with their dog. It doesn’t take but a few minutes to have a reasonable assessment of the relationship and bond because dogs don’t lie.

A reasonable correction to interrupt undesirable behavior did no harm. Dog-owner bonds were not in jeopardy. Quite the contrary, well-behaved dogs get to do more, participate more, and spend far less time at home alone. That is an enhanced lifestyle, not a diminished one.

The moral of sharing this story about the dogs I saw in Europe is to reassure you that you can have a deep bond and demonstrate great affection for your dog while simultaneously utilizing some corrections to assist you in raising a pup to behave well.

It was refreshing not to witness the nonsense and excuse-making for unacceptable canine behavior that has become commonplace here in the US…

…but then again, perhaps I’d be unemployed if more pet owners realized the relative simplicity of correcting undesirable behavior. 🤷‍♀️