Can a 2 year old swim?

I was out in a park recently, training a Shih Tzu pup & we came across a lovely woman & her 2 year old with a working Cocker. The little boy was loving all the attention from not one, but two dogs now. However, after a while, as 2 year olds do, he got distracted & wandered off. Suddenly his mum caught sight of him toddling directly towards the lake!

Exuberant Staffy pup seeks new friends!

I was training a couple of dogs in the park the other day when this very young dark brindle canine ball came flying towards us! Just as the pup got within a couple of yards of us, he slid onto his side as though he was sliding into 1st base! As he came to a halt, he rolled on his back exposing his underside to show he was no threat whilst all the time wagging his whole body from top to bottom.

It was at this point we were all fairly confident that this was a friendly dog!

How to help someone who’s scared of dogs

If someone has a bad experience with a certain type of dog, I can understand why they might have a fear of all dogs that look the same way.

Since I am a professional who works with dogs every day, I know it’s not fair to judge a dog by their appearance. I know to judge a dog by their actual behaviour. But the average person may not know this.

So how can we educate the general population? How can we help people learn they don’t have to be afraid of most dogs?

I don’t have the answers, but I do have a few ideas: