My dog doesn’t have dog friends: Marginal returns & emotions, oh my

A while back an Instagram connection posted some reflections about her dog making canine friends that got me thinking about my own emotional journey with Scout’s social life. A bunch of training-focused phone calls at the start of this year plus a few recent meetups last month brought the topic up again.

Here are my (at times messy) thoughts on Scout not playing with other dogs. From early shame and fear reactivity training to practical risk assessments and individual choices for our own lifestyles, I try to always come back to the question of whether we’re fulfilled.