Reflecting on my cattle dog’s evolving human sociability

Scout has never had “problems” with people the way she’s had fear issues with other dogs. She has plenty of human friends. She usually accepts new faces quickly. She’s successfully joined us in environments ranging from restaurant patios to pet-friendly stores to the big shared house we stayed in during our wedding week and more!

That said, she does err on the timid side. I stand by the shelter’s initial “shy but sweet” description. And of all her personality traits, Scout’s comfort with strangers seems to fluctuate most quickly.

I’ve been thinking about her sociability a lot since we hit the road for full-time van life. We encounter more new people nowadays than ever before, which both 1) shows us a clearer picture of how she feels in those situations and 2) keeps her comfort top of mind.

Here are some reflections.

TLDR summary

• Right after adopting Scout, I often mistook appeasement gestures for outright friendliness. Since becoming more aware of her subtle signals—and realizing that she …