Yes, we know it’s a shock — but not everyone in New York loves dogs. And sure, it’s natural to want to just tell those people where they can step off, but that’s not really going to get anyone anywhere on this issue.

Some reasons why people don’t like dogs include: excessive barking, retractable leashes, owners who don’t pick up poop or curb their dogs properly, fear of aggressive-looking dogs and experience with jumping dogs and their dirty paws on dry-clean-only clothes.

In all these cases, dog owners can do a lot to help dog haters become, at the very least, dog tolerant.

Excessive Barking: There are many reasons a dog may bark excessively (especially when you’re not home). Separation anxiety, nervousness, anticipation and attention-seeking are just some, and all can be addressed with proper training.

Retractable Leashes: How many times have we seen a dog walking down the street on the street-side of the sidewalk and their owner fifteen feet behind on the building-side? All too often! Retractable leashes are hard for pedestrians to see, can easily trip up the elderly and provide absolutely no control should your dog get overly excited. The solution is simple: Use a fixed-length leash of 4 to 6 feet (see the Equipment page for more information).

Poop and Pee Etiquette: All dog owners must pick up their dogs’ poop at all times. This includes nights when it’s raining and on days when it’s snowing. It’s a matter of both public hygiene and aesthetics, and it’s the law. We recommend a great product here — the Van Ness poop bags you can get in virtually any pet store. They’re black, discrete and sized for the job at hand, unlike supermarket plastic bags. The come in batches of forty and cost about $3.50. Also, owners should train their dogs to pee and poop at the curb, not in flower boxes or on garbage bags that have to be picked up by our sanitation workers!

Aggressive-looking Dogs: Call it breed discrimination, but an “aggressive-looking dog” (read: a Pit Bull Terrier or Pit Bull mix) can make people who fear dogs very nervous. Even some of the other big Terrier breeds are mistaken for Pit mixes by the general public. Be a goodwill ambassador and put a pink bandana around such a dog’s neck. A little softening goes a long way to general acceptance of these dogs. In addition, try teaching your tough-looking dog a silly trick, like waving hello and goodbye. Not even a wary neighbor can resist such displays of cuteness on command!

Jumping Up: Your dog should never jump up on a stranger, and you should never encourage jumping as part of your greeting routine. It’s natural for dogs to want to jump, as face-to-face contact is part of their own greeting ritual — and our faces are pretty high off the ground! But it’s risky for children and the elderly, who can easily be hurt by a powerful jumper, and does little to impress everyone else. You can train a dog not to jump by stepping away when she does and asking her to sit instead, followed by a big reward and lots of affection. The whole point of the jumping was to engage you, so if you instruct that NOT JUMPING is what engages you, she will quickly modify her behavior to get what she wants.

Remember: Urban dogs live in very close quarters with lots of people with varying levels of dog acceptance, from the stranger who encourages your dog to jump up on them to the toddler who lets out an ear-piercing scream on sight. Sometimes it helps to see the training session that’s right in front of you. You’ve been working on not jumping with your dog when someone encourages jumping? Treat and praise your dog if he hesitates, and give the "no-reward mark" if he doesn’t! Child screams at your dog? Have your dog sit in the middle of the commotion and flip him a treat.