Dog-Owner Etiquette

"Does your dog bite?" asks Inspector Clouseau of a hotel clerk standing near a canine in "The Pink Panther Strikes Again."

"No," the clerk answers.

Clouseau gets bitten, of course, and subsequently confronts the clerk, "I thought you said your dog does not bite!"

Replies the clerk: "That is not my dog."

Where dog etiquette is concerned, assumption is the mother of all doggie dust-ups.

Be more wary than you're inclined to be

Don't believe what anyone says about a dog that is unknown to you.

The phrase that most commonly follows "Don't worry. He's friendly!" is "He's never done that before!"

By extension, don't take it on faith that you know how your dog will behave in every given situation.

When you take your dog out in public, there is no way to predict how she will interact with any and all dogs or any and all dog owners, pedestrians, or children.

Maintain a respectful distance

If you are a fortunate dog owner, you have access to a dog park where areas have been designated as off-lead or off-lease.

But legally leashless dogs are definitely the exception.

There is almost certainly a state, city or county ordinance regulating the restraint of your dog. Obey it.

In off-leash areas, your dog must be steadfastly responsive to your commands (see "Assess Obedience" below)

When he is on leash, you are responsible for governing his interaction with strangers and unfamiliar canines.

Keep a tight leash on your dog when an unknown dog, dog owner, pedestrian or child approaches. Give them a wide berth until everyone can be introduced in a more gradual manner.

Don't assume your seemingly child-loving dog will get along famously with every seemingly dog-loving child.

Watch your dog

Think of a dog park or dog-friendly area as similar to a party you might attend where you don't know most of the people. There are going to be people at this sort of party with whom you will fall madly in love and people who will give you the creeps. It is the same for dogs at dog parks.

At a party you can always make sure to stay on the opposite side of the room from someone who is being too forward or acting too backward

But dogs aren't always sure how to behave.

Dogs can't be fully trusted to mingle on their own.

Watch your dog for signs that he is uncomfortable or that he is making another dog uncomfortable.

Watch other dog owners and passersby

Some owners of big friendly dogs tend to assume that it's other people's problem if they don't like the way big friendly dogs tend to greet friends and strangers alike.

Don't assume your dog's attempts to be friendly will be received with open arms by other dogs and their owners or other people without dogs.

Skittish dogs, skittish dog owners, and innocent bystanders have the right of way here.

Skittishness in dogs, and perhaps their owners, can quickly turn to aggression.

Assess obedience

Don't let your dog off the leash if he responds to your verbal commands as if your verbal commands are like the wind through the lilac bushes.

Dogs learn how to behave with other dogs when they're puppies, either from siblings in their litter or though obedience training.

Obedience training is a good investment at most any stage.

If your dog can't obey your commands, then the only way you'll be able to control him in public is to wrestle him to the ground.

So it's either obedience training or wrestling lessons.

Make sure your dog is in good health and has all its shots.

Clean up after your dog. Always.

These last two points are so obvious that you should feel insulted that I even took the time to type them in.

Steve Penhollow is the Arts and Entertainment Reporter for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette in Indiana. He has written for a number of publications, including the Advocate chain of newspapers in Massachusetts and Connecticut.