July 10, 2026, 2:56 pm | Read time: 4 minutes

5 Situations Your Dog Endures That Aren’t Natural

“You can pet him, he’s very friendly!”—do you know this phrase? Personally, I find it terrible, even though I have two exceptionally friendly dogs who would let anyone touch them. But they don’t have to, because just because dogs would allow something doesn’t mean we should demand it of them.

Yes, my dogs would probably go to any party without a problem and patiently push through crowds. But they don’t have to, because just because Rudi and Pippa are friendly doesn’t mean they want to be touched by everyone or that every situation is truly pleasant for them.

My dog trainer Torsten Bencke sees it similarly. I talked to him about what we can expect from our dogs and why “He’s so sweet” isn’t a free pass for limitless demands.

“Many dog owners proudly say their dog is ‘always with them,'” says Torsten. “That sounds nice at first, but the question is whether it’s always appropriate for the dog.” The following five things you should avoid or at least reconsider:

1. The “Festival Syndrome”: Crowds and Noise

There are dogs that join every party. And yes, Rudi was often with me at parties when I was in my mid-20s and he was still young. He was usually the happy, wagging center of attention, and it didn’t seem to harm him. But today, I wouldn’t do it anymore. Dogs don’t like large crowds—even if they don’t show it.

“In the end, the question is always: What is appropriate care and what isn’t?” says Torsten Bencke. “Is it appropriate to take the dog to a city festival? To the Hamburger Dom? No.” Anything involving extreme noise and tight spaces is off-limits for the expert. “I often hear from clients: ‘I was at the street festival all day, and I don’t know why my dog is so tired today.’ The answer is simple: He’s not tired, he’s exhausted. And he was just functioning the whole time instead of feeling comfortable.”

2. The Trap of the “Garden Substitute Walk” 

“The dumbest thing you can do in training is to think you can skip the walk because you have a garden,” warns Bencke. A garden is great, but without structure and guidance, our four-legged friends mainly learn one thing there: nonsense. “The garden doesn’t provide real exercise. An uncontrolled hunting instinct can quickly develop because the dog chases external stimuli like butterflies or birds on their own,” explains Bencke. A garden is not a suitable substitute for a shared journey into the world—even if your dog accepts the substitute contentedly.

3. Forced Contact: When “Being Nice” Becomes a Duty 

“No dog in the world likes overstimulation, tight spaces, and forced contact,” explains Bencke. When we allow strangers to pet our dog without asking, just because he’s “nice,” we take away his autonomy. A dog should be able to decide who enters his comfort zone and whom he wants to approach. I always answer the question “Can I pet him?” with “No.” If my dogs want to be petted, they’ll show it. And if your dog ducks away or turns his head, that’s a clear “No” that you must respect—even if the dog is usually friendly with people.

4. Places Without an Option to Retreat 

Whether in a restaurant, at a party, or with friends, dogs need the option to leave the situation. If we take them to places where they have to stay under the table for hours, unable to process the commotion, we risk that their patience will eventually snap. An acquaintance had a very sweet dog who bit someone under the table at a party—not out of malice, but out of pure fright and overwhelm.

5. Not Every Dog Needs to Go to the Office 

There are dogs that protect their territory or owner very strongly and are massively stressed in a bustling office environment. “This is often breed-specific and means pure stress for both the dog and the owner,” warns Torsten Bencke.