Fun Questions to Ask Dog Owners
These are fun questions to ask dog owners at the park, on a walk or over a neighbor's fence, plus a last group of questions to ask dog lovers who have no dog at home right now. The 57 run in the order such a chat takes: saying hello and what to find out before the dogs meet, then the funny stories, the quirks, life with the dog, and the ones any dog person can answer.
Want questions from the whole vault instead? Try the random question generator.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Saying hello
What's your dog's name, and how did you land on it?
Why ask it
The name is the one thing every owner is happy to be asked, and the story behind it is usually about them rather than the dog: a band, a grandparent, a shelter card they did not want to change. It also means you can use the name for the rest of the conversation.
Is it all right if I say hello, and how do they like to be greeted?
Why ask it
The second half is the part most people skip. Some dogs want a hand under the chin, some want to be ignored for a minute first, and the owner knows which. Wait for the answer before you move.
How old are they, and how long have you had them?
Why ask it
Two numbers, and the gap between them tells you whether the owner watched the puppy months or met a dog who arrived grown. With an old dog, ask what they were like when younger and say nothing about the gray muzzle.
How did the two of you find each other?
Why ask it
Phrased this way it covers breeders, shelters, strays and inheriting a relative's dog without implying anything about which is better. Adoption stories are often more complicated than they look, so take whatever level of detail is offered.
What's their favorite thing in the world?
Why ask it
Deliberately absolute, which produces a specific object rather than a category: one squeaky toy, the hose, a particular neighbor. Whatever it turns out to be, having it in your hand is the quickest way to be liked.
Is there anything they're scared of?
Why ask it
The most practically useful question here, because the answer tells you how to behave: no sudden reaching, no umbrella, no standing over them. Ask it early if the dogs are about to interact, and act on the answer immediately.
How are they with other dogs, and is there a kind they'd rather avoid?
Why ask it
Better asked while both dogs are still on the leash than once they are loose. Plenty of dogs are easy company except with one sort, puppies or anything bigger than they are, and an owner who says so plainly is doing you a favor, not confessing a fault.
Are they allowed a treat, or is there anything they can't have?
Why ask it
Ask with the treat still in your pocket. A dog may be on a strict diet, may guard food when other dogs are near, or may be mid-training and only paid for a sit, so a no is about the dog and never about you.
Do you know what they're a mix of, or is it still a mystery?
Why ask it
Asking is the polite alternative to guessing, which owners of rescue dogs hear on most walks. Some have a DNA test result they are delighted to recite, and others like the mystery better than they would like the answer.
What's the best thing about the breed, and what should someone know before getting one?
Why ask it
Works for mixed breeds too, since owners have theories about what is in there. The warning is the useful part, because it comes from living with the dog and not from a breed description: the shedding, the stubbornness, the need for a job to do.
Do they have a nickname that has nothing to do with their real name?
Why ask it
The name on the tag is rarely the one in daily use, and the unofficial ones are a good deal sillier. Owners tend to say them a little sheepishly, so laugh with them and offer one of your own if you have a dog.
Are you regulars here, and where else do you like to walk?
Why ask it
You come away with the quiet hours, the trail with the stream and the field with the gap in the fence. Next time you cross paths you can greet the dog by name, and that is how most park acquaintances begin.
Funny stories
What's the funniest thing they've ever done?
Why ask it
Owners have this answer ready and enjoy telling it. Expect stolen food, a bark at a reflection, a stubborn refusal to walk past one particular gate. Nobody needs to justify anything, which is why it works as an early question.
What's the strangest thing they've eaten?
Why ask it
A reliable story, and often a vet story. Socks, a whole birthday cake, a corner of a wall. Owners tell it as comedy, but listen for the moment it stopped being funny, because that detail is usually the real anecdote.
What's the most embarrassing thing they've done in public?
Why ask it
Here the owner was the one blushing: a sandwich lifted from a stranger's picnic, a muddy greeting for someone in a pale suit. Told afterwards it is a fond story, but do not ask it while the dog is busy doing something similar.
What have they destroyed that you still haven't forgiven?
Why ask it
The word forgiven keeps it comic. One shoe from a pair, a remote control and the corner of a sofa are the usual casualties, and most owners end by blaming themselves for leaving the thing within reach.
What's the guiltiest they've ever looked, and what had they done?
Why ask it
Owners love describing the face: the lowered head, the sideways eyes, the slow walk out of the room. Whether a dog feels guilt at all is argued over, so enjoy the description and leave that debate for another day.
Have they ever outsmarted you?
Why ask it
Opening a latch, faking a need to go out so the warm seat would be free, hiding a tablet in a cheek and dropping it behind the chair. The story is told with irritation and pride in about equal parts, and the pride wins.
Do they have a party trick, and does it work in front of an audience?
Why ask it
Asking whether it works with people watching spares the owner a failed demonstration and usually gets a laugh. Notice whether the trick was taught or invented by the dog, since owners are often prouder of the kind they had no hand in.
How do they feel about the vacuum cleaner, the bath and the mail carrier?
Why ask it
Three classic enemies, and nearly every dog has chosen one. A short menu gets a quicker and funnier reply than asking what they dislike, and plenty of owners will act out the response for you.
Have they ever met their match, like a cat that wouldn't move or a goose that chased back?
Why ask it
Stories in which the dog loses are told with more affection than the ones in which it wins. Follow up by asking which driveway or pond they now steer around because of it.
If they could talk for a day, what would they complain about first?
Why ask it
A joke that still requires the owner to see things from the dog's side. Bath times, the neighbor's cat, being made to wait outside a shop. Answers are funnier and more specific than the flattering version of this question.
Quirks
What weird habit do they have that you've stopped noticing?
Why ask it
A routine that would look bizarre to a stranger goes unseen by the person who lives with it, until somebody asks: sleeping in the bathtub, backing into every room, one toy carried on every walk and never played with. Owners often claim no other dog does it, and are pleased to hear that yours does too.
How do they let you know what they want?
Why ask it
Every dog works out its own signals: a stare at the leash, a paw on the knee, one particular whine by the back door. Ask which one took longest to decode, because there is usually a signal the owner misread for months.
What are they like on a walk compared to at home?
Why ask it
Plenty of dogs are two different animals depending on the setting, and the contrast is more interesting than either half. Put this way, pulling, barking or lunging at bicycles can come up without sounding like a complaint about the dog in front of you.
Which words do you have to spell out in front of them?
Why ask it
Walk, park, bath, cheese, the name of one particular friend. The list is a ranking of what the dog cares about, and a fair number of owners will add that the spelling stopped working some time ago.
Do you do a voice for them, and what do they sound like?
Why ask it
A great many owners narrate their dog at home and are pleased to be caught at it. Whether the voice is a grumpy old man or a child who has just learned to argue, the casting tells you how they read the dog's character.
If they were a person, what job would they have?
Why ask it
Security guard, food critic, the colleague who attends every meeting and contributes nothing. It asks the owner to sum up a whole personality in one job title, and most can do it in a couple of seconds.
What do they do when you come home?
Why ask it
No two dogs do the greeting alike: a whole-body wag, a toy carried over as an offering, ten seconds of pretending not to care. The owner will probably act it out, and it is worth standing back to let them.
Who's their favorite person, and is it you?
Why ask it
Frequently produces a rueful answer, because the favorite is often the person who feeds them or the one who visits rarely. A low-stakes way for an owner to be honest about being second choice in their own house.
Which toy has survived the longest, and what state is it in?
Why ask it
There is usually one veteran: a rope with no ends left, a plush animal missing its face. How long it has lasted tells you whether you are talking to the owner of a gentle carrier or a dedicated shredder.
What's their opinion of rain, snow or a hot day?
Why ask it
Dogs hold firm views on weather, and those views do not always match what the breed is known for. The retriever who walks around puddles and the small dog who has to be lifted out of a snowdrift both exist, and both have owners keen to tell you.
What sound do they make that isn't a bark?
Why ask it
Grumbles, sighs, a yodel at sirens, the long groan of a dog settling onto a cushion. You will probably be given an impression, and the impression is the answer.
Where do they sleep, and was that the plan?
Why ask it
Almost nobody's answer matches their original intention, and admitting that is the joke. The journey from a crate in the kitchen to the middle of the bed is usually a story about which human gave in first.
Life together
How did they change your day-to-day life?
Why ask it
Aimed at routine rather than feelings, so it produces something concrete: earlier mornings, shorter trips away, a new set of acquaintances at the park. Owners who say nothing changed are usually the ones who reorganized everything.
What did you get wrong at the start?
Why ask it
A small confession that most owners are glad to make, and one that puts them on equal footing with anyone struggling with a new dog. Expect crate training, too much freedom too soon, or a first vet they should have left sooner.
Who in your house said no to a dog, and how long did that last?
Why ask it
A dependable comic story, since the person who refused is so often the one now cooking the dog a separate dinner. With someone who lives alone, change it to who took the most convincing: a landlord, a parent, themselves.
What's the most unexpected thing you've spent money on for them?
Why ask it
Better than asking about cost, which can be a sore subject. Answers range from a dog raincoat to a stair ramp to an emergency at 2am. It lets an owner be either self-mocking or serious, and they will pick.
What does a perfect day look like for them?
Why ask it
The owner has to plan from the dog's side: the beach, ten minutes at one hedge, a nap in a patch of sun, dinner with something extra on top. Quite often it turns out to be a day they have already had and mean to repeat.
Where's the best place you've ever taken them?
Why ask it
A lake, a hill path, a grandmother's garden, a cafe that brings out a water bowl without being asked. You leave with a recommendation, and the person you asked gets to go back over a good day.
Who looks after them when you're away, and how do they take it?
Why ask it
Every owner has had to solve this, whether the answer is a relative, a kennel or a neighbor with a key. The reunion story tends to follow, including the dogs who sulk for an evening to make their point.
Have you made friends through them?
Why ask it
Dogs introduce people who would otherwise never speak, and regulars at a park tend to learn every dog's name long before the owners'. A nice one to ask when you are, at that moment, the example.
Do they have a best friend among the other dogs, and how did that start?
Why ask it
Most regulars can point to one dog theirs lights up for and another it pretends not to see. If the best friend happens to be in sight, you may get the introduction and the play-bow on the spot.
What's the best photo you have of them, and what was going on just before it was taken?
Why ask it
An invitation to get the phone out, which most owners are waiting for. Asking what led up to it turns one picture into a story and stops the chat becoming a silent scroll through a camera roll.
Is there anything they've grown out of that you secretly miss?
Why ask it
Puppy habits are exhausting at the time and missed later: the clumsy gallop, the ear that had not stood up yet, the need to fall asleep touching someone. A gentle question for the owner of an older dog.
What's a moment with them you still think about?
Why ask it
Set late, because it can go somewhere quiet. A recovery, a bad night, a day they stayed close for no reason. If an owner has recently lost another dog, this is where it will come up, so leave room for it.
Dog lovers
What was the first dog you ever loved?
Why ask it
Anyone can answer, including someone with no dog at home, and it usually reaches back to childhood: a family pet, a neighbor's collie, a farm dog at a grandparent's place. That dog may be long gone, so let them tell it at their own pace.
Are you a big-dog person or a small-dog person, and has that ever changed?
Why ask it
A harmless way to take sides. Press on the change of mind, since plenty of people were converted by one particular dog they had not planned on liking.
If space, time and money were no object, which dog would you have?
Why ask it
The fantasy answer is often a breed far too large or too energetic for the life they actually lead, and they will admit it cheerfully. Someone who says they would have the same dog again has told you something as well.
Which breed do you admire but know you could never live with?
Why ask it
Dog lovers enjoy being realistic out loud: the husky that wants to run for hours, the hound that sings, the coat that needs a groomer on call. It lets them show what they know without lecturing anybody.
What's the best dog name you've ever come across?
Why ask it
Human names on dogs tend to win: a dachshund called Kevin, a mastiff called Susan. Everybody has one filed away, and it leads neatly to what they would call their next.
Who's the best dog in a film, a book or a cartoon?
Why ask it
An easy argument with no wrong answer, and one that children can join. Bear in mind that several famous dog stories end sadly, and some adults have not recovered from the one they read at nine.
Do you stop for every dog you pass, and what's your approach?
Why ask it
This sorts the people who cross the street to say hello from the ones who admire at a distance. The careful ones will describe asking first and holding still to be sniffed, which is worth copying.
Would you ever have two dogs at once, or is one the right number?
Why ask it
People with one dog have usually run the sums, and people with two have a settled view on whether it was double the work or half. Good for anybody wavering about a second, yourself included.
What do dog people understand that everyone else doesn't?
Why ask it
It invites some good-natured tribalism: why the walk happens in any weather, why the sofa has a blanket on it, why the phone holds four hundred pictures of one face. Cat owners in earshot are allowed a rebuttal.
What would you tell someone who is thinking about getting their first dog?
Why ask it
It makes the other person the expert, and the advice is franker than a pamphlet because it comes from their own first year. Handy if you are the one thinking about it, and flattering to be asked in any case.
If you could ask a dog one question and get a true answer, what would you ask?
Why ask it
Under the joke, most answers are tender: are you happy, does anything hurt, what happened before we met. Owners of rescue dogs often choose the last of those, so it makes a good place to stop.
Talking to Dog Owners, and Meeting the Dog
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before You Talk to the Person, Deal with the Dog
Ask before touching, every time
Ask can I say hello, then wait for a spoken yes, then let the dog approach you rather than reaching over its head. Owners of nervous, reactive or working dogs spend a great deal of energy on people who skip this, and asking marks you out immediately as someone worth talking to.
Read the harness and the leash
A vest or leash sleeve that says in training, do not pet or nervous is a request, not decoration. In some places a yellow ribbon or leash is used to mean the dog needs space, though not every owner or passer-by knows the convention. Either way, open with a question about the dog rather than an approach, and stay where you are.
Watch what happens at your feet
A dog that turns away, yawns, licks its lips or tucks in behind its owner may be saying it has had enough attention. Keep talking to the person, stop looking at the dog, and let it decide whether to come back to you.
Do not offer food without asking
Allergies, prescription diets, resource guarding and training programs are all common reasons a treat is unwelcome. Ask, and accept a no without negotiating.
Match the Question to Where You Are
In a vet waiting room, keep it to the name
Some of the people in that room have had bad news. Ask the name, say something kind, and let them decide whether to say more. The story questions on this page are for a park bench, not a waiting room.
At the dog park, ask about fears and other dogs first
The practical questions are not small talk there, they are safety. Get the answers before the dogs are off the leash, and offer the same facts about your own dog without waiting to be asked.
With a new neighbor, ask about routine
Walk times, whether the dog barks when left, and who to call if it gets out are the questions that make you a good neighbor. Then move on to the funny ones.
Be ready for the dog who has died
Ask how long you have had them and you will sometimes get a past tense. Say you are sorry, use the dog's name, and do not immediately ask whether they will get another.
With a dog lover who has no dog, ask about the dogs they have known
Someone between dogs, or living where dogs are not allowed, often has more to say than an owner does. Go to the last group on this page, begin with the first dog they loved, and leave out when they plan to get one: a lease, an allergy, money and a recent loss are all ordinary reasons, and none of them is yours to raise.
What to Leave Out
- Guessing the breed out loud, especially with a rescue dog whose history is unknown.
- Training advice nobody asked for, and any opinion on the collar, harness or method you can see.
- Asking why the dog is not neutered, trained, thinner or better behaved.
- Comments on cost, or asking how much they paid for the dog.
- Breeder versus shelter arguments, which have no good version in a first conversation.
- Asking about a limp, a scar, a missing eye or a cone. If it is relevant, they will tell you.
- Picking up, kissing, or putting your face level with a dog you have just met.