Dear Miss MANNERS: I have two medium-sized, well-behaved dogs. Every day, morning and evening, the three of us go for a constitutional walk, with the two of them on a leash. Over the years I have encountered a variety of people who seem to feel it is their right to call, play, distract, pet or otherwise engage me the dogs.

The new form of interaction, which baffles me, involves a stranger seeing me on the sidewalk and immediately asking for the names of my dogs. My dogs’ names are the first keywords in commands for them and it is important for them to always know who is commanding them. Thus, it seems ill-advised to help strangers call him by name.

I generally respond as usual: smiling slightly and moving on. But the practice of strangers asking “Hello, what’s your dogs name?” it seems to have become terribly common, seemingly overnight.

Is there some new social form where this is considered good behavior?

GENTLE READER: This seems no more complicated than an application (perhaps a misapplication) of human courtesy to the canine world.

Miss Manners agrees that no one should approach your dogs without your permission. If you’re willing to do an introduction, you can avoid the name-as-command problem by giving your dogs nicknames. Miss Manners won’t tell and trusts you, Fluffy and Gonzo to keep the secret too.

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email address, [email protected]; or by mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

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