Dos & Don’ts - Properly Socializing Your Dog With Other Dogs
Proper socialization between dogs looks a lot different than how you may think it should look.
I know the vision of lots of dogs running around at the dog park, playing, chasing, etc. seems like the dream but I hate to break it to you, the dog park is the last place you want to go to properly socialize your dog. Letting your dog pull you over to another dog on leash because “they just want to meet” is also not a good way to socialize.
DO NOT
bring your dog to the dog park and let them run free with lots of different dogs you don’t know - there is way to much social pressure put on your dog and not enough management by the human
let your dog greet another dog on leash, ESPECIALLY nose to nose - your dog has two options in a situation, fight or flight - when we tether our dog to us on a leash we remove the option of flight and all they have left is their fight response - even the most social of dogs typically does not appreciate being rushed or ambushed by another dog - and furthermore, when you allow two dogs to greet each other on leash nose to nose, they’re in a position where body language can be threatening and confrontational giving you a higher chance that there may be an issue
force your dog to interact with every single dog it meets - it is more common than not for dogs to be selective with what dogs they feel comfortable interacting with and enjoy being around - if your dog is displaying any sign that they are uncomfortable and want out of the situation, the last thing you want to do is force them to play because you’re trying to show them that other dogs are good and fun! - listen to your dog, advocate for heir needs and give them space
focus on your goal being that your dog should want to play with other dogs - some dogs are more social than others and genuinely enjoy playing with other dogs - some dogs want no part of that - the goal should be coexistence over anything - not all dogs want to play with others, and that’s completely fine, but they should be able to exist around other dogs without interacting
DO
choose someone with a dog you are familiar with to bring your dog around - try to make any and all experiences your dog has being around other dogs positive - that’s a lot easier to do when you have control over the situation and control over who your dogs interacts with
go for a walk first - your dogs don’t have to physically “meet” to get to know each other - simply keeping your dog and the other persons dog on a leash and getting right into the walk will help your dog learn how to be comfortable around the other dog without the spacial or social pressure of having to directly interact - over time you can slowly bring them together and allow them to interact while being mindful of signs of stress of discomfort
bring your dog the dog park BUT NOT INTO the dog park - sit outside the park and let your dog get some exposure to other dogs - dogs at the dog park will likely be in a high state of arousal and a dog that’s uncomfortable around other dogs may want to “police” the situation and shut it down because it’s making them nervous - practicing calmness around the other dogs playing and showing your dog that it’s not going to effect them shows them they don’t have to get involved and they can coexist with dogs at play even though they may not want to partake
