Dog Interaction
The key to your dog interacting with other dogs, or
socialisation, is familiarity and experience. You should expose
your dog to as many positive experiences, with as many
different people, places and animals as you can.
Is your dog calm, confident and controllable when he is
interacting with other dogs or people? Some dogs display
curious personality quirks. They're afraid of people wearing
gloves or men with beards. Some bark ferociously when they see
another dog or are terrified to get into a car.
Socialisation aims to correct this behaviour in dogs. It's a
process that should begin when a dog is young but continue
throughout adult life. Even a dog that has been adopted as an
adult can benefit from socialisation training.
Familiarity breeds success
The key to socialisation is familiarity and experience. You
want to expose your dog to as many positive experiences, with
as many different people, places and animals as you can.
Simple repeated exposure is not enough, the experience your
dog has while in these new situations must be positive. So,
inviting a friend's children over to let your dog get used to
them won't be helpful if they pinch and poke him or make him
frightened.
Catch them young
When your dog is still young, training school and puppy
parties in your home and vet clinic are a fantastic opportunity
for your dog to become friends with other dogs. Resist the
temptation to coddle nervous dogs or reprimand overly rowdy
ones. Dogs are social animals and need to learn about
interacting with each other, not surprisingly, the best way to
do this is through interacting!
Let them meet people of all shapes, sizes and ages and have
some treats ready to help reward good behaviour. Remember to
never leave your dog alone with toddlers or infants. Very young
children might hurt or frighten him without meaning to and if
your dog is startled or feels uncomfortable it might turn on
them.
Change the route of daily walks and take your dog places
he's unused to. The more he experiences, the more comfortable
he will be in out of the ordinary situations.
You are the leader
Dog's instinctually have a strong sense of hierarchy and you
should always be at the top. He needs to know you are confident
and unafraid before he can be unafraid.
If you're trying to make your dog at ease around larger
animals but you yourself are nervous, then stop. You'll do more
harm than good until you can demonstrate you're comfortable
with the situation.
A simple but effective way to help him become socialised is
to keep his attention on you while he is in a situation he is
unsure of. Your dog recognises you as the leader of the pack
because you're strong and competent and will take comfort from
the fact that the leader will take care of things.
Professional help
If your dog is displaying aggressive behaviour, don't
hesitate to look for professional help. An aggressive reaction
isn't necessarily the sign of a bad dog but it needs to be
addressed quickly. Talk to your vet, who will be able to
recommend a behaviour specialist.