Social Dog, Happy Dog

One of the many perks of being a dog walker is watching our doggie clients play together. Play groups and paired dog walks add companionship, but also help to keep dogs socialized and well adjusted to new and changing situations. As city life is always full of excitement, city dogs are definitely in need of a flexible nature. As the guardian of our dogs, it is our responsibility to help our beloveds learn how to respond in a healthy and acceptable manner to the large spectrum of possibilities that exist when out for a walk on our busy city streets.

Socialization should begin in puppy hood. Dogs have a sensitive period for socialization between the ages of 3 and 12 weeks. Fun and pleasant exposures to people, other dogs and other animals during this time will have long-lasting influences on the sociability of your dog. Well socialized dogs tend to be friendlier and less fearful of the kinds of individuals they were socialized to.

Socialization needs to continue through out a dogs life. Well socialized pups have a better chance of being well socialized adults, but still need to have exposure to new people, animals, and situations. New situations help your pooch (and you) develop confidence and resiliency in the face of difficult experiences.

Which bring us the humans of this equation. Our dogs are great at reading our faces and our vibes. When we display anxiety when approaching situations, our dogs feel this and react accordingly. They feel our tension and understand the situation to be a tense one. Our more overt actions also lead our canine counterparts to react. Let's say our sweet Lucky has shown aggression to large white dogs. When ever we see a large white dog approaching, we tighten our hold on his leash. Lucky now starts to bark, and we begin to scold dear Lucky for barking. Lucky now thinks: I don't like big, white dogs. Whenever they show up, I get punished. I need to keep barking to keep them away.

So what do we do to teach our pooch that other dogs (and kids, and the delivery person, and hats, ect.) are all okay to be around. Rewards! Try your best to reward good behavior and ignore poor behavior. Teaching our dogs and ourselves new ways of being takes time. If your dog barks at approaching dogs, spend time on a park bench. Sit calmly with your pooch as other dogs walk by. When your dog meets a new dog, hand feed them a treat. Make sure your dog has enough physical space. Your dog may bark as usual, but this behavior will begin to diminish as your pooch recognizes a new equation: new dog + calm me (and human) = delicious treat.

For more info on socialization try some books by Dr. Patricia McConnell - you can find them at amazon.com, or check out this website to get a review of tactics: http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/index.html
Please give us a call or email with any questions you may have!
617.710.0324