When is the last time your dog was able to greet a friendly dog on leash? When is the last time your dog played off leash with new/strange dogs?
Perhaps your pooch plays just fine with the dogs in your own home or near by, good enough, right? Well, “sociability” is defined by how your dog reacts when he or she meets and greets new or strange dogs. And maintaining sociability with other dogs can be tricky, especially if your interactions with dogs are far and few between. Whatever the case, her are some tips to maintain your dogs sociability and ways to identify things that may be problematic before they become chronic.
Step 1: There's a Dog, Now What?
Whether your dog is on leash or not, if you see a dog approaching, praise and reward your dog for looking at the dog and remaining quiet. If your dog has a habit of running the fence line and barking- don't let them. Leash 'em up or call them back to you to prevent this. If they bark a few times then happily sniff through the fence without further drama, then no biggie!
Step 2: On the Sidewalk and on Leash
Don’t assume all dogs want friendly interactions. In fact, asking, “is he friendly?” may be helpful, though there are many different interpretations of “friendly”. Rely on readying body language instead.
If a dog is inviting another dog to say hi, what you will see is loose, wiggly body language and the head will lower or look turn and look away. If the dog is stiff, still or at the end of the leash lunging and barking, even if the owner says, “ he wants to say hi”, the dog is very aroused. A dog that is really excited or worked up, may come on a little too strong for most dogs.
Look for dogs that appear to be easy going and loose. When in doubt, skip saying hi all together.
Trouble Shooting: My dog is barking or lunging at dogs!
Back away, don’t allow a greeting, and increase your distance and first work on rewarding calm behavior- look – good & treat – look back at you – good & treat. Then, work up to greeting known, friendly dogs.
Trouble Shooting: We had a Bad Interaction with another dog, now what?
Not to worry, you can’t avoid all bad interactions. This is damage control mode, remove your dog from the situation, good & treat- and hang loose. Work on reinforcing calm behavior at a distance and take a break for a few days.
Step 3: Where to go to Maintain Sociability?
Dog parks are great for SOCIAL dogs, but are not a place to “socialize a dog”. There is a major difference- one is like speaking French and moving to Paris- no big deal. The other is like speaking French and moving to Boise, Idaho. Big difference.
If your dog has regular off leash interaction with dogs, great, a dog park may be the place for you.
If your dog has taken to barking, lunging or you haven’t allowed them to greet dogs in a while, the dog park is not the place to start. Try highly controlled environments- training classes, play groups with dogs that are known to be friendly or even very controlled greetings at a pet store or on when out for walks.
Step 4: What to do, and do RIGHT!
When meeting and greeting- try to maintain a loose leash and walk with your dog. Use their name to try to call them away, vs pulling away and reward your dog for an appropriate, sniffing greeting, no matter how short. Don’t be afraid to get outta’ dodge if the dog doesn’t look friendly! And, don’t feel that your dog HAS to or SHOULD greet dog if they have recently seemed unpredictable around other dogs. Instead, call 888-opbarks and we can help!
