What is dog - dog socialisation?
What is dog-dog socialisation? And how do I socialise my puppy with other dogs?
The subject of socialisation with other dogs is a topic that I discuss nearly everyday with clients and in classes. It’s a really important one and I think there is a lot of misleading and conflicting information out there so I thought I’d write something about what dog-dog socialisation means to me, what the benefits are to getting it right and the consequences of getting it wrong. Unfortunately, I see the results of incorrect or over-socialisation in my behaviour work all the time.
When we bring our new puppy home, we begin teaching that puppy about all the ways in which they should and shouldn’t behave for the rest of their lives and showing them how the world works. A large part of this education should be teaching your puppy to focus on you and listen to you in whichever environment you take them to and that most other dogs (and people, and pretty much everything else!) are just part of the furniture.
You will quickly slip down your puppy’s list of priorities if your they start seeing other dogs as being a lot of fun by allowing your puppy to interact and play with every dog they see. If you have helped your puppy learn that other dogs are fun and exciting, you should not be surprised if you are then unable to control them or get them to listen to you or focus in the presence of other dogs. Having a dog that does not listen to you and that won’t recall away from other dogs or lunges out at them could be deemed dangerously out of control in the eyes of the law as it is no longer under your control and is a danger to itself and others. Not all owners or dogs will welcome the advances of your dog, so you must be able to call them back and this will be particularly difficult if your dog has learned how fun other dogs are and wants to play.
Encouraging your puppy or young dog to greet and play with every dog they meet can lead to a multitude of problems. As well as over-arousal and excitement, it can also cause frustration, fearfulness, aggression and bad manners around other dogs. It is for these reasons that I do not hold ‘puppy socialisation parties’ nor recommend that you attend them with your puppy. Puppies who have been bullied, constantly pestered or intimidated by another dog may become nervous or fearful around other dogs and may begin to use aggression or aggressive displays in an attempt to protect themselves, especially if they do not trust their owner to support them and ensure the other dog is removed. Encouraging lots of play and play fighting can also result in an obsession with other dogs that can lead to various behavioural problems and will mean you will struggle to train a reliable recall; once your dog spots another dog, it appears to become deaf to your calls and the only thing on their mind is getting to that dog for playtime. This type of situation could end very badly for your dog. As well as the fact that our dogs should be under our control, not all dogs or other owners will welcome the advances of another dog, however friendly or playful it may be, especially if that dog is on lead, elderly, arthritic, aggressive, fearful, in training or just would rather be left alone.
Socialisation with other dogs should be about teaching your puppy or young dog to be able to have polite interactions, to be calm and listen to you in the presence of other dogs. This includes training your dog to focus on you around other dogs and also being able to make polite meet and greets with other well-mannered, calm dogs that you know and consider to be a good influence. Teaching a meet and greet in a controlled manner with an appropriate older dog is a great way to teach your puppy to have good manners and be polite. After a short sniff, practise calling your puppy away, making a big fuss of them and playing with them as a reward.
Remember, it is not up to another dog to teach your puppy a lesson or put it in its place. It is your job as an owner to show your dog how it should behave, so do not allow any bullying or harassment and intervene and remove your puppy if they became over excited or start to pester or bother the other dog.
As well as teaching your puppy how to greet other dogs politely and be able interact in a calm, sociable manner (this does not include running towards them or jumping all over them), they will also need to learn that you will just walk straight past most dogs, so you must teach them that this is the way they are required to behave.
Do not be afraid to ask other owners to call their dog away if you are not happy with them approaching. I never want to put my dog in a situation that I would not be happy to be in myself and I will make sure I show my dog that I will protect them and deal with the situation so they don’t feel the need to do so themselves. How many times should I expect my puppy to be jumped all over, have their space invaded, pinned to the ground or bombed by another dog before my puppy starts to become worried when it sees another dog? For some dogs it could be ten times, for others it could be once – I do not want to find out!
It’s a good idea to get your puppy used to seeing other dogs as part of their socialisation, particularly during the critical socialisation period, which lasts up to around 12 weeks of age. Let them see dogs of all shapes and sizes, including black or brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs (these dogs are usually more difficult for other dogs to read and so can naturally be a little more wary of them).
When out and about with my dogs, I want the walk to be about us being together and interacting with each other. I like them to look to me as the source of their fun rather than looking to other dogs for this; which in turn means that they are more likely to want to be with and respond to me. I will play and train with my dogs when out on walks as well as giving them free time to mooch around and allowing meet and greets and polite interactions with dogs I know or am happy for them to meet. I allow balanced play between my dogs where both dogs are happy and participating equally, this might look a bit like a game of tag! I don’t allow any play fighting, chasing or rough and tumble type games.
