It’s a beautiful sight, two little puppies rolling about on the grass tackling each other and raising their own little ruckus until they are so tired they can’t hold their little heads up. They slump in a ball of blissful exhaustion until they can wake up and do it all over again.
It’s not only a fun activity for the pups, but it’s a healthy exercise of learning and growing as well. It helps to ward off that horrible dog behavior of wanting to fight every dog on the street during walks and allows other dogs into his home. Socialization is a fun way for puppies to learn how to treat each other.
Puppies are naturally social. Taking your little one for a walk typically means discouraging him from charging up on every canine variety you encounter along the way. His tail wags and he pulls to get closer and wants to find out about this other guy who looks just like him on the end of another one of those leashes. We actually teach them to be unsocial creatures.
We don’t mean to do it, but when we are out and about with our puppies we want them to ignore the other dogs and walk with us and we pull them away from the big dog at the vet. Over time we are teaching them that other dogs are simply not part of our pack and they are not to be socialized with.
Some dogs will retain their happy go lucky nature regardless and want to play with other dogs for the rest of their life. Others will become more aggressive toward other dogs because we have taught them that they are not included in our pack. While it’s not a good idea to let your puppy pounce on every passing dog, it is a good idea to get them socialized both with people and with dogs.
Even if you already have other dogs in the household, social play allows dogs to learn how to interact with those outside of their little pack. It also teaches them how to relate to strangers. Even if you got that German Shepard because when he grows up he will make you feel safer, he still needs to learn how to interact with other dogs and people. You don’t want an unsocial aggressive dog that you can’t take out in public, especially a large one that you can’t control.
Puppy school, dog parks, and outdoor social activities provide a stable and safe environment for socializing your puppy. Just because Rex learns how to play with Charlie and makes friends with Charlie’s owner doesn’t mean he won’t protect the house if he ever needs to. The idea is to teach him to recognize danger when it arises and to not perceive everything as a threat.
When you first begin socializing your puppy you want to start out restraining him. He’s excited and he wants to pounce on everything and everyone and get the games going. Using a leash and a harness to let him introduce himself insures that he won’t annoy another dog to the point of getting put in his place. It gives you the chance to help him develop self control.
If another dog shows any sign of aggression, pull your guy away. The theory that allowing him to be put down by other dogs will make him more manageable is barbaric and in fact the exact opposite will occur. You want him to make friends.
When you believe your puppy has basic control of his exuberance, remove his leash and allow him to socialize, but don’t get distracted. He’s still a puppy and by nature he will probably find some trouble. Small scuffles will occur and you don’t have to mother hen him, but pull him back and try again if another dog is annoyed by his behavior. If any dog is overly aggressive, he shouldn’t be there and it is acceptable to let another owner know that their dog is not ready for this kind of free socialization. Most schools and Puppy Parks have strict rules about aggressive dogs.
Keep your initial visits fairly short, no more than half an hour. You want to end the session while he is still having a good time so he looks forward to the visits and views it as a reward. If you wait until he’s bored or scuffling too much he may lose interest. You can gradually increase his sessions as he grows a bit older.
This is your opportunity to teach your dog how to behave in social situations. If your puppy is doing something that seems to annoy people or dogs, or that you just know is out of line, remove him for a moment with a firm “no.” We all have a touch of that “it’s cute because I love him” syndrome. We recognize it other people but so rarely in ourselves. Just because you think it’s cute doesn’t mean everyone else will. Pay attention to how other people are responding to your bundle of joy.
If people are correcting your dog, or pulling their dogs away, or seem to be altering their behavior around your pup, then they are sending you a signal that his behavior is not okay with them. Sometimes people just don’t have patience with puppies. Sometimes they see you suffering from the syndrome. Try to be objective about your puppy if you notice someone reacting to him. If it’s several different people, then you really ought to intervene.
Socialization is a responsible part of dog ownership. It should be rewarding for both of you. Get involved and play games with him and his new friends, talk to other dog owners and exchange thoughts and ideas for problem solving, and most of all keep it fun for your puppy. He has a lot to learn in a short period of time, and you want to give him the best possible chance of growing up into a good, dependable, predictable family member.