How to socialize a puppy with other dogs

Contributed by Irith Bloom, faculty at Victoria Stilwell Academy and certified animal trainer with multiple certifications, including CPDT-KSA, CDBC, VSPDT, KPA CTP, and CBATI.

Puppy Socialization With Other Dogs

One of the fun things about my job is that I get to work with a lot of puppies. People come to me soon after getting a puppy, and I help them teach their puppy basic skills, such as sitting on cue and walking on-leash politely. The most important part of my job, though, is helping families with proper puppy socialization before the puppy is 4 months old. After a puppy is 4 months old, the puppy’s sensitive socialization period has ended, and the puppy is less open to new experiences. This article will give you tips on how to socialize a puppy with other dogs and point out mistakes to avoid.

The Problem of Being “Magnetized” to Other Dogs

The biggest problem I see with puppies—and adult dogs—these days is that too many of them are magnetized to other dogs. (I am borrowing the term magnetized from my trainer friend Madeline Gabriel, who uses that term when talking about kids and dogs.) A magnetized puppy will try to rush over to every other dog he sees. It’s like the other dog is a magnet and the puppy is a piece of iron.

Being magnetized to other dogs leads to all kinds of problems when you’re learning how to socialize a puppy. Magnetized dogs may bark or whine when they see another dog, and will also pull when on-leash to get to that dog. Magnetized dogs are more likely to do something rude when they approach another dog—such as jumping in the other dog’s face, which can lead to bad reactions from the other dog. Bottom line: While dog-dog socialization is important, it’s best not to magnetize your puppy to other dogs during puppy socialization.

So how can we socialize our puppies without magnetizing them? Let’s begin by picturing the ideal adult dog-dog interaction. Imagine you are walking down the street with a 150-pound Newfoundland, and there’s another dog down the street. It’s much nicer if the Newfoundland simply looks at the other dog and continues to walk calmly on-leash—with no pulling, lunging, whining or barking—rather than dragging you down the street toward the other dog.

Or let’s say that my Beagle is playing with another dog, and it’s time to leave, so I call the Beagle. She comes, and I feed her a few treats, clip on the leash, say goodbye and walk away calmly with a loose leash. That sounds a lot nicer than chasing my dog and pulling her away while she barks and whines because she wants to keep playing, right?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying dogs shouldn’t get to play with other dogs. I’m just saying that there should be structure to how that play happens. For example, if the dog I see down the street is a friend, I can give my dog permission to go and say hello. If the dog is unfamiliar, though, or I am in a rush, I’d like to be able to walk away with my dog on a loose leash. Similarly, I’d like to know that when it’s time to leave a doggy playdate, I can get my dog to come back to me without any difficulty.

I also recommend skipping on-leash greetings with unfamiliar dogs, since dogs tend to be much more tense when meeting on-leash, and that can lead to trouble. We don’t say hello to every single person we pass walking down the street, so why should our dogs?

How to Train Your Puppy to Pass Other Dogs Calmly

So, how do you get your puppy to walk calmly past other dogs or come back to you rather than continuing to play? You begin by teaching your puppy that hanging out with you is rewarding. Start by feeding your puppy something like a Zuke’s treat any time your puppy is hanging out near you. Repeat this at random times as long as he is close by. Soon, you’ll notice that your puppy is walking away from other things to come be with you. Be generous with the dog treats! You’ll be giving a lot of treats at first, but over time, you will need to use fewer and fewer.

Start out practicing at home with your puppy off-leash, and then in your home with your puppy on-leash. This will help with your leash walking, too! After your puppy starts to check in with you regularly both on- and off-leash, take the puppy training on the road and follow the same routine while outside your house. Try different treats, such as Wellness Soft Puppy Bites or Nulo Freestyle Training Treats, so that your puppy learns lots of different yummy things can come from being around you.

What to Avoid

Now that your puppy is spending more time focused on you, it’s important to make sure you don’t accidentally magnetize your puppy to other dogs. Resist the urge to enthusiastically point out other dogs to your puppy. After all, if you want your dog to remain calm, it doesn’t make sense to shout, “Look! Another dog! Let’s run over there!” Your excited behavior teaches your puppy that other dogs mean excitement and also gets your puppy into the habit of rushing over to other dogs.

Use Lots of Dog Treats

Instead of pointing the dog out, wait for your puppy to notice the other dog, and then feed your dog a treat. I generally speak to the puppy when I do this, saying, “Did you see another dog? Here, have a treat,” in a calm tone of voice. Then continue your walk, without even walking over to the other dog. This teaches your dog that you don’t approach most dogs, so he won’t get frustrated if he can’t say hi to every dog. You can always arrange off-leash playdates to give your dog a chance to play with other dogs.

Make Your Expectations Known

If you do want your puppy to greet, make sure you follow a consistent set of rules so your puppy knows what to expect. Your puppy should always get permission before greeting another dog. Your puppy should be walking calmly (if he’s not, the greeting is not likely to go well). Also, ask the other person if their dog is friendly. If the person hesitates, or tells you he’s only good with some dogs, walk away! You don’t want to find out the hard way that the dog doesn’t like your puppy. If everything looks good and your puppy is approaching calmly, you can cue your puppy to say hello and walk up to the other dog, keeping the leash loose the entire time (tight leashes can lead to fights).

Once the dogs are close enough to sniff, let them sniff each other for about 3 seconds. After 3 seconds, thank the person and say, “Let’s go” to your puppy. Stick a treat in front of your puppy’s nose to help distract him and get him refocused on you. Keep the treat by your puppy’s nose as you move away, and then feed your puppy the treat when you’re about 10 feet from the other dog. Then continue walking.

Key Points of Dog-Puppy Socialization

Here are some key points of puppy socialization to remember during puppy training:

1. There is no need for your puppy to greet other dogs on-leash. On-leash greetings are not natural for dogs and are much more likely to lead to fights than off-leash greetings.
2. Your puppy should learn that seeing another dog leads to a treat from you and then continuing the walk without greeting the other dog.
3. If you are planning to allow an on-leash greeting, make sure your puppy approaches calmly and waits to greet until you give him permission.
4. Keep on-leash greetings very short, and use treats to help your puppy move away.

What if you’re off-leash in an appropriate play situation? In that case, call your puppy over to you every couple of minutes and feed him a treat. Then immediately send him back to play again. This will teach your puppy that checking in with you during play earns bonus treats, so when it’s time to go, you can call your puppy, put on the leash and leave without any fuss.

If you practice these exercises regularly during puppy socialization, your puppy will soon be a superstar with other dogs. Instead of crying or pulling when he sees another dog, he’ll look to you for permission. Instead of forgetting you exist when he’s playing with another dog off-leash, he’ll check in with you regularly.

Teaching your puppy that seeing other dogs is a signal to check in with you also makes your puppy less likely to rush up to other dogs rudely. Fewer rude approaches means fewer bad reactions from the other dogs, so your puppy is much less likely to develop aggressive and fearful behavior around other dogs—and you’re much more likely to wind up with a well-socialized adult dog.

Introduction

If you’ve ever seen a dog who is quick to bark, lunge, or cower from another dog that is coming his way, chances are, you are seeing a dog that was never properly socialized. During puppyhood, dogs must undergo a socialization period where experiences determine whether or not a puppy can react appropriately to the presence of strangers or other dogs. This part of a puppy’s life is incredibly important in order to prevent issues like aggression or fear reactivity around other dogs especially.

Proper socialization can mean the difference between being able to go out on walks or to the dog park without incident and having your dog be a nuisance, or worse, an aggressor in public. Socialization at an early age can prevent this from happening and keep your puppy from unnecessary stress around others of the same species, making it altogether easier to train, exercise, and raise him properly.

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Defining Tasks

The socialization period for a puppy begins at around seven to eight weeks of age and continues up until fifteen weeks or about four months. This period of time is what you, as an owner, must take advantage of if you wish for your puppy to form good habits and associations with other dogs. This period of time should also be used to teach etiquette and manners, like preventing jumping up on other dogs or playing too roughly. Some of these manners are typically learned from a puppy’s littermates and mother, but reinforcing it is always beneficial.

As an owner, you will need to allow for good experiences and control stressful ones while using good judgment. Not all dogs will be good role models for your puppy, so it’s important to have a discerning eye when it comes to certain situations. Be prepared to remove your puppy from unsafe or hazardous places. He trusts you, so it’s up to you to provide a great learning environment!

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Getting Started

First, be sure that your puppy has begun the process of vaccinations. While most puppies shouldn’t be around strange dogs until they are protected in full, you may still choose to have your puppy be present around dogs that you know for sure are healthy and vaccinated. Your puppy’s health is important.

Second, find a few dogs locally that can help with the socialization process. Family pets or dogs that belong to friends both make for great first meetings. Be sure that these dogs are well socialized, friendly, and healthy, to provide great experiences for your puppy.

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Do some shopping around your area to find the right class for your puppy. The training class should not be too big or have too many students, should require vaccinations, and should offer playtime for puppies.

Whether the same class that meets weekly or different classes with different teachers, try to get your fill of class time. This will allow your puppy to have as many opportunities to socialize with other dogs as possible.

Provide praise and affection if your puppy behaves well or is playful with other puppies in the class. Try not to offer him treats around other dogs, as it can encourage other dogs to try and steal it from him.

When possible, take some time to talk to other owners about their tactics and tips for socializing your puppy. Use this opportunity to set up one on one meetings between your dogs for extra play time.

Classes typically teach puppies the basics of obedience while creating a foundation for ignoring distractions while trying to learn. Your puppy may not have the longest attention span, but a large part of socialization is knowing when to stop paying attention to other dogs when you need him to.

Other owners can be people you know, or people within a meet up or group where your dogs can get together. Be sure that every dog you plan on meeting with is healthy, well behaved, and vaccinated.

Make a schedule for yourself so you can have time to have at least two or three playdates a week, if possible. The more opportunities for socialization your puppy has, the better.

Whenever your puppy is playing with another dog or puppy, be sure that they are within your line of sight. Adult dogs may grow annoyed with a puppy if she has too much energy and may nip or bark at her as a result.

Even puppies can get tired of other dogs. Allow time for both your puppy and the visiting dog to relax and lay down or even get a nap. This can help break up the chaos of a playdate.

The first dog your puppy meets should be well behaved and tolerant of her energy. After this, work your way up to other dogs who may be more excited and active to prevent from overwhelming your puppy all at once.

Once your puppy is fully vaccinated and can visit places with other dogs, visit them often. Places like pet stores are usually good places to get exposure to other dogs.

Use a leash at all times if you are in a public space or area. This can help you control how much exposure your puppy gets and can also help in case your puppy begins to feel stressed or afraid.

Not every dog in a dog park is well behaved. Some can be aggressive or fearful. When visiting a dog park, use your best judgment as to whether or not it is a safe place for your dog. Consider keeping your puppy in an area that is specifically meant for puppies or in a separate area of the park entirely where he can observe dogs but not be approached by them.

If you are unaware of what kind of personality a dog has, do not approach them with your puppy. This can be a safety concern, as you do not know how the other dog will react.

Take your puppy onto walking trails or other areas where dogs on leash may pass by occasionally. Don’t stop to interact, but continue walking to encourage your puppy to focus on you, even when other dogs are around.

If you know another dog who is well behaved around your puppy, take them on a walk together. This can help reinforce good behavior while in the presence of another dog and get your puppy used to being around them for an extended length of time.