Most dogs are social animals, so why not help your dog fulfill its social aspirations? Your dog will make more friends — with people and with other dogs — and it will gain confidence. What better way to endear yourself to your dog than to help it make friends? Which is something it desperately wants to do.
Here’s an article from WikiHow that has some suggestions on how to help your dog socialize.
And here’s one from about.com.
Callie’s very social — both with people and with other dogs.
On our morning jog, we often take shortcuts through the local golf course. So Callie has become best of friends with Jeff, the assistant greens keeper. Jeff occasionally gives Callie a newly found tennis ball, which, in Callie’s world, is every bit as good as a puppy treat — maybe better. When we’re anywhere near the golf course, Callie is obviously looking for Jeff. If there’s a golf cart within 100 yards, Callie focuses on it; she gets excited if she thinks it might be Jeff. Yesterday, Callie did see Jeff in his cart, but he drove away to do some greens keeping business. It was obvious that Callie was very disappointed. She pulled on the leash to chase after Jeff, ears back expressing her frustration.
Callie also likes to make doggie friends. She has about a dozen regulars, but she’s always up for meeting new dogs. Here’s Callie with one of her favorite regulars, Bub McLoughlin, the Goldendoodle cadaver dog. Callie sees Bub every few weeks at Lake Arrowhead village, and every reunion between the two good friends is playful and sporting.
It’s kind of obvious that, if dogs are so social, it makes sense to let them socialize. But I think a lot of owners mess this up. They’re afraid their precious pet might get hurt. So they don’t let it socialize. Or they keep the leash so tight that the dog thinks the owner is afraid of the other dog — so the owner’s dog gets defensive and protective.
The best policy in these situations (outside a dog park and assuming leash laws apply) is to give both dogs lots of loose leash and let them “work it out.” Chances are the other dog is a social addict, too, so they’ll probably enjoy getting to know each other. You may have to work with the other owner to keep the leashes from getting tangled. But the dogs will have fun. On the odd chance that things do get out of hand, just pull your dog away and go find a more friendly companion.
Nurturing your dog’s personality is one of the best ways to build a stronger relationship with it. Almost all dogs have a strong desire to interact with dogs and people. Stanley Coren has an interesting way of saying this. He says that dogs have the intelligence of a 2 1/2 year old child. But he also says they have the social instincts of a teenager. So help your dog be a teenager!
