I have a lot of questions regarding socializing. What do you suggest?

Question

Hi Ed,

    I recently found your website and am so glad that I did. Like so many other folks out there, I fell victim to the idea that puppies need to be socialized with other dogs when they are little to ensure that they get along with them in the future. In fact of all the web sites out there, yours is probably the only one that says otherwise.

    My puppy is currently 9 weeks old. He is the sweetest little guy and loves other dogs. But other dogs hate him. At first, because I thought I had to socialize him to other dogs, I would allow him to approach the other dog only if the other owner got down on the ground and restrained her dog (and then I would restrain my little guy using a leash). I have tried this now twice, and both times the other dog has flipped out, growled, and seemingly tried to bite at him. This results in me immediately grabbing my little guy (and other owner pulling their guy back) and lifting him up off the ground and removing him from the situation. I know that is was probably foolish of me to try twice and not one time, and I recognize I am lucky that nothing more serious occurred. But these instances have demonstrated that even when the other owner claims his/her dog is the nicest, most tame, friendliest of dogs, unknown dogs just cant be trusted.

    I was hoping you might be able to help me understand better why dogs are so puppy-averse, particularly when the puppy is in neutral territory (outside in the grass around our condo complex). Do you think it is prey drive? (but if so, shouldnt they recognize another dog as one of their own???) Why is it that all the dogs I seem to have met (I have seen others in addition to these two but won't take my guy near them just because they seem to have a focused, intense stare in their eyes) are so hateful toward my puppy? I understand the pack mentality, but so many dogs get along with other grown dogs, so what is it about puppies??? Why are puppies some kind of threat?

    Also, when the other dog starts drooling profusely, is this a warning sign?

Do you think the other dogs were likely trying to attack and harm him, or do you think they were "correcting" his nippy puppy behavior? He likes to lick them, which makes me the most nervous. I don't want his tongue to get severed. He will even roll over on his back when he meets them and lie there as if showing his lower rank.

    I feel kind of bad about not letting him meet other dogs because the second he sees them his tail goes crazy, he really pulls on his leash, or fights in my arms because he wants to play. It sucks to be the bad guy, but I also don't want him to be injured. And a seemingly curious dog can go into attack mode out of the blue (at least from the two experiences I have had). It just happens so incredibly fast. It's hard to even see it coming.

    Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.
  Anne

Accepted Answer

First of all, most people don't understand that socialization doesn't mean physical contact. I take my puppies everywhere and never let them play with or interact with dogs outside our family. NEVER. My dogs are perfectly happy to be around the other dogs without making contact or sniffing, because they have no reason to do so. They are rewarded for being with me and remaining neutral.

Most dogs will show aggressive behavior when restrained by a leash, which is another reason I would never allow any of my dogs to go nose to nose with another dog. If you want your puppy to have experience around other dogs, the best way is to find a COMPLETELY NEUTRAL adult dog and take walks side by side with that dog and it's owner while not allowing contact between the dogs. When dogs get ready to fight with each other, they T off and usually start nose to nose. People don't realize when they let their dogs meet nose to nose on leash, they are actually setting themselves and their dogs up for a problem. Most owners don't have a clue about dog behavior and some of the worst bites I have seen have come from dogs whose owners say "he's friendly." Your job is to protect your puppy, and if that offends some people then that is their problem.

My advice is simple, keep your puppy away from other dogs.

I would read our puppy training section, concentrating on these articles.

The Ground Work to Becoming Your Puppy's Pack Leader this is how we raise puppies in our home.

http://leerburg.com/dogparks.htm

There are links to videos within the articles that will help you raise a well adjusted, well trained puppy.

Cindy