Socialize your Dog with Other Humans | Dogs are some of the friendliest creatures in the animal kingdom. They love meeting people and other dogs, they love playing with you, and there is an absolute joy to be around. However, if a dog didn’t get proper social conditioning in its formative months, chances are it may develop aggressive tendencies because of fear.
Socializing helps your dog become accustomed to different sorts of humans, animals, and objects. When it comes to socializing your dog with people, it must begin in the early stages. When a dog delivers a litter of babies, it’s important that you don’t separate the pups for at least eight weeks. This gives them a chance to bond, socialize, and interact with their siblings and mother. If a dog skips this socializing stage, then it will grow up to fear its surroundings.
Usually, dogs don’t get aggressive towards other humans unless they have experienced something traumatic previously. If you notice your dog having trouble socializing with other people, we have compiled a list of ways you can train your dog to be more accepting and less fearful of other human beings.
This is a great place to not only socialize with other dogs but to get used to all different types of people. Remember, the way you react and greet people your dog follows. If your dog sees you talking to strangers and not being fearful, they’ll know that it’s okay to get close to this human. The more people your dog interacts with, the better. Introduce your dog to all sorts of dog owners – the more variation of people your dog meets, the less fearful they’ll be whenever they see a new person.
Dogs can notice all sorts of differences in people, like their size, shape, color of their skin, facial features, etc. Try to make your dog meet all sorts of people – different smells, voices, beards, different hairstyles, and people who wear different hats. The more variety of people your dog meets, the less anxious or jumpy it’ll be whenever they meet someone new.
You should also try to let your dog see people doing different things, like walking, running, playing, cooking, etc. You can also train your dog to get accustomed to different sounds and smells. If your dog is used to people talking and laughing, this won’t aggravate their behavior when you have guests over.
If your dog tends to display unusual behavior around kids, it’s possible that your dog may have had a bad experience with children when it was in its critical stage of socialization. If you have a pre-school-going kid in the house and wish to add a new canine member to the family, it’s recommended you get a dog that has already been socialized to be around children.
If you’re getting a young puppy, then always be cautious whenever they spend time together. If your child is under the age of five, never leave them unattended with your dog. If you want your new dog and child to get along, try designating a time when both are allowed to play together and always supervise the behavior of both.
When it comes to socializing your dog with other humans, it’s important to give them quality experiences. You can start by calling your friends to your house and letting your dog get accustomed to having people over. Once they notice that the new people are harmless, you can begin taking your dog to meet strangers too.
If you begin to notice that your puppy is developing the habit of jumping on people, it’s important to regulate the behavior now; otherwise, it will think it’s alright to jump on anyone. You can train your dog to not jump on people by allowing it to just stand up on its feet and hold your forearms for support. Nobody likes to get themselves dirty by a dog who has been playing in the park all day.
When taking your dog out, start with small intervals of outside exposure. You don’t want to tire your puppy out, but instead, you want to give them a joyful experience that they’ll keep looking forward to.
You can also train your dog to say hi to people once they’ve learned that jumping is not acceptable behavior. This will help build your dog’s confidence when meeting new people. You can train your dog to shake your hand when a person extends their arm. Dogs look for structure and social cues to know how to behave.
Dogs need to socialize with other humans, but it’s just as important to understand your dog’s personality and behavior. Try to observe what causes your dog to become fearful or distressed. Try to limit the occurrence of the stimuli that result in your dog feeling stressed.
If you notice that the fur on your dog’s back is standing up, it probably means they feel threatened and want you to make them feel safe. If you notice your dog, or any other dog, panting and yawning, then there’s a chance the dog is getting ready to attack. When this happens, remove your dog from the situation and change its location. This could prevent your dog and others from getting hurt.
Regardless of the breed and temperament of your dog, it’s an important skill for them to know how to socialize with people. It starts from their early stages when they’re as young as 8 weeks old, and the experiences they go through determines how they react to new people. Give your new pup quality experiences and make them meet all sorts of different people and look, sound, and smell different.
You can take your dog to the dog park, where they can socialize with other pups and their owners. Taking these steps will surely help you and your dog get comfortable meeting new people.
by Maria A Davidson || You can’t buy love, but you can rescue it™ .
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