Socialize Your Dog Please!
Since starting my dog daycare last year, I’ve seen all kinds of dogs, each one with a very distinct personality. However, large or small and no matter the breed, I saw some traits that were common to a certain group of dogs.
These dogs were fearful, shy, and aggressive. They would freeze and cower when approached by my dogs, and were quick to growl and snap when anything got too close. Sometimes it would take three days to get a dog like this to warm up to playtime.
What was the common ground that these particular dogs shared? They were all unsocialized. Sometimes the owners had warned me in advance that their dog hadn’t really played with other dogs before, but others thought that taking their dog to play with a friend’s dog once in a blue moon had been enough.
A dog needs to be exposed to all kinds of dogs in order to be properly socialized. You want them to meet dogs of different sizes, shapes and colors so that they will not be fearful on meeting a dog that is new.
It’s especially important for owners of small breeds to realize that their dogs are perfectly capable of learning how to play and socialize with dogs that are much larger than they are. In my daycare, the small dogs are the most likely to be unsocialized, probably because they require so much less activity than larger dogs, and due to their owners fears of large dogs hurting them.
My dogs have played at offleash parks since they were just a few months old, and we go to meetups where owners get their dogs together to play. Of course the doggie daycare means that we constantly have new dogs coming into our home, which is something most owners can’t do. However, you can take your dog to attend a dog daycare once in awhile to give them a chance to play with other dogs.
Socialization is an extremely important part of a dog’s life, especially when they are a pup. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for exercise and mental stimulation.
If you have a dog, remember to take them to play with other dogs! It teaches them some very important manners for future encounters and friendships.
