Socializing Your Dog

How does your dog react to strangers?

  • Some dogs ignore other people. They will glance at a person, then pay no more attention to him. Their motto is: "Live and let live."

  • Some dogs are delighted to meet everyone. My dog Buffy "never met a stranger." She treats everyone she meets as her best friend.

  • Some dogs are fine ONLY with people in their own family or with a few selected "friends."

  • Some dogs are fine with people of one sex but not the other. ("Chipper loves women, but hates men.")

  • Some dogs are fine with adults but not with children.

  • Some dogs don't like certain appearances. For example, people wearing hats, or sunglasses, or beards. Some dogs are so observant that they notice the skin color of a person. If it's different than what they're used to, they may react to that difference.

  • Some dogs are aggressive, or suspicious, or timid with almost everyone.



How does your dog react to other dogs?

  • Some dogs ignore other dogs.
  • Some dogs are friendly with other dogs. They play well and are socially well-adjusted with other canines.

  • Some dogs are fine ONLY with dogs in their own family or with a few selected "friends."

  • Some dogs are fine ONLY with dogs of the opposite sex.

  • Some dogs are fine with puppies but not with other adult dogs.

  • Some dogs don't like when another dog is a certain size. They may not like large dogs. Or they may not like small dogs.

    Some dogs are breed-specific. They're fine with their own breed, but not with other breeds. Or else they're fine with other breeds, but not with their own!

  • Some dogs are aggressive or suspicious or timid with virtually every other dog.



Your dog's attitude toward people and other dogs comes from...

His breed

Some breeds are genetically inclined to dominance, territoriality, or suspiciousness toward strangers. Such breeds include:

Akita, American Pit Bull Terrier, Anatolian Shepherd, Beauceron, Belgian Shepherd, Bouvier des Flandres, Boxer, Bullmastiff, Cane Corso, Chinese Shar-Pei, Chow Chow, Doberman Pinscher, Dogo Argentino, Dogue de Bordeaux, Fila Brasileiro, German Pinscher, German Shepherd, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Great Pyrenees, Komondor, Kuvasz, Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog, Mastiff, Puli, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Standard Schnauzer, Tibetan Mastiff, Tosa, Weimaraner.

Some breeds are genetically inclined to dominance, territoriality, or suspiciousness toward other dogs. Such breeds include:

All of the above breeds, plus the Alaskan Malamute, other breeds originally developed for dog-fighting (American Staffordshire Terrier, English Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier), and most terriers such as the Jack Russell, Kerry Blue, Airedale, etc.

This doesn't mean that every member of these breeds will will be aggressive or suspicious -- only that the genetic tendency is stronger in them than, say, in a Golden Retriever or Miniature Poodle, because they were developed for guarding or fighting or hunting.

In my opinion, very few people should own a large breed that has a background of acting suspiciously or aggressively toward strangers or other dogs. The potential legal liabilities are just too great in this day and age.



Your dog's attitude toward people and other dogs also comes from...

His parents

If your dog's parents and grandparents were good-natured with people and other dogs, they may have passed along those genes. If one or more parents or grandparents was aggressive or shy, they may have passed along those genes instead.

The moral? You can already observe the temperament of an adult dog, so you'll know what you're getting. But don't buy a puppy unless you personally observe that the temperament of both parents is perfect. Obviously, don't buy any puppy from a pet store -- you can't see the parents.



Your dog's attitude toward people and other dogs also comes from...

His early environment

If he was frightened or hurt by another dog or person when he was very young, this early imprinting can leave its mark.


How long he was left with his mother and siblings

If removed before seven weeks old, a puppy will not learn bite inhibition or other canine social signals that are taught by mother and siblings during this critical seven week period. Puppies brought home before seven weeks old VERY often end up nippy with people and/or aggressive or fearful with other dogs.

If removed after 12 weeks old, a puppy may have established his position in the "pecking order" so strongly that he will always be inclined to act dominant (if he was at the top) or submissive (if he was at the bottom) toward people or other dogs. In other words, don't buy a 4- or 6-month-old puppy who has been living in a kennel run with his siblings.


How well you socialize him

Puppy socialization (7 weeks old to about 6 months old) is very important. Adolescent socialization is just as critical. Adolescence begins between 6 and 9 months old, and ends between 1 and 3 years old. Larger breeds have the longer adolescent periods.

Just as in people, adolescence in dogs can be an awkward time of change and upheaval. A teenage dog's attitude toward strangers and other dogs may change from week to week, even from day to day! He may have been getting along famously with the whole world when all of a sudden his (or her) hormones kick in and he becomes skittish or spooky. This is an unsettling time for owners!


What You Can Do
You can't change your dog's breed. You can't change the genes he inherited from his parents. You can't put him back with his mother and siblings for that critical seven week period. You can't undo negative experiences that occurred in his early life. What you CAN do is work hard on socialization!



 Socializing Your Dog
and much more!
Where to take your dog to socialize him, how to help him interact with strangers, how to make sure strangers act appropriately with your dog, how to let dogs interact safely, how to respond if your dog acts fearfully or aggressively, three things you should NEVER DO with a suspicious or fearful dog, how to head off aggressive or fearful behavior before it starts.