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How to socialize your dog

Posted Wed, Feb 13, 2008, 11:28 am PST
Humans are social pack animals. Getting along with others is an important part of what makes us happy. Dogs also are social pack animals, so, like us, they must learn to get along with their friends and family members -- human and canine.

Your first priority should be to make sure that your dog is comfortable with his pack: your family. Two tips:

Projecting calm-assertive energy at all times, defining the rules and boundaries, and providing the rewards for a calm-submissive state of mind will allow you to guide your dog's behavior and shape how he interacts with other family members and friends.

Also remember, the walk is an important tool for bonding with your canine companion, so get the whole family involved! 

On the canine side, I recommend starting out by setting a play date with a balanced dog you know. This will allow you to evaluate your dog's social skills in a controlled environment. You can make note of his strength and weaknesses and begin to help guide him if necessary. 

If he does well with one or two friendly dogs, dog parks can be he next step in his socialization. A warning, however: Too many people make the mistake of "punching out" as soon as they get to the park, using that time to drink coffee with friends, make cell phone calls, and totally forgetting their dogs! 

I always advise my clients to remain pack leaders, even at the dog park. Make sure your dog is in a calm, submissive state of mind before introducing him into a situation with a group of strange dogs, and watch for signs of disturbance. If a fight breaks out, keep your calm-assertive energy in check -- your dog will be looking to you for guidance!

As a preventative measure, make sure to give your dog a good walk before bringing him to the park. The less frustrated energy he brings into the group, the better.

With any kind of training or conditioning, it's best to start early, when the dog is a pup. But don't be fooled by the old maxim! Even if your pet is an old dog, it's never too late to learn new tricks.

Showing 30 of 33 Comments

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  • 1. Susan - 1:32PM on 02/13/08

    Tomorrow is the last day of my girls heat and I can't wait to get her out on a walk!!! A nice long walk... I am very optomistic that she will still have a great attitude towards other dogs. It feels like forever since we've gone out together... won't go thru another heat that's for sure! She's turning into a wonderful loving companion. Very pretty too- Thank you Cesar for all your words of wisdom!

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  • 2. sophios33 - 5:15PM on 02/13/08

    You're right on Cesar. Por que se fue de mi televisor?

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  • 3. Kris - 6:38AM on 02/15/08

    We brought a wonderful mini schnauzer into our home, she is now 5 months old. She has been a joy. Although, she is food aggressive, we are feeding her 3 times a day and she seems to be starving. I have tried filling her bowl full, but she eats until it is gone. She is only 5-6 lbs. I would like to leave food out or feed her 2 times a day. Please help.

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  • 4. Susan - 7:42AM on 02/15/08

    Kris- Make sure your pup has had all it's worming done.. the breeder should have given you a schedule of previous worming dates and when the next one is due. If that's been taken care of, there are some dogs that are light eaters and there are some that can never get enough. She is still young, so three times a day isn't unusal... but the food agression is not a good sign at such a young age. Sounds like you need to be more assertive with her, don't put up with that type of behavior.. her mother would have pinned her down for that!

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  • 5. Kris - 10:13AM on 02/15/08

    Susan- She is up to date on all vaccinations and worming. I am not sure what you mean by being more assertive. I have tried making her sit while filling her bowl, but she is all over the place, very anxious. I am not making a big deal about the feeding process. Any other suggestions, should I pin her down LOL

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  • 6. molengyel - 10:34AM on 02/15/08

    Kris- I would feed her three times a day and give her smaller portions. As long as she is getting her daily input and make sure she has plenty of water I would think that the agression will slowly come to an end. I don't know the history of your pet but maybe she wasn't getting enough when she was younger and is worried that she won't be able to finish it all. This will pass when she realizes no one is going to take it away from her Good luck

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  • 7. Susan - 2:03PM on 02/15/08

    Kris- LOL.. no don't do that... LOL. Lets consider this.. What would Cesar do? Well he makes sure that his dogs are calm/submissive before he feeds them. So if your pup is anxious at feeding time she needs learn to be calm before she will be fed. Maybe a walk before feeding... to drain some of the excess energy and then with a leash on put her in a sit and she needs to be calm before the food is given to her. When puppies are together with their siblings they learn to compete for their food and she may have been very good at being the one that ate first or the most. That was then and this is now so she needs to understand that behavior won't be tolerated. She'll learn... just be consistent.

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  • 8. III - 2:22PM on 02/15/08

    I have a 17 year old beagle and for the first time in her life she's "Home Alone." I'm her care giver and she's my inspiration. I'd like her last days to be as good as possible and right now she's in relative good health. What would a new puppy do for her?

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  • 9. wendy - 3:40PM on 02/15/08

    I have a 9 month old female Chihuahua. I think that the lady I got her from kept her in a kennel. She keeps trying to mount my mothers Chihuahua which is also a female.. She also will not let anyone but me pick her up. Any suggestions on how to help her with this?

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  • 10. Susan - 3:57PM on 02/15/08

    III- At 17 yrs old your sweet old beagle would probably want nothing more than to be your one and only! I considered the same thing with my Boston Terrier, he was 10 at the time and unfortunately his time was short. I had been talking to a breeder and was waiting for puppy. While waiting I found out he had Cushings Disease.. he was with us for only a few more months. When I did end up getting a puppy I was glad I didn't get one while he was here. When you get accustomed to your older dogs ways and slower way of life you don't realize how much energy a puppy has! When they are awake they are into everything and your older dog probably wouldn't appreciate all that in your face energy. Not to mention all your time and energy would be focused on the young dog with potty training and teaching rules of the house. It's exhausting for you and you would probably miss out enjoying her twilight years that she has left. You don't realize how much work a puppy is until it's there... and having brought home a 9 week old pup last June I can tell you it's like having a new baby in the house. It sort of turns your life upside down for awhile.. so if I were you, in my humble opinion, I would consider your old sweety first before you commit to a puppy. Best of luck to you!

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  • 11. brainy_babe@sbcglobal.net - 3:04PM on 02/16/08

    cesar- our dog is still pretty young but he gets very nervous around people. hes o.k. with other dogs but he cant get comfortable with new people. one day at a petco store he started growling and barking at an old woman.even though he is VERY friendly he is a VERY big dog and is intimadating. what should i do?

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  • 12. Sharon L - 3:38PM on 02/16/08

    IIII - Maybe you should consider adopting an older dog so that your dog wont have to deal with the energy of a puppy but will have a dog more on her level. I adopted an older dog a few months ago and he is the best dog Ive ever had and he gets along great with other dogs. The only bad thing is that if you get a new dog, he or she will end up being lonely too after the older one passes.

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  • 13. LIZ - 11:52AM on 02/17/08

    I need help. I have a ten month old lab puppy, I have had so many labs but she is different. She has an attitude problem. She likes three people and thats it. If someone comes over she growls, hair goes up and she will hide behind something and growl. Aside from this problem she is so sweet and cuddly. We have 2 more labs outside and they are so sweet. What is her problem? and by the way at Christmas she hid under the bed and when i tried to coax her out she growled at me.

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  • 14. FAITH S - 7:08PM on 02/17/08

    I have a 2 year old female German shepherd who is a bully to our other 3 dogs but submissive to people, even shy around them. I also have 2 cats and a Guinea pig whom she is okay with, and she is shy around other dogs that are not mine. How do I control this bullying?

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  • 15. lagostitilayo - 11:45PM on 02/17/08

    We have a 2 yr old male Shih Tzu and a 4 mo old female Shih Tzu. The male doesn't get along with the new puppy because she runs after him and bites him constantly. How do we get she to stop biting him and us. We give her plenty of chew toys and food to chew on.

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  • 16. mcrotti2 - 4:17PM on 02/18/08

    I am thinking of getting a pup, a boerboel. we had two rotties,who passed away last year, and I miss them terribly. Anyone have any input on how easy or hard to train these dogs?

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  • 17. Becky W - 1:18AM on 02/19/08

    I have a 5 year old collie x and although I am projecting calm-assertive energy on the walk and in the house she is still being aggressive with people and dogs inside the house. On our walks she is on a loose lead but close to my side and never in front. At the park when she is off lead she is better with other dogs but does have her moments and I don't believe I am giving off any negative energy at those points. In the house she has to lay calmly before receiving her meals, also when the door goes she has to lay calmly and people ignore her until she is calm, strangers continue to ignore her for their visit. We have tried her with a couple of different types of dogs, taken them out for a long walk together and then brought them into the house, our dog going first and entering the rooms downstairs first. She will tolerate them being there until they move or look directly at her. With people she is more tolerate unless they move suddenly. What more can I do to assert my leadership in the house to prevent this behaviour?

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  • 18. astaxdorado484 - 6:25AM on 02/19/08

    I use the pack mentalty is the best way I even have a dog translator she is called Doga

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  • 19. jana_leecorn - 5:17PM on 02/21/08

    my boyfriend and I recently adopted a 4 mo. old female heeler/aussie sheppard mix. She is a sweetheart and gets along well with our other two dogs. The problem is when our neighbor dogs come to visit, which is quit often, she barks at them and tries to heard them by nipping them in the face. She also will not let them near me. We have only had her a week and I want to nip this in the bud as soon as possible. Anyone have any ideas?

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  • 20. sfuji1 - 6:08PM on 02/21/08

    Wendy - My chi does the same, except tries to hump my other chi's head. I am told it is a sign of dominance and nothing else. My other chi thinks she wants to play, so he flips her over on her back and then tries to hump her. Goes on for hours...

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  • 21. diane k - 8:30PM on 02/22/08

    I have a pup thats just now going into 3mon.and he barks when i put him in his kennel un less i hit the cage with newspaper then he stops so else can i keep him quite being that hes just a pup i train him to wee wee pads but he is young he uses it till he get mad then he capes on the floor i place him in the kennel for time out then he comes out and uses the wee wee pad so what else should i do

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  • 22. Barbara Scott - 3:20PM on 02/26/08

    Faith: I have been sitting a young Doberman who is a bully at times. I gave him timeouts whenever he became really aggressive. It seemed to help, but I would be interested in what Cesar has to say on this.

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  • 23. Francis B - 10:05AM on 03/09/08

    We have a 9 month old standard poodle, which has very good manners until she is outside off her lead. She has decided lately that when anyone walks outside to play with her, that jumping on them is great. We have told her "no", and point down; but she continues. Do you have any suggestions? She is walked daily by someone in the house and strays do not bother her. She is smart and lets who is ever walking her know she is upset, but follows her human's lead with a sense of security. Help stop her jumping.. Lady Gadiva (chocolate standard)

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  • 24. Zoica S - 10:07AM on 03/09/08

    All we humans have to do is observe the miraculous ways in which animals help us and we're bound to learn how to give more love and service to all life.

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  • 25. Jackamerack - 10:11AM on 03/09/08

    We recently obtained a 4 year old female boxer from the APA. We have been extremely lucky in that whoever owned her previously, trained her very well. She has a very sweet disposition. She's housebroken, comes as soon as you say her name & 'come', does very well on her leash and is not food aggresive. She also is a quick learner. We've taught her that when anyone in the family is eating, she goes to her pad and lays down until they are finished. She learned that in 1 week & now we don't even have to tell her 'to pad'. She goes automatically. The one thing we haven't been able to break her of is getting on the furniture when we are not home. I have cream colored furniture and it is definitely showing the signs of wear from her laying on it when we are not there. She has a pad of her own that she likes and lays on all the time. She has a designated sleeping place in my daughters room on the floor where she sleeps at night. & Believe me, she obviously knows that she is NOT supposed to be on the furniture. HOW do I break this bad habit in an otherwise perfect dog?

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  • 26. mdmriley@att.net - 5:03PM on 03/09/08

    hi cesar; advice is needed!!!!!!!!!!! 5 dogs, all got along fine for awhile two of the dogs are red noise pits and brothers. one night when getting together a fight broke out between brothers not a pleasant sight.how do we reunite them and the familey of dogs ?

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  • 27. Tree - 6:41PM on 03/20/08

    I have a 1 yr old boston terrier that LOVES people HATES dogs. She grew up with a Doberman and Chihuahua and loves them to death, we got a little Dachshund and shes ok with that as well but if I take her to dog parks or petsmart she flips out and begins frantically barking and yipping and jumping around sometimes even biting at the other dogs until I pick her up and hold her. What can I do to stop this habit? I'd love to take her our more places but it becomes a huge hassle.

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  • 28. dar - 6:28PM on 03/28/08

    i have a 4 yr old rottie 120 lbs i would love to take him for a walk but he walks me and when he sees someone else forget about it he likes to go for rides in the car but when he sees someone else he goes wild and jumps around also when people comes over to visit he dosent want them to leave he goes after them and when he dossent like someone i have to put him in another room i dont know what to do helpppppppp

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  • 29. bradleybutler01 - 6:00AM on 04/06/08

    If yuor dog has a problem of eating to fast.. The best thing i found to do is put somthing like a pool table ball in the middle of the bowl.. When that is their they have to eat around in move it.. It just slows things calms things down..

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  • 30. Panama - 8:11AM on 04/10/08

    Just want to tell all dog owners cherish your dogs. My best freind died yesterday!

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