Here comes the final part of the mini guide about dogs with challenges with other dogs.
The guide is made by Adfærdsdyrlægen.dk/ Pernille Blok-Riisom
If you didn't get to read the other chapters, you can find them here:
Part 1 - Why do many dogs have challenges with other dogs?
Part 2 - Tools and Tips for Handling Dog Encounters
Part 3 - How to turn the situation from negative to positive
Part 4 is about prevention, i.e. what you as a dog owner can do before problems arise.
Prevention is always better than having to solve problems once they have arisen. This also applies to dogs that become aggressive or fearful when meeting other dogs.
An effective way to ensure this is through a gradual positive introduction to other dogs during the puppy's sensitive period, called the socialization phase.
Socialization – give your puppy the best foundation!
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Remember in this context that the socialization phase already starts when the puppy is 3 weeks old. This means that for the first five weeks it is the breeder's responsibility to ensure that the puppies have a positive and varied encounter with other dogs.
You should therefore make sure before you buy a dog that your future puppy's breeder has ensured that the puppies learn good contact and play.
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Puppies aged 3-12 weeks are in the socialization phase. This period is a time when the puppy is more receptive to new impressions from the environment and at the same time forms a basis of reference based on the experiences it has. This becomes important later in life, as the puppy is subsequently more likely to react fearfully to new and unknown things. Therefore, a varied and positive basis of reference will constitute the best gift you can give your puppy.
The experiences that the puppy gains early in life will influence the puppy and are crucial for its behavior as an adult. When problems arise in adulthood, it is usually due to too few experiences as a puppy or experiences that are not in harmony with the environment the dog subsequently grows up in. Take into account the mind of your puppy. If it needs to sit and observe, support it in this and give it the opportunity to seek shelter between your legs while it looks at its surroundings.
Socialization is about collecting positive experiences, not just having many experiences.
What does your dog's body language tell you?
Pay attention to your puppy's body language when playing with another dog so you can help him before a conflict arises.
Keep an eye out for the following: If your puppy starts to yawn, blink, lick its nose or turn its head, these may be small signs that it wants more distance from the other dog.
See Mini Guide Part 2 for additional changes in body language that indicate your puppy is insecure and afraid.
Playgroups, puppy schools and socialization groups…
To teach your puppy what kind of world it will grow up in with you and the rest of the family, it can be helpful for both you and the puppy to start training soon after you bring it home. Many training centers offer socialization classes or puppy schools that focus on good play between puppies, where there is control that no puppy has a bad experience. There is also a focus on environmental training, where the puppy learns to get used to the world it will live in in the future and creates the basis of reference from which the puppy evaluates everything in the future. This is done in a structured way and based on the wide and varied range of stimuli and experiences that the puppy will benefit from in the long term.
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Give your puppy the best gift and start socializing him to other dogs right away. Collect good experiences and prevent behavioral problems from arising.
|
Avoid visiting places where many dogs are locked together, running free, and where the phrase: "they'll sort it out themselves" can be heard in situations where two dogs are in conflict.
Conflict situations always end up with one dog being more affected by the situation than the other. A bad encounter can be the start of a future behavior problem.
Always be your dog's support and do not put him in situations where it is not possible to control the encounter with other dogs. Teach your dog that his signals are heard and accepted, this ensures that our dogs learn to communicate considerately with each other.
Behind the scenes at Adferdsdyrlægen.dk
Pernille Blok-Riisom is a trained veterinarian and has worked for 14 years as a general practitioner veterinarian in a small animal practice.
She has always been interested in behavior in both animals and humans and wrote a thesis on dogs' anxiety in connection with sounds with a focus on fireworks. Since 2017, Pernille has been self-employed with the company Behavioural Veterinarian.dk and now works with behavioral consultations, lectures and teaching
Mini guide part 4: The considerate encounter between dog and dog
Here comes the final part of the mini guide about dogs with challenges with other dogs.
The guide is made by Adfærdsdyrlægen.dk/ Pernille Blok-Riisom
If you didn't get to read the other chapters, you can find them here:
Part 1 - Why do many dogs have challenges with other dogs?
Part 2 - Tools and Tips for Handling Dog Encounters
Part 3 - How to turn the situation from negative to positive
Part 4 is about prevention, i.e. what you as a dog owner can do before problems arise.
Prevention is always better than having to solve problems once they have arisen. This also applies to dogs that become aggressive or fearful when meeting other dogs.
An effective way to ensure this is through a gradual positive introduction to other dogs during the puppy's sensitive period, called the socialization phase.
Socialization – give your puppy the best foundation!
Remember in this context that the socialization phase already starts when the puppy is 3 weeks old. This means that for the first five weeks it is the breeder's responsibility to ensure that the puppies have a positive and varied encounter with other dogs.
You should therefore make sure before you buy a dog that your future puppy's breeder has ensured that the puppies learn good contact and play.
Puppies aged 3-12 weeks are in the socialization phase. This period is a time when the puppy is more receptive to new impressions from the environment and at the same time forms a basis of reference based on the experiences it has. This becomes important later in life, as the puppy is subsequently more likely to react fearfully to new and unknown things. Therefore, a varied and positive basis of reference will constitute the best gift you can give your puppy.
The experiences that the puppy gains early in life will influence the puppy and are crucial for its behavior as an adult. When problems arise in adulthood, it is usually due to too few experiences as a puppy or experiences that are not in harmony with the environment the dog subsequently grows up in. Take into account the mind of your puppy. If it needs to sit and observe, support it in this and give it the opportunity to seek shelter between your legs while it looks at its surroundings.
Socialization is about collecting positive experiences, not just having many experiences.
What does your dog's body language tell you?
Pay attention to your puppy's body language when playing with another dog so you can help him before a conflict arises.
Keep an eye out for the following: If your puppy starts to yawn, blink, lick its nose or turn its head, these may be small signs that it wants more distance from the other dog.
See Mini Guide Part 2 for additional changes in body language that indicate your puppy is insecure and afraid.
Playgroups, puppy schools and socialization groups…
To teach your puppy what kind of world it will grow up in with you and the rest of the family, it can be helpful for both you and the puppy to start training soon after you bring it home. Many training centers offer socialization classes or puppy schools that focus on good play between puppies, where there is control that no puppy has a bad experience. There is also a focus on environmental training, where the puppy learns to get used to the world it will live in in the future and creates the basis of reference from which the puppy evaluates everything in the future. This is done in a structured way and based on the wide and varied range of stimuli and experiences that the puppy will benefit from in the long term.
Give your puppy the best gift and start socializing him to other dogs right away. Collect good experiences and prevent behavioral problems from arising.
Avoid visiting places where many dogs are locked together, running free, and where the phrase: "they'll sort it out themselves" can be heard in situations where two dogs are in conflict.
Conflict situations always end up with one dog being more affected by the situation than the other. A bad encounter can be the start of a future behavior problem.
Always be your dog's support and do not put him in situations where it is not possible to control the encounter with other dogs. Teach your dog that his signals are heard and accepted, this ensures that our dogs learn to communicate considerately with each other.
Behind the scenes at Adferdsdyrlægen.dk
Pernille Blok-Riisom is a trained veterinarian and has worked for 14 years as a general practitioner veterinarian in a small animal practice.
She has always been interested in behavior in both animals and humans and wrote a thesis on dogs' anxiety in connection with sounds with a focus on fireworks. Since 2017, Pernille has been self-employed with the company Behavioural Veterinarian.dk and now works with behavioral consultations, lectures and teaching