September 4, 2007
Socializing your Dog
Does your dog lunge and bark at other animals during his walk or at the park? It?s a common and embarrassing problem, one that even the nicest dogs may have.
Lack of socialization could be the cause. Your dog may simply need more experience with other dogs to learn the proper circling and sniffing etiquette. Owner attitude and energy have as much to do with a dog’s behavior as the dog’s own make up. Your leash is an antenna and you’re sending subtle signals to your dog, whether you mean to or not.
If you’re on your nightly walk and see another dog approaching, be aware of your body language and feelings:
Your dog can sense all this because your feelings manifest themselves in physical ways. The key is to remain calm, as if there is nothing to fear. This is the most important element in keeping the dog calm as well. Also, you must read your dog’s body language to see if he is reaching an agitated state and redirect his attention before something unpleasant happens. This may sound like an oversimplified answer to an embarrassing and potentially dangerous problem, but it is possible. To get to that point, however, you must establish yourself as a pack leader to your dog, which is an instinctual pack animal. Dogs will either be leaders or followers, so if you don’t take the role of leader, he or she will. Because dogs have different personalities and quirks, your dog might never be a “party dog” that frolics carefree at the park with other animals. For a dog like this, an attainable goal would be simply to pass other dogs without incident.
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