Dogs can react in a few different way towards other dogs so Im just going to put them into three categories. Accepting, Non-Reactive and Reactive.
Accepting & Playful- Dogs that accept other dogs are willing to play and have a fun time just running around and being rambunctious together, chasing and having a good time. It is ok to have a dog that is playful and loves being around other dogs however you are going to want to make sure your dog knows when to back off and not invade the other dogs space. Dogs are pretty good at letting other dogs know when they are uncomfortable in a situation, its usually when humans intervene that dog-fights break out (Ill get back to this in a little bit).
Non-reactive- A dog that is "non-reactive" pertains to a dog that can be around other dogs without getting overly excited or reactive as in barking/lunging at other dogs. They may show a little interest in the other dog however it is more of an acknowledgement to the fact they know the other dog is present.
Reactive/Aggressive- It is a fact that some dogs just dont like or get a long with other dogs, it is not as uncommon as you may think to see two dogs greet each other and it break out into a fight, especially when they are both on a leash ( or even just one on a leash this usually has to do with the energy the owner is sending to their dog ). Sometimes your dog may be perfectly fine with some dogs and completely reactive or aggressive towards others, in the same sense that some people simply dont get along with others, dogs may not get along with certain dogs, however they of course react differently and are more clear with their emotions. I am not saying this is an acceptable behavior by any means but if your dog does not get a long with other dogs then it would be best to train them to be non-reactive & how to back out of situations. Instead of giving other dogs the negative attention they should be giving you positive attention. Reactive can also be with less aggressive tendencies such as your dog barking or lunging towards the other dog, another obnoxious behavior.
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?Where your dog is in these categories all depends on you and your lifestyle. Now obviously having a dog that is in the "reactive/aggressive" category isnt exactly ideal however this is what usually happens when your dog is a home-body and doesnt get the opportunity to go out and at least see other dogs or even humans.
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| Rusty hanging out at the dog park |
To put it simply if you want your dog to change then you are going to have to change your lifestyle.
Do you have time/enjoy taking your dog to the dog park on a regular and want them to play and interact with other dogs to get their energy out? If you do thats perfect, you can maintain your dogs socialization by taking them to the park on a regular and letting them get the opportunity to play with other dogs. As dogs gets older they can naturally lose interest in playing with other dogs, it is just part of maturing, I recommend still taking them to the park so they remain non-reactive towards other dogs. If you never take your dog outside or around other dogs then your dog may end up in the reactive or aggressive category so to prevent this and keep your dog in the "non-reactive" category, which is ideal, you are going to have to start taking your dog out daily and make yourself seem more rewarding than barking or lunging at other dogs.
What are your training goals?
To make the answer to this question much simpler, if you have high standards for any sort of training then your are going to want your dog be disinterested and non-reactive towards other dogs. When they can focus their attention on you instead of other dogs then you will have a better chance of keeping your dog interested in working with you around all these distractions.
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| working with rusty outside of the dogpark |
To be blunt, this is where a lot of owners go wrong with socializing. Dogs can feed off your stress/fearfulness much easier when you are holding onto their leash. Most dog fights that happen do so when the dogs owner is hovering over them making sure their dog is engaging in an appropriate social interaction. Your dog is going to feed off of your every movement and any fear you may be harboring while wondering how well your dog is going to react to this strange new dog. As an example, I know some people at our dog park are guilty when it comes to yelling at other people to take their leash off their dog as soon as they enter the park, so, if you are one of these people then please stop. Yelling causes more commotion than necessary and all the dogs running up to this new on-leash-dog may look at him as a bad thing (in other words, youre the one that wouldve caused the fight if they reacted negatively to your yelling) if the person who has their dog on leash is cool, calm and collected then their is a high chance their dog will not react negatively and neither will the dogs greeting them. Do not stress the situation, remain calm and positive in new social interactions to help your dog make a positive association towards other dogs. Dogs understand other dogs better than we do and will be able to read and react accordingly to other dogs body compositions and behaviors.
Changing the unwanted behavior
If your dog is overly excited or aggressive/reactive towards other dogs then you are probably wanting to modify your dogs behavior into a more non-reactive state. I mentioned that making yourself become more rewarding than the other dog is a good start earlier, a quick way to accomplish this is by giving your dog some sort of enticing treat or food every time another dog walks by or is in your dogs presence. Either behavior can take a bit of training time in order to see any sort of change so be consistent and work with your dog daily. When first training to modify this behavior start small, like walking past your neighbors home where their dog is probably barking at the fence (we all have those neighbors) give your dog a treat the entire time you are walking by the other dog until you have passed them. Rewarding your dog for giving you attention and not the other dog will make your dog start looking to you every time you pass another dog, you will have to be sure to do this for every dog you walk past so bring lots of treats. Gradually build up to working around more dogs, working with your dog outside of your local dog park is a great area where you can be sure there might be multiple dogs there. Again, be consistent and work on this daily! You will gradually see change in your dog.
Punishment?
Do not give any leash correction if your dog isnt following your food lure/reward, when they arent "getting it" it can be very frustrating but if you give your dog a correction they can in turn look at the other dog as more of a negative which will take a step back in the direction you are wanting to go with training. Instead, simply turn around and walk in the other direction, go back home, by doing this you are removing an opportunity for your dog to go on a walk which is a rewarding experience in itself. Also, this goes for any training experience, try only feeding your dog at night and not freely eating throughout the day which will make food more of a reward, dogs cannot live without food which makes food an unconditioned reinforcer, taking away the opportunity for your dog to eat food freely will make food more rewarding. The golden rule is to not feed your dog for 6 hours before training.
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