Dogs, like humans, can both be more or less tolerant to other dogs. Some dogs get easily acquainted to a new dog, cat or other animal. Others even have problems with the opposite sex of their own breed. Considering that dogs are social animals by nature this is strange, but still we have to deal with it.
Normally dog lovers like to have other dogs around or other pets like cats, rabbits and the like. To make sure no animal gets hurt isn’t always easy to achieve. Especially when the neighbours’ dog or other animals enter your dogs’ territory, keeping the peace can be a challenge.
You should start the process of socializing your dog as early as possible. Like children, puppies are much more open to accept strangers. They don?t distinguish yet between friend and foe and everything is a new experience to be explored rather than feared or chased.
Your vet will tell you when you can start socializing your puppy (usually at 13-15 weeks of age). Let him meet as many other dogs, animals and people as possible. Also explore his sensitive zones like the ears, paws and eyes regularly. This way you get a well behaved dog, not only when meeting other dogs, but also when going to the vet or when you receive human friends at home.
Dogs by nature explore with their noses. When you first let him meet other animals make sure that the other animals has been properly socialized to avoid violence. But by all means, let your puppy do all the sniffing he wants, because that will make him a better dog.
If your puppy likes to jump on or bite other dogs, see if the other dog corrects him in a gentle dog manner. You should only interfere when one of the dogs is at the point of getting injured. Just stay near your puppy for an emergency intervention, just in case. You might want to bring a pair of gloves if you expect fighting.
If they keep on barking all the time, distract them with a treat or a toy. If your dog doesn’t stop pulling or barking after several attempts to correct him, just try another day. What works will vary widely and depends on the individual dog and some dogs will need more time to tolerate others. You’ll discover what’s more and less effective as you observe his behavior over time.
If you have a (adult) dog that comes from a rescue shelter and you don’t know his past you might need more time to teach him proper dog behavior. Many of these type of dogs have had bad experiences in the past and it might take them some more time to trust other dogs and humans again. They might be violent or shy, but whatever the way they react, bear in mind that many of these dogs turn in to wonderfully adapted animals with a little bit of love from their owners.
Start early, expose for short intervals followed by longer ones, repeat as often as you can. All the time you should be in control of the situation, both physically and mentally.
